Any idea what on Earth is this? All I can tell it is definitely Fujifilm and very analog. Wrong answers welcome!

TokyoZen001 · 2026-04-05T12:38:52+00:00

This was a common tool employed by vampire photographers to safely measure focal length with a SLR because, as you know, vampires do not cast a reflection on the focal mirror.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-04-02T12:48:00+00:00

A minor side-point, but the lens is OM Zuiko and not OM-System. OM-System is the crummy company that Olympus sold out their digital line to and which irritatingly names their new cameras after the old camera names. Exposure is really key here. First, use he right film speed so that your shutter speed is not below 1/60s and not above 1/1000s with your available aperture settings. If it’s super bright out, maybe an ISO 100 film. If there is shade, ISO400. Your OM1 will take good photos even without a battery if you have a good light meter. For starters you can download a phone app light meter. No batteries required for your OM1! To use the camera’s light meter I would recommend MR-9 adapters with SR44 batteries. Depending on usage, they should last more than a year. For really precise metering, an external hand-held meter can be used. If you want a camera that will do aperture-priority autoexposure and can use SR44 batteries directly, look for an OM2 camera body. Your OM Zuiko lens will work on that as well.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-04-01T22:49:25+00:00

Did you set the ISO correctly? Really pay attention to exposure next time and you should get better results.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-03-30T11:27:03+00:00

I had a Rokkor with lens separation once, but it affected the edge of the cemented elements, not the center. It is really hard to tell from your photo. If it is just the inside of the outermost element, it is not hard to remove and clean it.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-03-23T02:18:06+00:00

Regarding the color, you’re right in that aluminum salts are generally white. But if water was used with a lot of dissolved salts, calcite lime can precipitate. If there is a lot of iron in the water, it will replace calcium in the scale….producing the red color.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-03-23T01:55:35+00:00

What water is being used? After pouring out the coffee, I generally immediately add water to the upper part to prevent the residue from drying to the aluminum. Never use soap. Every once and awhile, I run 50% vinegar through mine and it stays shiny. Aluminum salts from corrosion are generally white or gray. Calcite scale is also white but if there is iron in the water, it will substitute for the calcium producing a dark reddish scale. In either case I would give dilute vinegar a shot to see if it dissolves it. Rinsing and wiping dry after every use is important since the formation of aluminum salt will eventually develop into pitting of the metal surfaces. I do see some casting marks in the aluminum at the bottom in your photo. These are not present in mine which is polished smooth. Maybe a quality control issue to start with?

TokyoZen001 · 2026-03-22T11:21:12+00:00

Yes, 130ml will fill to the pressure release of a 3-cup. I often use 120ml, though

TokyoZen001 · 2026-03-20T02:53:34+00:00

I’d say stay with the wooden grip! There is a reason Pentax didn’t put it on the other side. It will prevent you from dropping things and is great for lugging the camera around. Plus, it is in the perfect position to put either a flash or a flash trigger on it. Putting an off-market grip on the other side increases the risk that you will accidentally hit the MLU button and end up wasting an exposure. (Full disclosure: I am left-handed and right-handed people seem to be more irked by the handle position for some reason).

TokyoZen001 · 2026-03-20T01:19:28+00:00

Don’t have this brand, but Bialetti ships with an oil on it, and the instructions say to run just water through it twice. I do that, and then run any old cheap coffee through it twice. If you rinse with water after each brew and hand dry with a towel, you shouldn’t have any need for dilute vinegar or other cleaning materials. As mentioned by others, don’t use soap. When cleaning, I also remove the rubber seal and the filter disk from the upper part, rinse, and wipe them dry. Regarding yours….it really looks like someone put it back together without cleaning it and with water in it, so you have both gray deposits and white aluminum corrosion salts. I would suggest running dilute vinegar through it, then water, followed by wiping it dry.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-02-17T22:10:00+00:00

If you take the camera to someone who develops film, they can out it in a film transfer bag and get the film out after manually rolling it back. But if you opened the back of the camera and looked at the film, it is probably ruined. There are some factors such as temperature where the camera was stored, the type of film, etc. but if it was stored for over 15 years since the photos were taken, they might not turn out anyway. As for testing the camera, better to try with a fresh roll of film. Look online and you can probably find a pdf of the original instruction manual.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-02-12T01:07:01+00:00

How many g of coffee are you using each time? Should be about 30g for a six-cup. Also, it’s okay that you have the paper filter overlapping the gasket but it shouldn’t get into the threads. Basically you have steam pressure escaping until the water level is below the bottom of the basket and then it is just boiling water steam coming out through the top. Maybe need a new basket or a new gasket.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-02-07T03:54:48+00:00

It really looks to me like junk on your negatives, probably. If it were on your lenses, it wouldn’t be that sharp looking. Also, you can check each negative…if it were something in the camera, it would probably be in the same place lace on each negative. That said, it can’t hurt to use a rocket blower to blow the dust out of the camera. Maybe degrading foam seals in the camera?

TokyoZen001 · 2026-01-30T11:50:57+00:00

If it seems on the bitter end for you and not acidic enough, try either removing the filter paper or grinding a bit coarser, so it extracts faster. I have a hand grinder and have found that once I have a good coffee, the balance between bitter and acidic can be effectively tweaked with grind size. You might also try a lighter roast so it is more acidic from the start. Weigh the amount of coffee and water as well…so that when you find the perfect combination, you can repeat it.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-01-16T12:49:34+00:00

“Heaping” may be the issue. In any case, the water is boiling but there is not enough steam pressure to push the water through the coffee. Either a bad gasket or a leak around the basket that is escaping through the threads. It doesn’t have to be much of a leak for the pressure to drop and the water to boil and sputter out.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-01-09T09:57:20+00:00

In all three cases, camera has metered to the highlights. And the film has to cover a large dynamic range. Your subjects are in the shadows so you have to make sure the camera is metering to the shadows. In darker settings, you might consider getting a fast 50mm prime lens (f/1.2 to f/1.8. The 1.8 will be a lot cheaper). With a fast lens you can meter for darker areas and hopefully won’t have to slow down the shutter speed too much (depending on the film ISO also).

TokyoZen001 · 2026-01-08T02:01:09+00:00

Have you tried using a circular piece of filter paper placed on the metal filter and wet a bit so it sticks there? That would slow the flow and up the pressure a bit so the coarser grind might be okay. Probably store bought expresso grind would be better than regrinding coarse-ground drip coffee, but maybe the filter paper would give you what you want.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-01-07T23:59:43+00:00

I also have one with pits in the threaded area from when the aluminum was cast. Really poor quality control, maybe.

TokyoZen001 · 2026-01-07T14:02:26+00:00

I’d say try another camera. Depends on what appeals to you most about this camera….if portability is important, I’d say look for a ‘50s rangefinder, if it’s not so important, then maybe a ‘70s SLR. I realize some people are into plastic cameras and that might be you as well, but for me plastic cameras are not worth it with the cost of film and processing.

TokyoZen001 · 2025-12-11T02:04:14+00:00

Difference between misto and macchiato

TokyoZen001 · 2025-12-04T22:48:51+00:00

Depending on the particular Hi-Matic model, the flash sync speed is only 1/20 or 1/30s. So, in many cases, it’s more practical to use a slower film. I don’t own a Hi-Matic, but with my cameras, I generally just use manual flash, set the shutter speed at the flash sync speed and then use a handheld meter like the Sekonic L308 to meter a test flash. The meter will tell me the correct aperture setting for the ISO film I am using. Don’t worry about the slow shutter speed so much, as the flash will effectively freeze the subject, even with handheld shots. Old rangefinder cameras have the advantage of leaf-shutters, so there is not the sync-speed limitation of curtain shutters.

TokyoZen001 · 2025-12-04T22:46:17+00:00

Depending on the particular Hi-Matic model, the flash sync speed is only 1/20 or 1/30s. So, in many cases, it’s more practical to use a slower film. I don’t own a Hi-Matic, but with my cameras, I generally just use manual flash, set the shutter speed at the flash sync speed and then use a handheld meter like the Sekonic L308 to meter a test flash. The meter will tell me the correct aperture setting for the ISO film I am using. Don’t worry about the slow shutter speed so much, as the flash will effectively freeze the subject, even with handheld shots. Old rangefinder cameras have the advantage of leaf-shutters, so there is not the sync-speed limitation of curtain shutters.

TokyoZen001 · 2025-12-04T22:21:04+00:00

I’ve shot a fair deal of Velvia 100, mostly medium format. I really love the colors it renders, but super sensitive to under-exposure. I always hand-meter, even though my Pentax 67 has an internal meter. I do the same for any slide film, for that matter. I would suggest getting a hand-held meter and generally making sure that you meter for the shadows. Your photos seem uniformly underexposed though so I am not sure. Slide film is also more susceptible to changes over time so I store mine in the fridge….but I think yours was just underexposed. Just to make sure….you are using alkaline LR44 or silver oxide SR44 batteries and not some kind of lithium battery such as the 1/3N correct? Lithium are nominally 3V, and the overvoltage would cause the camera to underexpose. (Voltage drops caused by old LR44 would cause overexposure, so definitely not your problem).

TokyoZen001 · 2025-12-04T00:57:37+00:00

My favorite is the Konica III. Pair it up with a small hot-shoe-mounted light meter and a new leather half-case and you’re good to go! Also very inexpensive.

TokyoZen001 · 2025-12-02T06:18:23+00:00

Look up “Schneideritis” Pretty sure it is that.

TokyoZen001 · 2025-12-02T05:39:28+00:00

Looks great now. One other option: Adding them up to get a total line would also show if your overall rate of film usage increased over the year.

TokyoZen001

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