First rangefinder-initial impressions

[Adam14]

First of all,thanks again for all those who helped me make my decision!
Here are a few comments and numerous questions.

-R3A and Nokton 40/1.4 purchased from Stephen. Excellent service,it was shipped on Monday and arrived here in Toronto yesterday,Friday.
-It is heavier than I had imagined,which I like.
-I wear glasses and cannot see the left and right 40mm lines at the same time but this does not concern me too much.
My wife tried the Bessa and did not at all like the rangefinder way of focussing but said she would give it more another chance.
I do find the viewfinder bright and actually was able to shoot with both eyes open and focussing my right eye.

-I shot a roll of colour 400 film this morning. I bought it at Black's(Canadian chain photo store). It is their store brand.I know that it is probably not ideal(the told me it is Fuji but that is all I know).I had prints made. I was generally happy with the outdoor shots but not the indoors.Since it was an experimental roll,I selected different ISO's but it made no difference. Could someone please explain this to me.Can you do this with only certain films? I have TRI-X on order.I picked up 2 B&W rolls Ilford XP2 Super400 and Kodak 400CN. I understand that I can drop them off anywhere(C41 processing)

-In one of the outdoor shots I spot metered on a fairly small black object but it still underexposed. How large in the viewfinder does the object have to be for a proper reading vs knowing when to use exposure comp?

-when loading film,the manual says to turn the film advance lever lightly to advance the film.It does not seem to move much.Do you have to turn the power on and press the shutter and the advance the lever. Should the power be off for loading?

-when going through airport security,do the x-ray machines harm the film. Should it be in a shielded bag or hand searched?

-I would appreciate any comments on the 90mm vs 75mm as a
second lens
Thank you very much in advance for answering my questions and I am very open to any other suggestions.

I love the feel of the film advance lever and also the sound the mechanism makes!

Adam

 

[baycrest]

Hi Adam,
I'm on holidays now and didn't bring my R3A with me (gasp), so I'll try to answer some of your questions without looking at it... Here goes a try...

-In one of the outdoor shots I spot metered on a fairly small black object but it still underexposed. How large in the viewfinder does the object have to be for a proper reading vs knowing when to use exposure comp?

AFAIK you can't do spot metering with the R3A, it uses centre weighted metering system which is the centre area of the frame; imagine a circle in the middle of the frame, say about 1/3 of the frame height in circumference. Use a hand held meter to spot correctly or get accustomed to guessitmating using the camera meter as a guide.

-when loading film,the manual says to turn the film advance lever lightly to advance the film.It does not seem to move much.Do you have to turn the power on and press the shutter and the advance the lever. Should the power be off for loading?

I guess when it says lightly, its meant not to wind really quickly when starting the film so it gets correctly engaged on the sprocket and film reel. Yes you need to turn the power on, else you can't wind the camera since its locked in the off position (if I recall correctly, however, I might be getting this mixed up with the M7) Apologies.



-when going through airport security,do the x-ray machines harm the film. Should it be in a shielded bag or hand searched?

Hand searching is the safest, the signs by the xray machines provide advice what can go thru, but I don't like to rely on that (just me I guess being over cautious? I dunno)

-I would appreciate any comments on the 90mm vs 75mm as a
second lens

Don't recall what framelines are avail if any for the 75 or 90; should be in the owners manual or you may need an external finder.

Best enjoy your new camera, I do like the 1:1 viewfinder. Consider getting a diopter adjustment lens if you find your eyeglasses are restrictive. I picked up a +1 adjustment from Megapearls, but then again I live in HK and Japan is just a stones throw away versus, TO.

I think your wife might find the focusing a bit challenging at the start, but hang in there, otherwise you'll never have any pictures of yourself.🙂

 

[Adam14]

Hi Baycrest, thanks very much for taking the time to reply.
much appreciated.
Adam

 

[campbellcj]

Rob covered most of the items nicely. In terms of the 75mm or 90mm lens, I have been very happy with the Voigtlander 75mm f/2.5 Color Heliar in terms of performance as well as handling. The R3A has built-in framelines for 75mm. I cannot address the 90mm lenses as I've never used one. Either focal length is a good choice for portraits.

Can you share more details or examples of the indoor shots that you weren't pleased with? Was the exposure off (I'm guessing underexposed), or is it something else?

Cheers,

 

[Adam14]

Thanks very much Chris for your reply. I appreciate the comments from someone who owns the 75mm. I am still experimenting with each roll. I believe that I know the answer to my question re underexposing.
Adam

 

[thegman]

Hey Adam, I almost bought an R3A with the 1.4 Nokton, looks like a really nice setup. With ISOs, I'd say keep it on the box speed or slight below, i.e. for 400 ISO film, set the camera to 320 ISO, for indoor shots this should ensure they don't turn up too dark.

I use Kodak BW400CN quite a lot, great film, fine grain for a 400 ISO. And yes, it just processes like standard colour film.

For a second lens, take a look at the 15mm Heliar, just a wonderful wide angle lens.

Maybe also try out something like Velvia 100, shots at night on a tripod (or a wall, whatever) can look amazing.

I think you've got a great kit there, if you underexpose a lot, you could set your exposure compensation to + half a stop or even a full stop if they are a lot under exposed.

 

[Adam14]

Thank you very much thegman for the tips! I have read that before regarding setting slightly below box speed to protect the shadow areas.
I happen to have a box of BW400CN and will try it next. Just took in a roll of Ilford XP2. I am curious to compare.
Adam

 

[Mudman]

also take a look at the negs themselves- if you're judging by prints or scans. Sometimes the scanner screws up. If the negs look fine, try rescanning. Also pick up Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Gives a good lowdown on how centerweighted metering works.

Cheers,
Eric

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Hi Adam... For color negatives (C-41) in autoexposure (A), I set my cameras ISO to half box speed (if 400, then set it to 200). This way images get the real deep, clean colors a negative was designed to give... If you do it, you won't regret it, because that extra stop helps a lot also when a scene is a bit clear and the meter gets fooled: anyway your image will be great instead of muddy and grainy...

If you're under direct sun, with the colorful, sharp (and latest film) Kodak Ektar 100 (camera set to ISO 50) you can set your 40 Nokton at f/5.6 (very good aperture) as the normal aperture for shooting under direct sun, and apart from high sharpness, great focus and contrast, you'll get fast enough automatic shutter speeds around 1/250 and 1/500...

If you don't have one already, the best company for your fast Nokton 40 is an ND8 filter; a neutral density filter that absorbs three stops of light, and anytime you want to do it, it allows you to use your great lens opened under the sun at f/1.4 or f/2 for selective focus and background blur, especially when you focus in the 1-2 meters range... I have one of those for all my fast lenses because they're the only way to open them under the sun... For my 40 Nokton I use the 43mm Hoya not multicoated as I never shoot with direct sun reaching my lenses... All usual brands work fine... The 40 Nokton at f/2 with the ND8 filter and Ektar set to 50, produce wonderful results...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[Adam14]

Thank you Eric and Juan for your very informative replies!
Juan,I will definitely experiment with your techniques! I already figured that I would need an ND filter as I was running up against the problem of not being able to open up the aperture in bright sunlight using 400 film.
Thanks again, this forum is great!
Adam

 

[Leigh Youdale]

-when loading film,the manual says to turn the film advance lever lightly to advance the film.It does not seem to move much.Do you have to turn the power on and press the shutter and the advance the lever. Should the power be off for loading?

Yes you do, even if the shutter is set on manual. It won't fire otherwise and you can't then advance the film. Remember too that if you're on "Auto" setting and leave the lens cap on it will take forever to cycle!

-when going through airport security,do the x-ray machines harm the film. Should it be in a shielded bag or hand searched?

ISO 400 should be OK. Try for hand search but don't get paranoid about it. If using a shielded bag you'll probably have to open it anyway.

-I would appreciate any comments on the 90mm vs 75mm as a
second lens

I chose the 75 as being the more useful of the two and haven't been disappointed. Wider than 40 I chose the 25mm. I also have the 15mm but it's a special purpose lens and doesn't get used all that much - the 25 is much more useable. Basically I went for nearest to double or half the focal length of the middle lens.

You really shouldn't need ISO400 film for general purpose work.

The exposure meter reads of a grey patch on the shutter curtain and as such it simply reflects and average reading of the light coming through the lens. There is no spot metering on the Bessa.

 

[Adam14]

Leigh,thank you very much for your very helpful reply!
Adam

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Thank you Eric and Juan for your very informative replies!
Juan,I will definitely experiment with your techniques! I already figured that I would need an ND filter as I was running up against the problem of not being able to open up the aperture in bright sunlight using 400 film.
Thanks again, this forum is great!
Adam

Hi Adam,

You'd better use ISO 100 color negative film at 50 for wide open shooting under direct sun... For softer and lower light (overcast, shadows, indoors...) ISO 400 film will be OK, but ISO 400 and ND8 for direct sun at f/1.4, would require shutter speeds a lot faster than those we have on our cameras... And as color photography is so special under direct sun, having a roll of Ektar and the ND8 in your pocket can make the difference every time...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[Adam14]

Juan,thanks very much. I understand now what you are explaining to me.Much appreciated,
Adam

 

[Adam14]

A few more comments on my initial rangefinder experience.
-I am so impressed with how well the Bessa with the 40mm 1.4 Nokton and 75mm 2.5 Color-Heliar nails the exposure most of the time. With my DSLR,I am always chimping and often having to re shoot with exposure comp.
-the incredible sharpness of the prints was totally unexpected by me...yes the prints are small but very,very sharp...I realize that sharpness is not the be all or end all but I am still impressed
-when I am taking people's photos,I find that I have to explain that I am manually focusing and that it may take a bit longer. I found that people are so used to having their picture taken quickly by an auto-focus camera that they become impatient when I am manually focusing although when I become comfortable with hyperfocal technique it should help.
Thanks for listening!
Cheers,
Adam

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Congratulations, Adam!

Keep it going!

Cheers,

Juan

 

[marcr1230]

Regarding spot meter and underexposed. The meter tried to achieve something called 18% gray. With negative film, and please correct me if I am wrong because it can confuse me, but the meter with a predominately black/dark subject will overexpose. Essentially saying, "in order to get this scene gray, I need more light. Vice versa for bright/white areas.
As noted the meter is not a spot meter but center weighted. The logic is the same though

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Right. With slide film in AutoExposure you can see how any particular camera behaves, and learn exactly how much you need to correct camera's metering... Most usual "gross" situations are white walls under direct sun, and worse, backlighting from the sun, a window, a lamp or overcast sky in the background...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[Keith]

A few more comments on my initial rangefinder experience.
-I am so impressed with how well the Bessa with the 40mm 1.4 Nokton and 75mm 2.5 Color-Heliar nails the exposure most of the time. With my DSLR,I am always chimping and often having to re shoot with exposure comp.
-the incredible sharpness of the prints was totally unexpected by me...yes the prints are small but very,very sharp...I realize that sharpness is not the be all or end all but I am still impressed
-when I am taking people's photos,I find that I have to explain that I am manually focusing and that it may take a bit longer. I found that people are so used to having their picture taken quickly by an auto-focus camera that they become impatient when I am manually focusing although when I become comfortable with hyperfocal technique it should help.
Thanks for listening!
Cheers,
Adam

That's an intersting and very observant comment. People are indeed so accustomed to having someone just aim a camera at them and quickly press the shutter ... 'MacDonalds photography!'

 

[Adam14]

Thanks Keith and Juan.
Adam