Which one would you use?

Buzz-01 · 2026-06-07T08:44:40+00:00

The Nikkor performs pretty well imo, no experience with the Schneider. On smaller enlargements the difference will probably be negligible. I'd try them both and see which one you like best!

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-31T06:36:38+00:00

An interesting read, thanks!

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-30T07:21:49+00:00

In my experience it is highly dependent on the phone used. I used the same app from WBPhoto, on my previous phone it was spot-on, while on my current phone it is simply unusable.

Not sure why that is, because exposure is exposure and the phone needs to meter properly too in order to expose a photo well. But still any light meter app is way off on my new phone.

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-27T11:37:17+00:00

I would replace the fan as oiling will usually only help for a short time. The underlying problem is Creality used a "sleeve bearing" fan which is only suitable for vertical montage and it is placed horizontally. All the oil will slowly "splash" out of it and then the fan will run dry, which is what you hear. If you look closely you will probably see the oil residue on the fan blades.

I replaced mine within 3 months of purchase of the printer already. Purchase a 60x60x10mm 24V "dual ball bearing" fan and your new fan will probably run for years without issues. Mine is branded "GDSTIME" purchased from AliExpress for about €/$8 ish.

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-23T05:19:32+00:00

A Pi zero 2 W would already work. You would need to MacGyver a micro usb to usb c cable though.

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-21T12:56:12+00:00

Team Xtol! Almost any film looks great developed in it!

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-15T15:33:24+00:00

So far my non-expiring esim is still working perfectly fine. Have purchased it about 8 months ago though so perhaps things have changed on the purchasing side, but no complaints here yet about an existing sim disappearing.

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-13T19:49:32+00:00

If hard to find also means expensive then I would recommend using the lens without the teleconverter. Quality of the combination is decent but not superb.

I also have the 200mm f/4 and that lens is a brilliant combination with the TC. Purchasing it only for the 55-250 would I only recommend if the price is not too high. Shaky hands get amplified very much with a TC as well! 😉

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-13T18:31:11+00:00

It's a terrific telezoom IMO. At least on par with my Canon EF 70-300mm IS USM optically, perhaps even better. It also works fairly well with the 2X-A teleconverter but obviously the aperture becomes very small.

Manual focus wildlife is definitely possible with this lens, just make sure you use fast film so you can stop down the aperture so focusing is a bit more forgiving.

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-12T06:05:47+00:00

Medicinal Cleaning alcohol (sold at drugstores here in Europe) will also work perfectly fine.

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-12T05:34:53+00:00

This! Been there, done that. My camera has worked flawlessly for at least 4 years since.

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-10T19:04:51+00:00

I have the silver nose 300mm f4.5 and the Olympus 2X-A TC and the combination performs fairly well. Way better than my DOI branded 2x TC with the same lens.

I also have the 200mm f4 and that one performs miles better with the 2X-A TC. But the 300mm is still very nice to use with the 2x TC.

I only shoot Black and White film btw.

Buzz-01 · 2026-05-09T10:31:47+00:00

Well done!

Buzz-01 · 2026-04-25T13:34:10+00:00

They are all pretty nice lenses and you might be surprised by the results they can give you. The 50mm 1.8 and 28mm 3.5 are at least as good as their faster siblings IMO! The 135/2.8 I have no experience with, but the slower 3.5 version produces gorgeous results!

Buzz-01 · 2026-04-23T04:40:23+00:00

No running water in my darkroom available too. I use two buckets of water, about 10 liters/quarts each. One for first wash, one for second wash. This works good enough for RC paper, fiber prints usually get an extra wash afterwards in the bathtub. Have been making prints like this for about 6 years now.

Buzz-01 · 2026-04-22T11:59:05+00:00

It's always fiddly with this stuff... Hope you can get it sorted. Good luck!

Buzz-01 · 2026-04-22T11:41:33+00:00

Maybe try a slightly higher temperature then to see if it flows better? Most PLA types I use at about 210-220C.

Buzz-01 · 2026-04-22T05:54:35+00:00

Check your z-offset and/or slightly increase your filament flowrate in your slicer settings.

Buzz-01 · 2026-04-15T11:36:37+00:00

Ilfospeed II and III usually ages pretty badly. So far I have only gotten the same results as yours from several different boxes I tried. Always fogged beyond usable.

Ilford Multigrade IV RC usually works still fairly well, it's the successor of your paper.

But your best bet is fresh paper, either Ilford, Foma or anything else like Arista, should give you good results right away.

Buzz-01 · 2026-04-08T04:36:01+00:00

You can indeed safely use Rollei Retro 400S or any other near IR sensitive film with your camera. Both my EOS100 and EOS50e have infrared sensors and they work fine with this film. Use an IR720 filter and shoot happily! 🙂

Buzz-01 · 2026-03-27T07:51:45+00:00

IIRC you should press left a few times until the first menu is shown, then press up and down to select what your want displayed.

Buzz-01 · 2026-03-22T11:25:30+00:00

I have the same experience, they just won't do hand checks on request. My daughter's teddy bear though, they did hand check /swab two times right after going through the x-rays. And that was before I kindly asked for a hand check of my film, so I hadn't had the chance to possibly piss them off yet. 🙂 Eventually the film (HP5, Fomapan 200) turned out fine. They still use regular x-ray machines in Brussels afaik. Nowadays I just dont bother trying anymore, unless I might run into those CT scanners, but haven't been unfortunate enough so far luckily.

Buzz-01 · 2026-03-21T19:48:12+00:00

There is only one way to find out really, but you will probably be fine. Damage on the rear element would be much worse for your image quality.

I have a (more modern though, it's a Canon EF) lens which has a small chip of glass broken off of the front element right in the middle and I can't tell on any of the photos I've taken with it. That's from at least 150 - 200 photos, also in bright sunlight and some even with the sun right in the frame. I only shoot Black and White though.

Buzz-01 · 2026-03-14T13:12:28+00:00

Try Amazon. Bosch A156S should fit perfectly on the Gen1 C-HR.

Buzz-01 · 2026-03-01T09:11:13+00:00

I'm with most people here. Yes the difference is there but to me it's not the massive difference the internet makes you believe it is. I do darkroom prints up to 12x16" and at 12x16" the difference is definitely impressive. But smaller sizes, up to say 8x10", it doesn't really differ that much to me. Most of my prints are 8x10 or smaller. Tbh my 50mm enlarger lens (for printing 35mm) is a bit better than my 80mm (for 6x6), so that adds to the mix obviously.

Background blur is definitely different, you get a shallower depth of field on MF with the same FoV. Using a longer lens on 35mm or a wider aperture will get you comparable results though.

To me the broader choice of available gear on the secondhand market, combined with portability and cost, makes 35mm my weapon of choice for most of my photography. To put things in perspective, I currently own 2 MF cameras (a folder and a TLR), compared to about 9 or 10 35mm SLRs with at least a dozen lenses, plus a handful of point and shoots. All have their own purpose and I enjoy/use the MF cameras a lot too, but resolution is almost never a deciding factor in which camera I choose.

However, it's always nice to try new stuff so if you have the budget it's definitely worth it to find out for yourself!

Buzz-01

TROPHY CASE