- Joined
- Jul 14, 2011
- Messages
- 13,821
- Format
- 8x10 Format
I regularly do 3 + month trips with our slide-on camper on the back of the truck.
But the old-timers even did it with mules pulling carts of gear and solutions where routes weren't even what we'd call roads in modern times.
For a trip that length, with a truck camper, I'd probably take chemicals, tanks, etc. and process in the field (or check into a hotel every week or two to take care of it).
Not on a trip, but indicative of the places and terrain we often stay in. Ascending a hill in the truck camper.
View attachment 273019
This may require translation from Australian English to other forms of English....I have done my fair share of film developing in hotel toilets
Stick your Technika in a dark closet, along with you and a flashlight. Extend the bellows all the way out, take off the back and put the flashlight inside the bellows. Make sure the lens is closed.slight curve ball on my planning--I pulled out the Technika and the exterior of the bellows is beginning to flake, especially around the corners. It still seems to be light tight, so I may just use it anyway, but it does concern me. So at this point my options are:
I don't know, but at the moment I'm leaning towards #2, despite the complications, partly because I like the sink-or-swim approach to learning. I could order a new bellows for the Technika and try to get it installed before I leave, but I hate rushing things like that. If it was a simple clip in like the TK, it wouldn't matter, but its not, and its not something I've done before.
- Use the Technika and hope the bellows stay fine.
- bring the Technikardan instead. This camera I got ~6 months ago--it was selling for very cheap--and I had the bellows professionally replaced (Custom Bellows in the UK). Its all in great shape, but its biggest drawback is that its new to me, so I expect everything to take half again as long, compared to the Technika. Also, for camping, I prefer that the Technika, closed up is a borderline indestructible metal box. The TK is relatively protected, but not as much as the Technika. Also, it doesn't fit the bag I have setup for the Technika, so it will require rearranging and figuring a good way to get it around.
- go medium format. Probably 6x7 on the GS-1 or Pentax.
I actually purchased the SP-445
Stick your Technika in a dark closet, along with you and a flashlight. Extend the bellows all the way out, take off the back and put the flashlight inside the bellows. Make sure the lens is closed.
Do you see light coming from those worn corners?
Yes. You need a new bellows.
No, go shoot.
Flaking can cause major issues separate from light leaks (clear spots on the neg from a flake present at exposure are much harder to deal with that white spots on the print from dust during printing). Carry a hand-pumped vacuum brush to clean out the bellows each time the camera is set up? Might work, not sure if such a thing is a practical reality, though (there are battery ones that can charge off the vehicle's electrical system, however).
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?