dwmitchell

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L USM lens in very good condition. Includes UV filter, front and rear caps, and EW-78C lens hood.

Will ship within continental US. PayPal only.

 

Asking $650

<p>Just a quick update for anyone following this thread. I had the rangefinder adjusted locally, which has definitely made an improvement. Both a vertical and horizontal adjustment was required. </p>

<p>I'm also working on improving my shooting technique as I found that camera shake was a contributing factor as well. Here are some recent samples which I feel are sufficiently sharp: </p>

<p>http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwmitchell/sets/72157631296872774/with/7883771772/</p>

<p>Thanks again everyone for your help! </p>

<p>Thanks Niels. I'm thinking it may be better to bring it to a local repair shop (Kindermann in Toronto) for a quick adjustment, rather than ship it cross border again. </p>

<p>Thanks everyone for your responses. </p>

<p>John, if I focus on buildings which are approximately 5 miles away, the rangefinder does not align perfectly (i.e. I turn it as far as it will go but the images are not yet aligned). </p>

<p>Mark, my first test roll was taken indoors, of objects within 3-10 feet, with most shots at f/2 and 1/30s. Focus on this roll was actually pretty good (but not perfect). My second roll however was taken outside, with far away subjects, and most shots somewhere around f/5.6 and 1/60s. It seems that the further away the subjects were, the worse focus was. </p>

<p>I will take one more test roll, using a tripod, to take camera shake out of the equation. But at this point it seems likely I'll need to send the camera and lens back to KEH for adjustment, repair or replacement if necessary. </p>

<p>Hello everyone, </p>

<p>I just purchased a Leica M6 classic with .72x viewfinder from KEH, along with a 4th generation 50mm summicron lens and I'm looking for some advice. I seem to be having focus issues and am trying to determine whether the rangefinder is out of alignment, there are other issues with the camera/lens, or it is simply user error. </p>

<p>When trying to focus on something very far away, the rangefinder patch never comes into exact focus. The vertical alignment of the rangefinder patch is also never perfectly aligned. </p>

<p>Is this something that needs to be adjusted in order to obtain sharp results? </p>

<p>My test rolls show mixed results: some photos are somewhat in focus but many are quite far off (particularly those of objects further away). </p>

<p>Thanks for your help with this. </p>

<p>Thanks everyone for your suggestions. It sounds like I may have an issue with my G1 and/or the lenses. I suppose some controlled testing is required to determine what to do next. </p>

<p>Hi there...my primary 35mm camera is a Canon EOS 3. I love it's large viewfinder and auto focus accuracy, but am ultimately looking for something lighter and smaller with better wide angle lenses (sharper, less distortion). In 35mm I mostly shoot slides and some b&w. </p>

<p>About a year ago I purchased a Contax G1 with the 28mm and 45mm lenses. I'm reasonably pleased with the 28mm lens but find that my images with the 45mm lens are not as sharp as I'd expect (particularly at wider apertures). </p>

<p>At this point I'm wondering if I should try purchasing the Contax G2 as I've heard it has significantly better focusing performance than the G1. If the G2 works better for me then I'd like to pickup the 21mm and 90mm lenses as well. </p>

<p>Alternatively I'm wondering if I should sell the G1 with the 2 lenses and invest in something else such as the Zeiss Ikon ZM with 21mm and 50mm lenses. </p>

<p>Thanks for your input!</p><div></div>

<p>OK, so perhaps no film is really untouchable... but in 5 years time, which films would you realistically expect or hope to be still in production?</p>

<p>It seems that we hear of a newly discontinued film every few weeks or months now. Which films in your opinion are "untouchable"?</p>

<p>My personal list would include the following:</p>

 

<ul>

<li>Fuji Velvia and Reala</li>

<li>Ilford HP5 and Delta 3200</li>

<li>Kodak Ektar and Portra</li>

</ul>

<blockquote>

<p>I am insane for paying $1,649.00 for a new 1V</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I don't think it's insane, given the number of years it should last you. Compared to spending $8000 on a top of the line DSLR which will be obsolete in much less time, it doesn't sound like such a bad deal :-)</p>

<p>Thanks John. I will order some Diafine with my next Freestyle order and give it a try.</p>

<p>In the meantime, I developed two rolls with Microphen over the weekend. The first suffered from similar contrast issues as in my original example, but for the second I reduced development time a bit and further reduced agitation. I was pleased with the results of the second roll as I was able to hold detail in a white dress. A sample is attached.</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks Gary. It's definitely more cost effective for me to push 400 speed films than work with Delta 3200, so I'm really hoping that reducing agitation will solve my problems with highlights in these situations.</p>

<p>Lex, my primary purpose is scanning but I will be printing the best ones with an enlarger. For scanning I use a Nikon Coolscan V with Nikon's software. I've played around with VueScan and couldn't see much difference in the results, but admittedlly I haven't spent enough time with it. Thanks again for your help.</p>

<p>I sure hope Downtown Camera fixes their E6 processor at some point. They have a better price for scanning at the same time as development than Silvano's (last time I checked at least). </p>

<p>Thanks Lex for this very helpful advice. For my next roll I will stick with the stock solution, but try agitating nomally for the first 5 minutes, and then every 3 minutes after that to see if this improves things. I also have one roll of Tri-X shot at 3200 to develop so I'm definitely interested in getting contrast under control.</p>

<p>On a related note, I typically re-use Microphen stock solution and increase the dev time by 10% after each use as per Ilford's recommendation. I was wondering if this could cause overdevelopment which is increasing contrast further? For lighting like this in the past I had used Ilford Delta 3200 and hadn't had any such issues with contrast.</p>

<p>Sample photo</p><div></div>

<p>I recently shot some rolls of Tri-X rated at 1600 under stage lighting. I developed the first roll using stock Microphen solution at 20 degrees for 16 minutes with 10 seconds agitation every 1 minute. The resulting scanned negatives ended up with pretty high contrast and, I believe, blocked highlights.</p>

<p>For developing the next few rolls I'm looking at ways of reducing contrast. I have read that reducing agitation may help in this regard, but would I want to dilute the Microphen as well? I also have HC-110 at home but from my research it appears that Microphen would be the better choice here. Unfortunately Diafine is not readily available in Canada.</p>

<p>Any specific suggestions on dilution and agitation techniques with Microphen are appreciated...thanks.</p>

<p>To clarify my comments regarding the EOS 3 vs. the Digital Rebel XT, the Rebel XT is certainly capable of producing outstanding images. I certainly did not intend to imply that the XT creates images that are inferior to the EOS 3 (as this would open the whole film vs. digital debate). </p>

<p>My main issue with the Rebel XT is the auto focus performance...I personally find it difficult to nail focus with the Rebel when shooting wide open with fast primes. With the EOS 3 I can really count on the auto focus mechanism to nail the shot, which in the end will help me to produce a better shot than if I was shooting a similar shot with the XT.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I wonder if, for most younger gens, the priority is spending $3k+ on digital bodies, while Leica (film) falls into the "spare/film/experiment" budget?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I picked up the Konica Auto S3 to see if I would enjoy shooting with a rangefinder before spending more on a Leica kit. I admittedly haven't used it that much yet, as I'm much more comfortable with my 35mm film bodies. </p>

<p>With the used prices of Leica M cameras these days, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase one over a new digital body if I found that the rangefinder is for me.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I'm a Leica "wannabe" in Toronto, and I'm in my early thirties. Does that count? </p>

<p>I'm currently experimenting with a Konica Auto S3.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I used to own the EOS 3 and as far as I'm concerned, my little cheapo 350D (Rebel XT) was every bit as good, sometimes even better.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I own both of these cameras, and can tell you that the EOS 3 is superior in every way to the Digital Rebel XT, the only "limitation" being that it requires film. The AF on the EOS 3 is incredible, as is the large viewfinder. It can be a bit slow to focus in very low light, but still nails focus very accurately if you are a bit patient.</p>

<p>The EOS 3 is the main reason I keep shooting 35mm film; where else can you get a "full frame", pro body for next to nothing that let's you use L lenses the way they were meant to be used?</p>

<p>I will admit that it is relatively large & loud and may not be the best tool for street photography.</p>

<p>I spoke with a representative from KEH yesterday. I will be returning it for a full refund with shipping charges covered by KEH. Overall I am quite pleased with the response and customer service from KEH. To be honest though, I'm not sure if I'll be buying used camera equipment via mail order in the future...perhaps it's worth it to pay a little extra and shop locally. </p>

<p>Thanks for the advice everyone. I will contact KEH today to initiate the return process and negotiate the shipping fees. </p>

<p>I just received a Yashica Mat 124G from KEH. I have never used a TLR before but it appears to me there are some serious problems with the camera. In the attached photo, the Yashica Mat is placed on the kitchen floor and is pointed directly at the stove. As you can see in the viewfinder, the stove is completely crooked. It's very difficult to get anything to appear straight in the viewfinder, no matter how I tilt the camera.<br>

I have also noticed that it does not appear to be focusing down to 3 feet. Instead, the minimum focusing distance appears to be much greater (i.e. 6 feet or more). <br>

Finally, the winding mechanism does not feel very smooth. <br>

I suspect I got a real lemon here and need to decide quickly whether to return to KEH or invest more $$$ into the camera to have it repaired and CLA'd. It was shipped from the US to Canada so I may end up taking a loss with shipping charges. The condition of the camera was rated as "Bargain", which I understand for KEH is typically in quite good working condition.<br>

Looking for advice here from others familiar with these types of problems and how expensive the repairs would be.<br>

Thanks!</p><div></div>

<p>Hi Paco - Notice that the first example you posted was taken at 1/15 second, f/1.4 at ISO 1600. So depending on the lighting of the particular concert you're shooting you may find it difficult to get a decent shutter speed even if shooting wide open at ISO 800. You may want to consider pushing the film by one or even two stops, as long as you can find a good lab that will push process the film for you. Search on flickr for "Fuji Superia 800 pushed" and you will find some examples of the result. <br>

Personally, I've used Kodak Portra 800 to take photos in a small club where the lighting was not great. I exposed it at ISO 2000 and had it developed with a 2 stop push. <br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwmitchell/3620248793/in/set-72157619301855289/<br>

Most of the colour photos in the set were taken at around f/2.2 and a shutter speed of between 1/30 and 1/50 seconds.</p>

<p>I've had good success in B&W with Ilford Delta 3200, shooting 35mm with fast prime lenses. For colour, I took advice of others on this forum and tried exposing Kodak Portra 800 at 2000, developed with a 2 stop push. I was pleased with the results of Portra and wouldn't hesitate to do this again. <br>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwmitchell/sets/72157619301855289/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwmitchell/sets/72157619301855289/</a></p>