maury_cohen

<p>I think that you're missing that the film holder slides underneath the glass focusing frame at the back of the view camera.</p>

<p>Our Mini Trekker was discontinued almost five years ago, so those advertised as "new" and at super-low prices are almost assuredly counterfeit.</p> <p>Maury Cohen - Product Specialist, Lowepro US.</p>

<p>Professional Photographers of America Ray. They offer members liability insurance.</p>

<p>I also chose the Bronica ETRSi over the competition. After first purchasing the Mamiya 645 I realized that I preferred the advantages of the leaf shutter on the Bronica.</p>

<p>The blurry image example appears to me to be due to camera shake, which is the most common cause of out of focus images.<br> We'd have to see examples of the other images you refer to, to intelligently comment on them.<br> There's a rule-of-thumb that one shouldn't try to hand hold below a shutter speed relative to the lens focal length; example les is 50mm, don't shoot below 1/50th sec.<br> If you truly believe the lens/autofocus is at fault, you'll want to take test photos in decent lighting, and with your camera mounted on a tripod.</p>

<p>Rolleiflex 2.8E. It was built like a tank~!</p>

<p>You ARE removing the Darkslide from the film back, correct?</p>

<p>Are you sure they sent the same serial # body back to you?</p>

<p>After graduating from Art Center in LA; my first job was as an assistant to a (then) well-known, ex-NY pro who had apparently burned his bridges back east.<br> While his first assistant worked "on the set", I was relegated to cleaning and loading film holders, cleaning, and running various errands.<br> First errand was to take his car to get washed and tip the washer ONLY if the results were spotless. Apparently his version of spotless and mine didn't match and he reamed me for tipping the guy. Next errand was to go to a lumber yard and pick up a selection of boards to be used in a product photo. Apparently I wasn't picky enough in my selection and he had another assistant return and replace most of the boards.<br> Last task was to deliver a paper bag to an address in Venice Beach. I sped over there in my own car and delivered the bag to the address provided. The guy who answered the door pulled a huge baggie of marijuana form the bag and thanked me!<br> I quit the job that afternoon. </p>

<p>I'd be interested in reading your book.</p>

<p>I used 120 film in my ETRSi 220 backs a few times. Not a problem; just keep count and manually advance after the requisite # of shots. </p>

<p>I would not hold this against Adorama.<br> It's not unusual for a manufacturer to have difficulties of their own in supply, and the reseller is left in the lurch as to when the item may actually arrive.<br> If you're so frustrated and it's available from other sellers you should cancel the order as they suggest and buy it elsewhere.</p>

<p>iPhone 4 or Leica V-Lux 3.</p>

<p>Panasonic DMC-LX3 (the Panasonic version of the Leica D-Lux 3).</p>

<p>That reminds me of a great scene in the WC Fields movie; The Bank Dick.<br> Fields is forced at gunpoint to drive a getaway car for a bank robber, and during the ensuing chase, as he's cruising along at a good clip (obvious rear projection effect) he turns completely around and points back saying "Those are Catalpa trees". Car goes off the road and almost loses control.</p>

<p>My first, really exciting, pro assignment involved flying to Palm Springs with my 35mm and 2-1/4 camera kits to photograph landscape architecture done by a friend.<br> On one outing at dawn I had both cases opened and was getting my tripod set up when the automatic sprinkler system on the lawn I was on suddenly came on!<br> Can you picture me scurrying from case-to-case trying to avoid the gear getting drenched?</p>

<p>A 50mm is usually standard for 35mm, while a 75-100mm for 120; depending a bit on whether you're printing from 6x4.5, 6x6, or 6x7.<br> I believe a 75mm could work for both as long as you don't want to enlarge beyond 8x10 (or crop as freely) with the 35mm. </p>

<p>James brings up some excellent points.<br> The "business" of photography is a whole separate (and critical) aspect if one is pursuing the profession.<br> Many photographers have an "artistic" disposition which seems contrary to survival as a for-profit entity.<br> I recall struggling a bit with my first sale; feeling a bit sheepish at charging what was truly a fair price. Even though I did survive as a pro for a decade, I eventually allowed the business to fail. I was not able to maintain the sales and marketing aspects of my business that are critical to professional survival. </p>

<p>Been there, done that...<br> I became seriously interested in photography at age 14 and pursued it through a bachelor's degree to being a professional for 10 years.<br> Initially you only need patience, creativity and a camera; ANY camera will really do, but the ability to manually control (or override) settings is helpful to learning the craft.<br> I owned a decent SLR camera with a 50, 28 and 135 lens when I began attending Art Center College of Design. They had a long list of camera gear required for school; including a 4x5 view camera kit, but in reality most technique could be learned with any camera. <br> Making the transition from school to profession, the gear would depend on the specific area of professional focus. Again; in function, top-of-the-line gear isn't always required, but it can increase reliability which is critical in some pursuits, and some clients have certain expectations.</p>

<p>In my opinion the salesperson didn't lie to you. What he said, according to you, was: "it's like you take the camera out for five minutes." Key word being "like". I believe what he meant was that the camera LOOKED like it was taken out of the box for five minutes; not that it had literally been out of the box that long.<br> Often when we're excited about something we hear what we want to, rather than the actual words being said.<br> In any case; the camera was apparently in very good condition, so...</p>

<p>Behind the Gare... is my personal favorite. <br> I once shot a photo (from the hip) of an older man waiting to cross the street, where his eyes show just a hint of suspicion that he's being watched. That's the best "decisive moment" I've ever captured.</p>