arthur_mcculloch2

A couple of faces from May's Mens Breakfast (Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing. I go each month). Monochrom and 7 Artisans 50mm lens. Regards, Arthur

One from the archives. Covid again.

Kaliuzhkin - CRIS adapters from here: https://shop.criscam.com/collections/mercury-battery-adapters/products/mr-9-mercury-battery-adapter. (I'm not sure of photonet's policy on advertising - the link may be removed - if so, just do a google on CRIS).

A discussion on replacement batteries can be found here: https://cameragx.com/2020/02/12/replacement-for-mercury-batteries-2/, which also gives a good description of wein cells and their 'air bleed' holes. However, even temporarily taped up, between uses, they don't last long. The article also makes some comments on 'fake adapters' which do not make any adjustment to voltage, like the one you've provided a link for. I'm not sure that you can simply make an ASA adjustment to compensate for the different voltage - personally, I'd avoid them.

Of course the other options are to simply use the 'sunny f16 rule', which is more than adequate for b&w and colour negative, a little less so for colour transparency, or to use a handheld meter. Sanford is right. The F is a 'cool' camera with just the plain prism. Enjoy it, it's a fabulous camera (even with a couple of notorious maintenance issues). I have a couple of F2's which I hardly use these days. Both the F and F2 were probably close to the pinnacle of Nikon cameracraft (maybe not, the FM series have always struck me as immensely attractive, even with their foibles). You could go home and use them to drive nails after a day of photographing.

Yes. Fully endorse robert_browning's comments and advice. The expected life of a zinc-air battery, once it has been exposed to the air can be extended by covering the face with the 'air bleed' holes with tape between uses, but they will never last very long, a lifetime of a few months. 5 1/2 months is good for a zinc air battery. The CRIS adapters are expensive, but you really only need one, which can be used in any camera you've got that requires the non-available mercury cells. Regards, Arthur

A very quiet week - covid isolation. So, I feel for chooks in a coop. A really pleasing image, Sanford. Regards and best wishes, Arthur

A duo of singers. Monochrom and 75mm lens. Regards, Arthur.

Same old, same old. Another face from a couple of weeks ago. Regards, Arthur

On a bus trip this last week for 'old folks'. Again, the actuarial reality of the current autumn years: women outnumbered men about 4:1. Regards, Arthur

27 minutes ago, hjoseph7 said:

It seems that the xxx pictures masquarading as art are back again ?

Yes. I find them quite artless, and offensive. An irruption of misogyny.

The last image of last week's 60th birthday party's revelers: the birthday girl's current consort. Same camera, same lens. Regards, Arthur.

12 hours ago, Ken Ratcliffe said:

Fuji X100.  Infrared 

The light and composition is captivating. The IR gives it a vintage look - sharp, with a rounded softness. Bravo.

A neighbour, Jay, in repose.

A friend's 60th. Two images, the birthday girl and her mother. Monochrom and I think a 75mm lens. Regards, Arthur.

More faces. Ahem. Participants of a U3A group I attend, at our term 2 breakup lunch. Women outnumber men 3:1, a sad actuarial fate for this cohort in our twilight years.  Again with a monochrom, and a 7Artisans 50mm lens. Regards, Arthur.

On 4/9/2024 at 2:43 AM, mellais said:

Ok everybody,

Problem solved. I didn't take into consideration that when calculating the aperture f-value, we have to use  the diameter of the lenses so called  entrance pupil — not the actual size of the iris, but rather its magnified image as seen through the front of the lens as Jay Holben points out in an article published on the American Association of Cinematographers' website (visited on April 8, 2024, see https://theasc.com/blog/shot-craft/the-entrance-pupil-of-the-lens).

So the camera should work as intended - time to put it back together and start shooting. 

P.S. 

This made me think of a possible modification; since there is room for wider movement in the diaphragm itself than what is being used, I will see if I could rebuild the linkage between the aperture ring and the lever making it possible to use the aperture to its full potential. At the very least one could get f22 instead of f16 min aperture and possibly a max aperture beyond f1.8, if the lens design allows it.

Good outcome.  As noted before, I've been told that the xenon f2.8 used in some kodak retinas is the same lens as the xenon f2 but with the aperture stopped before getting to f2.  That may be an urban myth, like the notion that the ektar used in the retina I's was simply a rebadged xenar to get around US post war import controls. Let me know how you go. Regards, Arthur

mellais, am I right that it's a seikosha shutter? You may be able to get some further advice on the Learn Camera Repair' facebook site. I am about to open up my first seikosha-rapid in the next couple of weeks - it's in an airesflex TLR that has been sitting around for some decades, and is gummed up. Regards, Arthur.

4 hours ago, kmac said:

Yes, I take photos of shutter parts as I disassemble them, so by studying the photos I can see which way things go back.

Without posting a pic of my Minolta 7S, I can say the aperture opening at f16 is very small, as is the one in the OP, but for a 40mm lens, the f16 opening will be slightly smaller than that of the 45mm 7S lens, but not by much.

For some of my larger cameras, I could easily stick a pencil through the f16 aperture opening. Longer focal lengths need more light.

 

 

 

Thanks kmac. That's good to know. Regards, Arthur.

On 3/31/2024 at 11:29 PM, Allen Herbert said:

7Artisan 50mm 1.1

Hi Allen Herbert. I take it that your following two photos were comparing the 7Artisans lens with the Q2? How do you find the 7Artisans lens? Regards, Arthur.

6 hours ago, kmac said:

The aperture blades look ok, you can't really make a mistake reassembling them, as long as their pins are set in their positions correctly. The aperture opening on yours looks the same as my Minolta 7S, which is 45mm focal length, but f16 is still pretty small.

Hi kmac. 'You can't really make a mistake reassembling them': I have (at least on a synchro compur), by putting the blades in back the front. They still fit the pins, look proper, but when actuated, close, then reopen in the rest state. From the photo, it does look more like f22 than f16 to me. But that is guessing. For the widest aperture, I've heard that, for instance, that the f2.8 xenon used in the retina IIa was simply the f2 lens with the aperture not opening as wide - but that could be an urban myth. Regards, Arthur.

Two of the participants in a local church's regular 'community lunch' I go to. There's something magic about sharing food and company. Regards, Arthur.