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leighb

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Posts posted by leighb

    light meter/pocketwizard

    in Lighting Equipment

    Posted

    <blockquote>

    <p>In fact, when I owned one, with the R32 in it, it would not fire any of my strobes.</p>

    </blockquote>

    <p>Were you using it with a Pocket Wizard II? It won't work with any other trigger.</p>

    <p>As long as both the Sekonic and the PWII are set up for the same (correct) geographic region, <br /> there should be no issues. I use mine with Elinchrom and Novatron flawlessly.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

    battery charging

    in Beginner Questions

    Posted

    <p>Most modern batteries are "smart". <br>

    They can't be overcharged when used with the correct charger.</p>

    <p>I always try to keep mine topped off, so they'll work when I need them.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

     

    light meter/pocketwizard

    in Lighting Equipment

    Posted

    <p>Open the battery cover and look next to the battery. There's a hole there about 1" square.</p>

    <p>If the hole is filled with a gray plastic thing, you have the RR-32 transmitter. If it's empty, you don't.</p>

    <p>There are two different versions of the RR-32 transmitter, used in different regions of the world.<br /> The same is true of the PWII; there are two versions.</p>

    <p>If you're in the US, both the RR-32 in the L-358 and the PWII triggers must be the FCC type.<br /> There should be a label on both units bearing an FCC ID, indicating the US version.</p>

    <p>Assuming you have the right devices, you must set the channel (1-4) on the L-358 to match <br /> the switch setting on the PWII.</p>

    <p>I had an L-358, and currently have two L-558s, and they all worked fine with my PWII triggers.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

    Help with new Liquid or Powder Developer

    in Black & White Practice

    Posted

    <blockquote>

    <p>I've found Agfa R09 one shot 500ml bottle but its 40 dollars, that's expensive...</p>

    </blockquote>

    <p>Not expensive at all.</p>

    <p>That 500ml bottle will develop 50 rolls of film, so that's only $0.80 per roll.</p>

    <p>R09 is supposed to be the original Rodinal formula. I've never used it since I have<br>

    a large stock of real Rodinal (several liters).</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

     

    used lens problem

    in Large Format

    Posted

    <p>It develops over time.</p>

    <p>I think it's a problem with the black anodizing on the aluminum, but I can't swear to it.</p>

    <p>I've seen examples far worse than you described, more like a teenager with a bad case of acne.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

     

    used lens problem

    in Large Format

    Posted

    <p>Are you talking about small white marks around the edge of the lens elements?</p>

    <p>That's called "Schneideritis", unique to Schneider lenses. It's such a common problem that it has a name.</p>

    <p>In most cases it will not affect picture quality. If it's really severe it could cause a bit of flare.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

    Help with new Liquid or Powder Developer

    in Black & White Practice

    Posted

    <p>Hi Paul,</p>

    <p>I've never used Rodinal special and know nothing about it.</p>

    <p>The unopened Rodinal is probably OK. It's normally pretty dark even when new.<br>

    It really does have a shelf life measured in decades. People have reported using <br>

    unopened bottles over 50 years old with normal results.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

     

    nikon firmware

    in Nikon

    Posted

    <p>Why are you doing a firmware update? Was this suggested by the manufacturer?</p>

    <p>I don't recommend updating the firmware in any product unless there's a <strong>compelling</strong> reason to do so.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

    Help with new Liquid or Powder Developer

    in Black & White Practice

    Posted

    <p>I've used Rodinal with slower films (like FP4+) for over 50 years, and really like the results.</p>

    <p>Regardless of what dilution you use, be sure to use a minimum of 10ml of concentrate per <br>

    80 square inches of film, i.e. any combination that can be proofed on a single 8x10 sheet.<br>

    Rodinal concentrate, even if opened, has a shelf life of decades, so no worry about it going bad.</p>

    <p>One point regarding powder developers: You CANNOT mix partial quantities of the powder.<br>

    You must mix the full batch. If you're doing small to moderate amount of work, the cost of <br>

    powdered developer can easily exceed that of liquid concentrates.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

     

    Hasselblad 501C is frozen

    in Medium Format

    Posted

    <p>How about some basics, like...</p>

    <p>Is the darkslide inserted or not? If so, fully or partially?<br>

    Is the lens properly seated (correct rotational position)?<br>

    Is the mirror up or down? What about the shutter curtains?<br>

    What are the red/white flags showing?</p>

    <p>We really can't diagnose incomplete information.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

     

    Accurate selenium cell meters

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>I use a Zeiss Contaflex Super that still has a very accurate meter.</p>

    <p>The basic question with any selenium meter is how it's been stored.<br>

    Selenium generates electricity when it's exposed to light. <br>

    Eventually it "wears out", and its generating capacity decreases.</p>

    <p>My Contaflex has always lived in a closed case, and works as well as when it was built.</p>

    <p>Selenium meters that have not been stored in cases, but left exposed to light, are probably dead.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

     

    Enlarging question.

    in Large Format

    Posted

    <p>Hi Dale,</p>

    <p>You might want to post some pix of that projector/enlarger and see if someone can identify it.</p>

    <p>There are non-image-forming devices that can look quite similar, like collimators.<br>

    I'd hate for you to waste time trying to convert one of those into an enlarger.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

     

    Enlarging question.

    in Large Format

    Posted

    <p>There must be a lens between the negative and the paper to form the image.</p>

    <p>There must be a light-tight housing that encloses the light source, the negative, and<br>

    the rear of the lens, to prevent extraneous light from escaping and fogging the print.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

     

    A Miranda Miscellany

    in Classic Manual Film Cameras

    Posted

    <p>That's quite a nice collection. Good selection of lenses and accessories.</p>

    <p>I have two Miranda FvT cameras with metering prisms that I bought from Lafayette Radio around 1968. <br /> I've always liked that camera, very clean and compact, and it feels solid.</p>

    <p>The lenses are of average consumer quality as I recall; nothing to write home about.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

    Buying my first Sinar P

    in Large Format

    Posted

    <p>The Sinar cameras are quite nice, and the P series is especially good for studio work.<br /> I have two Sinar F2 cameras, one 4x5 and one 8x10. These are lighter than the P, designed for field use.</p>

    <p>The P is a pretty heavy camera, and not well-suited to field work if you're contemplating that.<br /> However, all of the Sinar components are interchangeable, so you could be front and rear standards <br /> for the F series and use all of your other parts to create a lighter camera for field use.</p>

    <p>There are fundamentally two versions of the Sinar, the original P/X/C/F series, and the later <br /> P2/C2/F2 (I don't know if there's an X2) series. The differences are not major. Most obvious <br /> is that the original series was silverish while the later one is black.</p>

    <p>I think they're very nice cameras; typical Swiss quality.</p>

    <p>The price seems very reasonable. You'd probably pay that much for any two of those lenses.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

    QUANTUM FLASH REPAIR?

    in Lighting Equipment

    Posted

    <p>Yes, I've been shooting for almost 60 years. I use Elinchrom monolights and Novatron pack/head strobes.<br /> I used to be a warranty service center for Novatron. Excellent lights.</p>

    <p>I normally recommend bringing a dormant pack up over a period of a week, as follows:<br /> (You should not fire the unit until the end of the week, as this stresses the capacitors.)</p>

    <p>Pick a particular time of day, I'll use noon for the example.<br /> At noon on the first day, turn the pack on for ONE minute, then turn it off and leave it alone.<br /> Next day at noon, turn it on for TWO minutes, then off. Third day at noon FOUR minutes.<br /> Next day eight, then 16, 32, and an hour on the seventh day.<br /> At that point it should be ready to use.</p>

    <p>The rationale behind this technique is that the failure mode is excessive heat buildup within the caps.<br /> By energizing them for a very brief period, the heat never builds up to the point of causing a problem.<br /> Each time you energize the caps, you build up more bubbles in the layer, so the next time you turn it <br /> on the leakage is less and the heat buildup is less.<br /> <br /> <br /> - Leigh</p>

    QUANTUM FLASH REPAIR?

    in Lighting Equipment

    Posted

    <blockquote>

    <p>Can you tell me how long term storage becomes a factor?</p>

    </blockquote>

    <p>This would actually require a lengthy magazine article, so I'll try to condense it by skipping a lot of details.</p>

    <p>The insulating layer within the electrolyte ("electrolytic" capacitor) is formed from zillions of microscopic<br>

    bubbles. The electrolyte itself is moist, although not very. The bubbles form from this moisture during<br>

    the manufacturing process when voltage is applied to the cap in a controlled manner.</p>

    <p>These bubbles break, as all bubbles do. Because they're so tiny, and there are so many of them, a loss<br>

    of a few percent is not a problem. The bubbles re-form whenever voltage is applied to the cap, so a <br>

    unit that's in constant use will replenish the bubble layer and all is well.</p>

    <p>However, if the unit is not used for an extended period, too many bubbles are lost. If you then turn<br>

    it on and try to use it, the cap exhibits electrical leakage through the bubble layer, which causes it to<br>

    heat. If the heat becomes excessive, the moisture in the electrolyte "boils", which increases internal<br>

    pressure, causing the safety vent to open. Once that happens, the cap is no longer sealed, the moisture in<br>

    the electrolyte dissipates into the atmosphere, it dries out, and the cap is dead. It cannot be resurrected.</p>

    <p>The solution to the failure problem is to bring up any unit that has not been used for a while very<br>

    slowly, giving the bubble layer a chance to re-form before the unit returns to normal service.</p>

    <p>Hope that wasn't go long.</p>

    <p>- Leigh</p>

     

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