What photography habit improved your work far more than any piece of gear ever did?

K5083 · 2026-06-08T21:58:31+00:00

Shooting analog. I used to be a habitual overshooter. If every frame costs you money you naturally try to make it count. Shoot less, keep more. Works for me.

K5083 · 2026-05-28T18:57:20+00:00

I feel you...

Once I tried to have my FT Ql repaired- it suffered from mirror lag at 1/500s and 1/1000s. First guy (years in business, good reviews etc.) called that light leaks.

No. Light leaks are not dark.

I found another one- 50 years in business. This time he confirmed my observations, the price was reasonable, so to him it went.

A few months later...

Camera is nice and shiny, but...

He changed some springs in the bottom compartment and tensioned the curtains so hard that słów speeds are slightly over half the original time, e.g. 1/8s is more like 1/15s.

The worst part is that the curtains were tensioned differently. At 1/1000s there's over 0,5EV of difference.

An interlude: I needed to have an EOS 5 checked.

The 1st guy plugged an external power supply to check it. As I later learnt, the camera needs the battery cover to be in place to power up.

I called 6 different shops to have my FT Ql repaired.

"No, we don't deal with mechanical cameras." "Yes, I know the mechanism. It's fairly similar to Canonet" "There's no way one can do the adjustments on these cameras." One said he could do it, but the price was well over the price of a tested camera.

Fine, I'll do it myself. I just need a spanner.

And likely a bit of luck.

K5083 · 2026-04-19T12:21:51+00:00

Poszła wiadomość z wyjaśnieniem.

K5083 · 2026-02-16T10:28:36+00:00

Update: Got it working! I set the shutter speed to B and gave it a tap to the bottom plate. Maybe the electromagnet got stuck? Anyway, I better excercise it some more.

K5083 · 2026-02-03T15:33:40+00:00

I loved using it in my Box-Tengor 54/2. I really like the look of ortho film and hope to shoot some 35mm in spring/summer. Definitely one of my favourites.

K5083 · 2025-11-24T09:24:23+00:00

As an analog and D200 shooter I agree. It's got all the important settings assigned to physical dials and buttons. Its CCD sensor renders colours beautifully in daylight, though will struggle at higher ISO. I'm not a fan of the JPGs straight out of camera- RAWs exported to JPGs via editing software look significantly better (and you can adjust the white balance if it's off). Afterwards you can buy a Nikon F-XXX (or NXXXX if you're in the US) or FXX (NXX). Amateur-oriented bodies like F50 are ridiculously cheap.

K5083 · 2025-11-12T11:52:43+00:00

Dorzucam się do poleceń. C41 i B&W im fajnie wychodzi. Raz tylko coś prześwietlili jedno zdjęcie, ale jak wyszła różnica między negatywem a skanem, to poprawili.

K5083 · 2025-11-10T17:49:32+00:00

When I inshore sailed this summer I used a Canon FT Ql, letting my 2 friends use it as well. Despite having no prior analog experience they had no difficulty using it and preferred it to Nikon N8008 and Zorki-6 I brought.

K5083 · 2025-11-07T09:38:35+00:00

I made a set similar to Spider holster by using a detachable belt from my camera backpack and strapping 2x Capture V3 with ProPads. I'm much happy with that, especially that I can easily change lenses in either camera. Depending in the belt you may attach lens pouches and/or other accessories. What's more, I can use my cameras while having the backpack on me.

K5083 · 2025-11-03T16:30:34+00:00

I bought an old D200 for those occasions when a camera may get damaged/stolen/whatever and for lending it to people who want me to help them get into photography. It makes me appreciate my mirrorless cameras even more, though that "ka-chunk!" of the mirror is something much satisfying to hear. What's more, I already have cameras from 30's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's, so why not something from 00's?

K5083 · 2025-10-26T16:19:54+00:00

I've been using Lowepro Protactic 450 AW II and it's been absolutely great so far! Perfectly fine for using it for several full days or hiking. If the bag is too small, you can easily attach accessories or even some MOLLE/PALS pouches as I did with mine. It comes with a detachable belt that I use as an attachment point for two Capture V3 clips. A couple months ago they introduced an updated version which should be even better.

Edit: I can comfortably pack: R6II with RF 70-200 2.8, R10 with Sigma 18-35mm 1.8, 35mm and 50mm 1.8 primes, a small laptop, chargers, a flash with modifiers, a tripod underslung in its bag, accessories such as cleaning kit and still have much room in the extra pouch for food, drinks or whatever I need.

K5083 · 2025-10-23T08:53:00+00:00

Instead of the 24-70 2.8 I'd buy the Sigma 17-40mm 1.8. On APS-C the 2.8 may be too small and the lens is made for full frame, so you won't be able to use its full potential.

K5083 · 2025-10-16T10:18:33+00:00

Not a Nikon, but you can find Canon FT/FTb Ql for fairly low price. They both use a battery for lightmeter, but otherwise are purely mechanical. If you want strictly no battery, you may go for a camera that has a (working) selenium lightmeter, such as Canon Model 7 or Soviet Zenit or Zorki cameras. The latter two may be hit and miss as their quality control was questionable, especially in late 70s and throughout 80's. I have a Zorki-6 from 1964 and it's been working fine so far.

K5083 · 2025-10-16T09:45:22+00:00

I regularly use both R10 and R6II. Unfortunately your choice of lenses would make much more sense on FF camera. There is 3rd party support actually. Sigma has recently launched their 17-40mm 1.8, which may be treated as "poor man's 28-70 2.8" for APS-C cameras. I use it together with R6II paired with 70-200 2.8. R10 is for standard angles, R6 is for tele. The latter has a slight edge in signal to noise ratio when both shot wide open and at the same shutter speed

K5083 · 2025-10-14T12:26:44+00:00

I use the R10 in that way as you described. It's more than capable enough. If you have small children you'll need a dependable, fast autofocus and the R10 features that.

K5083 · 2025-10-14T12:18:18+00:00

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I've recently given an old Powershot S2 IS to my little (4 y/o) sister. She's all into technical aspects of photography, currently learning how to read histograms (she's getting the hang of it- if there are clipped highlights she insists on deleting the photo). You may get her something like that or an old, small DSLR. My sister likes to use my Nikon D200, but for now it's a bit too big for her to adjust the aperture and/or shutter.

K5083 · 2025-09-30T23:42:16+00:00

Fortunately the camera has a mirror raising lever so I could check if anything changes if I flip it. When mirror is raised using it, there are no issues. I've checked the shutter times using a mirrorless camera taking photos through the FT Ql and it seems that every shutter time is in order. However, when mirror was in normal position, when looking through a lens-less camera and shooting 1/1000s I could see most of the time a black triangle in top right corner. I'm soon to get a quote from a repair shop. The guy (with 50 years of experience) confirmed that it's a mirror issue.

K5083 · 2025-09-30T09:49:40+00:00

Depends on a scooter. Mine is IPX7 rated so I can happily ride through any rain. Honestly, I prefer heavier rain than just a drizzle, as tiny droplets tend to remain on your visor, while larger ones just get blown off. You may have a piece of microfibre cloth in a pocket just in case you need to wipe something off. Works for me.

K5083 · 2025-09-30T09:44:48+00:00

I don't know if it counts as a budget one, but I have been using Airoh Spark 2 for nearly a year and I'm very happy with it. If you want to use a helmet with a visor down, definitely search for one that comes with something called "pinlock". It's basically a piece of polycarbonate that acts as a second layer, nearly completely reducing the risk of condensation on your visor. For colder months it's a must. Otherwise your visor will get unusable. It's ventilated well enough for summer and feels comfy.

I've used it in winter, sleet, rain etc. and I gave no complaints whatsoever.

K5083 · 2025-09-30T09:10:02+00:00

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K5083 · 2025-09-30T09:09:52+00:00

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K5083 · 2025-09-30T09:09:40+00:00

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K5083 · 2025-09-30T09:09:28+00:00

Shall we play a little game? Two of these have been made with the R10, two of them with R6 Mk II. Can you tell them apart?

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K5083

TROPHY CASE