jay_66

<p>I checked out ScanCafe but got a little nervous seeing the slides get shipped out to Bangalore, India.</p>

<p>I found another outfit, Slide Scanning Pros, in Homer, Alaska. They scan your slides for 18 cents each, or 29 cents each with corrections (by hand), that you can access for downloads from a Web site. You get both TIFF and JPEG files. If you send them an external hard drive, they will load your images there for free, or you can buy their 500 GB hard drive for $80.</p>

<p>They seem like the best buy. I have to do further research and see what reviews this company gets online. At least your slides don't travel half way around the world and you get them back in days rather than months.</p>

<p>RF: Any Leica<br>

SLR: Canon F-1, old or new</p>

<p>Considering the amount of money a really good scanner will cost and the time it will take to do the scanning, maybe having the scans done professionally will be more cost effective. I have to check into the cost of scanning. Thanks for everyone's input.</p>

<p>I would like to scan a lot of the slides I've taken over the years--mostly Kodachrome and Velvia--with a view toward printing out enlargements up to 11" x 14", plus web posting, e-mailing and the like.</p>

<p>Can anyone suggest what would be the best scanner to use? I don't want to break the bank, yet I don't want to spend $150 for junk either.</p>

<p>In the final analysis, a camera, any camera, is just a tool to capture an image at a particular point in time. I cut my teeth as a UPI photog in Vietnam in the 60s. The only camera I used was a Leica M2 with 35/50/90 Summicrons. Other colleagues swore by Nikons, I preferred the Leicas. All we shot was Tri-X, except for some rolls of Kodachrome for the family back home. Other guys used the M3, but I preferred the M2 because I wore glasses then--contacts now--and couldn't see the full frame on the M3. We got so good with guestimating exposure, that I rarely used a meter, but I did have one on top of the M2, not that it got any use.<br>

I'm retired now and still use my Leicas, but mostly with color print film to satisfy the grandkids. My wife has gone totally digital. As long as I can get film processed, I'll stick with it, but you cannot beat the immediacy and economy of digital.</p>

<p>From the water, on the East River, without a doubt.</p>

<p>Years back, I got called for Federal grand jury duty. That did not involve a trial. You listen to testimony of the witnesses and decide whether or not to indict. There's no judge, just 23 grand jurors and the prosecutor. Plus you get to ask questions of the witnesses. It was for 1 day a week for 12 weeks. It was kind of neat. We were assigned a major Mafia investigation, so we heard testimony from all these wiseguys. It was right out of <em>Goodfellas</em>, <em>Casino </em>or <em>The Godfather</em>. I half expected Don Corleone to be sworn in. I agitated these dirtballs with nasty questions. Thank God we were anonymous, I'm sure I had a bull's eye on my back.</p>

<p>If you ever get called for <em>grand jury</em> service, do it. You will not be bored!</p>

<p>I agree. The film disposables will last until the digital counterparts are equal or lesser in price, or the C-41 minilabs start disappearing. Simple economics, really.</p>

<p>I know I'm late to this thread. I shoot film because I simply like the way film "looks." My whole professional and personal life has been documented on Tri-X, from my days in the 1960s as a UPI photog in Vietnam to now being semi-retired and taking snaps of the grandkids. When I want color, I used Kodachrome; now I shoot mainly color negative film out of family pressure to use color.</p>

<p>My wife is the digital maven in the family. She has all the latest full-frame sensor Canon gear and lenses. You cannot beat the immediacy of digital when that's a big consideration.</p>

<p>Another reason I stick with film is that I have an unbelievable shitload of Leica glass to chose from, and I have no intention of plunking down $6K for the full-frame digital M9, at least not until all the bugs are worked out and the price comes down considerably. I just cannot justify going to digital when I'm satisfied with the results I get with film. I have a freezer stocked with literally hundreds and hundreds of rolls, some discontinued (e.g. Agfa Ultra 100). Besides, if someone wants me to shoot digital, I have all my wife's Canon gear to use.</p>

<p>After coming back from Vietnam in the 70s (with my Filipina/Vietnamese wife), I did some wedding photography using Hasselblads, naturally. I simply cannot imagine having to sit in front of a computer and Photoshopping a whole wedding after it was shot. I'd drop my rolls of 120 Vericolor at the lab, have proofs made up, present them to the happy couple, then make up the order for enlargements. Now, the bridezillas expect a CD burned the next morning before the honeymoon. Not for me. Glad I'm pretty much out of the business, except for sporadic assignments which I can pick and choose.</p>

<p>I know the statue well. I was unaware it had been removed for restoration. It did start looking kind of "shop worn." Glad to see she was refurbished and placed back in her space. A real artistic gem. <em>Vive la France! </em>indeed.</p>

<p>PS: Here's the website for that German restaurant I mentioned: http://helmersrestaurant.com/</p>

<p>John, some people like to overexpose Tri-X and shoot it at ISO 320. I've been using Tri-X for decades and usually stick with 400. If I want to overexpose a bit, I can always open up on a particular scene rather using 320 for the whole roll.</p>

<p>If you want to take slide film, I'd use that for the scenics, like the skyline, rather than on the street where you will get areas brilliantly lit and then other areas very dark from the shadows of the tall buildings. You can be in Manhattan on a sunny day and turn the corner, then all of a sudden it's dark shadows. Slide film does not have the latitude you'll need in those circumstances, but for a sunny skyline shot with a deep blue sky and puffy white clouds, you'll be OK.</p>

<p>Take charge and speak authoritatively. I took no prisoners. I shot a bunch of weddings after I returned from Vietnam after working for UPI. After going through that, a wedding is a piece of cake. I am well over 6' tall and rarely does anyone give me grief. Be polite, of course. Let Aunt Alice and Uncle George take their snaps first, then you move in and take command of the scene, but do so without being pushy or obnoxious. I am a very confrontational person but you must tone it down; you don't want to ruin things for the happy couple, even though they'll probably be divorced within 5 years. (Sorry, I'm very jaded.)</p>

<p>I'm retired now but did a share of weddings after I came back from Vietnam after working for UPI as a combat photog. This was back in the late 70s--and I still get requests to "come out of retirement" and do <em>just this one</em> wedding, please.</p>

<p>Not to sound like a broken record, but you wish the happy couple well and move on. If they are set on Uncle Elmo or Aunt Blabby doing their wedding, fine, they don't need you. I would not even use it as a negotiating starting point. No matter what you do, they will never be satisfied. Cut them loose, you don't need the inevitable aggravation! Move on to a couple that will appreciate your professionalism.</p>

<p>Watch out for the shutter squeak problems in older A-1's. You're better off with an F-1 new, metering aside. The best "system" manual camera for my money, and I shot in Vietnam with a lot of Leicas and Nikons.</p>

<p>John,</p>

<p>Don't forget to post some of the finished product here after you get back!</p>

<p>I second what was just said above. NYC is a Tri-X kind of place. Shoot it at ISO 400. Color slide film is tough because of the great tonal contrast. If you really want color, stick with a print emulsion. For street work in the day, I like Kodak Portra 160VC. At night and indoors, try Fuji Pro 800Z; it's been discontinued, but still available. You'll find the 800Z handles mixed lighting sources better than the similar Kodak films. Also good is Fuji Pro 400H.</p>

<p>If you want to shoot the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn or NJ in the late afternoon--the best time--go with Kodak Ektar 100. In fact, one of my favorite places to shoot the skyline is from Boulevard East in Weehawken, NJ, just a few blocks north of the Hamilton-Burr Duel Site. On a clear day you can get great views of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to the south with a long lens. If you don't have a car at your disposal, you can take a NJ Transit bus from the Port Authority Bus Terminal that runs along Boulevard East. I used to know the route numbers but that was 30 years ago. Go on the NJT web site for info.</p>

<p>Another alternative is to take the NY Waterway ferry from Manhattan at 30th Street to Hoboken north. Great views of the lower Manhattan skyline right from the pier. You can wander into Hoboken, which is totally safe, and do some street photography or grab a pint and a meal at one of the many taverns that dot every block. One of the best German restaurants--with more than a dozen beers on tap and hundreds of brands in the bottle--is Helmer's on the corner, I think, of either 11th or 12th Street and Washington Street, within easy walking distance of where the ferry lets you off. Hoboken, NJ, along with Greenwich Village in Manhattan, are two of my favorite places to wander around. Perfect in the spring and summer.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>A 35mm Wetzlar version with goggles, serial No. 1,632,XXX, originally bought by a relative at a U.S. Army PX in Bavaria back in the 50s. One of my all-time favorite lenses!</p>

<p><em>1. At what age did you get/use first camera?</em><br>

About 7 or 8 years old; a second-hand Kodak Signet 35.<em> </em><br>

<em>2. Have you always had a camera around?</em><br>

Absolutely!<br>

<em>3. Do you consider yourself a bit lost when you dont have your current camera readily to hand?</em><br>

Most certainly.<br>

<em>4. Did you have any formal training?</em><br>

Totally self taught.<br>

<em>5. Did you have a break from photography or did you stick with it? What caused the break? Do you wish you didnt break away for a while?</em><br>

Never!<br>

<em> 6. Do you earn from it or consider images commercial enough?</em><br>

Retired now, but worked for UPI starting as a combat photog in Vietnam in the late 60's.<em><br /></em></p>

 

<p>Bob,</p>

<p>You're 100% right. I've seen Kodachromes taken in WWII and Korea. Compare them to Agfa, Dufaycolor or Ansco shot at the same time and the Kodachromes look like they were shot last month, not 60 or so years ago. The non-Kodachromes have turned magenta and are totally unviewable, never mind making a print or scanning.</p>

<p>I have about 15 rolls of K64 in the freezer that I will shoot off in the summer and get over to Dwayne's by September or October. I don't ant to get caught short if they use all the couplers before 12/31/10.</p>

<p>Well exposed shots. Did you do any Photoshopping or are these straight jpeg scans of the negatives?</p>

<p>I've been to the Javits Convention Center many times and know that the lighting can be dicey at best. You have the overhead lights in the rafters, lighting rigged for the displays, backlit panels at the displays, spotlighting and so forth. The auto show is challenging because the vehicles are unbelievably shined up so the bodies reflect like a mirror.</p>

<p>You were smart to use the Fuji Pro 800Z as the fourth layer color technology really helps in mixed lighting situations. You would have been disappointed with Kodak Portra 800.</p>

<p>I know I'm late to this thread, but after going through Vietnam with UPI, there is just NO WAY that I'm going to ask anybody for permission to take photographs that I have the legal right to do so. I will not ask some rent a cop permission to exercise my constitutional rights. If they want to get in my face, I know how to get in theirs. I'm retired but still have press credentials, and standing at 6-foot-6, not many people give me grief.</p>

<p>Get a guide to take you up to Hunt's Mesa in Monument Valley for some early sunrise shots. You will NOT regret it. Go back again for the sunset. It's breathtaking from up there. I used to always stay at Gouldings Lodge, but I understand there is now a new motel in the park itself. Haven't been there in over 10 years, so research it yourself.</p>

<p>I would prefer the Fuji 400H, I'd rate it at 400. I think it performs better indoors. Although I have shot mostly Tri-X since my days in Vietnam, after retirement I went heavily into color negative films for all the family snaps, weddings, christenings, engagements, birthdays, and the like. I particularly like the 4th-layer feature of the Fuji films, especially in mixed lighting situations. I know 30th Street Station in Philly well and -- depending on the time of day -- you will have a great deal of mixed lighting, i.e., daylight through the windows, light from the lighting fixtures, backlit illuminated signs and advertising displays and so forth. The Fuji will do you better. If you're there on a dark day, consider shooting 800Z in the waiting area, the extra stop may help. Good luck and post some of the finished product here.</p>

<p>Time to start stocking the freezer with brick after brick!</p>