1st Lesson of Rangefinders.

Peltigera · May 3, 2020

ChristopherCoy said:
Always remove the lens cap, or you’ll waste half a roll of film.

Today’s lesson is concluded.

Half a roll? A beginner's mistake. With practise you can waste the whole roll like I do.

Donald Qualls · May 3, 2020

Peltigera said:
Half a roll? A beginner's mistake. With practise you can waste the whole roll like I do.

No need to even own a lens cap to produce completely blank rolls. Just load your film, close the back, shoot away, watching the frame counter, and then rewind when you hit 36 -- and wonder why it sounded like the leader going into the cassette after only two turns of the crank?

etn · May 3, 2020

mshchem said:
Lesson 2 I've always used a high quality UV filter, but you still need to keep it clean

Much easier to clean than the front glass of your lens, though...

rpsawin · May 3, 2020

Never leave home before you double check your camera bag and make sure you have lots of film (unexposed) with you.

Huss · May 4, 2020

Ko.Fe. said:
Is this scary statement comes from personal experience or you are rumors spreader?
Some reality check:
I have burned the curtain in FED-2 only once. I was at f1.5 shots contest and have my Jupiter-3 wide open on crazy bright March day at white snow. It was burned in first few minutes I entered on the snow.
Rather than this, I don't keep f1.5 under bright sun. And I never burned curtain in 30+ years of using rangefinders without lens caps.
It is not going to happen if lens is f2.8 or slower. Perhaps only if you are not taking pictures but typing all day on the Mac with camera facing into the sun, sitting on the table next to your latte

Leica even mentions this in its owner manuals for the M series film cameras.
So if Leica warns against it, I don't think it is rumor spreading.

Ian Grant · May 4, 2020

Ko.Fe. said:
Lesson #2.
Use protective filter and hood instead of cap.

That's what I've always done with my Leica M3, I do it with my TLRs as well. These days genuine replacement lens caps are rather expensive.

Ian

Sirius Glass · May 4, 2020

Uh, making sure the camera is loaded before using works for any format camera. Please do not ask me how I know.

Ko.Fe. · May 4, 2020

Huss said:
Leica even mentions this in its owner manuals for the M series film cameras.
So if Leica warns against it, I don't think it is rumor spreading.

Summarit 50 1.5 was available since LTM. Just as Jupiter-3. Then f0.95 and f1.1 came.
It is not good idea to keep those lenses wide open under bright sun. Good reminder in manual for it.

But knowing how Leica Camera AG works, I'll be not surprised if they left this paragraph from O series, where cap has to be on because it was gap between curtains on shutter advance. .

Lee Rust · May 4, 2020

Don't forget to focus! The image in the viewfinder is always so sharp.

Sirius Glass · May 4, 2020

Lee Rust said:
Don't forget to focus! The image in the viewfinder is always so sharp.

Oh I am so embarrassed!

Steve Goldstein · May 4, 2020

Getting back to the original issue, I've learned the habit of removing and pocketing the lens cap as soon as the Mamiya 7 comes out of the backpack. I always hold the camera in my right hand, so the lens cap always goes in the left pocket. If the camera's out of the pack, the cap is in my pocket. End of story.

It never ceases to amaze me that despite the sophistication of the Mamiya 7's design, including the presence of electronics in every lens that talks to the camera body and vice versa, they didn't bother adding a simple light sensor in each lens to provide a viewfinder alert if the lenscap is on.

BradS · May 4, 2020

happily, the light meter in the Leica M6 blinks wildly if the lens cap is on.

LiamG · May 4, 2020

Steve Goldstein said:
Getting back to the original issue, I've learned the habit of removing and pocketing the lens cap as soon as the Mamiya 7 comes out of the backpack. I always hold the camera in my right hand, so the lens cap always goes in the left pocket. If the camera's out of the pack, the cap is in my pocket. End of story.

It never ceases to amaze me that despite the sophistication of the Mamiya 7's design, including the presence of electronics in every lens that talks to the camera body and vice versa, they didn't bother adding a simple light sensor in each lens to provide a viewfinder alert if the lenscap is on.

I can't tell you how many times I've been saved from a blank frame by the double exposure switch on the back of the Mamiya 7. It's worst when I'm working in mist or spray and constantly constantly removing and replacing the lens cap- did I just mindlessly put the cap back on, or did I shoot a blank frame? I guess I understand why they didn't put an indicator in there, where would the light sensor go where it would both be in the projection cone of the lens and not in front of the film without some complex mechanical solution, like a meter arm- and at that point, why not just make it TTL? Oh well, it's a quirky camera.

TheRook · May 5, 2020

logan2z said:
BTDT. OK, not half a roll but the occasional frame. I'm not a filter guy so I've learned to accept that it'll happen occasionally.

Same here. When it does happen, I always catch the error just moments later.

Wallendo · May 5, 2020

I think I have committed every one of these rangefinder mistakes. Well ... I left on a yellow filter instead of an orange filter.

And with my Leica IIIc, I have to remember to carry scissors or pre-trimmed rolls with me.

Laurent · May 5, 2020

ChristopherCoy said:
Always remove the lens cap, or you’ll waste half a roll of film.
View attachment 245074

Been there, done that (did not get the T-Shirt)

Ko.Fe. said:
Lesson #2.
Use protective filter and hood instead of cap.

I found a nice neoprene "cap" to put over the hood (and this avoids the protective filter). Nice thing is that I can see it through the RF, so for my main lens on the M4 I'm OK.

wyofilm said:
Lesson#3 When going from b/w to color film make sure to take off that orange filter!

Color? What is this heresy? The world IS in B&W, no need for color!

John Koehrer said:
Have you gotten used to not picking the camera up by the lh corner & putting smudges on the VF?

Definitely not! The IIIc is better for this, as the accessory VF is in the middle

StepheKoontz said:
Another: forgetting to extend a collapsible lens before shooting with it lol.

My version: think I forgot to extend the lens, wait weeks before developping film (and lament about that Pulitzer shot I lost) to discover the frame is OK (biut not sure about the Pulitzer thing)

Laurent · May 5, 2020

Wallendo said:
I think I have committed every one of these rangefinder mistakes. Well ... I left on a yellow filter instead of an orange filter.

And with my Leica IIIc, I have to remember to carry scissors or pre-trimmed rolls with me.

Oh, yes this one also!

Sirius Glass · May 5, 2020

BradS said:
happily, the light meter in the Leica M6 blinks wildly if the lens cap is on.

A great feature!

Helge · May 6, 2020

If you discover the mistake of leaving the cap on, midway through, there is nothing stopping you rewinding.
You won’t get back your lost photos, but you will not have wasted the film.

Sirius Glass · May 6, 2020

Helge said:
If you discover the mistake of leaving the cap on, midway through, there is nothing stopping you rewinding.
You won’t get back your lost photos, but you will not have wasted the film.

That is hard to do with 120 film.

ChristopherCoy · May 6, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
Uh, making sure the camera is loaded before using works for any format camera. Please do not ask me how I know.

BTDT!! In 2001 I was 21 years old and working for a major trucking company, that had a company magazine. I was asked to photograph the CEO's and COO's of all the divisions. They had a truck detailed and parked outside, they had all of them dressed to the 9's, and off I went. Shot an entire shoot!

Climbed off the ladder and looked at the back of my camera, "hunh, that's weird." "What's pushing on my leg through my pocket...." "OOOOOOOOO $h!+!!!" "i FORGOT TO LOAD THE FILM!!!!"

I was so extremely embarassed. They all had a good laugh, but still to this day its a hauntingly embarrassing moment in my life.

ChristopherCoy · May 6, 2020

Helge said:
If you discover the mistake of leaving the cap on, midway through, there is nothing stopping you rewinding.
You won’t get back your lost photos, but you will not have wasted the film.

OMG I didn't even think of that. Now I really feel foolish!

Helge · May 6, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
That is hard to do with 120 film.

Well there’s two options. Both of which I’ve used.

Continue shooting or don’t shoot any more and just wind the film to the end.
Then respool the film back to the original spool in complete darkness.
It’s not quite as simple as you’d think though since the backing paper and film has a habit of separating at the end of the roll, but it can be done if you stay calm.
Alignment is usually not much of a problem since the slip you stick into the slit in the spool naturally sets a stop to how far you can insert it, if you don’t force it.
But if slightly overlapping frames is a no no, sacrifice one frame towards the “old” exposures.

The other option, which is only possible with red observation window cameras, is going to a completely dark room, bringing a marker and open the back of the camera.
Then mark the backing paper with a long clearly visible line on the receiving spool.
Close the back and finish shooting the roll.
Reverse the “exposed” roll, putting it into the new roll side. Open the red window and wind until you see the line you made and wind a bit more till you estimate the line is out of the aperture.
Then you are onto the unexposed length.
Because the roll is reversed, you don’t have numbers to support you in winding the film. It’s not as hard as you imagine estimating the winding though. Especially if it’s only a few frames.
Making a note of approximately how many turns of the winder it takes to wind the next frame helps.

Donald Qualls · May 6, 2020

Helge said:
Reverse the “exposed” roll, putting it into the new roll side. Open the red window and wind until you see the line you made and wind a bit more till you estimate the line is out of the aperture.
Then you are onto the unexposed length.
Because the roll is reversed, you don’t have numbers to support you in winding the film. It’s not as hard as you imagine estimating the winding though. Especially if it’s only a few frames.
Making a note of approximately how many turns of the winder it takes to wind the next frame helps.

Most if not all of the 120 I've handled in the darkroom in the past couple decades had the film loose at the tail end, so it won't (at all reliably) wind through the camera in the reverse direction (and requires a little care even to respool back to the start end if wound all the way through). None of this will work with auto-advance cameras, unless the roll start is set manually (as with my 532/16 Super Ikonta B), but if you're shooting 6x6, the numbers will be right where you left them, because that track is centered on the backing paper. Winding by "X turns per frame" will result in spacing that increases as you go.

The effort to do this isn't any less than rewinding the film and backing onto the source spool and starting over. Especially if you start before winding the film completely through, you can unload the camera in the dark with film still wound on both spools and never have it loose in the changing bag or darkroom. Just keep track of which spool is which, so you wind the correct direction, check in the light to be sure you don't see "Exposed" before reloading the camera, and good to go.

Helge · May 6, 2020

Never said it was particularly easy.
But if you really want to get to those extra frames, then it can be done.
Yes, film is loose at the end of the spool. Thought I said as much?
It can’t slide lengthwise in relation to the backing paper, due to being glued further “up stream”, and once it’s around the take up spool it can’t drift to the side.

6x6 will be fine, yeah. Numbers will be upside down and count back though.

Counting turns will give you an approximate idea, as said.

Respooling can be a more daunting affair if you have to do it in a hotel bathroom, friends house or other improvised “darkroom”.
That’s where simply marking and reversing can have a place.
You won’t expose the whole spool, if there is a small crack of light under a doorway you didn’t notice, the damage is probably not as great.
Marking the return point can be done in a matter of seconds by just opening the back.
And reversing can be done quickly without rolling the whole spool over.
Just make sure you have the lose end of film rolled into the now receiving spool.

Various auto mechanisms will resist attempts at reversing, yes. Know your camera.

On folders like the Ikonta leaving the cap on tends not to really be a problem.
It could save you from having absentmindedly rolled over the first few frames during loading though.

1st Lesson of Rangefinders.

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency