christopher_ward2

<p>Soaking to uncurl ,cutting and repackaging are out. I simply do not know enough about 80 year old film. Lots of fading ,foxing and yellowing. And a Mini-Lab tech would give me nightmares. Researching online for what to do with the whole lot. If I choose to copy them I will post some results.<br>

Chris</p>

<p>I have taken the dates to be Aug.1929 or Aug.1931 not Aug.29th or Aug.31st. Guessing family/business trips in summer of each year but I could be wrong. I have an F3 ,bellows ,copy attachment and TTL flash unit but two 100' bulk rolls of slow film and chemicals may be too much money right now. Most rolls have a long 3 or 4 frame leader on each end ,tried scanning some with my HP S-20 but the curl jammed it.<br /> Chris</p>

<p>Thank you all for your thoughts. For now the box of film is stored in the freezer...no boom. It seems that 7 of the 25 are non "Safety" films. I am still conflicted about how to handle them. My archivist side says keep them together and uncut but my photographer side want them cut and put into pages for viewing. Then we come to the "Historical" knot...are random cityscape ,mountain views ,graduations and family gatherings important without context? After 80+ years do these particular images matter? And to whom? <br>

I will dig into how to clean the film rolls and copy some as time and money permit. Maybe with a few glassed of schnapps the handwriting will become clear. The future of my own catalog of banal and personal images has been on my mind of late. What will happen to them when I cross the Styx? Chris </p>

 

<p>Seems Germany passed a "Safety Film" law in 1940. Some of these are Nitrate. Been lucky so far ...<br>

no BOOM in the storeroom.<br>

Chris</p>

<p>All but one roll has edge markings.The ones not marked "safety" are Agfa ,Agfa Isopan ISS ,Zeiss Ikon and Norel<br>

onn. Not sure if they are unmarked safety or old film base.<br>

They have bounce around with me for 20 years. More of the "not worth anything but too good to throw away" <br>

stuff that seems to fill my storeroom.</p><div></div>

<p>I have found a box of 25 B&W slide and negative rolls in a box of misc photo stuff. Family unknown ,camera<br>

unknown. These are travel/family shots from 1928-34 Germany. The rolls are stiff and I'm thinking of loading<br>

them into a tank with warm water ,hanging them ,then cutting them into 5 frame strips. They came with a box<br>

of mixed photo gear years ago. Not sure if I should mess with them or leave them alone. Any thoughts?<br>

If uncurled and cut they may be printed for curiosity sake. <br>

Chris</p><div></div>

<p>Dave,<br>

Most viewfinders on SLR cameras have a plus something magnification built in. At +1.25 you may only need a +0.5 diopter. Check with the Canon forum people. My Nikon F/F2 starts out at +1.0, my glasses +2.0, so I added a +1.0 diopter.<br>

Chris</p>

<p>David,<br>

Most of the better cameras offer diopters that screw into the eyepiece. I use +2 reader glasses and my old Nikon F2 slr finder is at +1, so I added a +1 diopter and the finder information is now sharp. I still need my glasses to see the controls on the outside.<br>

Chris</p>

<p>First all Pentax 110's require batteries to work at all ,second the pin/lever on the bottom of the film gate catches a notch in the film to cock the shutter. There is a shutter cocked / film advance interlock. You will be able to advance the pin/lever to cock the shutter then fire and then advance again. Fun camera.<br>

Chris</p>

<p>Bill,<br>

My Hasselblad system guide lists this meter as 1957-1991. #54011 or TIMCC<br>

Chris</p>

<p>Peter,<br>

Cool lens. Not much information for you... <br>

Shutter mfg. Wollensak ,teens and 1920's.<br>

Lens Rapid Rectilinear (Aplant) triple convertible. US stop system-US4=f/8 ,US16=f/16. Something smaller than 3 1/4"x 4 1/4" coverage. Fastest f/ will be combined lens ,I do not know which scale is for the front only/rear only cells. You may try looking up Turner-Reich convertible lenses ,they were popular in the 1930's.<br>

Chris</p>

<p>Dale,<br>

Back in the dark ages ,you would use the 4x5 camera as an enlarger. Place the negative between two sheets of glass the size of a film holder ,make a box with a light source and place on top of the ground glass ,use the taking lens as an enlarging lens. Limited use but if you are handy ...possible.<br>

Chris</p>

<p>The barrel of the lens stops at infinity. The barrel moves smoothly. The screw heads seem undamaged so a home repair attempt that failed is unlikely. Maybe a flipped element or lens group from a bad CLA? It is closer to the thrift store donation box each time I mess with it.<br>

Chris</p>

<p>The 55 f/1.2 does not focus past infinity. It will not focus to infinity. When I frame a building at any distance the split image rangefinder on the focus screen will not line up. This happens on all three of my Canon bodies. Makes me crazy when the tech says the lens is fine on his machine. One body maybe ,but all three! No dents or signs of abuse or unusual wear that I can see. Maybe the lens knows I'm a Nikon guy!<br>

Chris</p>

<p>I am frustrated with my Canon 55 f/1.2 FD #217xx. The lens has been checked for infinity focus ,but seems not to focus to infinity with my cameras (A-1 ,T-70 ,AE-1). The split rangefinder is off. The tech finally tweaked the mirror rest on the T-70. Could this be a worn out mount flange on the lens? The lens seems to mount snug on all bodies. My Nikon 55 f/1.2 seems to focus to infinity on all my Nikon bodies. Odd lemon lens or quirky f/1.2 lens? Chunky doorstop? Any similar experience out there?<br>

Chris</p>

<p>Ron,<br>

It's for flash bulb sync. Check out Graflex.org for flash information. My 4x5 Speed Graphic uses a solenoid for "M" sync with flashbulbs. From a time when flash was a new idea.<br>

Chris</p>

<p>Years ago I found a Nikon 8f/8 fisheye and ran a test roll thru it. The poor kid at Walgreens totally freaked out ,round images on the entire roll. From then on I always shoot a few "normals" on each end of a roll for a "1 hour" test. chris</p>

<p>I would advise extreme caution!! Ether ,alcohol and Collodion are flammable Any spark and they are wondering what happened to your eyebrows or worse. Collodion="Gun Cotton" dissolved in nitric acid. A well ventilated space is always best. The last time I messed with wet plate stuff ,the aprox ASA was .6 in bright daylight.<br>

chris</p>

<p>Peter,<br>

3 1/4x4 1/4 is mostly dead. Unless you can pickup a 4x5 Crown or Speed ,you might be better off with a "singer" 120 roll back. A piece of 3 1/4x4 1/4 plastic with an 8 ,10 or 12 exposure 120 roll back permanently mounted. Ebay or an old school camera shops may have one. If you insist on cutting 4x5 film ,use a ceramic blade to eliminate static discharge marks on your film. Learning to use a Speed Graphic is fun. I'm an old school "slow film and fast glass" shooter. Anything in the 100 or 125 ASA/ISO film is nice to shoot ,but the 320/400 ISO may stress you less. Keep an eye out for a 4x5 Anniversary Speed ,lots of fun and massive detail. Chris</p>

<p>The frame/advance lever may be stiff from lack of use. With my 1st roll ,frame spacing and chewed up sprocket holes were the only problems. Nice little camera with a sharp lens. I have read about advance problems with pre-war Retina cameras. I know Retina I cameras were made by Nagel in Germany but this one is not marked "Germany" on body/lens/shutter. My wife noticed the french on the depth of field dial ,I assumed it would be in german. Another roll of film may loosen up the lever/sprocket linkage. Chris</p>

<p><img src="c:\image\french_retina.jpg" alt="" />I found a Kodak Retina I (118) at Goodwill. The depth of field dial is in french. The compur-rapid shutter works fine and the uncoated Kodak 50f/3.5 anastigmat seems sharp. The camera has a nasty habit of eating film. The single sprocket advance rips the film. Can I clean/lube the advance release leaver myself or is this a professional CLA problem?</p><div></div>

<p>Peter,<br>

Fix ,rinse/wash off excess fixer ,hypo clear 1 to 5 minuets (depending on brand) ,68F degree wash for 30 minuets. If you are pressed for time you can fill and empty your tank with tap water 68F ten times then 30 seconds in photoflow ,some people rinse in distilled water last then hang to dry. You just need to find the steps that best suit your needs and work space. Chris</p>

<p>Peter,<br>

Checked your page and bio. My 4x5 Anniversary is a favorite cameras. I used an FR tank for a long time ,now I use a Combi-Plan. Once out shooting my Speed 4x5 ,a young man asked if the camera was home-made. My inner Weege has not been let out to play for quite awhile now. If we get a dusting of snow here ,I may get out and shoot a few sheets of Adox 50. Chris</p>

<p>Peter,<br>

The 3x4 film will take less chemicals. Kodak D-76 1:1 is best as a one shot. The FR tank is fine ,just expensive for single sheet runs. I would set the tank guides for your 3x4 film and fill it with plain water to find out how much it holds ,and how long it takes to drain (with both top parts in place). Four sheets at a time ,spaced evenly in the tank should work. If you have an older (heavy) tank ,remember it is made of "Bakelite" type plastic and easy to break. Once you know how much fluid you need to cover your film type ,a hair dryer to dry it out and a changing bag to load it ,you are in business. I load film into the FR tank inside a changing bag. Set my development timer. Set out my chemicals and two 1 liter(qt) beakers. The tank always leaks so I places it in a 8x10 print tray. I pre-wash with 68F tap water ,gently tap the loaded tank on the counter and rock it side to side enough to dislodge any air bells ,then the usual Develop/Stop/Fix/Rinse/Hypo-Clear/Wash. Chris</p>

<p>Peter,<br>

I would not use an FR tank for a single sheet. My FR tank takes 48oz (US) of chemicals to fill for 4x5 (inch) sheet film. This tank can not be inverted ,so air bubbles can be a problem for new users.<br>

The "Combi Plan" works nice ,uses 36oz of chemicals ,sells new for around $90 (US). Another way is to use a color paper tube for "Cibachrome" or similar with motor base ...mine uses a max of 6oz of chemicals and I use it for single sheet 8x10 inch film.<br>

An FR tank is fine for 8 to 12 sheets but uses lots of chemicals and D-76 at 1:1 is usually a one shot developer. Best of luck to you and welcome to the large format world.<br>

Chris</p>