Bonehead mistake # ...

[oftheherd]

Two weeks ago I went to the local farmer's market for any photo opsI might find. I decided to take my Super Press 23 and decided to use my 150mm lens. It has been too long since I used that gear for all that I always liked it.

Today was the first chance I had to develop the roll. Imagine my surprise when I popped it out of the can and found it blank! It wasn't the development as the kodak markings were fine along the sides of the film. I know for a fact I removed the lens cover before taking any photos.

The Super Press 23 is a system camera that has interchangable lenses and backs. The only thing I don't remember being careful to do was remove the dark slide from the back. AAAaarrrrrhhh!

I need to start using that camera more to prevent that from being a problem. You have to set up a work flow of ensuring you do certain things... remove the lens cap, remove the dark slide (remember to put it back in before removing the back), cock the shutter before you focus and compose so you can snap the picture as soon as you see it.

It gets to be second nature when you train yourself to do it. But after a lot of disuse, darned if you don't forget.

 

[Solinar]

You are not alone. A friend of mine shot a wedding with the dark slide push in on his Mamiya.

 

[oftheherd]

You are not alone. A friend of mine shot a wedding with the dark slide push in on his Mamiya.

Ouch! I can only imagine.

 

[Finder]

I had a friend who was having a real problem with exposures with his 4x5 camera. He had to expose 6 or 7 stops more than the speed indicated just to get an image. The images too were rather soft. I asked to go through what he had been doing from the beginning with loading the holder. He picked up the sheet film with his left hand placing his index finger on the film notch...

Well, it was nice to know the anti-halation backing was doing its job. His exposures were much better after he started putting the emulsion side to the front as well.

 

[Scarpia]

Ah, the dark side of the dark slide!
Kurt M.

 

[Burlap Jacket]

You are not alone. A friend of mine shot a wedding with the dark slide push in on his Mamiya.

My M645 Super wouldn't let me shoot with the darkslide in place. Same goes for the 501cm. I'd consider that a design flaw if the camera lets you shoot with the slide in place... seeing as we all forget to remove it.

 

[Thardy]

There was a thread on APUG about a Mamiya RZ allowing a photographer to shoot with dark slide in. The problem is that it is designed to prevent that from happening.

 

[rpsawin]

Join the club. It's happened to me so often that I panic thinking my camera is jammed. Then I remember...so all my backs have a label on them:

DARK SLIDE!!!

lol...it works.

Bob

 

[Finder]

You can always cut the center out of the dark slide to prevent it from happening again.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

The biggest mistake I ever heard was: "I left the camera on the park bench and when I came back for it...it was gone!" No big surprise there.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

Or, how about the people who drive off with the cameras left on top of their cars. You just lost a roll of film. How about the guy that tried to change lenses on a Nikonos while diving!

 

[oftheherd]

You can always cut the center out of the dark slide to prevent it from happening again.

Now why didn't I think of that? 😀 😀

 

[oftheherd]

My M645 Super wouldn't let me shoot with the darkslide in place. Same goes for the 501cm. I'd consider that a design flaw if the camera lets you shoot with the slide in place... seeing as we all forget to remove it.

I don't know about a design flaw so much as a difference in design pholosophy. It wasn't done on plate and sheet film cameras either. We are supposed to know better. I do know better. I just pulled a bone head mistake. I wasn't following my of work flow habit as it had been too long. I don't think I will do it again for a while. (I hope 😀 😀) Mind you, I would not complain at this point if I had that feature on my Super Press 23.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Keeping the lens cap on,
Leaving in the darkslide,
Not opening the focalplane shutter,

yep...been there, done that. 😉

 

[smiling gecko]

...oops, making an exposure before fully extending the lens mount on my mamiya6...aarrgghh!!

breathe, relax, and enjoy!!

kenneth
NEVER FORGET BESLAN
www.neverforgetbeslan.org

 

[pvdhaar]

..How about the guy that tried to change lenses on a Nikonos while diving!

I never understood why Nikon didn't just design it that way.. No seals, no electric contacts.. Just a mechanical camera who'se glass is recomputed for the breaking index of water, and flood it complete with film and all. Now that's an underwater camera.. 😎

 

[oftheherd]

...oops, making an exposure before fully extending the lens mount on my mamiya6...aarrgghh!!

breathe, relax, and enjoy!!

kenneth
NEVER FORGET BESLAN
www.neverforgetbeslan.org

Yep, that's also possible on the 23. It has that feature for using the bellows back. Of course I would never have made that mistake. At least not more than twice ... three times? Oh well. 😀 😀

 

[smiling gecko]

oh yeah??

oh yeah??

oh yeah??

...practice makes perfect i've done it - well, more times than i want to 'fess up to. 😛 😀 😛

...here's another brilliant one: say i focus at 1.8 or 2 meters push the shutter, advance the film and go on my merry way...and then i make a "grab shot" of something out near infinity in a moment of photo reaction. the result: a well exposed, fairly decently composed, OUT OF FOCUS 6x6 print...arrrgghhh!!

after the burning in my ears subsides, i have a chuckle and move along.

breathe, relax, and enjoy!!

kenneth
NEVER FORGET BESLAN
www.neverforgetbeslan.org
www.neverforgetbeslan.com

 

[danwilly]

Putting a roll of film on the reel for developing and then finding out the changing bag was unzipped the whole time. Now that is stupid.

 

[pshinkaw]

The Rapid Omega won't let you operate the shutter with the dark slide in place. However, it will allow you to skip a shot and advance to the next frame unless you pay attention to the tiny gree/red indicator on the back.

I think the Hasselblad's will also prevent the shutter from releasing with the slide in.

-Paul