[Stratman]

To be honest, I was just guessing on the close up shots with the Retina, focusing really does suck with it, but I managed more keepers than throw aways..

[KJon]

It's kindof too bad the viewfinder sux so bad, because the lens is really quite capable. I stop down and pray for the best. That being said, I had some luck with it in theatre lighting (and boy is it quiet).

Kodak Retina IIa, Ultramax 400 settings?



Best,
Kevin

[goddo31]

...
@Jason and Swift1 (Colton) - enjoying the self-portraits guys - nice to have faces to go with the names. I'll have to keep that in mind while I'm out shooting this weekend. Jason, I've got a former student who's currently in Perth and is posting some of his digital point-and-shoot shots on facebook. Fun to see the local vs. tourist/photog vs. snapshooter difference in your shots <g>.
...

Kevin, thanks for the comments.
Do you know any details about your former student's trip or how long they are staying in Perth?
I might be able to recommend some good things to do in Perth from a locals point of view.
That comparison sounds interesting; I would say that I tend to shoot a bit like a tourist, or at least that's what people think I am when I walk around the city pointing my camera everywhere...

[frank]

Kinda busy lately, didn't shoot much. But managed to take two rolls of Reala 100 w/ Super Program and the new DFA100WR macro. Here are a few photos from this combo:
































Sorry about the data imprint. Was testing the Digital Data M, forgot to turn the data imprint until after finished a roll. But I'm glad to see that it worked fine

---

Last edited by frank; 06-17-2010 at 01:13 AM.

[KJon]

@Frank, nice work as always. Gotta love Reala 100 and that lens is SHARP. Nice to see the date back is working so well .

Kevin, thanks for the comments.
Do you know any details about your former student's trip or how long they are staying in Perth?
I might be able to recommend some good things to do in Perth from a locals point of view.
That comparison sounds interesting; I would say that I tend to shoot a bit like a tourist, or at least that's what people think I am when I walk around the city pointing my camera everywhere...

Jason, dashed off a note to my former student (now a college grad as of May - damn, I feel old <g>) to get a read on exactly what he's doing in Perth and how much freet time he actually has there. When I hear back, I may ask you for that laundry list of stuff to do.

Difference between you and the tourists is you live with the subjects and place you're shooting and have a relationship with it. You also whether a shot gives a decent representation of what you're shooting. And right out of the gate, your doing way better than simple P&S <g>.

Best,
Kevin

[Nesster]

Glad to see another Retina IIa here - good series of b&w there

[octavmandru]

OK
I am lurking around for quite a while. Meanwhile I rediscovered my love for film, accumulated a couple of film bodies and put it to work.

To be short, there are couple of pictures I took in my latest voyages:

Spotmatic II, Ektar 100, Plustek 7600i




Me Super with Sigma 17-35, Ektar, Plustek

[frank]

@Frank, nice work as always. Gotta love Reala 100 and that lens is SHARP. Nice to see the date back is working so well .



Best,
Kevin

Thanks Kevin SuperProgram does have it's pros even comparing w/ LX. Hard to decide which one to keep, so I'd just keep both for now.

[Stratman]

Glad to see another Retina IIa here - good series of b&w there

Thanks Jussi, it was a fun day!!! The old Retina is still kickin'!!! Works perfectly. Now to get a new light meter, the old Kalimars Mercury battery is about to shoot craps, and I want a modern one that uses READILY available batteries.....Any suggestions on a relatively inexpensive one? And, does anyone make C41 B&W film in a lower ISO, like say 100 or 200? On a sunny day with 400 speed film, it's tough with a camera with a top shutter speed of 1/500 sec !!

[stevebrot]

...Any suggestions on a relatively inexpensive one?...

If you like your meter, just get an adjusted voltage adapter from C.R.I.S. (LINK) and use readily available silver and alkaline cells.

If you don't like your meter, there are a whole slew of low end meters from Vivitar, Sears, and such that might be suitable and that use modern batteries. When I was shopping, I looked up the manual at the Butkus site (LINK) and checked for the required battery. If you need a more sophisticated meter, the price point starts at about $40 used and goes up from there. I paid $65 for my Gossen Luna Lux, but would really have preferred something smaller like a Sekonic L-208 or L-308S.


Steve

[Stratman]

Thanks for the link Steve, the adapter is $33, hmmmmmmm, not sure if this meter is worth that kind of investment, lol. I may just check around for a used sekonic somewhere. But, I'll save that link for sure !!

[Nesster]

Though there are rumors of a lower ASA Fuji C41 b&w, I don't think there are any. The Retina loves color film 160 or 200 - and you can always do your own conversion afterwards. Right now I have Fuji 160S in my IIc...

Yeah to what Steve says about light meters. I'd send you a Vivitar but I already sent it to someone else needing a basic meter... When I'm going period correct, I use a GE PR-II with the 50's cameras, it is a really nice piece - but of course won't do available darkness too well. Based on my poking, a decent functioning meter might run around $15.

I know I've mentioned this (several times before): the best ebay buy I've ever done was a Bessa 66 (my favorite camera) plus a Gossen Luna Lux (the LED one, uses a 9v battery) for $25.

[Stratman]

I wonder if i could get an ND filter for the retina? Maybe a 2 stopper so I can just keep using the 400 speed B&W...I believe it has 37mm threads...

[Nesster]

Threads... I'll need to look this stuff up - I bought some Kalimar (or similar) to fit, I'll have to find the boxes. The Kodak accessory kit with shade, yellow and yellow-green filters have a stated 32mm diameter. I don't think they measure via standard method tho - but the filters are thin enough that the camera can fold with one on. Damn, because of a recent 'neatening up' I can't find anything.

cross posted from the med format section, P645, SMC-A 75/2.8, neopan 400 in Xtol

[stevebrot]

Thanks for the link Steve, the adapter is $33, hmmmmmmm, not sure if this meter is worth that kind of investment, lol. I may just check around for a used sekonic somewhere. But, I'll save that link for sure !!

I already own the C.R.I.S. and use it on my Ricoh Singlex and would use it on my Yashica Lynx 5000 if the meter worked. Like I said, if you like the meter, it may be a good investment. Another option is to buy Jon Goodman's 3-dot adapter (LINK) and use hearing aid batteries. They don't last very long, but are also very inexpensive.

The used Sekonic will likely take mercury batteries. Ditto for a used non-SBC Gossen. Like Jussi, I have seen the occasional low-end meter go for very little money on craigslist.org or eBay and I am in serious envy of him getting his Gossen for a fraction of what I paid for mine. If you don't have time to scour Web, your local camera repair place is a good resource. They often sell used equipment of all kinds. KEH and the used departments at Adorama and B&H are also good sources, but you will pay market price.

But...before you do any of these things, you might want to test the meter with a 1.5 battery and see how it works. It might have a bridge circuit and not be voltage sensitive.


Steve