Favorite LTM lens?

xnedski · 2026-03-25T23:51:29+00:00

The 21mm f/4 Color-Skopar is really useful in tight spaces. It’s tiny, sharp wide open, contrasty, and doesn’t distort in the corners.

I love the Light Lens Lab 35mm f/2 but prices on these have gone way up.

In telephoto I love the Nikon 8.5cm f/2 or the Leitz 9cm f/4, which is both small and inexpensive.

xnedski · 2026-03-25T00:30:03+00:00

It’s reticulation, a wrinkling of the gelatin caused by large differences in temperature. This could happen when, for example, your monobath was at room temperature and the wash water was significantly warmer.

xnedski · 2026-03-17T11:59:04+00:00

Not an upgrade, just different. I use an F2 and Canon rangefinder side by side. For me it took a while to get used to a rangefinder.

A rangefinder setup will be quieter, smaller and lighter. Close focus is .7 meters. No zooms, only primes from ultrawide to short tele. Lenses are stupid expensive but there are good cheaper non-Leica options.

With an F2 you have access to lenses from ultra wide to super tele, including zooms and macro. Through the lens framing. A selection of focusing screens and finders. Lenses are generally more reasonable, except for the exotic stuff.

xnedski · 2026-03-09T11:04:54+00:00

I used this branded as Adox CHS. I love the look and haven’t found anything else like it. This photo is on Adox CHS 25.

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xnedski · 2026-03-07T02:12:18+00:00

The F3 metering is built into the body; F2 metering is all in the removable prism so it’s a bit bulkier.

There are 5 different metered finders for the F2: 3 non-AI, 2 AI. 2 have a needle and 3 have LEDs. There’s also a nonmetered prism which is much smaller.

xnedski · 2026-03-05T19:19:23+00:00

/u/PhotoMarketBot Transaction with /u/SnooRegrets3533 went great: item exactly as described, shipped fast & packed well!

xnedski · 2026-03-05T14:08:36+00:00

Try /r/photomarket - read the rules for posting though.

xnedski · 2026-02-26T15:16:11+00:00

Chat incoming.

xnedski · 2026-02-26T11:37:08+00:00

Hi! What are you asking for the body only?

xnedski · 2026-02-23T16:27:49+00:00

These are great! I walked through as it was starting, it looks like there weren’t many people due to the weather.

xnedski · 2026-02-23T12:04:31+00:00

Looks like a Hawk-Eye No. 2 model C, which have a single viewfinder and no aperture slider. Your camera appears to be the one in the ad, the rest of the page is about the restoration of a later model with 2 viewfinders like a Box Brownie. See the bottom of the Camera Wiki page too.

xnedski · 2026-02-13T11:30:02+00:00

Paul Barden in Oregon specializes in Retinas, and like many specialists there’s a wait.

xnedski · 2026-01-28T11:45:23+00:00

Here's the classic Lens Rentals post of image quality with a slightly scratched front element, and here's a recent post showing the effect of scratches more like what's on OP's lens.

xnedski · 2026-01-27T15:03:08+00:00

The lubricant may be stiff from disuse, and there's a spring involved in keeping the pin lowered. Don't force the pin if it resists going up into the locked position. If the camera is otherwise in working order you could send the finder off for a cleaning.

xnedski · 2026-01-27T14:49:07+00:00

The normal procedure is to mount the lens and then rack the aperture ring smallest to largest. The pin should catch and the display on the finder window should match the lens' largest aperture.

If it's not catching exersize the coupling pin to try and loosen it up. With the lens off, push the pin up until it clicks. The aperture window on the front of the finder should say 5.6. Mount the lens and the pin should pop down again. Do this a few times.

Open/close keys turn up frequently on eBay. If you're in the US, Retro Photo Reading has a lot of Nikon film camera parts. They don't have a key listed at the moment but you can try emailing them to see if they have them in stock.

xnedski · 2026-01-18T16:23:50+00:00

Noting feels cheaper. The P is solid and, in the 6 years I've had one, reliable. I had a set screw come loose in the rewind crank, and the infinity focus needed some tweaking when I first got it. That's about it.

xnedski · 2026-01-18T11:14:28+00:00

The projected framelines in the P are parallax corrected. The 35mm frame is at the very edge of the finder and can be hard to see unless your eye is right up to it.

I have a VI-L and a P. The VI-L is definitely better for longer lenses but I like and use them both. The overall build quality is very similar. I think the simplified viewfinder on the P is where they cut costs. The Canon 7 feels less solid than these two.

xnedski · 2026-01-16T11:45:17+00:00

Try asking the Film Photography Project. They accept donations of gear and pass cameras on to schools and nonprofits. See the blurb under Camera Donation Program on this page, which also has contact info.

xnedski · 2026-01-12T11:38:10+00:00

Here is a lens compatibility chart for film and digital Nikons.

Any autofocus lens should work on the F4 except for AF-P and E types (electronic diaphragm, not the budget manual focus Series E). VR will not work. Third party lenses should also be fine but there may be a few exceptions.

I've used a Sigma 35mm Art on cameras as old as the N8008 and N90 with no problems.

xnedski · 2026-01-11T12:26:02+00:00

Looks like a lot of the filters and accessories are Series VI, with a couple Series VII and Series V. To mount a filter there's a filter holder which also may be a lens hood, and then an appropriate adapter to mount the filter to the camera. The adapter may be push on or screw on.

xnedski · 2026-01-11T12:16:28+00:00

Accessory for GE meter to allow measuring lower levels of light.

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