Philippines Filipino RF users!!!

Bernard, welcome! :)

Ray, Rodinal was last readily available here in the 1960s, courtesy of Botica Boie. They distributed Agfa, Agfacolor and even Leica (owner was from the family of the 'Ang Tibay' shoe fame). My mom worked there in the early 60s, and she said they had these and the Leica....I still kept asking her why she didn't buy any Leica- I'm sure
they had employee's discounts then. She said she didn't have any idea then that about a decade later she'd bore a Leica/RF freak.. :D

In the late 1980s, Photokina, Agfa's later distributor said they had Rodinal, but I never saw it in their shops- only Agfapan. My Rodinal had been sent from abroad. Some German email-pals sent me a 1 litre bottle...this should last some time.

Kat- Colpan is the Chinese film available in Hidalgo. But I don't want to advertise Columbia. Lucky is no longer available here. BTW, a friend now stationed in Shanghai China said that it's not easy to find Lucky film there too.

Wam, as ray_g said, go to the post about the RFF contest by JOrge ("big cheese") for the rules, post the pics at the RFF contest gallery (click at the bottom of the gallery homepage). Max of three pics.


Jay
 
ZorkiKat said:
Bernard, welcome! :)

Ray, Rodinal was last readily available here in the 1960s, courtesy of Botica Boie. They distributed Agfa, Agfacolor and even Leica (owner was from the family of the 'Ang Tibay' shoe fame).
Click to expand...


Ooops, I meant 'Botica de Sta Cruz'. Speaking of this firm. I stumbled into something INTERESTING whilst foraging through eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7586836162&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

It's a reprint of a 1930 Leica instruction booklet. If you scroll down the eBay page and look at the enlarged photo, you'll be able to read at the bottom of the reproduced cover the addresses of Leitz's US offices. The third line reads, "Philippine Islands: Botica de Santa Cruz, Manila PI"....we already had Leicas 5 or 6 years after it debuted! :cool:
 
ZorkiKat said:
Bernard, welcome! :)
Ray, Rodinal was last readily available here in the 1960s, courtesy of Botica Boie. They distributed Agfa, Agfacolor and even Leica (owner was from the family of the 'Ang Tibay' shoe fame). My mom worked there in the early 60s, and she said they had these and the Leica....I still kept asking her why she didn't buy any Leica- I'm sure
they had employee's discounts then. She said she didn't have any idea then that about a decade later she'd bore a Leica/RF freak.. :D
Jay
Click to expand...

I can confirm this an older friend of the family got a Leica as a graduation present in the late 50s and it came from Botica Boie.

On another note, wasn't Island Photo the Leica distributor in the 90s? My buddies got their M6s and lenses from them when they closed out inventory. Is there a current Leica distributor there?

Joseph
 
ZorkiKat said:
Kat- Colpan is the Chinese film available in Hidalgo. But I don't want to advertise Columbia. Lucky is no longer available here. BTW, a friend now stationed in Shanghai China said that it's not easy to find Lucky film there too.
Click to expand...

Hi Sir Jay,

I tried to google LuckyPan and couldn't find any dealers here din. I was thinking that it may have been repackaged. Adorama usually have their own products (bags, monopods etc) made in China and sells its own brand of film. The film costs around $2. Hmmm...It may be worth a try.

-annie
 
ZorkiKat said:
Ooops, I meant 'Botica de Sta Cruz'. Speaking of this firm. I stumbled into something INTERESTING whilst foraging through eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7586836162&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

It's a reprint of a 1930 Leica instruction booklet. If you scroll down the eBay page and look at the enlarged photo, you'll be able to read at the bottom of the reproduced cover the addresses of Leitz's US offices. The third line reads, "Philippine Islands: Botica de Santa Cruz, Manila PI"....we already had Leicas 5 or 6 years after it debuted! :cool:
Click to expand...

Sir Jay,

O buy, buy, buy!!! :D

Wow, those were the days. :cool:

I wonder if estate sales are 'in' in Manila. Maybe there are some heirs willing to let go of their grandpa's Leica/RF camera.

-annie
 
retrocam said:
Sir Jay,

O buy, buy, buy!!! :D

Wow, those were the days. :cool:

I wonder if estate sales are 'in' in Manila. Maybe there are some heirs willing to let go of their grandpa's Leica/RF camera.

-annie
Click to expand...


These Leicas may be gone now. Sometime in the mid to late 1980s, "dealers" were buying Leicas left and right and siphoned them off to Hongkong or Japan. eh btw, drop the 'sir' thingie....magkaedad lang ba tayo? hehehe. :D
 
There are actually TWO bridges between Cebu proper and Mactan now! When I was there there was only one bridge and the traffic was so bad that I could walk across much faster than drive it. I frequently rode my bicycle out to Mactan, including the beach with the statue of Lapu Lapu. There was a good seafood restaurant there (Way Problema?). I spent a lot of time on the Mactan beaches, but I think my favorite was up on Bantayan island just north of Cebu, the ferry left from San Remigio. You had to walk on a plank over the water to board the boat, but the white sand and lack of people was worth it! I also used to ride up to Tops (through Lahug), but I was much thinner and faster on my bicycle in those days. My favorite ride was down to Carcar for their famous ampao. The first time I went I called it "opao" and everyone laughed. Are there any camera shops in Cebu now? Do they sell anything besides Japanese SLRs?
 
dgray said:
There are actually TWO bridges between Cebu proper and Mactan now! When I was there there was only one bridge and the traffic was so bad that I could walk across much faster than drive it. I frequently rode my bicycle out to Mactan, including the beach with the statue of Lapu Lapu. There was a good seafood restaurant there (Way Problema?). I spent a lot of time on the Mactan beaches, but I think my favorite was up on Bantayan island just north of Cebu, the ferry left from San Remigio. You had to walk on a plank over the water to board the boat, but the white sand and lack of people was worth it! I also used to ride up to Tops (through Lahug), but I was much thinner and faster on my bicycle in those days. My favorite ride was down to Carcar for their famous ampao. The first time I went I called it "opao" and everyone laughed. Are there any camera shops in Cebu now? Do they sell anything besides Japanese SLRs?
Click to expand...

Now that you mention it, I believe my wife said there are now two bridges between Cebu and Mactan. I believe the original bridge began somewhere in the area where the San Miguel bottling plant was located.

I have a number of pictures of the statue of King LapuLapu and will try to find them one of these days. The best beaches when I was there were on the other side of the island. There were two....... Maribago and Marigondon. I'm sure my spelling isn't correct. My wife and I spent our Honeymoon at Talisi, not far South of the city of Cebu. It was also the invasion beach when MacArthur re-took Cebu. The sand is brown but it's very nice there.

As I recall, there was (and may still be) a municipal airport at Lahug. It was pretty well isolated in those days but the area has since built up back into the hills behind the city.

There was a really nice nightclub just North of the city high on a hill that overlooked everything. It was called "The Other Place" and it was so beautiful at night sitting on the veranda with a cold San Miguel. A nice breeze and the view was spectacular. I don't think it's there any longer.

Walker
 
Jay, Annie, thanks for the info!

Walker, the airport is just behind our house. We used to have a lot of noise due to student planes flying very very low over our house, and some parachute folks jumping in our area. It closed down, though, and later on it became the Waterfront Casino and Hotel. Now we hear from our house "Paging, owner of car with license number XXX..." as their carpark is facing us, LOL.

The other side of the runway is now "The Village," a strip of restos for nightlife. I'm not sure about "the Other Place," but I think people still go to Tops for the city view at night.

I agree, Maribago Bluewaters is one of the best.:)

As for camera shops, last time I was in Cebu about two years ago I still wasn't really into RFs, so I never looked...
 
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ZorkiKat said:
These Leicas may be gone now. Sometime in the mid to late 1980s, "dealers" were buying Leicas left and right and siphoned them off to Hongkong or Japan. eh btw, drop the 'sir' thingie....magkaedad lang ba tayo? hehehe. :D
Click to expand...

Jay (ayan na po :p ),

Ay ganun...What type of Leicas were those? M3's and earlier or newer? Tapos KEH here gets some of their used stock from Japan. I got my M6 (my first Leica) from KEH, like new and still in the box. I think it's from circa 1986. Some collector must have gotten rid of it. Well I hope it wasn't stolen property. Sad to say, KEH doesn't carry Russian lenses. I still have to write to Fedka pala.

There's this M3 double-stroke that I'm looking into at KEH. The body has minor dings but rangefinder is described as dim. Minor fix lang ba 'yun?

One more thing, what are the characteristics of the Solid Gold colour film? Is it on the lighter side or very saturated type? You know, I tend to like extremes when it comes to colour. Sometimes, I like the 50's type - the pale, pastel type which I have no idea how to bring about. Siguro these days you can only do that with PS or Mystical Tint and Tone (bleach). Sometimes I like the saturated kind which I get from the Kodak UC.

The 'sir' thingie...almost everybody calls you sir at the other forum because of your expertise. ;) I can't just break tradition...:D Magkaedad tayo? Do you know/remember Felix Guinto or Jane Zamora from UST? Ka-batch ba kayo? They have their own photography business na rin, btw. But as far as I am concerned, forever 21 ako...hehehe ;)

-annie
 
Cebu...cebu...haven't been there. I wish I could go there during the Sinulog Festival. I hear it's an amazing event. :D

I am also interested in a town called Tabogon in Cebu. Have you been there? What's it like?

-annie
 
Kat said:
Jay, Annie, thanks for the info!

Walker, the airport is just behind our house. We used to have a lot of noise due to student planes flying very very low over our house, and some parachute folks jumping in our area. It closed down, though, and later on it became the Waterfront Casino and Hotel. Now we hear from our house "Paging, owner of car with license number XXX..." as their carpark is facing us, LOL.

The other side of the runway is now "The Village," a strip of restos for nightlife. I'm not sure about "the Other Place," but I think people still go to Tops for the city view at night.

I agree, Maribago Bluewaters is one of the best.:)

As for camera shops, last time I was in Cebu about two years ago I still wasn't really into RFs, so I never looked...
Click to expand...

Hi Kat,

I'd asked my wife last night about Lahug Airport and she said it was closed and a casino had been built there. Tops may be in the same place or area as the old "The Other Place". I used to like the food at a resturant called "Town and Country" which was near the Capitol building. There was also a nice resturant run by an American called "Eddie's Log Cabin" but I imagine it's long gone too. There were some really fine places to eat in Cebu and I'm sure there still are. I loved the food.

My wife tells me that she saw a camera store piled high with old cameras but she isn't familiar with my cameras so she didn't really look. It may be worth visiting next time you're there. It's in the center of town area.

Walker
 
retrocam said:
Jay (ayan na po :p ),

Ay ganun...What type of Leicas were those? M3's and earlier or newer? Tapos KEH here gets some of their used stock from Japan. I got my M6 (my first Leica) from KEH, like new and still in the box. I think it's from circa 1986. Some collector must have gotten rid of it. Well I hope it wasn't stolen property. Sad to say, KEH doesn't carry Russian lenses. I still have to write to Fedka pala.

There's this M3 double-stroke that I'm looking into at KEH. The body has minor dings but rangefinder is described as dim. Minor fix lang ba 'yun?

One more thing, what are the characteristics of the Solid Gold colour film? Is it on the lighter side or very saturated type? You know, I tend to like extremes when it comes to colour. Sometimes, I like the 50's type - the pale, pastel type which I have no idea how to bring about. Siguro these days you can only do that with PS or Mystical Tint and Tone (bleach). Sometimes I like the saturated kind which I get from the Kodak UC.

The 'sir' thingie...almost everybody calls you sir at the other forum because of your expertise. ;) I can't just break tradition...:D Magkaedad tayo? Do you know/remember Felix Guinto or Jane Zamora from UST? Ka-batch ba kayo? They have their own photography business na rin, btw. But as far as I am concerned, forever 21 ako...hehehe ;)

-annie
Click to expand...

Annie

The Leicas which flew away were the classic types. It was hard to find anything more recent than the M3 here. There were a lot of the III-series as well as M3s. These were the Leicas which were used by everyone from serious snapshooters to photojournalists and wedding photographers, and yes, even photographers in Luneta! However, when the cheaper Japanese SLRs (blame Pentax Spotmatic, and the Nikon F! :)) were introduced, local photogs abandoned their Leicas (including a number of Canon RFs) in favour of the new reflex cameras. Same could be said of what happened to Rolleiflexes.

The M4s could be found with some photojournalists and some rich hobbyists, but hardly with working pros.

Re: Solid Gold film, it's really rebadged Mitsubishi colour print film. Think of the store branded films you have there from Walgreens or K-mart. Ganun din yun. Solidgold has less saturation than the top-drawer films. So if you like pastel or less punchy hues, you might like Solid Gold. It will process easily in any 1 hour lab there. They might however find it strange to print. Its printing channel is likely different from the films you normally find there.

The names you mentioned from UST do sound familiar... :)

Jay
 
ZorkiKat said:
Annie

The Leicas which flew away were the classic types. It was hard to find anything more recent than the M3 here. There were a lot of the III-series as well as M3s. These were the Leicas which were used by everyone from serious snapshooters to photojournalists and wedding photographers, and yes, even photographers in Luneta! However, when the cheaper Japanese SLRs (blame Pentax Spotmatic, and the Nikon F! :)) were introduced, local photogs abandoned their Leicas (including a number of Canon RFs) in favour of the new reflex cameras. Same could be said of what happened to Rolleiflexes.

The M4s could be found with some photojournalists and some rich hobbyists, but hardly with working pros.

Re: Solid Gold film, it's really rebadged Mitsubishi colour print film. Think of the store branded films you have there from Walgreens or K-mart. Ganun din yun. Solidgold has less saturation than the top-drawer films. So if you like pastel or less punchy hues, you might like Solid Gold. It will process easily in any 1 hour lab there. They might however find it strange to print. Its printing channel is likely different from the films you normally find there.

The names you mentioned from UST do sound familiar... :)

Jay
Click to expand...

Thanks Jay.

Sayang that I didn't get to peek into the Hidalgo stores while there and see if there are Leica accessories left man lang.

I never did try store-brand films here. I think I saw the Mitsubishi brand and thought it was weird - kotse tsaka electric fan lang kse ang alam kong Mitsubishi. :D Thanks sa info.

Felix and Jane are my sister's in-laws...:)

-annie
 
Tobogon? Sounds a little familiar, but I'm afraid I've never been there. I'm a city girl:D

Walker, does your wife remember where the shop was? Was it downtown? Sounds exciting! One thing about Cebu is that people like good food, and don't want to spend a lot of money for it. So there's still many restos popping up with good, cheap food.:)
 
retrocam said:
I got my M6 (my first Leica) from KEH, like new and still in the box. I think it's from circa 1986. Some collector must have gotten rid of it. Well I hope it wasn't stolen property. Sad to say, KEH doesn't carry Russian lenses. I still have to write to Fedka pala.
Click to expand...
pardon my ignorance, but who, where, or what is KEH? whatever it is, i'm sure i'll be contacting it soon....hehehehehe. :p
 
wamjam said:
pardon my ignorance, but who, where, or what is KEH? whatever it is, i'm sure i'll be contacting it soon....hehehehehe. :p
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I am not sure if KEH ships outside the US though.

Their grading system is okay. I usually get those with grades EX and up. A bit expensive compared to auction sites but they are very reliable. I haven't been disappointed with the used products I got from them.

-annie
 
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