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> Night photography with old single-coated lenses? |
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#21
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Svend, what is the color of the lens coating? Usually single coated lenses appear blue like on my 1957 Symmar. Could you post a picture of the coating?
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#22
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Here you go Andy...
Depending on how the light hits it, the coating appears either brownish or blueish. More like the latter, I would say. Hope this helps.... Included is a gen'l pic of the camera in question. Thanks, and curious to hear your feedback. Svend |
#23
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Here's some advice from Michael Kenna (and here's the link: http://www.thenocturnes.com/resources/kenna.html):
Kenna: I have taught night photography classes and workshops myself, but right now I am on sabbatical from all teaching - to get on with other projects. It constantly amazes me how excited people get when they first go out photographing at night. It's as if they don't believe it is possible! Unfortunately, there is also a legitimate fear of the night, particularly in urban areas. An individual interested in night work might want to consider going out with a friend. I have students work in a "buddy" situation so that no one gets "lost". On the first few night sessions students work with one manual camera, one lens set at f5.6, a tripod, cable release, flash light, paper, pencil, and Tri-X film. I give basic starting points (i.e. an exposure in the city with direct street lighting-5 second exposure, in the city with indirect street lighting-1 minute, city open spaces with distant lighting-5 minutes, landscape outside the city-30 minutes, etc.), they will bracket one and two stops plus and minus, writing every exposure down, noting as many details as possible about the lighting conditions at the time. I suggest that they process their film 20% less than their usual development time. I think the initial hurdle involved in photographing at night is in getting comfortable with the equipment and the environment - it really is quite different from photographing during the day. www.theonlinedarkroom.com |
#24
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But you don't smoke. So perhaps you could try eating a cheese and pickle sandwich, or anything else that you think will both time the exposure, and stop you getting bored whilst standing around for several minutes. Time to get creative! Alan |
#25
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Svend, the coating looks ok from the images you posted. When you open the camera and set it to B is it clear? That's a neat folder. I just remembered the neighbors from across gave me some camera's that belonged to her father. One is a Voightlander Vito, I think one is a Kodak retina and the other some Zeiss Ikon. Unfortunately it seems someone was heavy handed with the shutter mechanisms, I can trip the shutters manually but not with the shutter button.
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#26
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I'm wondering whether Svend's Franka could have an elusive bellows problem.
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#27
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#28
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Michael - I checked out the bellows pretty thoroughly, and more than once. I put a very bright flashlight inside while in a dark room (zero light), and no sign of any pinholes. Early on I fixed a couple of light leaks around the film door and some errant reflections off of bright metal, which became apparent after the first roll, but since then no leaks. This washed out look is different than a light leak -- it shows up as the whole frame being very low in contrast on the neg. Almost all greys; very uniform.
Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree here, and it's not lens flare at all. Rather, just a factor of a poor combination of inherently lower contrast film with developers than weren't suited to such lighting conditions, together with a vintage triplet lens that may not be able to handle those bright conditions like, say, a six-element Planar can. All rolls through this camera have been HP5, done either in D76 1+1 or Perceptol 1+1. The problematic light has been full-on bright midday sun, striking the lens at an angle forward of 90 deg. but not straight on, if you follow. If the lens is fully shaded or sun is behind, all is well and the negs look great -- nice full range of tones, good contrast, plenty sharp. Strange and puzzling.... Svend |
#29
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At some point I might start another thread called "What's wrong with my Franka?". But I really need to run some more test rolls through this thing before getting that involved here. Re. your folders - the Vito is a 35mm, I think(?). Which Ikon do you have? There were many, 35mm and 120. If a 120 and a Tessar lens, you might have a nice shooter there. If you want to get it fixed, there's a great guy in PA who specializes in MF folders: http://www.certo6.com He does excellent work for a very reasonable price. He fixed up a little Agfa Isolette for me last year (see attached pic). He can no doubt sort out your Ikon. And there's a fellow in the UK, Sandeha Lynch (http://www.sandehalynch.com/camerawork/bellows.php), who does very nice bellows for these and other cameras, but not sure if he can do mechanical repairs. Re. the shutters, it may be as simple as the end of the release linkage from the trigger having slipped out of engagement with the release arm on the lens/shutter assembly. It happens on mine sometimes, and I just have to gently slip it back into position. Nothing to it... Check the end of the release linkage at the lens to see if it moves when you press the trigger. Also, many models have double-exposure prevention, so you can't depress the release button until you wind the film knob. Try that and see if it works. These are simple cameras with little to go wrong. Cheers, Svend Last edited by Svend; 16th March 2017 at 02:06 AM. |
#30
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In general, if the Zeiss Ikon is a 120 folder, then for the simpler cameras, Netter and Ikonta, then they often used a Nova lens, a triplet, but a very good one I have 2 ikontas, a B which is a 66 and a 121, which is a 645, doth with prontor shutters and Nova lense, I have 2 35mm folders from Zeiss, a contina and a Contessa, both have compur shutters and Tessar lenses, There was also the Super Ikonta's with mostly Tessar lenses and compur shutters, and built in coupled rangefinders, and yes, the Vito's from Voightlander were 35mm, a long line of folders from pre war to the 1950's, as Svend said, the shutter release on zeiss is double exposure prevented, so try winding on and fireing, or have a look at the linkage, the sometimes slip out of alinement, or sometimes get bent, a simple job if done with care, something even I would attempt, and I am pretty much useless when ti comes to camera repairs, if anything much goes wrong then it is a trip to Newton and Ellis for them
Richard
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