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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-04-2014, 08:30 AM
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You can get okay scans from a cheap flatbed. Medium format scans on a flatbed (in my experience) are always better than 35mm scans on a flatbed. That said, they both still kind of suck. And anything that's going to produce really impressive scans will likely be VERY expensive. If you need really good scans, I'd say send them to NCPS or The Darkroom. I've mostly given up on scans and started printing them myself. Setting up a darkroom in the basement turned out to be a lot cheaper than a really good scanner. Also, 8x10 prints scan a lot better than negatives on a flatbed.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-04-2014, 08:12 AM
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While I'm sure that the 67 will give you better image quality with its much larger negatives, and you could fix or replace a K1000 for next to nothing, let me just say that the Pentax 645n is my favorite camera. It's just so well designed and easy to use. It feels great in the hands. It has auto everything when you want it. These are subjective qualities, of course, and objectively, you'll be likely to get better results from the 67. But the 645n is comparably priced (I got mine with the AF 75 and manual 150 for about $500) and simple and very well designed. Can't say the same for the original 645, which kind of looks like an ergonomics disaster to me. Also, old 6x6 TLRs are abundant, cheap and fun. And you could even get and 500-series Hasselblad for pretty cheap, although I suspect the lenses would be painfully expensive.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
02-25-2014, 09:21 PM
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I'm in Lancaster as well, and although I usually shoot B&W and process at home, I just started shooting color again, and apparently Greenfield Photo processes C-41 and E-6 in-house. Can't vouch since I haven't tried them yet, but I just finished a roll of Ektar, so I'll be checking it out soon. They're over on Fruitville Pike across from the Wal-Mart. Their website calls them Greenfield Photo, but their store says Perfect Image Camera Repair. It's the same place though. I'm hoping they're good, because otherwise Lancaster County is kind of a film photography wasteland. Glad to know I'm not alone!
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-07-2013, 09:59 AM
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I found another kludgy solution. I've just wrapped a very large (1" wide) rubber band that goes from the battery door up between the rewind knob and the pentaprism. It's black, too, so it barely even looks out of place. Of course if you want to take the winder off, or open the film door, everything falls apart, but otherwise, it seems to work very nicely.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-07-2013, 09:49 AM
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I have a Spotmatic II, and in my case it's due to the foam bumper the mirror slaps into becoming sort of tacky with age. The mirror gets stuck on it every once in a while. I've seen pretty cheap DIY foam replacement kits on eBay, but I haven't quite felt compelled to get one myself. It happens so infrequently that I'll just pop the lens off and gently free the mirror with a fingernail. Whenever this has happened, I have never seen the shutter stuck open.
All that said, I've never experienced any of the other issues you've mentioned with the mirror jamming with meter on, so this may be something else entirely.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-05-2013, 08:51 AM
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I love that I can put the 40mm pancake on my MX and stick it in my (jacket) pocket. And I also love that I can put the winder on and it balances well with my 50mm f1.2. The 50 is not huge, but it's a very substantial piece of glass; maybe a bit heavier than the MX itself. I knew that battery door was going to give me problems sooner or later. It's the only part of this kit that doesn't feel solid.
So, the part that broke is not strictly speaking the battery door, but rather the annoying little screw that holds the door in place. Half of the screw is attached to the little knob, and the other half is in the battery door. My duct tape solution was effective for a while (as duct tape solutions often are), but the pressure from the springy battery contacts keeps forcing it partially open. Any ideas, short of gluing the damn thing shut?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-01-2013, 01:20 PM
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That seems to have done the trick! I managed to break the winder's battery cover in the process, but the meter works now. And I fixed the battery cover with duct tape, so I'm happy. Thanks for your help!
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-29-2013, 06:13 PM
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The contact pins look fine to me, but I'll try cleaning them just the same. Can't hurt, it's thirty years old. If that doesn't work, I'm not averse to disassembling the thing, but what is a leaf contact and where might I find them? I suppose (presuming I find them) that a little lighter fluid would do the trick?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-29-2013, 11:18 AM
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So, I have a Pentax MX. When you half-press the shutter, it activates the meter. I also have the MX Winder. It used to be that the meter would activate with a half-press of the winder shutter button as well. Recently, it started activating the meter only intermittently, and now not at all. If I have press the shutter on the camera, it works fine 100% of the time. But the winder--nothing. The winder works fine otherwise--the shutter fires, the film advances. Just no meter.
Okay, this is admittedly a minor problem, since I can just move my finger an inch and a half and half-press the camera's shutter button, but it's an irksome problem that I'd like to fix. I don't see any obvious problems, the camera and winder are both (apparently) in very good condition. The contacts on the camera and winder are not corroded, or bent. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions about what might cause this?
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