So I've been seeing them on fleabay brand new for $650, I've even seen them go for $600 second-hand. So when I saw one in the 'new release' section of KEH for $450 I pounced before my amex knew what hit it.
I got it on Thursday, then Friday afternoon I went down to the shack with a pro-pack of Velvia to try it out (I know i should have maybe sacrificed a roll of something cheap like B+W to test, but meh, no time to get one through before I left. I did at least try looking at the frame-numbers with an old backing-paper to get used to that).
Anyway, it looked easy enough to load, and was. Saturday 6am I did a roll of sunrises.
But it was rather tight to wind on, and after the 3rd frame, it was almost impossible until the beginning tab slipped off the take-up spool and just ran freely without winding.
Back to the shack, realised I had no dark bag so just had to open it under a jacket and quilt and hope for the best (was at least still dark out with curtains shut too). What had happened was that it wasn't winding tightly enough on the takeup spool, the paper had gone around the spool-ends and just gotten jammed. Got it out, wound it up, sacrificed a frame and tried again.
Second roll, Saturday sunset. It loaded a lot easier and wound on a lot smoother, no getting tighter, so far so good. Shot the whole roll, unloaded it back at the shack, but it was a little loose on the takeup spool. by the time I realised it wasn't tight enough I'd probably fogged all the edges. Tightened it up and re-taped it. Also bent the bit of metal at the feed-spool to try to add more tension.
Third roll, Sunday sunrise. Learning from the other experiences, I pledged to not unload it until I could get it to a dark place. But then I saw a beautiful frame that i had to take, so I unloaded it carefully in shade and just jammed it into my bag as quickly as possible, re-tightened and re-taped it back at the shack in darkness, hopefully not fogged.
So anyone else that uses or has used a DaYi back, does yours wind too loosely on the takeup spool? Once I finish the roll that's in there, I'm thinking I'll hack at it with some rubber, maybe washers or O-rings or something, to try and add more tension.
As for lenses, I read somewhere that it works best in the 80-150mm range (too wide and it can't get close enough, too long and it'll mechanically vignette). What I found was:
65mm f/8 Super Angulon #00, on a recessed Technika board, on a recessed technika-toyo adapter board, won't focus further than 2' or so (with bits touching, no getting closer). So not gonna happen.
The rest were on flat technika boards to the recessed toyo-adapter.
90mm SWD: Beautiful, if not a bit 'too wide' (I never thought I'd say that). I'm almost thinking now that i might need something in the 120/150mm range, or maybe that's just GAS. I've got a 135/3.5 Xenar, but not on a recessed board so it won't focus. I might try swapping it around, but I still don't think the IC will cover 617.
180mm Symmar-S: Actually spent more time on this than the SWD90. No mechanical vignetting that I could see (on the GG, I'll reserve judgement for the slides).
270mm f/5.5 Tele-Arton: Maybe it's because it's a telephoto, but I also saw no mechanical vignetting at all on the GG.
I'm getting the films devved tonight, I'll post samples later if they're not completely fogged.
I got it on Thursday, then Friday afternoon I went down to the shack with a pro-pack of Velvia to try it out (I know i should have maybe sacrificed a roll of something cheap like B+W to test, but meh, no time to get one through before I left. I did at least try looking at the frame-numbers with an old backing-paper to get used to that).
Anyway, it looked easy enough to load, and was. Saturday 6am I did a roll of sunrises.
But it was rather tight to wind on, and after the 3rd frame, it was almost impossible until the beginning tab slipped off the take-up spool and just ran freely without winding.
Back to the shack, realised I had no dark bag so just had to open it under a jacket and quilt and hope for the best (was at least still dark out with curtains shut too). What had happened was that it wasn't winding tightly enough on the takeup spool, the paper had gone around the spool-ends and just gotten jammed. Got it out, wound it up, sacrificed a frame and tried again.
Second roll, Saturday sunset. It loaded a lot easier and wound on a lot smoother, no getting tighter, so far so good. Shot the whole roll, unloaded it back at the shack, but it was a little loose on the takeup spool. by the time I realised it wasn't tight enough I'd probably fogged all the edges. Tightened it up and re-taped it. Also bent the bit of metal at the feed-spool to try to add more tension.
Third roll, Sunday sunrise. Learning from the other experiences, I pledged to not unload it until I could get it to a dark place. But then I saw a beautiful frame that i had to take, so I unloaded it carefully in shade and just jammed it into my bag as quickly as possible, re-tightened and re-taped it back at the shack in darkness, hopefully not fogged.
So anyone else that uses or has used a DaYi back, does yours wind too loosely on the takeup spool? Once I finish the roll that's in there, I'm thinking I'll hack at it with some rubber, maybe washers or O-rings or something, to try and add more tension.
As for lenses, I read somewhere that it works best in the 80-150mm range (too wide and it can't get close enough, too long and it'll mechanically vignette). What I found was:
65mm f/8 Super Angulon #00, on a recessed Technika board, on a recessed technika-toyo adapter board, won't focus further than 2' or so (with bits touching, no getting closer). So not gonna happen.
The rest were on flat technika boards to the recessed toyo-adapter.
90mm SWD: Beautiful, if not a bit 'too wide' (I never thought I'd say that). I'm almost thinking now that i might need something in the 120/150mm range, or maybe that's just GAS. I've got a 135/3.5 Xenar, but not on a recessed board so it won't focus. I might try swapping it around, but I still don't think the IC will cover 617.
180mm Symmar-S: Actually spent more time on this than the SWD90. No mechanical vignetting that I could see (on the GG, I'll reserve judgement for the slides).
270mm f/5.5 Tele-Arton: Maybe it's because it's a telephoto, but I also saw no mechanical vignetting at all on the GG.
I'm getting the films devved tonight, I'll post samples later if they're not completely fogged.
