folders, folders, folders

[Jeremy]

I tell them that I usually scan the 5X7 negatives in 48 bit color at 3175 dpi and the resulting file is about 2.0 gig in size I think they really began to question to value of their 10mb Canon Rebel and creates a bit more respect for the qualities of real film.

Sandy King

Apparently Noise Ninja (a photoshop plug-in for removing noise from digital files which also works well on anti-aliased grain from film scans) tells you the "megapixels" of the file you're working on. I've attached a screenshot of what it says about a cropped non-fullsize scan from a folder.

 

[FallisPhoto]

Paul,

I have been experimenting with some folding rangefinders for some time now. Nothing more exotic than Moskva 4 & 5 and Super Ikonta C and B.

I have found the Super Ikonta B (532/16) the easiest of these to use with it's combined viewfinder/rangefinder. Startlingly, for me, the images from this camera favorably comparable to my Hasselblad. The camera is sturdy and so far very reliable. I really like this camera.

The Super Ikonta C is also an excellent camera once you get past the Albada finder which I'm afraid makes it very hard to compose a image. (I wish I new how to fix these wretched finders, and why does the SI "C" cost so much)

The Moskva 4 (early type) and 5 appear to be reasonably comparable, image wise, to the Super Ikonta C but the finders are far superior to the Ikonta C. (No Albada finder on the Moskvas!) The shutters on the Moskvas, once CLA'd sound terrific and are quite accurate. The glass may be actually an improvement to the coated Tessars in terms of contrast.
No, the glass from my old cameras will not really compare to modern glass. Egonomics are better on the more recent cameras, as well, I'm sure but I've yet to find a camera type with more portability with such a large negative. Also the absolute simplicity of the mechanisms of these cameras provides reliability and ease of repair.
And, silly old me, I really like the look of this stuff.

What's wrong with your finder? Is it the alignment? Calibration? Horizontal realignment is easy. Vertical alignment can be done, but you'll probably think it wasn't worth it afterward. I've done both types of realignment and calibration, on Zeisses and Moskvas.

 

[Paul Goutiere]

Super Ikonta "C"

What's wrong with your finder? Is it the alignment? Calibration? Horizontal realignment is easy. Vertical alignment can be done, but you'll probably think it wasn't worth it afterward. I've done both types of realignment and calibration, on Zeisses and Moskvas.

The later version of the Super Ikonta "C" uses an Albada type viewfinder. The earlier version uses some good old regular lenses. (This is the viewfinder, not the rangefinder.)

The Ikonta's Albada finder has a front lens which consists of two pieces of glass stuck together with probably Canada Balsam. One of the glass elements has a semi reflective mirror, (I think, similar to a beam splitter) This semi reflective mirror will reflect, to your eye, an image of a target rectangle which is on the rear component of the finder.

(But you probably know this)

This front element becomes difficult to see through in time, perhaps because the Balsam darkens, perhaps the glass darkens, or the silvering of the semi reflective mirror has reacted with the glass or the Balsam. I really dunno.

The issue is, that whatever the cause, the viewfinder becomes difficult to see through, not impossible, just difficult.

Now, the rangefinder, however quaint on these cameras functions very well and I've had no problem aligning them.
I'd like to know if anyone has had any success in sorting out this Albada problem.
I have considered trying to disassemble this front element using heat or acetone and then cleaning and reassembling the thing with new balsam after redoing the silver coating.
This is a little scary to me, but I think I'll try it. It would be nice to know if anyone else has tried this.

 

[Jim_in_Kyiv]

Also, when you unfold a bellows camera like a folder, the bellows can suck the film inwards. 6x9 cameras are notorious for this. I try when possible only to advance and shoot after the lens has already been erected on my postwar Ikonta 521/2 (105/3.5 Tessar).

Anyhow, I don't think you will find many people to argue that the professionals of the day preferred press cameras and TLRs and passed on the more consumer orientated folding medium format cameras.

Mike - thanks for pointing out the bellows suction problem. I paid more attention to it on my Moskva-5 after reading this, and now I open the beast slowly to prevent it fom happening. I think the front end is actually more rigid than the the one on the Bessa-I I used to own.

So far, I haven't noticed much in the way of flatness problems, partly because I open the bellows slowly, and partly because I don't let the film sit in the camera for long - unlike a 35mm or LF, I don't load the film until I get where I'm shooting, and I tend to finish off the roll before I get home.

Anything else to do to increase film flatness when shooting in 6x9?

 

[Confusion Circle]

What is your rationale for this assemblage?

None whatsoever.

 

[Dan Fromm]

None whatsoever.

Sounds like a good reason to me.