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on Jul 30, 2020 15:29:12 GMT
Posted: Jul 30, 2020 15:29:12 GMT
That's some mighty wide stuff to get just 4 shots. A quick search for details led me to this review, and the strap looks a bit tricky to put on and use.
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Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Jul 30, 2020 18:15:39 GMT
Posted: Jul 30, 2020 18:15:39 GMT
That's some mighty wide stuff to get just 4 shots. A quick search for details led me to this review, and the strap looks a bit tricky to put on and use. That's a good review; thanks for that.
Finding the camera wasn't easy as I'd been looking for one that was affordable for quite a while. But I fear the chance of finding the strap is pretty remote - a little bit of creativity may be needed. Thankfully, it came in its original hard case which has both a handle and good carrying strap but is rather bulky; at least the camera will be protected while clambering through the undergrowth. What I love is that it's a real back-to-basics camera - purely mechanical, no electronics. Just grab a light-meter, a tripod and some film and your are ready to shoot. Magic.
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on Aug 1, 2020 9:14:29 GMT
Posted: Aug 1, 2020 9:14:29 GMT
...this came with the special centre ND filter that compensates for the slight light fall-off in the top corners... Never thought about that, so simple yet so clever workaround... And how are you planing to print those shots? Do you have an enlarger for that format?
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on Aug 1, 2020 16:11:51 GMT
Posted: Aug 1, 2020 16:11:51 GMT
...this came with the special centre ND filter that compensates for the slight light fall-off in the top corners... Never thought about that, so simple yet so clever workaround... And how are you planing to print those shots? Do you have an enlarger for that format? There's no way I'm able to print those shots.
My girlfriend lives in Bristol (UK not Rhode Island) and there's a superb lab there that can handle 110/120/220/35mm and sheet film and this will be something a little different for them.
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on Aug 1, 2020 19:53:28 GMT
Last Edit: Aug 1, 2020 19:56:15 GMT by lumiworx
From one of the comments in the review I linked to... "Scanning is handled via a flatbed or drum scanner. You’d need a 5X7 enlarger to make prints in the traditional way (the 6X17 negs just fit)." And, one more site - with samples.
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on Aug 15, 2020 2:04:10 GMT
Posted: Aug 15, 2020 2:04:10 GMT
From one of the comments in the review I linked to... "Scanning is handled via a flatbed or drum scanner. You’d need a 5X7 enlarger to make prints in the traditional way (the 6X17 negs just fit)." And, one more site - with samples. Thanks for the connection to the site - some lovely work which shows the capability of the camera, lens and photographer.
I wish I could afford the mortgage needed to buy the GX617 and its lenses but to be practical, the G617 should provide me with everything I need on the panoramic front. Fuji's more recent creation - the GFX 50S - offers weather protection and a 65:24 image format so there is at least a wide-field digital option available when it's raining or snowing, and Fuji's lenses have lost none of their bite.
It's a great time to be a photographer....
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on Aug 22, 2020 1:50:19 GMT
Last Edit: Aug 22, 2020 1:52:18 GMT by biggles3
Two recent Olympus oddities to present to our Members.
The first is the Olympus ACE - a rangefinder with interchangeable lenses from 1958/59. It is a beautifully made camera and I have just 2 of its 4 lenses - the standard 45mm and the 80mm f5.6 telephoto. The leaf-shutter is in the camera body, not the lenses. It's pictured with the E-M1 III to show the contrast with Olympus today at a time when the brand, though not the cameras, might be disappearing from the photographic scene. The photo has caused some comment within Olympus...
1959 Olympus ACE__2020 Olympus E-M1 III
The next camera is their FTL - their only M42 mount camera - from 1971. Production only lasted for a year so they're not that common but are extremely well built and this one has stood the test of time. Six lenses were designed for the camera which was a stop-gap until the launch of the OM-1. The FTL offered full aperture TTL metering which was unusual at that time on M42 cameras.
Olympus FTL Yashica Pro-50DX
It was designed by another manufacturer for the stop-gap year; some rumours credited Asahi Pentax with the basic design and others Yashica. I don't think we'll ever know for sure. There is also a question mark over the provenance of the lenses.
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on Aug 22, 2020 18:46:02 GMT
Last Edit: Aug 22, 2020 18:47:24 GMT by lumiworx
An article on the FTL - with historical and maker references and quotes... www.biofos.com/cornucop/ftl.htmlI wonder how many camera manufacturers were faced with the same dilema - where pressures of the market and expectations of their customers put them in the position of having 'nothing new' to show for their ongoing innovations? They did have other, more sophisticated cameras already in-process, but apparently there were complications in getting them done on the original timetable.
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on Aug 23, 2020 18:06:18 GMT
Last Edit: Aug 23, 2020 18:08:30 GMT by bp_reid
I generally like Olympus’ aesthetics (from the Maitani era, at least) but the FTL leaves me cold.
The Ace, however, looks really interesting and I might look out for one. It would nicely compliment to my little Olympus set - a 35DC, OM-2SP, OM-4Ti + 24, 40, 50 & 85 lenses. I’d imagine an Ace would probably have to come from Japan and it might be tough to get a nice one and lenses.
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on Aug 26, 2020 10:14:33 GMT
Posted: Aug 26, 2020 10:14:33 GMT
An article on the FTL - with historical and maker references and quotes... www.biofos.com/cornucop/ftl.htmlI wonder how many camera manufacturers were faced with the same dilema - where pressures of the market and expectations of their customers put them in the position of having 'nothing new' to show for their ongoing innovations? They did have other, more sophisticated cameras already in-process, but apparently there were complications in getting them done on the original timetable. Thank you for the FTL article - most helpful.
Your comment about stopgaps reminded me of a meeting with Photax in their York Road premises near Waterloo Station in the mid-1970s when the RTS was being hailed for its electronic shutter button. They mentioned that Yashica's cameras would have the same button but that production delays for the FR series meant that the FX-1/FX-2 became Yashica's marketing spearhead. I recall the UK distributor's frustration as they'd seen the FR and its radical departure from the TL Electro, AX and FFT styles which were still being echoed in the FX cameras and, of course, none of the RTS (Real Time System) electronic accessories could be used. The FX-1 is a superb camera in its own right but it was essentially a stopgap between Yashica's M42 analogue cameras and the new electronic FR series.
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Group: Moderator
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on Sept 3, 2020 18:34:30 GMT
Posted: Sept 3, 2020 18:34:30 GMT
OK - it's a redundant system but I can't resist it - another Contax 645 has found it way to Wales...
It's unusual in that instead of the usual F-4 eye-cup, it has the uber-rare Contax FE-1 attached. I'm not taking a selfie - I just turned the screen around so that you could see how small it is.
C 645 FE-1 LCD Viewfinder
The good thing about the FE-1 is that it can be used on any Contax that uses the round eyepiece - RTSIII, AX, etc. plus the N1 for which it was originally made.
And oh yes, that 80mm f2 Planar remains arguably the best medium format standard lens ever made..
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on Sept 4, 2020 9:08:55 GMT
Posted: Sept 4, 2020 9:08:55 GMT
Nice! Good find with that FE-1. Seen the price of the one at Ffordes!
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on Sept 4, 2020 16:22:53 GMT
Last Edit: Sept 4, 2020 16:46:04 GMT by xkaes
Here's my latest -- a Phenix DC701 with a great, but hard to find Auto Vivitar 21mm f3.8.
The Vivitar (in this case, Tokina) has a nice, wide, 72mm filter thread, focuses REALLY close, has a DOF scale, and an interchangeable lens mount.
The Phenix cameras are unique in that they all have metal, vertical, mechanical shutters which don't use batteries -- some even have speeds to 1/2,000. Most were made with Minolta mounts, but several have Pentax K mounts, and others have a Nikon F or Contax/Yashica mount. Most cameras have meters -- which need batteries, of course.
The DC701 is a metered-manual camera -- using three LEDs in the viewfinder (+, -, and GREEN/OK) -- has a DOF button, hot shoe, PC connection, and multi-exposure button. Lots to work with.
For more on Phenix cameras see:
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on Sept 8, 2020 21:08:21 GMT
Posted: Sept 8, 2020 21:08:21 GMT
In this digital age, it's great to have a medium format camera that can switch between digital and film; the Contax 645 is well capable of this courtesy of Phase One and Hasselblad Ixpress backs for digital work.
But the Hasselblad H series can perform the same trick and so here we have the H2F (the film version and successor to the H2) with its CF-22MS Digital Back plus the ubiquitous, Fuji-made 80mm standard lens and two types of viewfinder. It's just replaced my H1, which to be fair is still a fine camera.
H2F w22Mp back 80mm lens
22MP on a large sensor is impressive enough but for highly technical work such as archival imaging, I can switch to the Ixpress 528C which uses a multi-shot mode when required, delivering 528MB files of incredible depth and detail. The technology is 15 years old but the resulting images are amazing. I use this back mostly on the Contax 645 as it really gets the most from the Zeiss glass but Hasselblad's H-series glass made by Fuji is pretty impressive too.
And then when you want to shoot film again, you remove the adapter and back, switch in the film back and you're good to go. I could never afford such gear when it was new but now you can pick it up for the cost of a DSLR body. It's a wonderful time to be taking piccies...
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on Sept 18, 2020 12:21:31 GMT
Posted: Sept 18, 2020 12:21:31 GMT
How about a rarified two-fer? The camera, and the lens that took the photo. It's missing it's take-up spool that will likely get created from a mix of parts, but other than a teeny bit of haze in the finder, it and the lens are close to perfect. A monster of a lens in size and weight, and the macro functionality is unique to say the least. The YF shot was done near the 170mm range, at about a foot away from the front element. Another case of 'right time, right price', but absolutely crazy good and sharp.
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