I still have a FinePix S6500fd ( just a little bit newer model than yours, I guess ). It's my all time favorite digital camera and I took the best pictures with it. Those older sensors had a bigger latitude than the new ones, even just 6 MP ... but who needs more ?

But I think, for most people, other things are more important nowadays. A digital camera of today must be "multimedia". HD movies, a lot of gimmicks like HDR, WiFi, etc. and instant upload to FB or YouTube. The pictures quality didn't improve so much during the last years, I think, but those features have been added.

I personally like the typical "Fuji colors" of those cameras. Simply fantastic ... but not everyones liking maybe


Asakusa Samba Carnival by bokuwanihongasuki, on Flickr

I actually just taped this inner metal frame to the film door ( like on the picture ) ... and ... it worked !!! Shot another film yesterday and the light leaks are gone. I am H A P P Y

I can recommend it I don't know, what this camera exactly does, but it does it pretty good. Todays test film ( finally without light leaking ) showed excellent exposures again, even in difficult light situations. I don't know, how many times I tried to take a picture of these "temple cats" for example. The cats half in the dark, half lighted by strong sunshine from the front. I couldn't have taken a better picture with a more sophisticated camera or light meter. Fascinating.

It's more written for people, who have never heard of a folder. So, you don't need to waste your time with it

I have been very close to using one of those during the last days ... but ... I think, I got it !!! Needs some final approval by shooting another film tomorrow, but I think, I found it

I think, it's ... this metal box, frame, chamber or how I should call it, sitting between the lens and the film window. It has been slightly loose and what purpose it might ever have, I should have minded the basic rule, that nothing, what is loose, should be so.

So today, I started the ultimate mummification, taping this metal frame tight to the film door and EVERYTHING outside the camera. The backdoor ( as before ), the film counter window, the ASA window, the PC flash connector, the film rewind knob, everything on the bottom plate and both finder windows on the front and back. And then, I removed ( nearly ) everything one by one. No light leaking anymore. I said nearly everything, because I run out of film before I could remove the tape from the PC flash connector and the rewind button on the bottom plate, but I can't imagine, that those are connected to the inner chamber somehow. Also ... this metal frame would fit much better to the fact, that the light leaking hasn't been on the perforation of the film.

I get this beast ;D Right in time, because I want to use this camera tomorrow. It's the "peak weekend" of cherryblossom here in Tokyo ( full blooming everywhere now ) and a few million people celebrating "o hanami" under cherryblossom trees. It's like carnival ... and there will be alcohol ;D A simple but reliable camera is needed ... and a rangefinder is always my "beer-o-meter". If I can't match those two pictures in the finder anymore, I should stop drinking

BTW, the most impressive thing about those hanami parties ( mostly happening in the big parks ), is the japanese discipline. No matter how many people are coming together ( mostly more than 1 Mio. at one place ), no matter how drunk everybody is ( and they are !!! ), I have never ever seen people fighting and everybody takes his own garbage back home. For somebody, grown up in Europe, this it totally unbelievable. At similar events in Germany ( like carnival ), you need an entire army of policemen ruling the chaos, the hospitals are full and the town looks like a battlefield later. It is ashaming

Attached a picture of the "o hanami" at Yoyogi-Park two years ago. It's a fantastic event and the cherryblossoms everywhere are just breathtaking. The whole city, dipped into white and pink.

Hope, I can take nice pictures again ( without light leaks )

Thanks for all the inspirations and I also hope, Watson and Holmes have succeeded

Mickey, I always love your humor



I will certainly come to this point sooner or later too Even I still try to use every camera at least ones, there are already many, I haven't used twice. But ... this would be a camera, I would certainly use regularly. I own many not perfectly working cameras and I don't mind ... because I wouldn't use them often anyway, but those selenium based auto exposure cameras are awesome ... and I never expected them, working so well. It's some kind of perfect 35 mm camera for me. I don't like autofocus and batteries, but those older ones, having just a viewfinder and/or no reliable working lightmeter are not really convenient as well.

I just got a Voigtlaender Vito, a friend of my mother kindly gave to me. Beautiful camera ... but still no rangefinder and the selenium meter moves, but just giving pretty weird measurings. I have a few of those cameras. Nice collectables ... and more beautiful than this Konica ... but ...

Okay, I need to go to the photo shop and pick up my test film of today. Getting slowly expensive, this chase

I think, it's getting personaly between this camera and me ... hahaha ... I will sacrifice another film and taped EVERYTHING. We'll see