william_y

May 10, 2013

Update on a film processor I've already posted about I think: SF Photoworks does great work and the are real professionals. Recently they have added the option web upload of digital images when they process your film for you. This effectively cuts the amount of time in half it takes to mail in film processing and get the CD back. Thank you SF Photoworks!

http://www.photoworkssf.com/services-and-rates/film-processing

May 10, 2013

Another good mail order film processor: I've used these folks several and they do great, prompt work at very competitive prices: http://sharpphoto.net/

May 10, 2013

Hey folks I need an answer quickly if possible. I have a gs645s wide60 that I like very much. I've never taken flash pictures with it, and need to do so tomorrow morning (May 11)? I'll use the aperture setting indicated by my electronic flash unit for my film speed. Question: should I set my Fuji at a shutter speed of 1/30 for flash? Other rangefinders I own use 1/30 for flash, but my slr's use 1/60. So I just want to check for sure.

Thanks much! Hope you can confirm this for me.

PS: Love this camera - medium format photo quality without the bulk of a medium format SLR. The only thing on my wish list for this camera would be easier to focus. Maybe it's just because my eyes are getting older and I wear glasses. I don't know. I find it a little difficult to focus.

March 23, 2013

Another good one I found several weeks ago is Home Fair Camera in Larchmont, NY. I've used them a few times and they do really good work at a reasonable price. Their website is: http://www.homefaircamera.com/homepage.html. Sometimes they post on Ebay for film processing.

March 23, 2013

Thanks Brian, I am not familiar with either of the two labs you listed, and I'm anxious to try them out.

W

March 17, 2013

The vendor mentioned above no longer stocks this hand grip part. That's the bad news.

The good news is I found a do-it-yourself resolution to this problem........... Remove the hand grip from the camera. On the N50 there are 3 very small screws to be removed (don't loose them). Go to the grocery store and buy a box of SOS pads, commonly used for scouring pots and pans. Warning: the following will remove the finish from the grip. Under very warm running water, scrub the exterior of the hand grip thoroughly for several minutes. This will probably leave some visible, fine scratches in the surface of the grip, and the finish will be removed. Let the grip dry. Get a good quality black spray paint and put a couple of coats on the grip. Do not over spray or the paint will run. This will result in a nicely finished grip you can reinstall on your camera. The finish may not exactly match the rest of the camera, but it will still look very nice and your sticky grip problem will be gone.

January 22, 2013

Can someone please provide a link to download Dimage Master Lite that doesn't include a bunch a worthless bloatware third party junk? I can find plenty of download sites but they require you to install a bunch of adware crap.

Thanks

December 26, 2012

An open letter to York/Clark senior management,

Dear Sirs,

You're ruining your business. You have a huge customer base who want (or have wanted) film processed, and now many of them want prints made from their digital images instead of or in addition to film processing. That should not be a problem for you guys. But frankly your customer service and product quality went down the crapper this this year. SO I have a couple of suggestions of how you can get your operation back in shape:

1) Get the emphasis off of coffee mugs, t-shirts, bibs and other crap that nobody wants. Honestly, how much of that stuff can you expect to sell? Nobody I know gives a flying f**k about t-shirts with a picture of their kid picking his nose printed on it. What were you thinking? Yeah, you may sell some of that garbage, but it's not gonna be your bread and butter.

2) You have been THE low cost leader in film processing and printing for many years, and you have done a good job. But you've been pinched badly by the decrease in film processing business. As a result, you've cut back on resources devoted to your film processing operation. But I have it figured out. Here's what you need to do: take a look around the web and find out what other successful film processors are charging. And it's important you realize that other successful film processors DO exist. Then, raise your prices a bit so that you can afford to give your film processing division the attention it deserves. People will pay a bit more for film processing if you return to providing quality results and good customer service. Granted, volume for film processing has dropped off dramatically, but most industry rags I'm reading say that it's picking back up again somewhat. It will probably never be back to what it once was. But you guys have probably the largest database of film processing customers in the world. If you get your act together and start delivering a quality product again at a somewhat higher price, you could easily carve yourself a very nice niche in the new market. Is there ANY reason why you can't do this?

Come on boys. Giddy Up!

December 26, 2012

Hey guys, I found an online vendor who sells a new handgrip for at least some Nikon models.

https://02eaeb8.netsolstores.com/

The cost for the grip on an N50 was $20 plus $8 shipping. Pretty pricey, but I love my N50 (all except for the sticky handgrip which I hate) so I decided it's worth it.

Before ordering the new hand grip I made sure I could easily remove the old one. There are 3 very small screws that you need to remove to do this. Just get yourself a set of HIGH QUALITY mini-screwdrivers, and you'll have no problems at all. Piece of cake!

Note: the cheap sets of mini-screwdrivers are not worth taking home from the store with you. They will strip out your screw heads and make it impossible to ever get the screws out. Spend about $2 more and get a set of Stanley's or some other brand made in America. The Chinese make some truly great, high quality products at low prices. Tools not so much.

December 26, 2012

York/Clark - don't bother - sad story.

I have been using York/Clark for years and years. Earlier this year they "revamped" their website which means they took the emphasis off of film processing and instead are now pushing coffee cups, t-shirts, and other crap that nobody wants. They have buried the fact that they still process film way down in the fine print of the website somewhere. At about this same time their new website was unveiled, their film processing service started getting sloppy, slow and undependable. As I said, I have been using them for years and have always been very happy with them. But this year they scratched the negatives on my vacation pics, they sent the prints and negs back to me for SOMEONE ELSE's order (I forwarded the pics to the person they belonged to), and I'm currently waiting to prints back for a roll I sent in for processing over 3 weeks ago. This is truly a sad situation because York/Clark has been an excellent provider of low cost film processing for a long, long time. It's a shame that the good reputation built over the years by this company has deteriorated so badly and so rapidly.

I think what we're seeing in this industry is that only the film processors who really provide quality products and good customer service will survive. I will not send York/Clark any more orders. I've discovered that my local Walgreens will develop my negs and cut me a CD in an hour for about the same price that York/Clark charges to do this service in 3 weeks or more. Or if I can wait a week for my finished product, I use one of the following mail order processors that all do great work and provide A+ customer service: The Darkroom (in San Clemente), SF Photoworks (in San Francisco) or Marin Filmworks (in San Rafael). I'm sure there are other good ones out there too.

December 26, 2012

I will wholeheartedly endorse the services provided by The Darkroom. I've used them many times. Never disappointed.

December 20, 2012

It will be available a long time, but it will come from Asia. China and Japan have thriving companies: Fuji, Lucky, Shanghai.

I also think people are coming back to film somewhat, which should increase demans.

December 20, 2012

Actually I like The Darkroom in San Clemente best for 120, and I've been sending them my 35 as well. They are a quality outfit and they do have actual customer service. Also, they send you emails when your film arrives at their place, when they process it, and when they ship it out. They also post your pics on their website usually almost immediately after they have been processed. It's $10 to develop film and cut a cd I believe. Worth it. You can trust them.

December 20, 2012

I use Dwayne's for developing my 120 film. I use Walgreens for my 35mm. At Walgreens it costs about $8 to develop film and cut a cd, which is exactly what I want.

Here's a list of (mostly) mail order film processors. The ones I have used are marked with an '*'. Just because a processor does not have a “*” doesn't mean they aren't good, it just means I have not used them.

If you know of more good processors, please share!

Apertures Photo, <a href="http://www.aperturesphoto.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40&Itemid=215">http://www.aperturesphoto.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40&Itemid=215</a>

Bison Photo, <a href="http://www.bisonphoto.com/35mm_Film_developing.html">http://www.bisonphoto.com/35mm_Film_developing.html</a>

* Clark Color, I've been using this place for years, have always been happy, recently they have screwed some things up for me though, rethinking before I send them anything more, <a href="http://www.clarkcolor.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMrc_Xb_Y">http://www.clarkcolor.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMrc_Xb_Y</a>

Darkroom (The), <a href="http://thedarkroom.lifepics.com/net/Login.aspx">http://thedarkroom.lifepics.com/net/Login.aspx</a>

Dwayne's Photo, <a href="http://dwaynesphoto.com/">http://dwaynesphoto.com/</a>

E-Six Lab, <a href="http://www.e-sixlab.com/c41.htm">http://www.e-sixlab.com/c41.htm</a>

Gamma Imaging, <a href="http://gammaimaging.com/darkroom-printing/film-processing/e-6_c-41/">http://gammaimaging.com/darkroom-printing/film-processing/e-6_c-41/</a>

Lomography.com, <a href="http://usa.shop.lomography.com/films/film-development-services/135-standard-development">http://usa.shop.lomography.com/films/film-development-services/135-standard-development</a> (Note: I would like to try them but they are pricey.)

* Marin Filmworks, they do a great job, <a href="http://marinfilmworks.com/color35mm.html">http://marinfilmworks.com/color35mm.html</a>

Photographic Works, <a href="http://www.photographicworks.com/order.htm">http://www.photographicworks.com/order.htm</a>

* Process One, they do a great job, <a href="http://processonephoto.com/mail-order-advantix-aps-film-developing.htm">http://processonephoto.com/mail-order-advantix-aps-film-developing.htm</a>

* SF Photoworks, they have a very nice newsletter too called “News and Notes”, I like this place, <a href="http://www.photoworkssf.com/services-and-rates/film-processing">http://www.photoworkssf.com/services-and-rates/film-processing</a>

Swan Photo Labs, <a href="http://swanphotolabs.com/swan08/mailers.ph">http://swanphotolabs.com/swan08/mailers.ph</a>

* Vermont Color, they do a great job, <a href="http://www.vermontcolor.com/index.asp?p=13010">http://www.vermontcolor.com/index.asp?p=13010</a>

* Walgreens, many stores do on-site processing, mine does a great job, price is about $12 for 24exp roll, 1 set of prints, and a CD, and all in one hour.

WalMart, may or may not return negatives. Ask your particular store them before you drop your film for processing. THE NEGATIVE RETURN POLICY VARIES BY STORE.

* Willow Photo Lab, he does a great job, contact Neil at <a href="mailto:willowwhotolab@gmail.com">willowwhotolab@gmail.com</a> for prices and mailing instructions.

Wolfe's, <a href="http://www.wolfes.com/services/filmprocessing.html">http://www.wolfes.com/services/filmprocessing.html</a>

* York Photo Labs, I've been using this place for years, have always been happy, recently they have screwed some things up for me though, rethinking before I send them anything more, <a href="http://www.yorkphoto.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMZM_Xb_Z">http://www.yorkphoto.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMZM_Xb_Z</a>

(Note: Clark and York seem to be the same outfit.)

December 3, 2012

Yep, I did take the bottom plate off the camera but could not see anything obviously wrong with the spindle. In the process I stripped out a couple of screws. So I just tossed the camera in the garbage (and bought a better quality set of mini-screwdrivers!).

The T50 does seem to be a pretty nice camera. Of course most of today's camera buyer would be horrified at the thought of having to focus manually. OMG So the appeal of the camera is not great. But I like it!

Thanks all.

November 29, 2012

Comparison with my working T-50: I can see that the "bad" has a take up spool that turns freely all of the time, which is not the same as with the working camera. Anyone have any ideas how difficult it is to repair this and/or who might do it? Thx

November 29, 2012

I have a Canon T-50 which has been reliable and works well.

I recently bought another one on EBay. It doesn't work well. Sigh. With fresh batteries loaded, the only thing I can get the camera to do is beep rapidly. So there is power. But something is wrong that nothing will work. It will not load film. No lights in the viewfinder. There does not appear to be any physical damage to the camera. Any ideas appreciated.

November 24, 2012

I have used a couple of lens converters for M42 to other cameras (not Nikon) but I was not at all impressed with the fit and function. A couple of times it seemed as though I was not going to be able to get the adapter off of my camera or lens without damaging one or the other or both. Bottom line, I don't mess around with converters any more. Generally speaking, there doesn't seem to be a shortage of decent used lenses for manual focus cameras, and I have been able to find and purchase most anything I need often for less than the price of a lens converter.

November 24, 2012

Nikon (as well as other camera manufacturers) have used some kind of rubber material to cover the hand grip area of their slr's. Great idea, but with just moderate use of the camera this material often becomes discolored and/or deteriorates. This condition is often described as "sticky surface".

Any idea how to keep this rubbery hand grip covering from becoming susceptible to such problems and/or how to rejuvenate it? Worst case, does Nikon sell the appropriate part(s) to replace this part of the camera? I have a few Nikon cameras that I really like, but I hate the discoloration and stickiness, so I leave them in the closet and use another camera that is not built with this material.

August 28, 2012

I have a Nikon N4004 I picked up not long ago. It's a brick. I love it. I have not used it for indoor photography yet. I'm not understanding all of the flash options. It has the built in flash. But I just want to use my old Vivitar flash unit I've used on all of my other manual slr cameras for years and years. I have the N4004 manual, and have read it, but it's not helping.

With all of my other manual slr's, to use my flash, there is a specified shutter speed (usually 1/60) that the camera must be set to, and then I either adjust the aperture manually or if I use my automatic Vivitar, I set my aperture to the setting specified on the back of the flash based on the film speed and I'm ready to go.

So, with the N4004, to use my flash, what should I set my shutter speed at? If I can get an answer on that, then I can set the aperture as I have with all of my other manual slr's.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks!

William

August 27, 2012

I expect there will be continued upward pressure on the price of film, but keep in mind that the Chinese are competing in the film manufacturing game now too, and they are making sure their film is readily available on the US market at competitive prices.

Granted I am not a professional and don't appreciate all of the finer points of film that many of you do. I freely admit that. I use only 35mm film, and I buy almost all of it on Ebay. I buy at least 10 rolls a time. I rarely pay more than $3 a roll tops for film that is not expired or is only recently expired. You can buy cheaper than that on Ebay if you're willing to risk using film that is at least a few years expired. I have played that game and lost a couple of times, so I stick with buying stuff that's newer.

I can also drive a few miles to my local Walmart and buy a 4-pack of Fuji 200ISO for $6.84. That's $1.71 a roll, not including tax.

August 19, 2012

Here's a list of (mostly) mail order film processors. The ones I have used are marked with an '*'. Just because a processor does not have a “*” doesn't mean they aren't good, it just means I have not used them.

If you know of more good processors, please share!

Apertures Photo, <a href="http://www.aperturesphoto.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40&Itemid=215">http://www.aperturesphoto.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40&Itemid=215</a>

Bison Photo, <a href="http://www.bisonphoto.com/35mm_Film_developing.html">http://www.bisonphoto.com/35mm_Film_developing.html</a>

* Clark Color, I've been using this place for years, have always been happy, recently they have screwed some things up for me though, rethinking before I send them anything more, <a href="http://www.clarkcolor.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMrc_Xb_Y">http://www.clarkcolor.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMrc_Xb_Y</a>

Darkroom (The), <a href="http://thedarkroom.lifepics.com/net/Login.aspx">http://thedarkroom.lifepics.com/net/Login.aspx</a>

Dwayne's Photo, <a href="http://dwaynesphoto.com/">http://dwaynesphoto.com/</a>

E-Six Lab, <a href="http://www.e-sixlab.com/c41.htm">http://www.e-sixlab.com/c41.htm</a>

Gamma Imaging, <a href="http://gammaimaging.com/darkroom-printing/film-processing/e-6_c-41/">http://gammaimaging.com/darkroom-printing/film-processing/e-6_c-41/</a>

Lomography.com, <a href="http://usa.shop.lomography.com/films/film-development-services/135-standard-development">http://usa.shop.lomography.com/films/film-development-services/135-standard-development</a> (Note: I would like to try them but they are pricey.)

* Marin Filmworks, they do a great job, <a href="http://marinfilmworks.com/color35mm.html">http://marinfilmworks.com/color35mm.html</a>

Photographic Works, <a href="http://www.photographicworks.com/order.htm">http://www.photographicworks.com/order.htm</a>

* Process One, they do a great job, <a href="http://processonephoto.com/mail-order-advantix-aps-film-developing.htm">http://processonephoto.com/mail-order-advantix-aps-film-developing.htm</a>

* SF Photoworks, they have a very nice newsletter too called “News and Notes”, I like this place, <a href="http://www.photoworkssf.com/services-and-rates/film-processing">http://www.photoworkssf.com/services-and-rates/film-processing</a>

Swan Photo Labs, <a href="http://swanphotolabs.com/swan08/mailers.ph">http://swanphotolabs.com/swan08/mailers.ph</a>

* Vermont Color, they do a great job, <a href="http://www.vermontcolor.com/index.asp?p=13010">http://www.vermontcolor.com/index.asp?p=13010</a>

* Walgreens, many stores do on-site processing, mine does a great job, price is about $12 for 24exp roll, 1 set of prints, and a CD, and all in one hour.

WalMart, may or may not return negatives. Ask your particular store them before you drop your film for processing. THE NEGATIVE RETURN POLICY VARIES BY STORE.

* Willow Photo Lab, he does a great job, contact Neil at <a href="mailto:willowwhotolab@gmail.com">willowwhotolab@gmail.com</a> for prices and mailing instructions.

Wolfe's, <a href="http://www.wolfes.com/services/filmprocessing.html">http://www.wolfes.com/services/filmprocessing.html</a>

* York Photo Labs, I've been using this place for years, have always been happy, recently they have screwed some things up for me though, rethinking before I send them anything more, <a href="http://www.yorkphoto.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMZM_Xb_Z">http://www.yorkphoto.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMZM_Xb_Z</a>

(Note: Clark and York seem to be the same outfit.)

August 19, 2012

Here's a list of (mostly) mail order film processors. The ones I have used are marked with an '*'. Just because a processor does not have a “*” doesn't mean they aren't good, it just means I have not used them.

If you know of more good processors, please share!

Apertures Photo, <a href="http://www.aperturesphoto.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40&Itemid=215">http://www.aperturesphoto.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40&Itemid=215</a>

Bison Photo, <a href="http://www.bisonphoto.com/35mm_Film_developing.html">http://www.bisonphoto.com/35mm_Film_developing.html</a>

* Clark Color, I've been using this place for years, have always been happy, recently they have screwed some things up for me though, rethinking before I send them anything more, <a href="http://www.clarkcolor.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMrc_Xb_Y">http://www.clarkcolor.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMrc_Xb_Y</a>

Darkroom (The), <a href="http://thedarkroom.lifepics.com/net/Login.aspx">http://thedarkroom.lifepics.com/net/Login.aspx</a>

Dwayne's Photo, <a href="http://dwaynesphoto.com/">http://dwaynesphoto.com/</a>

E-Six Lab, <a href="http://www.e-sixlab.com/c41.htm">http://www.e-sixlab.com/c41.htm</a>

Gamma Imaging, <a href="http://gammaimaging.com/darkroom-printing/film-processing/e-6_c-41/">http://gammaimaging.com/darkroom-printing/film-processing/e-6_c-41/</a>

Lomography.com, <a href="http://usa.shop.lomography.com/films/film-development-services/135-standard-development">http://usa.shop.lomography.com/films/film-development-services/135-standard-development</a> (Note: I would like to try them but they are pricey.)

* Marin Filmworks, they do a great job, <a href="http://marinfilmworks.com/color35mm.html">http://marinfilmworks.com/color35mm.html</a>

Photographic Works, <a href="http://www.photographicworks.com/order.htm">http://www.photographicworks.com/order.htm</a>

* Process One, they do a great job, <a href="http://processonephoto.com/mail-order-advantix-aps-film-developing.htm">http://processonephoto.com/mail-order-advantix-aps-film-developing.htm</a>

* SF Photoworks, they have a very nice newsletter too called “News and Notes”, I like this place, <a href="http://www.photoworkssf.com/services-and-rates/film-processing">http://www.photoworkssf.com/services-and-rates/film-processing</a>

Swan Photo Labs, <a href="http://swanphotolabs.com/swan08/mailers.ph">http://swanphotolabs.com/swan08/mailers.ph</a>

* Vermont Color, they do a great job, <a href="http://www.vermontcolor.com/index.asp?p=13010">http://www.vermontcolor.com/index.asp?p=13010</a>

* Walgreens, many stores do on-site processing, mine does a great job, price is about $12 for 24exp roll, 1 set of prints, and a CD, and all in one hour.

WalMart, may or may not return negatives. Ask your particular store them before you drop your film for processing. THE NEGATIVE RETURN POLICY VARIES BY STORE.

* Willow Photo Lab, he does a great job, contact Neil at <a href="mailto:willowwhotolab@gmail.com">willowwhotolab@gmail.com</a> for prices and mailing instructions.

Wolfe's, <a href="http://www.wolfes.com/services/filmprocessing.html">http://www.wolfes.com/services/filmprocessing.html</a>

* York Photo Labs, I've been using this place for years, have always been happy, recently they have screwed some things up for me though, rethinking before I send them anything more, <a href="http://www.yorkphoto.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMZM_Xb_Z">http://www.yorkphoto.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDEMZM_Xb_Z</a>

(Note: Clark and York seem to be the same outfit.)

August 19, 2012

Processing, no excuses folks, you can afford this. This is about $6 to process and print a 24exp roll. Add a CD for $3 if you want. Or buy a scanner like I did for $45 on Ebay, or you can use the multi-fuction fax/printer/scanner already on your desk and scan your prints.

http://www.yorkphoto.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.UDDgJM_Xb_Z

August 19, 2012

No excuses, you can afford this folks:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-rolls-Lucky-Super-200-Color-Negative-Film-35mm-36exp-/250641641449?pt=US_Camera_Film&hash=item3a5b67efe9

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Posts posted by william_y