Tips and Tricks - Share Yours

[dave lackey]

Pardon if this has been done before, but it seems that there are so many things I keep coming across that would have been nice had I known them before. They may be insignificant to you but invaluable to someone else.

Here is my first one that I learned just last week:

Need a loupe to view your slides? Use your 50mm lens backwards.🙂

It would be nice to have a running thread on this, so post yours.

 

[ruby.monkey]

1. Leave the lens cap at home.
2. See 1.

 

[newspaperguy]

Add "Image Stabilization" to your camera

.

Buy a nylon leash for a small pet at the grocery or discount store for $3.

Cut off the snap.

Slip your left hand through the loop in the leash.

Now grasp your camera at the lens in the usual rf position.

Put your foot - or your knee, if you're shooting macro - on the loose end of the strap.

Pull up 'til you feel tension and focus.

Shoot even very slow speeds as steadily as when you used a monopod.

Stuff it back in your pocket and you are on your way.

ENJOY!

(PS - They come in a wide assortment of colors.)

 

[newspaperguy]

While you're in the pet department, consider this:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/pho...&ppuser=20714&sortby=v&sorttime=9999&way=desc

 

[Roger Hicks]

Add "Image Stabilization" to your camera

Dear Rick,

NEVER worked for me! In fact, it actually makes things worse. But it must work for an awful lot of people, because I've seen references to the same trick in magazines well before WW2. I mention this only to illustrate that neither you (for whom it works, and who have far more experience than I) nor I (for whom it is worse than useless) has a monopoly on what works.

For Dave: Great idea! Follow the link for something I started on my site but have not updated much. Here are 32 tips so far. With your permission, and the permission of others who post tips here, I may add some of the ideas from this thread to my site (or of course I may not, because I'm increasingly lackadaisical).
http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/hinttip.html

Cheers,

R.

 

[david.elliott]

My tip is to read Roger's tips. The dry film diagonally one is the best. 😀

Also, to avoid scratching focusing screens, clean them with a damp sable brush (available from most any art store). Get real sable though, not fake stuff.

 

[GSNfan]

Learn all the rules and then break them one by one.

 

[oftheherd]

Always carry lens cleaning tissue. Roll one up, tear it in half and fluff the torn end. That is your brush to clean dust off before you wipe your lens clean. Be sure no dust/debris is left on the lens before using the tissue to further clean.

Of course small blower brushes are better, but a flat container of tissues is easier to carry in-pocket or in-bag.

 

[drewbarb]

I put a piece of white paper tape or masking tape on the bottom of my camera to take brief notes with a sharpie. I jot down the film type and speed used, the date, camera settings and/or any important info about the subject(s) or light, etc. When I change the roll, the tape gets wrapped around the film to be saved for processing and archiving, and a new piece of tape goes on the camera for the next roll. This tip is especially useful when I don't finish a given roll in a single session but put the camera away for a day or two.

 

[whitecat]

I always have my camera set to infinity before I snap. I then have to move the focus ring one way only until in focus instead of going back and forth.

 

[venchka]

Polarizer. Permanently super glued to lenses used with SLR camera bodies. I am even tempted to shell out big bucks for a rangefinder polarizer.
Use these to protect rangefinder sized lenses. Light meters too.

Xtol 1:3.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Learn all the rules and then break them one by one.

I'd completely agree, for most of them. But 'put the dev in before the fixer' is one I've found it better not to break...

There are 'rules' that really are rules (such as how to get shadow detail in a neg) and 'rules' that are merely rules of thumb ('rule of thirds', etc.).

I disagree (slightly) with you for one reason only. Some might decide to break 'rules' without thinking about why. But it's always a good reason to think why you do anything (and not just in photography).

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I always have my camera set to infinity before I snap. I then have to move the focus ring one way only until in focus instead of going back and forth.

Intriguing, and prompts the following thought:

Lenses with finger grips/spars/'bumps' (ZI style) allow you to focus by touch as you're bringing the camera to your eye. Probaby best when combined with your idea, though if you're familiar enough with a lens, it can be set at any distance.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Andy Kibber]

I always have my camera set to infinity before I snap. I then have to move the focus ring one way only until in focus instead of going back and forth.

I do the same. Makes focusing much quicker.

 

[John Lawrence]

If photographing someone at home on their sofa and the cushions have seen better days, place a telephone directory (or these days a large thick book) under the cushion they sit on. Makes for a much better picture.

You can make lens hoods from various plastic pots and bottles. You need to experiment a bit, but here's an example:

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/05/how_to_make_a_lens_hood_f.html

John

 

[videogamemaker]

I keep a small piece of photographic grey card in the pocket of my camera bag.

 

[shadowfox]

Learn sunny-16.

It will make you appreciate light, and sometime even light-meters more.

 

[Darkhorse]

A film canister makes for a convenient distraction for your cat while you're utilizing your changing bag.

 

[dmr]

A film canister makes for a convenient distraction for your cat while you're utilizing your changing bag.

Film canisters are also very handy for keeping those small screws and whatzits when you take apart a camera.

Better yet, put a doubled-back strip of duct tape at the top of your work area. Then stick the screws and small oddball parts on the tape, working from left to right, as you take things apart. When you get to the point of putting them back together, you can easily work back from right to left and know which goes in what order. 🙂

 

[dave lackey]

Fantastic so far! Think I may experiment with the lens hood...🙂 Anybody got an idea for 41mm lens caps?

Update: Just made a lens hood for the Industar 26, 50mm lens....painted it black and it snaps on and off easily! Took the bottom part of the alcohol bottle and made a diffuser cap for my shoe mount Nikon SB24 flash...Cool.

Just fit the plastic lens hood to the Summarit and it fits even better! Wow.

That only took about an hour and a half including painting. Will re-do and take my time to get all the cuts smooth, but this is fun. Thanks!