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Post by belgiumreporter on May 17, 2016 4:16:54 GMT -5
357 or 44 magnum ? Excellent shots...clap...clap...clap... Well i'm no firearms specialist, but if you were to compare , the zenith would be something like a musket and the nikon1 would be something like an UZI, not heavy caliber but rapid fire...
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Post by belgiumreporter on May 15, 2016 12:54:47 GMT -5
Most of you will know the zenit photo sniper.It was a fun package developed during the cold war and was supposed to be a photographic rifle. Packed in an inpressive james Bond style metal suitcase it looked inpressive but was all but discrete and rather inpractical to use if you wanted to take action shots. Now i kinda recreated it with an nikon 1 J3, FT1 adapter, sigma 50-150/2.8 DX( the 70-210/2.8 really was overkill) focussing adapter and nikon pistol grip. I have to say the combination works quite well, fast AF, up to 60Fps in full resolution( 16MP) zoom range (with crop factor) 135-405MM @2.8. shutter speeds up to 1/16.000 sec all without shutter or mirror sounds it does all this in perfect silence and has usable ISO up to 6400. I haven't had the time to use it for its intended use (concert photography) but i did make some quick pics to see if it works. I did the picture of my wife with a nikkor 35/2 AFd @f4 360 ISO, autofocus does not work with motorless lenses, but you do get focus confirmation and are able to focus peak. I've also tried older manual lenses no focus conformation here but focus peaking is still possible. All in all with modern technology i think i've gotten closer to what the intended use of a photosniper was in the first place. 405mm @ 2.8
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Post by belgiumreporter on May 14, 2016 9:03:50 GMT -5
After years of collecting cameras, i've ended up with what i like to call my camera graveyard.Sometimes you aquire cameras you don't really want, they came with others you've bought, are the result of a wrong decision or maybe you can't even remember where it came from or how you've got it. With camera prices being at an all time low, it's hardly worth the trouble of trying to sell them on line, people do want to pay 5 to 15€ for a camera, but when you add postage wich in some cases is more than the price of the camera the lust to buy fades away quicly. So they keep accumulating in boxes "for later use or just in case..." With spare room getting tight the moment has come to make up space and maybe a little money. The new garage sale season is starting so i might get rid of some of them or at least have a good chat with fellow camera collectors looking for a bargain.
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Post by belgiumreporter on May 12, 2016 14:47:10 GMT -5
Agree totally. I have recently upgraded my Canon F-1 to overcome the mercury battery issue. Conventional approach is to use a series Schottky diode with a Silver Oxide cell. The diode drop the battery 1.55V to ~1.35V( mercury battery voltage). The trouble is, the diode drop is dependant on current, and hence light level. Also the Silver oxide cell is not as voltage stable over discharge as Mercury was. I have overcome this by using a 3V Lithium cell (CR1632) and a low dropout low quiescent current voltage regulator to provide exactly 1.35V to the meter. The regulator gives a constant 1.35V right down to the 2V where the battery dies. I've put the regulator on the 'load' side of the on switch, so no battery drain when the camera is off. This also means that the battery check connects straight to the battery - due to the higher voltage I needed to insert a 10k resistor is series with the battery check. The circuit is on a small PCB I made, and tucks away under the top plate next to the main switch. I've made a similar modification to my Canon FTb. Both cameras work a treat and the meters are very accurate. Would be interested if anyone else would be interested in modifying their cameras in this way - in which case I could supply the necessary circuits? Alan Alan, thanks for your input, i was just coming tot the point where i was about to say the longlivety of some of these cameras also depends on enthousiast wich help the (classic) camera community by sharing their knowledge and skills. One of my favourite canons for a number of reasons is the T90. Sadly lots of T90 meet their doom when the dreaded EEEEEEE message appears in the viewfinder,i've got 3 of them 2 have got "it" Now the T90 seems to be fixable enough so you can find several repair shops who are willing to repair it at a reasenable cost, the electronics of the T90 seem to be "primitive" enough to be able to be repaired without factory tools or parts, still after those models with the start of the AF bodies things are getting complicated or just not worth repairing , when you've got something like a nikon 601 with a broken battery door( common problem on those) just get an other good one wich will be much cheaper than any repair. The best classic canon? it comes with a serious flaw though...
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Post by belgiumreporter on May 11, 2016 13:23:55 GMT -5
From what i can see on the picture, this looks like a very fine example of an "F" even the everready case seems like new.Even if i got a few myselve i buy them whenever one pops up at a reasenable price, not only these are fine cameras, it's my guess prices on early( post '60ties) pentaxes can only go up from here on both as collector and as "user" cameras.(you won't get rich investing in them though :-) ) The pré 1960 models seem to be going down in price but that seems to be a trend with all makes, maybe these models have fallen from grace a bit as they are pure collectors items and cannot be used in a practical way, where overpriced in the past, or more of them coming back on the market because of older collectors (or their heirs) getting rid of their collection (supply and demand).
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Post by belgiumreporter on May 1, 2016 10:47:54 GMT -5
From the "electronic" age onwards cameras didn't inprove in reliability or repairability, they became more and more a product wich when something breaks down or goes wrong you just throw it away and buy the next one. The digital age didn't inprove things and even if there was nothing wrong with the camera it became quickly obsolete as whithin months the newer version came out with more pixels, faster AF and what not, you just had to buy it if you would take your photography serious (or so we are led to believe).With this post i wanted to bring homage to the pro cameras of a time long gone, tools that refuse to break down, or in the (unlikely) event of mechanical failure can be repaired. I have to confess i don't use these cameras anymore on a daily basis, but each time i take them from the shelve for a spin they just work.So all hail to the cameras that were considered the ultimate in the days when i was young, they still deliver after half a century and keep a prominent place in my collection. Brothers in arms, why choose when you can have both? My 'blads later got company by the somewhat more affordable mamiya medium format range
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Post by belgiumreporter on Apr 27, 2016 16:33:35 GMT -5
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Post by belgiumreporter on Apr 27, 2016 10:34:27 GMT -5
What a coincidence,here's the latest addition to the minolta part of my collection. It's a 1982 XG1(n) in pristine condition, it came with the rokkor 35-70 3.5 macro zoom. It's a very basic camera, but the accumat focussing screen makes it easy to focus even with the 3.5 max aperture lens. I've had a lot of these XG series cameras,had a lot of trouble with them but this one seems to be working fine. Anyway it only took a 2€ coin to get it into my possesion ;-) so no complaints on this one.Don't think i'll keep it though...
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Post by belgiumreporter on Apr 23, 2016 2:49:51 GMT -5
Inpressive restoration job on a humble camera, some may not give it a second glance but you made it shine !
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Post by belgiumreporter on Apr 23, 2016 2:43:55 GMT -5
My wife is more impressive than my collection, because she has accepted my cameras and their dust since long. I find your New Cosaque Senior very beautiful. Not easy to find Pipon's brothers cameras at present. You are a happy man. Wellcome on this forum Michel, you've got an inpressive and well presented collection. Aren't we lucky if our partners (be it man or wife) indulge our hobby, even if it get's out of hand and (spare) rooms in the house fall victim to our collection craze? Bien a vous, François
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Post by belgiumreporter on Apr 23, 2016 2:37:13 GMT -5
Maybe to add to the confusion, the AF minoltas i've got or came across are a bit of a mixed bag, some work others won't. As a general rule all cameras with sofisticated electronics in them are a bit of a risk, once broken they rarely can be fixed. On the other hand if such cameras are your "thing" most off them can be had dirt cheap so they can be fun for little money.
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Post by belgiumreporter on Apr 23, 2016 2:27:58 GMT -5
Yes, recieving you loud,clear and in full color !
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Post by belgiumreporter on Apr 22, 2016 9:01:05 GMT -5
After all the trouble i've had in New Zealand with my dslr i was glad i had the AW 100 with me so at least i could make some shots in the wet. Looking for something more "pro" i came across this underwater housing (i didn't know it existed) for the nikon 1 system. The nikon 1 system isn't exactly "pro" gear but it still delivers (very) good quality in a compact housing. due to circumstances i won't be travelling for some time now, but as i got such a great deal on the WP-N1 housing i bought it for the next time i get into extreme wheather. The calypso and sea&sea will now be retired and added to the rest of the collection, the AW100 will still be in use as it is so pocketable, rugged and good fun to shoot with . Just one of those situations in NZ we've gotte ourselves into where the AW 100 came in handy,still i had to cling on to it carefully, droppig it would mean losing it forever, our guide told us the base of this waterfall was a real graveyard for "all wheather" cameras !
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Post by belgiumreporter on Apr 10, 2016 4:33:15 GMT -5
Looks fabulous..makes me want to know where that bridge is going.. maybe to the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow Bob Well Bob, when i did the hooker track the sun just came up over the mountains and the air was full of rain. There where rainbows all over the place and at some point i could see the complete arc of a rainbow. The problem to get to the pot of gold was, the rainbow was projected against a very steep hill that didn't encourage me to climb it, with the current cours of fine gold i don't think i would risk my life for it. Also there's the dilemma when seeing the complete arc, wich side is the end ? (don't awnser that it's a rethorical question, something like the sound of one hand clapping )
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Post by belgiumreporter on Apr 9, 2016 5:12:42 GMT -5
Rainbow in the valley at the foot of mount Cook, Hooker track NZ late summer.
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