Comments, Page 32

Thanks for your reply. I’ll try to fix the metal plate position so that it will push the cam. I’ll let you know.

Here’s a short video that shows the process of retrieving the film leader. It’s not superbly methodical; essentially you need to twist the spool whenever the retriever tool feels too tight when you try to push the next plastic tongue in. Other than that, with some practice, it gets easier: youtube.com/shorts/3ADmdia…

Plus, it’s faster to load film into a Patterson spool and you get to keep a canister that you can use for bulk loading later. Or, once you accumulate a bunch of used canisters you can sell them to someone looking to bulk load.

#filmdev #video

An update to my insane light leak fixing story. I’ve tested the camera in full sun and none of the frames had any issues!

I’ve also lubricated film transport and shutter winder gear, cleaned up the focusing screen, and dusted the whole thing on the inside. My sixty-year-old film camera feels like new!

(This is the camera: analog.cafe/r/my-olympus-p…).

My favourite photo from the roll after fixing the camera is this portrait from the Pride parade in New Westminster (BC, Canada) on August 19th, 2023. Many thanks to the incredibly-detailed gimp costume-wearer, who was very nice to pause their conversation to pose.

Shot on Aerocolor IV/SantaColor 100 (analog.cafe/r/santacolor-1…).

Hi Hubregt,

It’s been a while since I worked on my Vitessa, but it seems from your photo that the cam should rest on the silver arm right below it that you see in the image. So the solution would be to move that silver piece that you can see through the hole up and then move the cam towards you (as seen in the photo) so that it rests over it.

I can’t guarantee that this is correct, but a way to check would be to move the lens back and forth a little bit (as you would when adjusting the focus; you can do this by placing the focus wheel on top of the round hinge and using it as if the camera is assembled) and verify that the piece I mention moves with it. Since the cam only translates the movement for the rangefinder, it should follow whatever motion is produced by the lens and the focus wheel.

I hope this is helpful. Would you mind posting your results here once you try again?

Hi Dmitri,

Thanks for your manual. In cleaning the rangefinder I’ve run into a problem. The rangefinder cam is not engaged anymore by the moving lens. I think that the metal plate, shown here underneath that cam must push it back and forward. If not, there must be something else engaging it. Can you help me out here?

Best,

Hubregt

For those looking to see how this camera may look in hand and how the TLR* screen works, I’ve uploaded a short video to YouTube with some extra footage: youtube.com/shorts/-w3T2mx… #gas #video

I’d have a slight personal preference towards Mju I. I like its tendency to use larger apertures, simple controls, and how it fits in hand.

Hi, I read both your very detailed review about Olympus mju and pentax Espio mini,

I’m thinking about buying one of those for my first PS film camera, I wonder which one would you recommend?

Thank you!

I have not. I will check. This thing seems tricky to clean.

Hey Nick, this looks like dust inside the scanner. Have you noticed anything there?

I started scanning on a new Pacific Image PrimeFilm XA Plus. I am noticing this weird yellow discoloration on every scan. I have viewed the film through my Loupe and cannot find evidence of the discoloration on the negative. I am left to assume this a scanner issue. Anyone have any ideas about this?

I finally fixed a mysterious light leak on my Olympus PEN FV film camera.

It’s been bugging me for months. Changing the light seals did not help. In fact, I’ve done it twice, even followed the instructions by the website that pre-cuts them (aki-asahi.com/store/html/p…). Unfortunately, the leaks persisted.

So I tried something new. I loaded a donor (still good) roll of film and advanced it to frame 8. I then left my PEN in the bright sun for a day. Finally, I removed the strip of film that was wound up inside a dark bag, loaded it into a Paterson tank and developed.

The leak was apparent, but it didn’t align with anything on the back. Instead, it appeared as if the light was coming through somewhere above the wound-up spool. You can see it in the video here: youtube.com/shorts/y66XWAm….

I then remembered that I’d recently removed a loose screw from under the bottom plate. So I took the top plate off (thanks to this video, youtube.com/watch?v=9EX99e…) and found a hole where the missing strap lug screw opened up a gap for the light to get in.

I then re-fitted the strap lug with the screw I found earlier, which had fixed an issue that perplexed me for all this time. Finally, a leak-free PEN FV!

#repair #video

This is my first time cross-processing slide film at home. This roll of Ektachrome 200, expired many years ago so I am not yet sure whether the chunky grain is the result of using an alternative chemical process (C-41 instead of E-6), the age, or an older technology. Nevertheless, I’m rather happy with the results. The colours look accurate with a good amount of saturation and plenty of fidelity — which is more than I expected.

I have one more roll of the same emulsion which I hope to shoot in the coming months and process as a positive (the way it was meant to be). It then should be evident whether getting the “proper” chemicals is worth the extra effort and expense with this film.

Shot with Kyocera T-Proof (Yashica T5).

#filmdev

Fixing Polaroid SX-70 not ejecting dark slide as the motor drive runs continuously.

After returning from a multi-day hike, I found that my SX-70 would whirl its motor without stopping when I inserted a fresh pack but the dark slide would not come out. The articles online were not helpful and the repair manual called for the replacement of an entire block — which was as helpful as the 1-800-number the camera had printed near the rollers for a toll-free helpline.

Thankfully, I found a YouTube video that showed exactly the reason and a way to fix the issue: youtube.com/watch?v=BH8Q6X…. It was a little difficult to watch and there was an important part of the process missing: how to remove the rollers. Eventually, I figured out that the rollers (the entire block that pops open for the film to go in) could be removed by squeezing the left hinge which would free the assembly quite easily. I then followed the instructions (stretched the spring to replace the fragile plastic bits) and the issue was resolved.

The longest part of the process was removing the leatherette from the bottom of the camera which I prized for its distinct quality over the older models. It took a lot of ginger prying and alcohol. My brother found a glue (which I’m waiting for now) that should help me fix the leatherette semi-permanently so that it could be removed without much trouble later: mcmaster.com/7467A72/

Hope this helps someone!

#repair

Thank you for reading!

Hello Dmitri,

I happened upon your site today through Flipboard. Very interesting. Thank you for sharing your journey through analog (film) photography with me.

I see I missed quite a few articles, so I better get on with the reading. Thank you and good luck.

Marcel

Thanks! I haven’t had any data transfer issues since (I’m still using the same scanner!) but I have a strange issue that causes my XAs to reverse scanning order every other strip I insert. It’s very odd but the image quality is the same and I’m determined to use it until it gives up.

I’ve been inverting all my negatives using this method (I’ve developed an automated tool that does most of the work for me): analog.cafe/r/how-to-scan-…. This is mostly so that I get full control over the process; it’s particularly helpful for scanning films like Aerocolor IV that have a clear base.

Polaroid 600 is quite a bit different from SX-70, but I know that some of these cameras have close-up lenses and you may even be able to find an attachment.

Those could be really cool. I’ve heard great things about others trying Kodak XX — have fun!

A great write-up Dmitri. Interesting to hear of your recent data transfer issues — My RPS 10M (Same scanner?) has started encountering similar issues.

Was the inverted version you’ve posted created using your preferred tool? Silverfast HDR 8 can do a decent job (See attached) but I have to agree with you on the UI.