ted_brownle

Nathan:

 

I use a sunpak auto 120J (TTL) flash with the specific ttl module for the ETRSi. As posted above, it's personal preference. I like the quality of the light that I get from the round, dimpled reflector. I also use the Lee pro hood & found that the only issue is that I need to have a custom cokin adapter ring made that allows the use of threaded filters with the hood.

 

I also have a 50mm lens, a 200mm lens & extension tubes. I primarily shoot landscapes, but have been known to shoot weddings & portraits. I do find the need for a 150mm lens. I have nothing between 75mm & 200mm & that is a big gap.

Maarten:

 

The camera is an older Arca Swiss Basic series, DP (Double pivot). It is a gneration removed from Arca Swiss' current models, but it's quite serviceable. I have the base tilt model from the same series & am quite happy with it. I've been shooting with it since 1977. The monorail profile is compatible with their current series so you could get one of the collapsible rails if you wanted. The lensboars are the same size as current, but the mounting scheme has been changed. Older boards come up on ebay fairly regularly.

 

check completed ebay auctions under "Arca Swiss" for pricing information.

 

the format frames on this series are plastic & one thing to watch for on used models is this plastic cracking at the knob studs. If the knobs have been overtightened this can happen.

 

Newer models are a bit more ridgid & I can't say if you would be happier with one, but mine has been a workhorse. Since it has to earn it's keep, I'm reticent to replace what already works for me.

 

Good luck!

 

~Ted

Kevin,

 

The problem may have been with the battery you used. According to the Bronica website, lithium batteries are not recommended. Go to www.tamron.com Click on Bronica Cameras. There is a selection for technical tips, then select batteries. This should provide a bit more background. Good luck

 

~Ted

When the battery is dead, the shutter fires mechanically at 1/500 second reguardless of how it's set. If the shutter speeds all sound the same, this may be the problem. Another problem may be a shutter control module failure. I experienced this last summer. After checking shutter speeds with all of my lenses & a couple new batteries, I sent the camera in for service. The cost was about $150 & the turnaround fairly quick. This is not a design defect in my mind. My ETRSi gets a workout & I've had it for 7 years.

Check the batteries first, but I've recently had the shutter control module fail. I checked different lenses & also swapped aout 3 batteries. The repair ran about $150 US & I chalk it up to normal wear & tear on the camera & not a poor design.

Miles,

 

I started using a palm pilot program called Checklist Lite for wedding photography. It's a regular checklist except that as you check items off, they disappear. they can all be unchecked for the next use. I started out using this for large format & medium format, but it got to be too much trouble. If I keep everything in it's assigned cubbyhole in the pack, a quick scan usually turns up missing items. That said, I most frequently forget my light meter because it's in the other bag. With large format shooting, I'm not willing to guess at my exposures at $5.50 per pop (cost + processing), so I'll just enjoy where I happen to be. With medium format, cost per shot is a lot less & I've had a few keepers this way.

Confirmed!

 

There's a hole in the backing plate. I center the start arrow in that hole & it all lines up.

John,

 

The mask provides better shading for the longer lens because the bellows does not extend far enough. Making the bellows extend farther compromises portability.

When I'm out in public, I'm always asked my some young couple, "can

you take our picture?" while I was out with my wife for an

anniversary dinner, I mentioned to her, "Gee, no camera. I won't be

asked to take anyone's picture." To our amazement, about 5 minutes

later, an asian couple handed me their point & shoot and asked the

classic question.

 

<p>

 

Even without a camera, I must have the look of a photographer about

me:

 

<p>

 

At a trip to the local waterpark with my family, I was standing in

the middle of a pool of water with my older daughter (no cmaera in

hand). A woman waded up to us, handed me her disposable waterproof

camera & asked me to take a picture of her & her child.

 

<p>

 

It's a family joke now, whose going to ask Daddy to take their

picture? (Just for reference, I don't wear camera logo clothing.)

John,

 

<p>

 

It seems ridiculous to simply reverse the lensboard, as the shutter

is inside the camera. I would remove the lens from the board & use a

threaded capture ring in the filter threads. this isn't as quick as

turning around the lensboard & I probably wouldn't do it for just a

shot or two, but you would at least have access to the shutter.

 

<p>

 

If I couldn't find an off-the-shelf threaded ring, my first visit

would be Steve Grimes.

 

<p>

 

Good Luck!

 

<p>

 

PS: This has also crossed my mind at points in the past

Greg,

 

<p>

 

Although I can't help with the instructions or the difference in

readings, the black specks are probably individual fibers that are

broken. No light is being transmitted from one end to the other via

the broken fiber, hence, the black specks. A small number of broken

fibers won't affect the reading. Even with a large number of broken

fibers, you could apply a correction factor if they're randomly

scattered through the fiber bundle. Good luck!

Chris,

 

I own an ETRSi & went through the same thing when I bought mine. I had borrowed a friend's ETRS & it had many of the differences that you describe for the SQ-A vs SQ-Ai.

 

I have been using my ETRSi since 1995 & am very happy with the quality. There may be similar improvements that you really want: Look for TTL flash metering, spot metering with the latest prism (AE-III for the ETRSi), mirror lockup, & gold plated lens contacts (a reliability improvement). There are probably more subtle improvements, but you get the idea. Another thing: the polycarbonate body panels may seem like a cheap shortcut at first, but after 6-1/2 years of continual use including a lot of work along the coast (ie, salt spray), my camera still looks new. The only sign of wear is the inside of the wind crank arm. the anodizing is worn off from clipping something during handling (not normal shooting).

 

I would opt for the SQ-Ai without a second thought.

 

~Ted

Dave,

 

<p>

 

I use the Nikkor 300/f9 M lens on my Arca Swiss. Some points to

consider:

 

<p>

 

Lots of coverage for any movements you'd want. (or putting it on a

5x7 down the road.

 

<p>

 

At maximum extension (400mm), I can focus to 4 feet, but I have a

huge surface area & am much more prone to wind-induced movement than

with a shorter extension. (This is the major drawback.)

 

<p>

 

Very sharp & contrasty. Even at F/9, it's easy to focus on a plain

ground glass back.

 

<p>

 

Very good coating. I have shot a number of photos looking straight

into late afternoon sun. With a long shade, I get very little loss of

contrast from flare.

 

<p>

 

Genreally, I am happy with the lens & as I mentioned, the long

bellows extension is the major drawback. I can deal with it for what

the lens gives me.

 

<p>

 

I would recommend "sucking it up" & taking the longer monorail. Use a

photoflex reflector or an umbrella to block the camera from the wind.

The primary difference is coverage. The Angulon is an earlier design,

introduced in 1930. It has an 85 degree angle of coverage. The

maximum aperture is not well-corrected at stops larger than F/16.

Maximum aperture is useful only for focusing.

 

<p>

 

The Super Angulon was introduced in 1957 as an F/8 lens. It's

coverage is 100 degrees.

Chamfered corners should not make a major difference in focusing or

other operations. I believe they exist as a method of checking for

vignetting by the lens shade (by peeking through the open corners).

Chamfered corners also reduce the chance of breakage, making the

ground glass a bit more tolerant of the bumps that are bound to

happen. (I am a mechanical engineer working on automated handling

equipment for large flat panel display glass.)

Tom,

 

<p>

 

The Arca Swiss F-line field would be an excellent choice for what you

want to use it for. Looking through Jack Dykinga's book (my Christmas

gift too), there are examples of him using a 58mm lens through a

400mm lens, so it should pretty much cover your needs. I have an

older Arca Swiss & can attest that the movements are more than

adequate. I use far more movements for the occasional commecial job

that pays for my hobby than in the nature work I really enjoy.

 

<p>

 

Another resurce is The F-Stop (www.thefstop.com). They have scanned

the AS system layout that shows the range of components available. I

too, have had a hard time looking for specs on the Field version, but

pretty much know what it is.

 

<p>

 

Good luck & welcome to LF!

I would make a specific trip to Yosemite Valley any time of year (but winter is really good) to use a 500 f/4 lens. Primarily for "visual extractions," but also for wildlife & birds. January in Yosemite Valley can be fantastic as you've read from previous posts. It can also be gray & drab. Fog & low clouds hanging around in the Valley create some beautiful light.

 

You don't mention where you're traveling from, but if this is a one time deal that you won't repeat for several years, bite the bullet & drag the anchor. I have been known to take a trip specifically to try a technique or use a single piece of equipment. Alas, I shoot medium format & there isn't an equivalent to a 500 f/4 for my Bronica.

Although not in San Francisco, there is a lab in Dublin, CA that I

use:

 

<p>

 

Custom Photographic Services

6948-B Sierra Court

Dublin, CA 94568

925/828-6000

 

<p>

 

CPS is an excellent all-around pro lab. They do about 95% of my work.

Fast turnaround on E-6 processing of all sizes.

 

<p>

 

For processing & proofing color negatives I use:

 

<p>

 

E & J Photo Lab

7748 Dublin Blvd

Dublin, CA 94568

925/829-0222

 

<p>

 

E&J seems to have a wider selection of papers & sizes for proofing

than CPS. They also sell film, paper, albums, filing pages & a few

other similar items. (Not broad in scope like a camera store.)

Although not in San Francisco, there is a lab in Dublin, CA that I

use:

 

<p>

 

Custom Photographic Services

6948-B Sierra Court

Dublin, CA 94568

925/828-6000

 

<p>

 

CPS is an excellent all-around pro lab. They do about 95% of my work.

Fast turnaround on E-6 processing of all sizes.

 

<p>

 

For processing & proofing color negatives I use:

 

<p>

 

E & J Photo Lab

7748 Dublin Blvd

Dublin, CA 94568

925/829-0222

 

<p>

 

E&J seems to have a wider selection of papers & sizes for proofing

than CPS. They also sell film, paper, albums, filing pages & a few

other similar items. (Not broad in scope like a camera store.)

I have used Color Folio in the past. I got the lead from Galen Rowel's website:

 

Phone: (707) 824-8910

Toll Free: (888) 212-7060

Fax: (707) 824-8635

Location: 2550 Lewis Dr.

Sebastopol, CA 95472

Email: info@colorfolio.com

www.colorfolio.com

 

They have a scan & print service (among others) that I used. It was a drum scan, 8x10 proof & final enlargement on the Crystal Archive printer. In my case it was a 24x30 from a 645 transparency. I am quite happy with the results & wish I could afford to do this more.

Paulo:

 

<p>

 

The previous contributors have pretty much resolved the coverage of

Angulon vs Super Angulon.

 

<p>

 

A 90mm lens on 6x9 is very close to a normal lens, is that what

you're looking for? It seems to me that you would want wider coverage

for architectural work. A 58mm lens on 6x9 is the approximate

equivalent to 90mm on 4x5.

 

<p>

 

If you use a 58mm lens on 4x5, you will need a recessed lens board &

bag bellows.

Max,

 

I have had a 5000 dpi drum scan, and a 24 x 30 lightjet print made from one of my 645 transparencies. I have noodled for a bit about what's going on. There is very little grain evident, yet lot's of fine detail. Some of this may be due to the scanning fluid between the fim & the scanning drum. I seem to recall reading about a copy technique in an old Kodak photoguide for copying grainy originals. It involved immersing the original in water. I think the fluid medium may be mitigating some of the effects of grain. fine detail is still larger than grain, so it's affected less.

 

Since this hasn't been mentioned in this thread, I'll put it out there & see who shoots at it.

 

~Ted

Joel,

 

The downsides to having a separate meter (and a standard prism) are speed and in some cases, acuracy. I have an etrsi with a standard prism. When I use extension tubes, I have to calculate the extension factor. This costs me some time & introduces a source of errors.

 

I have just recently misread the "4" on my meter to be 1/4 second instead of 4 seconds.

 

The plus side to having a separate spotmeter is that you develop a much better profile of the light on your subject. You can measure the contrast range & make a more informed choice how to expose a given scene. This has a longer learning curve than simply putting on a metered prism, setting it on "A" & shooting. I recently left my meter in my 4x5 bag & wound up at the coast at sunset, all composed & ready to shoot. No meter. My guessed exposures were spot on, although I shot a lot less.

 

The bottom line is, when a metered prism is high enough on my priority list, I will buy it, but it will be another tool in my bag. I will still carry & use my Pentax digital spotmeter.

 

~Ted

I can tell you what I'm missing ~ it's that huge hole that used to be

a bank account!

 

<p>

 

As much as I'd love to jump on the digital bandwagon, my wife's not

ready to give up her new mini-van so I can have another toy, uh, tool

to use.

 

<p>

 

At the present, for the money, you still can't beat film. Scan &

print digital, but it's still cheaper to buy a box of 4x5 sheet film

than spring for the digital back (and attendant accessories.)

Steve,

 

<p>

 

I am not so much as an equipment junkie as a solution junkie. I like

to mix things up to keep me on the edge. A change in venue or

formats. Shoot medium format for awhile in a particular location. I

go along the San Mateo coast in california. Now dump the medium

format & start dragging along the 4x5 & suddenly you have to think

very differently.

 

<p>

 

Jim Brandenburg published a book recently where he traveled in the

northern woods for a specific time & allowed himself one meaningful

image per day.

 

<p>

 

I turn that around a bit & pick an area ~ say a local park & make

your goal to produce a single photograph that will capture the

essence of that park. Do you start at the North or South entrance?

What season? Start walking around without a camera on a regular

basis...

 

<p>

 

You get the idea.

 

<p>

 

The goal is to have fun & once you do that, the quality of your work

follows.

 

<p>

 

~Ted