Older quirky cameras - keep individual notes on each?

jay moussy · Jul 10, 2020

For the folks with a number of older MF (or LF) cameras, each with their own quirks (film size adaptations, frame count guesses, shutter speed/aperture, etc.) do you keep individual notes for each, and maybe an attached reminder?

I am struggling with that, now, and think I need some organized memo sheet for my growing flock (ha!).

BrianShaw · Jul 10, 2020

Organization and reminder notes are always a good idea. I often seem to violate my own great recommendation and rely on memory, which can be faulty at times.

Donald Qualls · Jul 10, 2020

I don't think I have any quite that quirky, and I haven't had trouble keeping track of things like which edge of 120 makes 127 (and which way to spool it for 4x6/4x3 vs 4x4), I've avoided anything harder than "trim or respool to 620?"

Jeremy Mudd · Jul 10, 2020

For the most part, I don't keep notes as anything that is problematic I tend not to use it if it ihas issues.

But, I do often use blue painters tape to label bad bodies, lenses, backs with what the issue is and a date and stick it on the item before I put it in the box or the shelf. That way later when I am in "fixing mode" I know what's wrong with it.

Jeremy

AndyH · Jul 10, 2020

I download manuals for each, in PDF form, and keep them on my iPhone. I test my shutter speeds for each camera or lens and keep them in the shutter speed app so I can remember which cameras and speeds are over or under the listed speeds. I also have a notebook with me at all times, in case I want to make field notes.

Andy

eli griggs · Jul 10, 2020

Yes, depending on how long and often you use a lens, or a camera, the quirks are usually easy to learn, but keeping notes on, for example, leaf shutter cameras, which need the film wind before shutter speed changes, are handy, if you mainly shoot other camera types.

Just as each of my paint brushes has a different voice, the same for my fountain pens I use for drawings, each camera, and each lens has it's on 'voice' and thus, become known 'personalities'

This is in part of why I am seeking out Pentax m42 mount lenses, and others, to use with my Canon and Nikon cameras, etc, in addition to the Canon lenses I have or need.

The Pentax lenses produce more 'Right Side of the Brain" images, the Canons, being more matter of fact and being sharper, a "Left Side" detailed image is the result.

If you keep a log of your kit, also note different battery requirements and WHY it is that you like or dislike the lens, camera, filter, and used it.

A general notebook for the field is always a good idea, if you can keep up with it, and complement it and the above, with a darkroom print log, with examples with notes.

Good luck and Good Health to you all.

Dan Fromm · Jul 10, 2020

eli griggs said:
This is in part of why I am seeking out Pentax m42 mount lenses, and others, to use with my Canon and Nikon cameras, etc, in addition to the Canon lenses I have or need.

M42 lens on a Nikon? Without an adapter that contains optics?

eli griggs · Jul 10, 2020

Well I have an adapter that came with some kit, to try, but if I need an optic, there are aplenty on the internet and I can look for one used but no someone's cup of tea.

The Canon Brand Converter I have on an FTb at the moment has no optic, nor does the Leica LTM to Canon adapter, but Ive no tried it to infinity in the years It's sat unused.

I'll also point out the Hasselblad to Nikon camera adapter I have has no optic, so, unless there is some special need, for an optic, I guess glass-less might work on some mounts.

What do you think?

ic-racer · Jul 10, 2020

I put that stuff in my darkroom notebook. That darkroom notebook already has all the quirky stuff about each film type I use and each enlarger's setup for each type of film etc. So I put camera related stuff in there too. At least I know where to find the information.
For example there will be a list of F-stop equivalents for the various settings on a Polaroid 250 lens. Or the 35mm camera equivalent focal lengths and shutter speed tables for the Bolex, and the intervalometer settings for various situations, etc.

guangong · Jul 10, 2020

I usually underscore the quirkinesses of cameras in their manuals, and give a quick look over if I haven’t used camera in a while. Most cameras are like dragons...if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen all.

MattKing · Jul 10, 2020

eli griggs said:
unless there is some special need, for an optic, I guess glass-less might work on some mounts.

Camera mounts are designed with a particular flange distance in mind. When you are talking about adapting lenses to fit on different bodies, you need to take that flange distance into account.
If the lens you have was designed for a flange distance greater than the usual one for your camera body, then the adapter just needs to add a spacer.
If the lens you have was designed for a flange distance less than the usual one for your camera body, then the adapter needs to be much more complex and needs to incorporate optical elements to effectively move the rear nodal point for the lens.

narsuitus · Jul 10, 2020

With my RB67, I must keep operational notes to remind me to rotate the film back to the proper position, wind the film, wind the mirror return, and remove the dark slide.

With my 645, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, and 6x12cm cameras, I must review my notes to determine which red window to use for my frame counter and which frame numbers to use.

For example, on my 6x6cm camera, I must use the middle red window and use frames 1 through 12. However, on my 6x12cm camera, I must use the middle red window and use only frame numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 to count six 6x12cm shots per roll.

As another example, for my 6x9cm Zero Image camera, I must use the bottom red window to use frames 1 through 8 to count eight 6x9 shots per roll. However, for my 6x9cm Holga, I must use the bottom red window but must only use the odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) to count eight 6x9cm shots per roll.

6x9cm Cameras by Narsuitus, on Flickr

Donald Qualls · Jul 10, 2020

The only problem I've had with formats as above was forgetting whether I had the format masks in my Wirgin Auta, but I generally leave them in; that's currently the only 6x4.5 option I have in folders (my Daiichi Zenobia can't be carried; the case stitching has completely failed and there are no strap lugs on the camera proper -- got the sewing kit to fix it, just need the time). I've owned so many red window cameras over the past fifty years that it's just reflex to me to use the correct window (even on those that have two on different tracks), and I don't own any double-wide ones.

MattKing · Jul 10, 2020

The instructions for using the frame counter system in my Voigtlander Baby Bessa 66 are so demanding in their required Germanic precision, that I feel the need to keep a copy in my camera bag.
I hereby apologize to all the fine and gentle and generous people of Germanic background on this site for any unintentional slight that may have been contained in the previous sentence!

Donald Qualls · Jul 11, 2020

MattKing said:
The instructions for using the frame counter system in my Voigtlander Baby Bessa 66 are so demanding

It's not just Voigtlander. Seemingly many of the early mechanical counters for roll film (as opposed to the mandatory, but mechanically obvious counters driven by sprockets on 35mm) required a very specific startup sequence. I had to figure out the one for my Super Ikonta B (532/16) again after it sat idle for more than a decade (fortunately, I remembered most of it). There's a similar, but quite distinct counter startup for my Kodak Reflex II (which, unlike the Super Ikonta B, can be used with only the red window, as long as the counter hasn't been started in the first place or the advance unlock at least still works). And, of course, the orientation requirement for the RB67 (because of the film path, the roll feeds in a less obvious direction). And the loading and click-count advance in my Adapt-A-Roll Six-Twenty, which has neither a true frame counter nor a red window (and is multi-format, at least for 6x9, 6x7, and 6x6, though I don't have masks for it); I just realized I don't recall how many clicks to count to get from start arrows to frame one on that device, which I haven't used in quite a long time.

Sirius Glass · Jul 11, 2020

I put labels on cameras or film back about the film that is loaded, or no film, or needs work.

eli griggs · Jul 11, 2020

MattKing said:
If the lens you have was designed for a flange distance less than the usual one for your camera body, then the adapter needs to be much more complex and needs to incorporate optical elements to effectively move the rear nodal point for the lens.

Yes, and I still can't find a Hasselblad Series V to Canon FD camera mount, when many mount rings to the Canon FD cameras populate the Internet, thus the need for an additional system, Nikon, currently a FG to wear those lenses.

A random 'note' for anyone looking to buy a Fed 3B is, it has no hard points for a strap, so try to get the case for that camera, you can always cut the top off for a quicker and easier operation.

IMO.

Grim Tuesday · Jul 11, 2020

I used to keep notes on all my Hasselblad lenses after testing their shutter speeds. But I got tired of checking it, and I realized that following the rule "all my lenses are about 1 stop slow" works almost as well at the speeds I use than determining which one is 2/3 or 1/2 or 4/3 slow, especially when shooting color negative. I'm not good enough at metering anyways to make that matter!

eli griggs · Jul 11, 2020

When I shot colour, long ago, it was most often colour slide E-6 Ektachrome, at box speed.

Colour negatives, were, are shot at 1/3ed stop underexposed and B&W get tailored to developers and papers, with box speed only for some very few films, usually slow ISOs.

I never tailored my lens speeds for each lens, but simply let the results in prints impress upon me a need, for example, to give more or less exposure, in any format.

This is, in part, why I say each lens and camera, has its own voice/choral.

Of course all of this also depends on how I meter, spot or otherwise, and I do understand, for me, metering generally is the principle underpinning on all film exposure.

I did build a simple shutter tester years ago, mostly to check on FSU cameras shutter speeds, but I suppose I could dig it up or make a new one to check the Hasselblad kit, just to get an idea of what I've got my images running through, but it is simply no a critical issue for me, at this time.

IMO.

Sirius Glass · Jul 11, 2020

Grim Tuesday said:
I used to keep notes on all my Hasselblad lenses after testing their shutter speeds. But I got tired of checking it, and I realized that following the rule "all my lenses are about 1 stop slow" works almost as well at the speeds I use than determining which one is 2/3 or 1/2 or 4/3 slow, especially when shooting color negative. I'm not good enough at metering anyways to make that matter!

Time to take all your Hasselblad lenses to go in for CLAs, 1 f/stop too slow is too damned slow for any lens or camera.

Older quirky cameras - keep individual notes on each?

jay moussy

BrianShaw

Donald Qualls

Jeremy Mudd

AndyH

eli griggs

Dan Fromm

eli griggs

ic-racer

guangong

MattKing

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narsuitus

Donald Qualls

MattKing

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Donald Qualls

Sirius Glass

eli griggs

Grim Tuesday

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Sirius Glass

Older quirky cameras - keep individual notes on each?

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