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Cameras and photography stuff.

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Ben-jammin

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I saw some threads where photography was discussed. Seems like there’s a few other Pentax users on here. I run a K5 for digital and have several Pentax film SLRs both k mount and m42. I thought it might be fun to start a specific thread for this. Is anyone else still shooting film? I haven’t done much in the past few months but shoot 35mm, medium format, and large format.
 
Ben,
I have a number of various Pentax photgrahic film cameras (and their lenses) in 35mm, M42 and medium formats (6x7), as well as Canon EOS autofocus 35mm gear.
I shoot 36 mm and 120mm film (sometimes up to a roll /month).
We're lucky in having a really knowledgeable vintage photographic establishment ( retail film and equipment + repairs) and two other establishments providing development, enlarging & printing + associated equipment, film and chemicals within relatively easy reach.
?
I tend to alternate between accordion and photography: so I'm hardly brilliant at either.?
There's a member called "Pentaprism " ( as in Pentax's big idea). I did ask him whether that related to photographic interests, but he wouldn't be drawn,?
 
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Hi,

Before digital and autofocus, in the 70s, I started with a Pentax K2 and then after a few years added a Pentax LX and a few Kmount lenses. In the 90s all my stuff was stolen, still remember where my car was parked. For a few months afterwards I used a Nikon a friend lend me, while thinking about what to buy, and then I went to Canon, till now. Pentax was definitely a top brand in the 70s.

A few months ago I exchanged my older heavy pro stuff, Canon EOS 1D IIN + Canon 7D and got an almost new Canon EOS 50D, more than what I now need being retired. The EOS 50D with metal body will probably be mi last camera. Still kept the lenses, four L lenses, included the fantastic 135f2L, and a few lighter ones. Btw, the Pentax 135/f2.8 was also an outstanding lens, top quality!

ymmv.
 
I still have a couple of these Pentax M42 135 mm ( manual focus) lenses (and appropriate camera bodies: the lenses are quite weighty but of excellent quality!
I have an adapter that will allow me to use them also with an MZ50 SLR body (TTL) metering) the results are very pleasing!?
Not enough hours in a day !??
 
I used to shoot slide film on various cheap cameras and scanned it, went fully digital around 2004 with a Canon 20D.
Now using a Canon 7D mk1 which is good enough for me.
Favourite lenses: 100mm f2.8 macro, 50mm f1.8, 70-200 f4 L.

Current inspiration: http://www.theartoftheride.com/image-gallery/ which I've done nothing about yet.
 
I still have a couple of these Pentax M42 135 mm ( manual focus) lenses (and appropriate camera bodies: the lenses are quite weighty but of excellent quality!
I have an adapter that will allow me to use them also with an MZ50 SLR body (TTL) metering) the results are very pleasing!?
Not enough hours in a day !??
I run a few super takumar m42 lenses on my k5 with an adapter. Most of them have manual auto lever for the aperture so I can essentially run the camera in AP mode with the zone style metering by manually stopping down the lens. An old super takumar 50 1.4 makes a nice portrait lens on an aps-c Pentax DSLR. Of course no auto focus though.
 
Ben,
I have a number of various Pentax photgrahic film cameras (and their lenses) in 35mm, M42 and medium formats (6x7), as well as Canon EOS autofocus 35mm gear.
I shoot 36 mm and 120mm film (sometimes up to a roll /month).
We're lucky in having a really knowledgeable vintage photographic establishment ( retail film and equipment + repairs) and two other establishments providing development, enlarging & printing + associated equipment, film and chemicals within relatively easy reach.
?
I tend to alternate between accordion and photography: so I'm hardly brilliant at either.?
There's a member called "Pentaprism " ( as in Pentax's big idea). I did ask him whether that related to photographic interests, but he wouldn't be drawn,?
What film is your preference these days? I shoot mostly black and white and do development and printing myself (my enlarger handles negatives to 4”x5”). I’ve never justified the cost/effort/frustration to try color development.
 
I never did any color film development, but made some contact prints from color negatives, long enough ago that I don't recall the name of that chemistry. And a batch of the chemistry for printing from transparencies, including a couple sheets of paper exposed directly in the camera. Never really got B&W, but I liked the process of taking pictures with a view camera. Today my cellular phone can beat the results I got in every practical way but one, the attention I can give to the photo before I take it.
 
Ben,
What film is your preference these days?
I usually use Kodak Supermax 400 asa colour print film ( until very recently available in our local supermarkets) or Kodak Portra 400 asa colour print film for my 6x7s .
Not wishing to put in the effort to become another Ansel Adams, I decided to stick to taking exposures only and leaving all developing , enlarging and printing to the professional laboratory guys of which we still have three.
So my photography is a hybrid of film, machine development and digital printing off the negatives.
I'm happy with the results !??
In these days of tricky political correctness, I tend to stick to landscape and architectural and botanical subjects.
I find that ultramax 400, slightly underexposed, works beautifully for botanical contra jour in my canon eos 1n . ?
For family gatherings, I simply use my iPhone !?
 
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An ex-Pentaxian here too.
I used to run a quintet of MX bodies with an assortment of lenses amongst others.
The stable of bodies was the consequence of a liking for the different results from various film stock and haveing an acquaintance who ran a 'Hock Shop' and was able to acquire good used gear at reasonable prices.
Mamiya C330s, an RB67 and a Hasselblad ELM fed my medium format needs at different times.
I did bag some Leica 35mm gear at one stage, which I made a modest profit from the resale of.
There was a brief period where I had an interest in a colour processing lab but my health was deteriorating badly at that juncture so I had to walk away from that.
There was no question regarding the superiority of the 1970s Pentax lenses in 35 mm equipment - the pathetically particular and pendantic photo club folk frequently lost the arguments over that when both Canon and Nikkor lenses failed to exceed their results.
The Mamiyas were more than equal to the 'Blad in producing images of quality.
I once had a problem with the dollybirds who ran the "Art" department at a well known fashion magazine who repeatedly rejected work which I submitted due "...to it being made on inferior quality equipment...", but never that which came off the ELM.
Then I twigged their game - they were using the defining notch on the edge of the images from the 'Blad to determine their choices.
So I carefully made a mask for the C330s which imitated that 'notch' on the transparencies and had no more problems!
The bellows and internal material bags in the Mamiyas were better at eliminating lens-flare and fogging, especially in less controllable lighting situations, than the barrel lenses of the Hasselblad.
' T was a grand time, barely profitable - and most often not, especially when the value of time was taken into consideration.
 
An ex-Pentaxian here too.
There was no question regarding the superiority of the 1970s Pentax lenses in 35 mm equipment - the pathetically particular and pendantic photo club folk frequently lost the arguments over that when both Canon and Nikkor lenses failed to exceed their results.
No question, indeed!
' T was a grand time, barely profitable - and most often not, especially when the value of time was taken into consideration.
OK to make a living and pay the bills ... and a grand time, yes!
 
An ex-Pentaxian here too.
I used to run a quintet of MX bodies with an assortment of lenses amongst others.
The stable of bodies was the consequence of a liking for the different results from various film stock and haveing an acquaintance who ran a 'Hock Shop' and was able to acquire good used gear at reasonable prices.
Mamiya C330s, an RB67 and a Hasselblad ELM fed my medium format needs at different times.
I did bag some Leica 35mm gear at one stage, which I made a modest profit from the resale of.
There was a brief period where I had an interest in a colour processing lab but my health was deteriorating badly at that juncture so I had to walk away from that.
There was no question regarding the superiority of the 1970s Pentax lenses in 35 mm equipment - the pathetically particular and pendantic photo club folk frequently lost the arguments over that when both Canon and Nikkor lenses failed to exceed their results.
The Mamiyas were more than equal to the 'Blad in producing images of quality.
I once had a problem with the dollybirds who ran the "Art" department at a well known fashion magazine who repeatedly rejected work which I submitted due "...to it being made on inferior quality equipment...", but never that which came off the ELM.
Then I twigged their game - they were using the defining notch on the edge of the images from the 'Blad to determine their choices.
So I carefully made a mask for the C330s which imitated that 'notch' on the transparencies and had no more problems!
The bellows and internal material bags in the Mamiyas were better at eliminating lens-flare and fogging, especially in less controllable lighting situations, than the barrel lenses of the Hasselblad.
' T was a grand time, barely profitable - and most often not, especially when the value of time was taken into consideration.
Most of my mf stuff is Mamiya. I have several RB kits and an M645. I find them to take excellent pictures. I am set up to print up to 16”x20” and can enlarge to this size no problem with 645 sized negatives. I tend to go for the biggest negative I can justify. I don’t run the RBs as much as i would like as I don’t really have a studio and taking an RB kit to the field really isn’t much more convenient than taking a 4x5 view camera. In either case I need a tripod and a light meter.
 
Most of my mf stuff is Mamiya. I have several RB kits and an M645. I find them to take excellent pictures. I am set up to print up to 16”x20” and can enlarge to this size no problem with 645 sized negatives. I tend to go for the biggest negative I can justify. I don’t run the RBs as much as i would like as I don’t really have a studio and taking an RB kit to the field really isn’t much more convenient than taking a 4x5 view camera. In either case I need a tripod and a light meter.
Even with lightweight 35mm stuff, a sturdy tripod is a more certain way of getting sharp images.
Not always appropriate with moving subjects, of course, but I always had one in the car wherever I went.
 
Even with lightweight 35mm stuff, a sturdy tripod is a more certain way of getting sharp images.
Not always appropriate with moving subjects, of course, but I always had one in the car wherever I went.
You’re not wrong. I just tend to only use 35mm when I know I’ll be knocking around someplace where carrying a larger kit would be inconvenient and this usually also excludes tripods.
 
I have a Graflex Super Graphic 4x5 that's set up to take hand held photos, with a rangefinder. Didn't find a whole lot of use for that. Mainly a handful of Polaroids, but the Polaroid medium I was using was expensive and not very reliable.
 
I have a Graflex Super Graphic 4x5 that's set up to take hand held photos, with a rangefinder. Didn't find a whole lot of use for that. Mainly a handful of Polaroids, but the Polaroid medium I was using was expensive and not very reliable.
I like the idea of a press camera 4x5 as a more portable option, but was concerned practice may not meet expectations. Hand holding a 35mm (or even a 645 or mf TLR) is one thing but generally the lenses are faster, the shutters are faster and there are more film options.
 
Ffingers said,
Even with lightweight 35mm stuff, a sturdy tripod is a more certain way of getting sharp images.
True, some practical means of steadying the camera is most desirable.
Personally, I have often resorted to using a monopod (up to Asahi Pentax 6x7 MF) , for ease of portability.
A semi-extended monopod, attached to the camera, also helps to steady hand-held exposures.?
The monopod works particularly well with 35mm format and image stabilised lenses.?
When taking close-up pictures of my wife's flowers in the backyard and feeling lazy, I have sometimes resorted to steadying the camera simply with the handle of the yard-broom wedged between the fingers of my left (camera holding) hand. A simple dowel would also do.
It works!?
 
Ben,
taking an RB kit to the field really isn’t much more convenient than taking a 4x5 view camera
A young acquaintance studying photography at technical college has an RB and associated gear which he carried with him to take scenics of the alpine country of New Zealand .
You have to admire his energy and determination!?
 
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