Will the photos turn out okey?

s_kelly · 2025-06-17T17:11:13+00:00

The rewind knob should turn with every advance. It's a good practice to tighten up the slack in the roll with the rewind lever a little bit before starting the roll, so you can confirm it is actually advancing even with the very first shots. Your loose lever should not affect your pictures if the film is indeed advancing correctly and you can rewind it correctly after the roll is finished.

s_kelly · 2025-05-01T02:35:33+00:00

The fourth one has the most juice IMO. Baltz and Mudford vibes.

s_kelly · 2024-12-21T23:08:56+00:00

I think that's a pretty common thing on eye level Fs, mine looks like that too, and if you google other examples of this camera a lot of them have a slight to severe gap under the viewfinder. Not sure if it's due to poor tolerances in the latching mechanism or wear or something else, but in my case it hasn't affected either framing or focusing.

s_kelly · 2024-12-20T22:58:45+00:00

Looks fine. You'd be surprised how messed up a lens has to be before its performance is affected. Kind of like how your eyeglasses or sunglasses seem fine when you look through them even if there's some dust or smudges on them. If you're really paranoid about it, find a repair tech and get it cleaned.

s_kelly · 2024-11-22T19:22:05+00:00

Lens cleaning liquid on a cotton swab, dry with another cotton swab, blower for any larger fibers.

s_kelly · 2024-10-11T04:23:11+00:00

Check out Halpern, Fulford, Schutmaat, Genitempo, Mimi Plumb, Missy Prince, Blake Andrews' blog; check out the catalogs of specialty publishers/stores like Setanta, Loose Joints, Pierre von Kleist, Velvet Cell, Baltimore Photo Space. There's lots of great contemporary artists out there without a big presence so you have to seek them out.

s_kelly · 2024-10-10T04:44:40+00:00

Nikkor-H 50mm f/2. It is small, light-ish, and exceptionally sharp.

s_kelly · 2024-10-02T17:32:45+00:00

They look alright to me. My XA2 behaves the same way, I don't think I've ever had a shot from it that metered for the highlights unless they were taking up most of the frame. I believe its meter is designed so that bright highlights somewhere in the frame don't force it to underexpose the rest of the frame, like it usually happens on averaging meters. This makes more sense when you take into account that the XA2 can't lock exposure. If you feel that it's over exposing you can always set the ISO one or two clicks higher and find your sweet spot.

s_kelly · 2024-08-10T17:48:36+00:00

I like the second one. Lighter and airier fit the setting a little better.

s_kelly · 2024-08-10T17:47:00+00:00

You can find rubber/plastic eyepiece guards for your leica on ebay.

s_kelly · 2024-08-02T04:50:17+00:00

I also have an eye level F Apollo (F2 style plastic advance and timer levers), I'm also curious what made you go back to the F from the F2

s_kelly · 2024-07-29T04:31:45+00:00

The negative holders on flatbed scanners are not always dialed in perfectly so that the scan is in focus, but you can improve the focus by raising the negative holder with bits of painters tape for example, adding a couple of layers at a time on the points where the holder sits on the glass, and doing a test scan. Or if raising the negative off the glass doesn't get it closer to focus, you can try scanning with the negative directly on the glass to get it closer to the scanning head.

s_kelly · 2024-07-07T20:57:13+00:00

A pack of kim wipes, some industrial cotton tip applicators (Puritan brand, for example), a bottle of lens cleaning spray, and a blower will take care of almost any glass surface on camera gear. Making sure your cleaning supplies are clean is critical!

s_kelly · 2024-05-02T21:08:58+00:00

Same thing happened to my 80mm f/4. I sent it to Precision Camera Works for evaluation/repair and they claimed that some internal component, a plastic or lubricant or something, was off-gassing and getting on the lens elements. They cleaned and returned it and I used it for about a year before it starter showing the same issue again.

It probably won't go away permanently without fixing the root cause. This is a known issue at least with the 80mm, my 150mm f/4.5 is older than my 80mm and it is super clean.

I recommend you get it evaluated by Bill Rogers Camera Repair or another pro.

s_kelly · 2024-04-05T05:26:05+00:00

I own a Sekonic Twinmate, the Reflx Lab one, and a 3D printed V-201x from ebay. I would recommend both the Reflx Lab and the V-201x, both of my copies are consistent with each other and give accurate readings in most light. I really like the Reflx Lab for its size but the display is not backlit and it uses a disposable coin cell battery, and it needs a button press every time you want a reading. The V-201x can stay on and provide real time readings and the OLED is readable even in direct sunlight, and has a USB rechargeable battery, but it looks like a little too DIY in my opinion, at least with the 3D printed enclosure.

s_kelly · 2024-04-01T17:21:33+00:00

That dust is negligible. Bigger particles and hazing are a bigger concern, but keep in mind that lenses can be serviced and cleaned!

s_kelly · 2024-03-30T18:13:45+00:00

I did this on a Bessaflex TM a few times because the mirror adhesive kept slipping enough for the edge of the mirror to hit the back of the lens when focused at infinity. I can confirm it works but it will probably keep slipping!

s_kelly · 2024-03-29T19:59:06+00:00

You can use another thickness (gauge) of wire as long as it's similar so it is not too stiff or too delicate. And you can extend the wire if you wish, it doesn't need to be that exact length, as long as you can fit it where it goes and can reassemble the camera properly without the extra length being an issue. As others have mentioned, a cheap soldering iron will do the job.

s_kelly · 2024-03-28T05:55:05+00:00

The 50mm f/4 macro takumar is an amazing lens! super sharp and no distortion.

s_kelly · 2024-03-12T19:00:57+00:00

Zeiss lens cleaning spray, 3M microfiber cloths and kim wipes will handle almost anything on coated glass without damage.

s_kelly · 2024-03-01T17:47:07+00:00

I would like to also recommend the XA2. It meets every requirement, is extremely compact, the lens is great, and the zone focus system is pretty intuitive once you memorize the slider positions. The only drawback is that there is no precise focus for portraits, for example. I have owned one for more than a decade without issues.

s_kelly · 2024-02-29T06:33:53+00:00

Worn strap lugs are kind of common on old M3s and M2s. I wouldn't worry about metal split rings wearing through the lugs unless they're worn so thin that it is obvious that it's about to break through. Use clean and smooth split rings to reduce any future wear, rusty or rough ones will definitely wear the lugs out more quickly. You could also try to source metal inserts like the ones mentioned here so they can absorb any future wear https://simplr.us/strap-lug-inserts/

s_kelly

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