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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
02-18-2021, 07:15 PM
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When you said, "In Florida," I immediately thought of the old Dale Labs. I think they were in Hollywood. Not CA, FL. Like the old Seattle Filmworks, foisting ECN-2 films onto the public.
Obviously a very different, very Millennial crew. Good for them.
If you want to process your own ECN-2, it's not really that hard. Just like C-41, temperature control in the developer is quasi-critical, but not as much as the specs demand. Especially if you post process digitally, you can correct.
There's the "Quiet, we're dreaming" kit, $50 at Freestyle: QWD ECN-2 Home Processing Kit to make 1 Liter | Freestyle Photo & Imaging
Ultrafine has a "bare bones kit" wherein you supply your own stop bath and fixer, they supply the prebath and developer. $30
Ultrafine Motipix Economy ECN-2 Processing Kit 1 Ltr. - Color Photo Chemistry |
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
01-20-2016, 10:09 AM
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The ST digital camera policy appears to run concurrent with Pentax's one year. Pentax, of course, does not cover drops and spills for any length of time, which the ST does from day one. In other words, it's more than an extended warranty.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
01-19-2016, 09:03 AM
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For those buying a new camera, consider the SquareTrade options. Far cheaper and more comprehensive than what dealers offer. They base the cost on what you paid for your camera.......be sure to think of the body only if you got a lens, too. I got a three year concurrent with Pentax's one year that covers drops, spills, controls, everything, for $108. They claim a five day turnaround after receiving the camera, which from what I hear beats all to hell the Ricoh repairs. The camera must have been bought in the last 30 days. Maybe? :)
Are they any good? Reviews generally rave about ST. I had a used phone about 7 years ago. I paid $70 for it, got the warranty for something like $15? Phone died, I notified them, they said "Here's your $70, keep it." I sold it for parts on eBay for more than the warranty cost.
Square Trade offers warranties for almost everything in consumer electronics.
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
01-13-2016, 09:23 PM
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I bought a K-S2 body w/o the lens. While in transit, I realized that I would like to have a lens that wasn't so big as the used 18-200mm I got rather a bargain on eBay. So I ordered a new kit, and got color, too while I was at it.
I don't think it's a question of is it "worth it?" Compared to what?
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Forum: General Talk
02-01-2016, 07:42 PM
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Surely many of us remember the days when trying to buy a camera from one of the big NYC houses was a horror. Bait and switch, sold only with these accessories which will cost a fortune, etc, etc. It was as big a problem for the magazines like Pop and Modern Photography, since the stores were their income streams, and the readers their audience.
Many people found their experiences justification for their anti-Semitism. Most of them were Jewish owned.
It's been decades since I've reluctantly dealt with those stores. Some years later now pop up B&H and Adorama. From a consumer side, 100% reputable. I've never seen a legitimate bad review of these major players. I use both. And obviously Jewish owned by the shutting down for Shabbat. Good for them.
That doesn't mean things couldn't be better for the employees. I'm guessing that both companies have at least ten times the fifty walking out employees. It takes a lot of guts to participate in a walk out, even if company owners no longer call in the National Guard or Wackenhut. Learn about women and children killed in the Ludlow Massacre: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre
American Jews have a long history supporting the labor movement, yet it sounds like B&H are not looking for solutions. This is an interesting situation which I will try to learn more.
Overall, I am pro-union. But I learned a long time ago that companies that really work hard to have good relationships with their employees seldom see a union rep darken their door ways.
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
02-01-2016, 06:55 PM
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I blurted a Ha! out so loud and involuntarily, everyone turned and looked. A major funny...............because it is so true. And always has been.
---------- Post added 02-01-16 at 08:07 PM ----------
I got an extra battery with mine from B&H for $11. If you don't use Live View much, it's of amazing capacity. OTOH, if you do............. Actually, still pretty good.
Large capacity SD cards are cheap. I'm using basic Class 10, and as the review of the K-S2 shows, there's no reason to buy the very expensive U class cards. The performance difference is negligible. It seems to me that presently 32GB cards are at the price sweet point. Smaller and larger cards cost more per GB. YMMV. I got a Toshiba FlashAir 32GB wifi card for under $30. Why? The built in wifi and Image Sync is a crap shoot, and my shoot crapped. Not working with my Android.
A good strap. Got some nice ones on eBay for under $4. I have no tolerance for the classic camera strap body attachment wherein it essentially becomes permanent. I have, for decades, threaded one of those split steel key rings through the camera's slot and then affixed whatever strap to that. Some of my straps have clip ends, so that's direct. I got some small spring clip on two ends hooks at Lowe's for $5 for use with conventional straps. There are many situations I don't want a strap, so this solves that.
But the most important accessory is.......................you. Your eyes, your brain, your expertise with your camera. Boy, so many mile to go on that latter criteria!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
01-26-2016, 08:43 AM
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I don't get this angst. If you like your camera and what it does, so what if the market share is small? Most of my film cameras are, ironically enough, Ricoh. Do I care it doesn't say Nikon on the front? Not a whit.
Yes, Pentax, like the old Ricoh's give a lot of bang for the buck. But if they left the market tomorrow, how would that effect you? Sad to see such a great brand go to the dust bin of history, but I lived through that with Minolta being bought by Konica and then the latter getting out of the camera business entirely in a few months.
Yes, I was sad I'd never see an A3, A4, etc. But it didn't change my world. Happily kept using my A2 until recently, got a bit long in the technology tooth.
Further, if Pentax sales took off, y'all couldn't wallow in your underdog status! :)
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
01-13-2016, 09:19 PM
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I've had all of the Minolta D and Konica Minolta A cameras. I really love that simple flip up screen so I can take low perspective pictures w/o actually being down there. I was going to buy a K-50, then thought about losing that flip screen. Did my research and found the K-S2. If you don't think the flip screen doesn't open up new photographic opportunities, think again. And I ain't even talking selfies. Gag.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-12-2016, 07:25 PM
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F/1.2? Cool......desirable..........with film. As a very old timer, I am not happy with the few fast lenses for digital cameras. Especially at the prices being asked.
But then I realized, those fast lenses were needed for film. With ISO's over 400 being real grainy, and topping out at maybe 3200 anyway. The modern digicam sensors with ISO's that the film era couldn't conceive of don't need fast lenses. Take a fast combo in the old days; an F/1.4 lens with Tri-X at ISO 400. So now with a digicam, using a modest F/4, we shoot it at 3200. Will the noise be worse than the Tri-X grain? I doubt it, and I'm sure a lot of the comparison will depend on the developer and camera.
So, no more worrying about not having a fast lense with my Pentax.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
01-12-2016, 07:16 PM
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I don't care what brand is on the front of my camera. I've owned a lot of Ricoh film cameras. Immense amounts of features for the dollars.
I take pictures with my cameras. I'm not trying to impress anyone.
BTW, Canon did not always have the stature that it does now. Back when, it was definitely second and third tier to Nikon. Like Minoltas.
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