Recent content by Randy Stewart

The 124G sold at new retail when being closed out in 1989 for $80. The quality of the body is average or less for 1969s Japanese TLRs when it was designed. The lens is the same from 1959 on, and it is probably the relatively poorest quality MF taking lens among Tessar copy lenses on any TLR...

I've owned two GS645 cameras (first one stolen). The rule for acquistiion is, find the best condition onee you can. If the original bellows hs been replaced, require proof. The original beloows were cheqqp crp; the replacments are a one time event. Then have the camera fully CLAed, particularly...

On the infrequent trips for CLA of my Pentax 67 equipment. I have used Advance Camera, located in a suburb of Portland. They were one of the official factory repair centers, back in thee day when Pentax had those. I doubt that you will find a more capable repair shop for Pentax 67 in the US.

If you turn the lens over and look for a screw thread on the base, you won't find one. With a vary expensive base replacement and adaption, it has been fitted for the Leica M-mount. Only Leica owning surgeons can afford that. Back around 1983, my local camera shop sold me my 0.95 50mm with...

I have had no noticable vignetting with my 45mm using regular 82mm filters. However, the 45mm is a bit soft wide open, so shoot it at 5.6 or smaller apertures.

Most of my photography is landscapes and scenics, taking on 1 to 2 week trips planned in detail for that purpose. When I started out, using the Zone system, I thought multiple film backs would be a great help, but in practice I find it is not a critical advantage. I tried several systems...

I have not seen one of these print washers in 50 years, and rightly so. My experience with one was that it was nearly impossible to keep at least some the prints from sticking together, so I had to tend the thing constantly. Overall, I found a Kodak tray siphon to be more effective. The natural...

Back in the early to mid-1980s, I dumped a Speed Graphic medium format camera for a Koni-Omega Rapid M. Over a few years, eBay sourced me all the lenses and most of the accessories, all of which I still have. At you accept its relatively heavy weight and rangefinder (v, SLR) mode, it is probably...

You show a few, irregularly spaced white spots on what I assume to be 35mm frames. These are not elements of the processing. They might just be dust spots on the negatives. However, given your extended reuse of the chemicals, I suspect that they are bits of chemical by-products accumulated in...

To clarify for those not well versed on durst folklore, up at least up to 1980, durst made full range sets of multi-contrast filters for insertion into filter trays in the light heads of their enlargers. Rather than the flimsy, floppy gelatin filters made for Kodak or Ilford, Durst filters were...

Historically, I have used a Kodak Process Thermometer as a control reference, because it is too delicate and slow to use on a regular basis. I adjust two dial units, calibrated to the Kodak. In modern times, I primarily rely on a digital unit which was an accessory part of the Vivitar Process...

Over 50 years, I've owned and periodically used darkroom light meters ranging from the cheap, handheld little one made by Ilford years ago, through the large Beseler units, to a Durst meter which was their most sophisticated stand-alone density and color meter, a more advanced unit similar to...

I assume your purpose is to weigh out bulk chemicals to prepare processing formulas. I've done this for more than 40 years, using a traditional Ohaus Triple-Beam Balance scale. This scale resolves to 0.1 gram, and is completely adequate for any photo formula. Modern digital technology gives us...

I use stainless steel reels and tanks for my B&W processing. I've never had an issue with Photoflo 200. Paterson plastic reels are notorious for accumulating sticky scum from Photoflo, which I attribute to either poor design, or more likely, cheap plastic material. I use Unicolor plastic reels...

Over the decades, I have briefly owned a couple of Yashicamats with the 75mm 3.5 taking lens. At one point, I did on film resolution test comparisons of five different TLRs, including the new in the box Yashicamat. All mounted some version of a Tessar-copy 4-element taking lens. My test...