Camera and Coffee

[oftheherd]

Darn, the coffee's cold.

Oftheherd: That looks like a noble warrior of a camera!

LOL. After all it took to get an image on the thread you are right! But while is lasts, that sure is a good coffee if you like aribica coffees. They are strong but not bitter. Usually I just use a sweetener like Nutra Sweet, but sometimes add some Half and Half.

It is good iced too. Unlike other coffees that imho don't ice well. If you ever get the chance try it. If you don't like it you willl at least know. If you do, you are probably hooked for life.

Bill, I would guess we all knew your Fujica was MF, but after all, it is just a Fujica, and we still love ya. 😀

Actually, I own a couple of Fujica ST models. Well actually only one. My daughter has fallen in love with the 801 and I want her to keep using it. I will stick with my 901. Those Fujinon lenses are some of the sharpest in the world!! If the MF lenses kept the good EBC coatings like on the screw mount lenses, it is almost impossible to get flare through them.

 

[bmattock]

LOL. After all it took to get an image on the thread you are right! But while is lasts, that sure is a good coffee if you like aribica coffees. They are strong but not bitter. Usually I just use a sweetener like Nutra Sweet, but sometimes add some Half and Half.

Arabica is the best - and I often prefer Sumatran. Strong does not begin to describe my coffee. If I can put it in a clear glass and see through it when held to the light, something is wrong with it. Like Guinness, you should not be able to see through good coffee. With turbinado sugar - just a touch.

It is good iced too. Unlike other coffees that imho don't ice well. If you ever get the chance try it. If you don't like it you willl at least know. If you do, you are probably hooked for life.

Can't stand iced coffee - but I will drink it at room temperature, and even from the pot the day afterwards - makes my wife cringe.

Bill, I would guess we all knew your Fujica was MF, but after all, it is just a Fujica, and we still love ya. 😀

JUST A FUJICA!!! Why, I oughta...(grin).

I was just curious. Were you guys yanking my chain or what? "Oh, I guess nobody has posted any MF cameras here." What? I'm thinking, can they not know that the Big Fuji is MF? Do they think that monster is just a Yashica Lynx on steroids? Am I chopped liver over here?

Actually, I own a couple of Fujica ST models. Well actually only one. My daughter has fallen in love with the 801 and I want her to keep using it. I will stick with my 901. Those Fujinon lenses are some of the sharpest in the world!! If the MF lenses kept the good EBC coatings like on the screw mount lenses, it is almost impossible to get flare through them.

The 100mm lens is very nice on my big Fuji - I don't know if it is EBC coated - not printed on the lens itself, but I have read that it is. Whether it is or not, I do find it one of the sharpest lenses I've ever used, period. I need to get that bad boy in and fixed so I can put it back in regular rotation, especially now that I have the 180mm lens I've never used.

I have had bad luck with the ST series. I have had a couple of ST-605n's, and one ST-705. All had shutter taper problems, which really sucked - I can't fix that on my own! Probably the real reason I eventually plunked down on a Bessaflex - I had these lovely M42 lenses, and wanted ONE decent M42 body with TTL metering that worked correctly. My Vivitar SL/400 is nice also, but big and heavy.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[oftheherd]

I'm really sorry to hear of your problems with the earlier ST series. I really don't know anything much about them. The 801 and 901 were probably the best they ever made. My ST901 is 30 years old and still takes great photos. The 801 would be older, and I am not the original owner. They always held their value, perhaps even more than the 901's, probably due to the 2000 speed shutter, even though the 901 had AP auto-exposure. The AZ-1 didn't seem to have the build quality of the 801 and 901, but had auto-exposure and a dedicated flash. The bayonet mount series was too little to late, and only the 3 seemed to have best build quality. If you can find a 901 in good shape, even on eb*y (with a good return policy) I would recommend it based on my experience.

How do you like the Bessa with those lenses? I would definately recommend the Fujinon (not the Fujinars which weren't as good) lenses on any camera that they will work with.

EDIT: BTW, the EBC stood for Electron Beam Coating. That is, the coatings were applied by electron beams. If I recall correctly, there were something like 12 or 14 coatings. Many manufacturers used some kind of vacume coating technique. Evidently not as good. Enjoy the use of the MF Fujica, even though it is only 645, not 6x7. 😀

 

[bmattock]

How do you like the Bessa with those lenses? I would definately recommend the Fujinon (not the Fujinars which weren't as good) lenses on any camera that they will work with.

I like the Bessaflex with just about everything I've put on it, my friend! I have been on a small spending spree - by that I mean I try to get vintage lenses on eBay for ten bucks tops. I have a bunch of very nice Super Taks (some of which I've trade for here on RFF, thanks to all trading partners), and some interesting Fujinons and Vivitars and even a lovely Mamiya Sekor Macro 60mm - sweet. I have also been getting rather fond of t-mount Spiratones - nutty old things. Some are actually high-quality, some not so much, but all interesting, and with the t-mount, I can put them on my Canon FD mount cameras as well as my Bessaflex M42. I even have a nice Russian lens in M42 - one. I bought three, but two arrived in tiny pieces in the box from Ukraine. I know people love USSR lenses, but my experience...

EDIT: BTW, the EBC stood for Electron Beam Coating. That is, the coatings were applied by electron beams. If I recall correctly, there were something like 12 or 14 coatings. Many manufacturers used some kind of vacume coating technique. Evidently not as good. Enjoy the use of the MF Fujica, even though it is only 645, not 6x7. 😀

HEY! Big Fuji is 6x9, not 645! I like the BIG frame! 6x7 is for wimps! You knew that, are you trying to wind me up? (grin) Go ahead, poke the bear with a stick!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Pherdinand]

Eventually, electron beam coating is also done in vacuum. There's a "target", that is, a piece of high purity material of the kind they want to use for coating; then an electron beam is used to bombard the surface of the target and evaporate the material in atomic/molecular form. Which will then fly around and hit the glass surface and stuck on it. This method is controllable down to tenths of nanometers of coating thickness. Plus, it's very pure and flat, the coating created - provided it's done in vacuum where there are no oxygen, nitrogen and other contaminants to build into the deposited thin layer.
Other options are "sputtering" of the target material by argon or other inert gasses which are ionized (plasma) and accelerated, "heated" with electric fields, etcetera.

The EBC method is not unique to Fuji - although with photographic coatings it is - it's one of the deposition methods of thin layers for some years already. Electronic chips, thin layer sensors, data recording media, lately hard-disk heads (based on GMR, giant magnetoresistance effect) are made this way - using, instead of the lens surface, other substrates like mostly atomically flat silicium, glass or gallium arsenide wafers.

Sorry for the off-topic blah blah🙂

 

[bmattock]

Fascinating information, I didn't know all that detail - very cool!

Thanks,

Bill Mattocks

 

[StuartR]

Bill, I think our old G690 lenses are either single coated or uncoated....they do not have the multicoated look to them...also, Dante seems to have the 100/3.5 AE lens as being EBC coated...since he mentions it especially, I assume it means all others are uncoated...I have never had a problem with flare though...

 

[peter_n]

Actually what I said was:

I don't remember seeing many MF rangefinders in this thread either. Anyone here got a Bronica RF645? If so do you like it?

And I was including your Fuji, Bill. No Bronica owners by the looks of it though... 🙁

 

[rover]

I believe Doug has a Bronica which he loves. Check out his gallery, most shots are from this camera.

 

[Doug]

Peter, yes, I have been giving my Bronica RF645 a lot of exercise, as seen in my RFF gallery. It's a very solid and useful camera with a great RF and ergonomics, excellent lenses. It also does not scare the natives. 😉

 

[denishr]

Camera, coffee and...

Camera, coffee and...

I love mechanical, not electronic, devices...
Although I cheated - the clock has battery-powered mechanism... 🙂
Anyway, a nice addition.

 

[Pherdinand]

that red soft release is just so funky! 🙂 I want one for my contax! Or, is it only for Leicas?

 

[FrankS]

Yep, only for Leica. Sorry, man.

 

[Pherdinand]

OK then, i'll have to buy a Leica for that red funky soft-release, cannot live without.

 

[denishr]

Sheesh, Pherdi, no sweat.
If I had a spare one, I'd send it right away.
But, then you'd have to get a Leica 😀
Seriously, those are "softies" - and I got a couple from a guy on p.net some time ago. They're made by Tom Abrahamsson - http://www.rapidwinder.com.
There's another you can use - a Nikon-made one, and probably easier to get from a better camera store... Remove the "Nikon" lettering on top, or just spray-paint it in red. Same thing 🙂

Denis

 

[former member]

That is one Good Looking Camera!!!

Took the L1 out today with the Summarit on it. Solid, Nice little user; but not as quiet as the M3 and the finder is not as bright. The lens does mount on it without trouble, the Summarit is a big lens and the focus knob almost hits the slow speed dial as you screw it in.

 

[Gordon Coale]

My Russian troika. Two lenses arrived in the last two days. The Zorki 6 on the left has the first of the two lenses -- a mint Jupiter 8 I bought from Soviet Camera Store. It's beautiful. The second lens I recieved was a pretty Jupiter 12 that's on the FED 2 (previously Joe's FED.) It took almost two months to get here. (It went to Italy first. It's a long story.) I did a test roll today with the two lenses. I hope the results are as nice as the lenses look.

I'm still fiddling with the bodies. The lens flange to film plane distance was off on both FEDS. I hope to have that adjusted soon. The Zorki had shutter problems at high speeds. I think it was an over tensed second shutter. I adjusted it and it seems to be working better. I tested the Jupiters on the Zorki so I will find out how successful my first shutter tensioning was when I get that test roll back.

 

[oftheherd]

Gordon, love that multi-frame turret viewfinder you have there. Just saw one of those sell on Eb*y not so long ago. Also note you have both a Universal and a Super 23. Did you get the Universal to use specific accessories on, such as the Polaroid back, or the Super 23 for the bellows back?

I just scored a 150mm lens for mine. Actually, that, as well as another Super 23, and a 100mm lens, as well as an old film pack holder and flash holder. Both lenses are older I guess as the 100mm has what looks like a very small filter size, not the 55mm filter size of my original. The 150mm also, but it came with a lens hood. I will try to post photos soon.

I was surprised at how light the 150mm is. Not a lot of glass there. Its shutter speeds seem right, but not the 100mm. It is quite slow and sometimes needs help in just firing at all. Pesumably gunked up.

 

[jdos2]

I just scored a 150mm lens for mine. Actually, that, as well as another Super 23, and a 100mm lens, as well as an old film pack holder and flash holder. Both lenses are older I guess as the 100mm has what looks like a very small filter size, not the 55mm filter size of my original. The 150mm also, but it came with a lens hood. I will try to post photos soon.

[/B]

The Chrome Universal lenses (150mm, 100mm, 90mm, and the 65mm) as I remember, all used the 43mm filters, just like the Nikon 50mm F/1.4 of rangefinder fame...

 

[Roman]

A friend lent me his digi-cam today to shoot some pics of stuff I intend to sell on Ebay - so of course I also had to make some shots for the 'Camera and Coffee' thread, finally.
BTW, this digi thingy (Nikon Coolpix 4300) just showed me again why I love convential cameras - it's almost impossible to get people snaps with it: once you pressed the shutter button, you can safely go for a beer or two, and still return in time for the picture to be taken, due to shutter lag...
Picture shows my Yashica RFs (MG-1, Electro 35 and Minister), and an SLR (TL-Electro) trying to be unnoticed in the crowd.

Roman