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<p>As I eagerly await the light-seal kit from Jon, I have to share a 'funny' moment I had while testing the camera -- I wanted to ensure that the hot-shoe was working so I put on an old generic flash I've had for ages, and gave it a go. I had a moment of panic, the flash fired but I thought the shutter had failed to operate. So I took another shot, and same thing!<br>

When I pushed the shutter release, I could see the flash firing as I looked through the viewfinder, and could hear it (it makes a sort of 'Puh!' noise when it discharges), but the viewfinder didn't go black nor did I hear a loud kerchunk, or even a snap/click. <br>

It took me a few seconds to remember that rangefinders don't black out when you release the shutter, and the shutter in the QL17 is so quiet that the flash discharge drowns it out! Duh. It's been too long since I used a rangefinder. Actually even my last digital P&S made more noise when it went off than the Canonet!</p>

<p>Actually the view in the rangefinder looks quite clear to me, I was pleasantly surprised with how sharp it seems - the viewfinder, the rf square and the frame & meter part are all fairly sharp easy to see. <br>

Sorry if this is a stupid question but I've seen the term CLA a number of times in the forum here... what does CLA stand for?<br>

Thanks again!</p>

<p>Thanks very much for the quick responses!</p>

<p>I just acquired a Canonet GIII QL17 rangefinder, and while it appears to be in pretty good condition, I'm wondering if there is any sort of standard maintenance that can or should be done? Like any rule-of-thumb stuff to do to ensure that it stays in working order.<br>

The only two things I can see that might be an issue both have to do with the back / film door. The foam seal that lines the edges of the door appears to be starting to degrade, and the door itself has a very small amount of play when it is closed. That is, even when it is closed I am able to push it in a bit further, though it 'springs' back out again a little bit. In spite of this, I am pretty sure it is not in danger of popping open on its own.<br>

I've just put a roll of Tri-X 400 in it, so I'll know when I develop that if things are actually fully functional or not.<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>I'm comfortable with a real name or real-sounding-name rule. I've always used my real name on the internet (I guess I'm not creative enough to come up with a 'cool nick'), and am a user of another (non-photography) forum which enforces a real-name-only rule.<br>

Having said that, I can understand and appreciate where pseudonyms can be useful or necessary, and where people may be uncomfortable in using their real names. Though a serious photography site IMHO ought not be the sort of place where people are uncomfortable to be themselves.<br>

Cheers.</p>

<p>I put my Sigma EX 10-22mm DC lens on an EOS film body, here are two of the results:<br>

http://planetstephanie.net/2009/08/29/its-film/attachment/39370018/<br>

http://planetstephanie.net/2009/08/29/its-film/attachment/39370006/<br>

The vignetting is severe at 10mm but between about 14mm and 20mm it works all right.<br>

Cheers!</p>

<p>Based on the budget I would second the Canon EF-S 55-250 IS lens. It's a fairly good lens for the price and another advantage is it's not too heavy.<br>

You can read up on all the various Sigma nomenclature here: http://www.photo.net/equipment/sigma Short form though is the DG means it's suitable for a full-frame / 35mm camera.<br>

I've tried 3 different Sigma lenses and personally I wouldn't consider anything from them in the future unless it was EX & HSM. (EX is Sigma's version of Canon's "L" class , and HSM is their version of Canon's USM)</p>

<p>Thanks for all the responses!<br>

The Fujica really looks like what I remember, except I was certain the rewinder was on the bottom... but then again after 25+ years I could easily have that confused. That old ad for the Fujica really does ring lots of bells though. <br>

Now to see if I can track one of these down!<br>

Thanks again!</p>

<p>Thanks for the suggestions! I don't think it was a Ricoh -- that's a company name that is 'big' enough for me to have remembered.<br>

I've spent some time looking at images of rangefinders on google images, and while I haven't found the exact camera I saw some familiar attributes that are making me think it might have been a Voightlander (sp?). Looking at the camera from the front, there were three 'windows'. A 'bubbly' glass rectangle for the light meter, the middle was a smaller hole for the RF focusing, and the other side was the main viewfinder hole. On top of the camera, next to where the meter needle was, there was a 'dial' which was coupled to the thumb-focus wheel. This dial had indications for distance and depth of field. And finaly, on the bottom of the camera, was the frame advance lever on the side that the right-hand gripped, and the opposite side had the rewind lever.<br>

The camera did not have a hot-shoe, I think it had an accessory shoe though, and definately had a standard tripod thread/mount. It had a self-timer which was a little lever on or next to the lens. Aperture was set on the lens.<br>

I'm kicking myself now for being so casual about it back then, but I was young and one of the main memories I have was we were supposed to bring an SLR to the course, but all I had was the rangefinder, for which I was picked on a bit. Though at that age, I didn't even know the difference - all I knew was it was a 35mm.<br>

Thanks again!</p>

<p>I've been trying to remember the name of an old 35mm Rangefinder that was the first camera I ever used. It was over 25 years ago, when I was about 12 and taking my frist photography course my dad gave me this old camera to use. I used it a lot but eventually it broke, and I think it finally got tossed after I got an SLR.<br>

There were a few peculiar features that I'm hoping someone will recognize:<br>

- the lens was not removable<br>

- focus was achieved via a wheel on the back of the camera which was turned with the right thumb<br>

- the film advance lever was at the bottom of the body<br>

- a light-meter was on the top right of the body (where the film advance 'normally' goes) and it was a simple needle / dial, it did not use batteries<br>

- the camera was a sort of off-silver colour<br>

- it was not made by one of the 'big' names, it was something uncommon if I remember right<br>

If anyone has an idea of what this might have been, I'd really appreciate it. Of course I now regret that we got rid of it, and would love to get my hands on one of these again.<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>Thanks for the info! It seems that I was over-thinking / over-complicating the situation.<br>

So in the case of the MD lenses, I can focus wide-open, then stop down, half-press to get the metering / shutter speed, then full press. With the Lensbaby I just focus and go, since it's always at the desired aperture once you put the aperture disk in.<br>

Cheers!</p>

<p>I'd suggest forgetting about any kind of consumer gear, whether P&S or SLR etc. and skip directly to the industrial / scientific imaging. The cost will be significantly higher but that is where one will find devices that have the specs and lifespan that are required. A quick google search turned up this site which seems to have a few industrial cameras in the 11MP range:<br>

http://www.princetoninstruments.com/indimaging/ (Disclaimer: I've got nothing to do with them or anything else in industrial imaging.)<br>

My guess is that the ideal solution will be a 'video' type camera that can capture continuous imaging, controlled by a computer that will handle the timing of when frames are grabbed along with the data storage / transmission.<br>

Cheers!</p>

<p>I'm using a Rebel XSi aka 450D and have recently been using some non-EF / non-automatic lenses. My other SLR is a Minolta X-370 which has served well for over 20 years, so I bought an adaptor that allows me to use the MD lenses on my XSi, plus I just bought a 'Lensbaby' to play around with. (Those ads here on Photo.net really work!)<br>

Anyhow, my question is this: Both of these devices' instructions advise using Aperture Priority mode, but I'm not sure if I'm missing something - the camera of course reads the aperture as zero, as there's no electronics at all in ether the adaptor or the lensbaby. So I'm not sure if the camera's metering is correct, or how it's supposed to work? With the MD lenses, I tend to do my focusing with them wide-open then stop down before taking the shot, with the Lensbaby I just go with whatever the aperture is that I'm using at the time. <br>

Because I'm not sure about the metering / Aperture priority mode yet, I've just been using the Manual setting and figuring out what shutter speed to use without the camera's help. <br>

Does the metering work regardless of the camera seeing the aperture as 0, or is there a way to tell the body what aperture I've selected manually?<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>I've got the Sigma 10-20mm, I bought it because I like doing landscapes and wanted a wide lens for that purpose. However, I've found that aside from one short trip, I haven't used it much. On the other hand, it was invaluable when my parents asked me to take shots of their home as they're trying to sell it - for both interior and exterior views, the very-wide perspective allowed me to get the shots I needed in the space available.<br>

I like the creative ideas / suggestions, I'm going to have to try some of those. </p>

<p>I bought the Rebel XSi just over a month ago, moving from 35mm film to digital. My skills are a bit rusty and in many ways I feel like I'm starting over. From reading all the comments here, Dan's advice sounds to be some of the best, to me.<br>

If you're looking at a difference of about $100 between the kit or the body only, go for the kit. The 18-55mm IS lens is not the best lens in the world, but it is not a bad lens - it's certainly better than you would expect for a $100 lens. It's also "almost" a macro lens, with a minimum focus of 25cm and magnification of 0.34x. Put a close-up filter on there and you're in business.<br>

However, I also strongly agree with Mark's comment and others who share the sentiment that a normal perspective prime lens is an invaluable aid to help one develop an eye for composition and framing. <br>

Therefore, what I have done and what I would recomment to Kristy, is to buy the kit, keep the kit lens, then as soon as you can afford, get a normal perspective prime lens. I bought the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (DC, EX, HSM) and it is a very, very fine lens. It's at least as good as Canon's 50mm 1.4 USM, and it has become my favorite lens on the XSi. (And in the meantime, you can train your eye and develop those skills, by leaving the kit lens at just under the 35mm mark - this is also its shortest length so it's quite convenient.)<br>

I use the kit lens for 'macro' stuff and at the long end the kit lens is ok for portraits, the wide end is not bad for landscapes, and all-in-all the kit lens is very light and easy to carry. But the 30mm 1.4 is the lens that is on my XSi 90% of the time.<br>

Cheers!</p>

<p>I've just made the switch from 35mm SLR to DSLR and the system I went with has the APS-C sensor. I'm not a 'pro' (although I have done some paid photo work & had some work published) but consider myself an enthusiastic amateur.<br>

Having said that, I like the APS-C format. If I had the money at the time, I'd have gone with a FF body simply because that's what I was accustomed to, but so far my experience with the smaller sensor has been almost all positive. And if I had to start over with more money, I don't really think I'd need the FF sensor. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC EX HSM is my favorite lens, the 10-20mm is a close second. I don't notice any size difference in the viewfinder, although I'm told the crop-sensor equipment has a smaller image in the viewfinder. About the only thing that I don't like is the 'focus screen' doesn't have any actual focusing aids, it's all set up for autofocus. (Although maybe FF cameras have this problem too?) I've ordered a 3rd party focus screen and when that arrives, I expect my new APS-C system will feel just like the 35mm gear that has served me well for over 20 years (Minolta MD system).<br>

Cheers!</p>