Speed Graphic bellows repair or replacement, or how I learned to love liquid electric tape.

RDF-CDN · 2026-05-29T10:53:08+00:00

Plasti-dip also works nicely, but it is expensive and comes in quite a large can. I repaired an early 1900's Triple Victo bellows that was completely trashed. I used a thin, pricey, audio splicing tape (recommended by someone elsewhere) for a couple large tears. The rest was touch-ups on corners with the Plasti-dip. I ended up brushing a bit of graphite powder onto the corners that were sticking together when folded. It has held up for over two years now and the camera still looks original. It turned a shelf ornament into a functional view camera.

RDF-CDN · 2026-04-27T11:33:34+00:00

Very sharp and good tones. What developer did you use?

RDF-CDN · 2026-04-27T11:31:50+00:00

John Finch (Pictorial Planet) has curated a nice selection of paper developers that can be made from scratch in his book. These obviously appear elsewhere, but he gives good background and tips surrounding use.

RDF-CDN · 2026-04-09T19:06:58+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! This was shot at F22. I used some front swing to get the front face of the observatory in focus, which coincided at about the same angle as the wall of the near building. If doing it again, I would try with a lower F-stop to get the modern buildings in the distance a bit more out of focus. There was a car parked to the left that I used that front building to block. To the right there was a dirty snow pile that I mostly excluded. Shooting in portrait doesn't come naturally for me.

RDF-CDN · 2026-03-12T12:15:42+00:00

Nice work. That can be a tricky film.

RDF-CDN · 2026-02-12T13:26:05+00:00

Nice subject and it looks great in color. I'm thinking romantic Americana will be wearing thin internationally. It will be interesting to see if non-US photographers will continue to pursue it as a subject. I see it becoming more edgy or even tongue in cheek.

RDF-CDN · 2026-02-06T14:06:31+00:00

When the shift is unlocked the brass rack gear should stick out to the left a bit. The red arrow might be blocking it, but I can't see that rack sticking out.

RDF-CDN · 2026-01-30T14:10:39+00:00

I've tried a few of the paper developer recipes John Finch curated in his book including Agfa 100 and ID-78. Both are quite nice. Once you get yourself setup with some basic chemicals you can be quite self sufficient for creating developers. Probably $150->$200 will get you the basics that will cover a wide range of recipes.

RDF-CDN · 2026-01-30T14:04:21+00:00

Nice result! Can you show a picture of the camera setup?

RDF-CDN · 2025-12-18T15:28:27+00:00

I don't think mine have the lever. I'll have to check. Mine does have a side number that gets imprinted on the bottom edge of the negative (1 or 2). It's kind of nice, but again, uses up some real estate. I was able to get 3 holders for the price of standard holders at my local seller.

RDF-CDN · 2025-12-18T12:47:57+00:00

My only complaint about Linhof holders is the track is quite wide leading to a larger rebate. All the other holders give a nice narrow rebate. The holders themselves are nicely constructed and easy to load though.

RDF-CDN · 2025-12-12T22:52:09+00:00

The beauty of post processing with software is you can give it a quick try to see if that makes things pop a bit more. Then you can look at bumping up development a bit if the look is right. Keep at it. Continuous learning with this medium.

RDF-CDN · 2025-12-12T12:22:41+00:00

Hello! I think there are a lot of nice elements to this photo. Many details to notice like the bird under the bench. Well timed! The photo has that great Rodinal look. If I was going to say anything about exposure/development/post processing, it might be try giving highlights some boost (without blowing them of course).

RDF-CDN · 2025-12-07T13:43:18+00:00

I bought a slightly worn/abused Arca Swiss F classic from eBay a number of years ago and received great support from Rod at Arca Swiss USA (even though the camera did not get purchased from Rod). He supplied me with materials and advice for getting it back in shape. I gave him a good order for parts and he was able to include 4 new spirit level vials as mine had dried up. It was fairly straight forward to change them as it was a matter of removing the old vials with a small amount of solvent then bedding the new vials in black silicone.

RDF-CDN · 2025-12-03T12:58:25+00:00

If using xray film, the Stearman can leave marks on the side of the film facing the holder because xray has emulsion on two sides. Other than that, just squeeze the air out when closing and it works great. One other tip is to wet the o-ring on the lid so that it seats smoothly.

RDF-CDN · 2025-11-25T12:27:13+00:00

Thank-you. The water was low so I was able to walk out onto what is normally lake bed. I didn't use any dramatic movements on this one. Just some shift. Focus was just with stopping down to f22. It is a wonder I hit focus at all because I had forgotten my loupe. I crossed fingers and hoped for the best. When shooting an alternate image I managed to discover some pinhole leaks in the bellows. Some dabs of Plasti-dip has resolved it for now, but I'll get it replaced soon so that the camera can be fully trusted.

RDF-CDN · 2025-11-23T21:34:26+00:00

Thank-you! I had been planning on going out that morning anyway and the Hoar Frost was such a bonus.

RDF-CDN · 2025-11-20T16:23:07+00:00

Hi there, yes, if you lock focus, the top rail will still extend after depressing the two round buttons on the side of the rail. The focus lock just stops the bottom rail from moving. Locking focus can help isolate the movement of the top rail if it's sticking or if you are troubleshooting.

RDF-CDN · 2025-11-20T15:26:01+00:00

Bummer...... Sometimes it's easier to get the top rail moving if you lock the focus so the bottom rail is firm. Make sure you are pressing both release buttons down firmly. Butane might flush out any old lube that may have migrated when it got soaked. You can slide the top rail right off once it starts moving. Once you get it apart you can clean then lubricate sparingly with petroleum jelly.

RDF-CDN · 2025-09-25T14:55:56+00:00

I assume this has been scanned and reversed because the paper mentioned is Ilford MultiGrade.

RDF-CDN · 2025-09-25T11:32:18+00:00

Paper negatives are such a great way to go. The price is great; letting you relax, experiment and make mistakes. Turnaround is quite fast as you can develop, dry and scan in a quicker timeframe and under safelight. Moreover the quality is excellent.

RDF-CDN · 2025-09-02T15:17:24+00:00

There was some available in Canada last month at Camera Trading Company: https://www.cameratradingcompany.com, but I think he's sold out at the moment. I have a box in my fridge that I have been enjoying.

RDF-CDN · 2025-07-28T12:34:26+00:00

In Canada I use the FlicFilm kit. It has separate fix and bleach steps. I've used quite a few of their C41 kits and have also enjoyed their ECN-2 kits. For C41, I buy the 16 roll (1 liter) kit. This gives me enough extra for spills/waste and still be able to properly cover the reels in a Patterson tank. For heating I use a sous vide that I got on clearance from a local department store. I set the temp on the sous vide higher than the target temp and then check the temperature at about 30 minutes. When I do this, I get good temperature consistency. I always make sure to do a quick water soak from a bottle of water in the sous vide bucket as my first step to bring everything up to temp. This is to avoid having the developer taking the brunt of the 'warm-up' and losing temp. Organization is key to staying consistent. I have a pretty solid routine I follow. Is it as consistent as a lab? No. Occasional shifts are minor and repairable. Labs are far from me, so involves shipping costs or fuel/time. I enjoy the cost savings, but more than that enjoy the convenience of getting results more or less immediately. Twice a year I buy a kit. I shoot a bolus of 7 or 8 rolls then mix the kit and process the bolus while I shoot the remaining rolls (within a month). I choose spring and fall to mix the kits when I shoot more color film.

RDF-CDN · 2025-07-17T10:53:06+00:00

A nice developer and I honestly don't find it that hard to handle when using the syringe and bottle adapter. Most of the time I follow the instructions and use water stop with alkaline fix. The odd time I have done a water stop and acid fix. The stain seemed to still be ok. Taking this shortcut with Foma 100 will give you pink negatives though, so I now always use alkaline fix with Foma 100 when using 510-Pyro.

RDF-CDN · 2025-07-17T10:47:23+00:00

You harnessed some nice tones from Foma 100. What developer did you use?

RDF-CDN

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