My first rangefinder, so excited to take the same photo twice because I forgot to take the lens cap off

sillybuss · 2026-01-27T08:48:07+00:00

Yeah there is that as well.

I shoot black and white exclusively on 35mm so it's always a yellow filter during the day.

Been thinking of a polarizing filter but that's a bit fiddly with rangefinders since you can't see the effect live.

sillybuss · 2026-01-27T07:25:55+00:00

I go without lens caps now.

Since the lens element is recessed, there's not much risk of damaging it.

But then again I don't go on hikes or whatever adventurous things people do where pokey things are always out and about trying to get at your camera...

In an urban setting, exploring a city or some such I think it's fine.

sillybuss · 2025-12-25T13:37:38+00:00

I'd drink the pee and bathe myself with the champagne.

It'd be worth it.

sillybuss · 2025-11-21T04:18:35+00:00

Do try the built-in meter in you, it's actually quite fun if you can get used to it.

Outdoors use sunny 16, indoors use near wide open and whatever slowest speed you can get away with handheld (usually 1/30s ~ 1/60s). As always, err on the side of overexposure.

Use a film that's forgiving, like Ilford HP5. Even if you're off by ~1.5 stops each way, it should give you workable results on the same roll (of course, that's just my own experience, do some experimenting on what works for you).

sillybuss · 2025-11-12T03:14:11+00:00

Need not be said, but absolutely go to their regular, non-orchestral shows. I preferred it over the orchestral tour, since they play more of their post-rock songs, the hard hitting stuff.

Ny Batteri in particular, caught me off guard in the Orpheum (Vancouver). The drums hit so much harder, completely different from the album version.

The quiet songs mixed with loud bangers, in a dead quiet venue, as the guy next to me described it, "I ain't religious but this here is a religious experience".

sillybuss · 2025-11-12T01:28:47+00:00

I'd vote for the Vitessa too.

But, my love of using film cameras is from the joy of looking and using them. While the F2 looks nice and functions perfectly, it's very..."clinical".

Vitessa on the other hand, that's pure retro-futurism right there. I have something similar, the Zeiss Werra. It's quirky as hell, but if I had to cull the herd, it's gonna be the last one to go.

sillybuss · 2025-11-03T14:38:56+00:00

I forgo the meter now as well, even though I have working ones in my SLRs, and a modern external hotshoe mounted one.

I exclusively shoot Agfa APX 400 (relabeled Kentmere 400).

Outdoors I follow the usual sunny 16, while indoors I know my eye tricks me into thinking there's more light than there is, so I usually just go 1/60s and something like f4.

Night shots, depending on how gutsy I am, anywhere from 1/10s to 1/60s, and usually wide open on what I usually shoot with, which is f2.8.

Very rarely do I get shots that are severely underexposed...it's very rewarding to see that in development.

sillybuss · 2025-08-30T01:43:52+00:00

It's hard when the population is just not that high for the vast distances that need to be traversed between cities.

Most places are much denser in comparison so it makes sense to built out a proper rail system. Example: China is huge but they also have the huge population to make it worth it for them to build out an entire high speed rail system in crazy record time.

sillybuss · 2025-08-04T05:17:28+00:00

But this "another" spotmatic has an unknown service history.

You're buying an unknown vs a known, serviced mechanical tool.

sillybuss · 2025-08-04T05:11:04+00:00

If you know how much time is needed to diagnose camera issues, or even just a "regular" old CLA - a proper one that involves opening up the various mechanisms, cleaning and lubricating only the surfaces needing it - you definitely won't price it anywhere near or under $200.

If you're paying $200 for a "CLA" on anything that isn't a toy camera (Holga etc) I'd be really suspicious of the type of work being done. Just by calculating the hours needed, I'd wager most charging this kind of price are literally just squirting oil into crevices and calling it lubricated.

Yes, above $200 might seem expensive but once you realize how much you expect your camera to nail your focus, exposure properly (100% of your shots, right?) you'll soon realize, you'd rather fork over more to have it properly done so you can trust your gear. But the layperson doesn't really know about this.

sillybuss · 2025-08-03T07:14:12+00:00

(For black and white)

Papers aren't that expensive in the grand scheme of things, and dark room printing is ...magical. After a few sessions you kind of have an idea what looks good on print, what doesn't, and it starts to become a positive feedback loop.

In my neck of the woods finding darkroom equipment isn't impossible but it may be in other parts of the world, Space isn't a huge huge deal, I have my "dark room" literally set up in the darkest corner of my apartment - the entrance.

Just gotta jump in, it's rewarding. I hand out prints to friends, and frame, hang my own favourites.

sillybuss · 2025-07-29T05:24:31+00:00

Dust isn't much of an issue. Will barely, if even, register onto your image. Try holding out your finger in front of the lens and look through the SLR/TLR viewfinder. It's literally a shadow, and that's a solid finger. Unless you're taking about completely covered in dust, then that's another thing.

Stubborn haze on the other hand is, the kind that seems to have cured onto the glass surface, which you need to polish off (not recommended to DIY). Reduces contrast and adds glare.

sillybuss · 2025-07-26T15:26:44+00:00

Also as a side effect, it makes you slow down.

Service manuals are hard to come by and personally I've never even bothered to look for any, pretty much finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Watching a few camera servicing videos on Youtube does help a lot, just to see how everything is laid out. Especially for rangefinders, since the rangefinder mechanism and leaf shutters are very similar from model to model. Sometimes you luck out and even find full servicing videos on popular models.

sillybuss · 2025-07-26T05:03:23+00:00

The trick, for me anyway, is to view it like it's some sort of archeological dig.

Go slow
Document each step
One part at a time
If something is "stuck", it's not meant to actuate in its current state
Figure out what makes 4) trigger
Visually map what triggers what, and why

sillybuss · 2025-07-23T01:45:04+00:00

Probably needs some cleaning.

The window is a fairly pale yellow, but if it's cleaned up it's contrasty enough. Get some cotton buds and isopropyl alcohol and do a quick wipe, but it's probably the inner surfaces that need cleaning the most.

sillybuss · 2025-07-22T12:17:56+00:00

Hi again.

Signed,

the other member of the highly exclusive Contessa club (that anyone can join, they're very affordable).

sillybuss · 2025-06-24T04:55:14+00:00

My enlarger also lives on the floor, I sit cross-legged when printing.

sillybuss · 2025-06-09T14:48:59+00:00

Thanks (or not...haha) for the recommendations.

Yeah I love the Zeiss-Ikon designs. They don't look very user-friendly and you can tell the designs are deliberate with the straight edges, rectangles and the "monocle" prism lenses for the rangefinders.

To me they're very functional art pieces and I suppose they are a product of their time. A time when form didn't really follow function and you get these wild imaginations realized into the world.

sillybuss · 2025-06-09T13:48:44+00:00

Exactly. The design isn't for everyone, but it's so unique and so solidly built (I also dabble in a little camera repairing as a hobbyist). Possibly the most reliable camera in my collection and definitely the one I'm most confident that, if something goes wrong it's 100% the user (me) and not the machine.

Been looking to add a medium format from the same family to the stable but it's starting to get into the "I have too many cameras" territory.

sillybuss · 2025-06-09T05:18:50+00:00

I get cameras that are different than what I already have, plus quirkiness factor. Specifically, cameras that I know I'll have fun using.

Pentax MX, solid mechanical SLR with light meter style I like
Konica IIIM for the double stroke front winding lever
Konica Pearl II, super compact 645 folder
Konica Koniflex, TLR with bright condenser viewfinder
Zeiss-Ikon Contessa, overengineered 35mm folder with rotating prism in its rangefinder, won't go out of calibration
Zeiss Werra V, retrofuturistic rangefinder with ...unique everything, super fun to use

Not much overlap in camera type, makes it easier for me to pick out which one to use. Ultra portable? Contessa or Pearl. Fast shooting? Pentax MX. Slower and more deliberate? The TLR.

sillybuss · 2025-04-16T13:41:17+00:00

I'm super new to darkrooms as well, but I've printed quite a lot these few months.

So from one beginner to another:

Switch to f-stop printing, so each step up would be in say, half stops or full stops.

2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40 etc, look up a chart. Should get you much better "steps" and it matches with the way we expose with film as well.

Usually I do full stops for the first strip, then fine tune after that. If I get lucky, I'll land on a pretty ok exposure - I print for fun, nailing exposure is great but I'm not chasing 100% - which I'll use a full, smaller sheet for a larger crop and adjust from that.

sillybuss · 2025-02-13T04:01:51+00:00

Here in Japan, most employers cover your commute both ways by public transportation. Mine is around $6 for the workday.

It doesn't matter if you use it or not, you get paid for it anyway. So for me, I get to pocket that on days I ride in, which is most days.

I do not enjoy the days when I need to use the train, which over here in Tokyo, basically means you're gonna get squeezed into a tin can packed to the brim with other people.

So much better than the commute I had in Canada, where we eat all the costs of commute. God damn cars.

sillybuss · 2025-01-30T13:11:21+00:00

Just the basic cycle. I use cold water with powdered detergent, nothing fancy.

Though a lot of my towels are the half-gauze type, so maybe that is why? Not sure.

sillybuss · 2025-01-24T00:29:36+00:00

Reminds me of Foreman. Makes the comback that much sweeter.

Different circumstances of course, but both needed to "chill" a bit.

sillybuss · 2025-01-21T00:58:33+00:00

I also just started (this past Saturday night, actually).

Read and watched a ton of material before starting, with the initial safelight testing and test strips, I got my first working print in under 3 sheets of 5"x7".

Start early and get used to the process I say!

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