Philippines Filipino RF users!!!

[eddie con]

welcome

welcome

boy! i almost posted some repartees to this thread but since i saw your post, i decided to forego.
this is good news! welcome to the group.
was it the RD1 or the M6? and what lenses did you get? you were leaning towards RD1 last time i heard from you.
looking forward to your gallery. (i will be going to hong kong end of the month and that gallery might just point the way of my purchasing behavior. so give me your best). just kidding, partly.
have fun.

 

[d_e]

Got an R-D1s with luigi case, and searching for the lenses I found somebody who was disposing his leica set- M6 black .85, M4-2, Summicron 90, Summicron 35, and Elmarit-M 21 ASPH so I got it. I am happy with the R-D1s so I might sell the two film bodies to finance more lenses

 

[eddie con]

congrats

congrats

ditoy,
that is bad GAS! it hit you hard!!! congrats!!!
the lenses you have are perfect. you wont need anything more. save for a noctilux perhaps. dont sell the leica bodies. you will regret it.

 

[ZorkiKat]

rangefinders in manila?

rangefinders in manila?

Updating the list:



Hello to this list, and I am officially signing up! After 2 weeks of researching and looking all through out Manila, I was able to get my rangefinders! (It might be an overkill kit for a newbie but surely I will dispose some of it soon) I am excited about learning a lot from the forum.

Were you able to find some at all? I haven't been to Hidalgo for more than 3 months now, but last time I checked, the only RF there were mostly Japanese fixed-lens types of the 60s-70s. There had been a non-working Contax III there, but it was way overpriced (for its cost, you could get 5 working 1950s Kiev III of similar quality). The second-hand shops here sell at outrageous junkers at equally outrageous prices.

In one shop (I believe it's still there) lay one badly mutilated Leica II. Obviously the shop's repairists couldn't put it back. I volunteered to "show" them how, but was rudely dismissed. Heard whilst leaving was something to this effect: [to the tech in the back] "Will you tell this guy [me] that it's a special Leica and it's supposed to be like that?"

BTW, how is the RD-1? Has its price (in HK) gone down yet?

Jay

 

[ZorkiKat]

Dahil dyan sa avatar mo...

I was assuming that Yuri has sent you a note or something aside from reading my post.

Isa lang ako sa lumalaking tribo... Speaking of tribo, TKP is quiet these days. Natuloy ba kayo sa BW development sessions?

Pinoy RFF members,

Nagkita-kita na ba kayo sa Manila or QC? It would be great if you guys go on a walkabout or something!

Annie

Believe it or not, I think I got bumped off my own group! I'm listed there using my old, problematic edsamail email. I have to fix it to be able to access TKP again.

For same reason, Yuri may not be able to email me at all. He still has my old email address.

No recent activities for Manila RFers yet. Though we did have a film developing session a few months back.

Jay

 

[retrocam]

Got an R-D1s with luigi case, and searching for the lenses I found somebody who was disposing his leica set- M6 black .85, M4-2, Summicron 90, Summicron 35, and Elmarit-M 21 ASPH so I got it. I am happy with the R-D1s so I might sell the two film bodies to finance more lenses

Hi Ditoy (d_e),

Congrats on your recent purchase. Suggestion ko lang, please keep at least one of the M-film bodies. Like what Eddie says, you won't regret it. You may realize that the look that you're going for is not just because of the lens but it's because of the film and lens combination.

 

[retrocam]

Annie

Believe it or not, I think I got bumped off my own group! I'm listed there using my old, problematic edsamail email. I have to fix it to be able to access TKP again.

For same reason, Yuri may not be able to email me at all. He still has my old email address.

No recent activities for Manila RFers yet. Though we did have a film developing session a few months back.

Jay

Jay,

There are new members in TKP. I'll forward the recent request for film developing sessions to you. I hope you can access TKP soon...so the new members won't lose interest in Film and BW. Why not create a new yahoo account or use an existing one?

Sorry to hear about your recent Hidalgo experience. You might be better off with your suki in *bay or something. I recently purchased some items (Kiev II's and lenses) from Yuri.

 

[d_e]

Hi guys, I called up most of the stores in hidalgo and they don't have any Leica stuff and compatilbe M lenses anymore. I found my stuff from various people I found off the forums.

I agree that it's best to keep the film bodies, but my initial investment was too much ubos na savings ko! hehehe so have to sell at least the 2 bodies (M6 black .85 and M4-2) and I have zero experience with film. The lenses I can keep, specially the 21 Elmarit-M ASPH which has proven to be a killer lens on the RD1s. (just don't have the right viewfinder for it yet) I am also planning to purchase a CV 50 1.5 Nokton, to be my indoor portrait lens. Anybody in the Filipino community wants to trade-up for one of my film bodies?

 

[ZorkiKat]

Hi guys, I called up most of the stores in hidalgo and they don't have any Leica stuff and compatilbe M lenses anymore. I found my stuff from various people I found off the forums.

Leica and M lenses were recently represented (don't know if they still do) by Island Photo. Otherwise, some stray items could sometimes be found in the second hand shops there. Looking for Leica gear in Hidalgo -or anywhere in the Phils for that matter- is like looking for phonograph steel needles in a CD store

So how much to RD1s cost now? Are they still to be found in HK?

Jay

 

[wamjam]

Leica and M lenses were recently represented (don't know if they still do) by Island Photo. Otherwise, some stray items could sometimes be found in the second hand shops there. Looking for Leica gear in Hidalgo -or anywhere in the Phils for that matter- is like looking for phonograph steel needles in a CD store

So how much to RD1s cost now? Are they still to be found in HK?

Jay

i believe Island Photo only carries R bodies and lenses...at least the one here in Gamboa branch, makati.

jay, we should have a blog about experiences in hidalgo...especially with regards to the second hand camera stores.

 

[Kat]

jay, we should have a blog about experiences in hidalgo...especially with regards to the second hand camera stores.

oh, god. I just an encountered another very rude seller a while back when I asked about the "dust" inside a lens which I now suspect was fungus. But I thought they only did it to people they don't know, not jay.

 

[wamjam]

saw a Bessa T that's being sold for 15k...with lens. but they said i cant touch it unless i buy it. :bang:

 

[retrocam]

saw a Bessa T that's being sold for 15k...with lens. but they said i cant touch it unless i buy it. :bang:

It's similar to the experience we had in HK when my sister was buying her Canon P&S. My sister bought it on the agreement that she'll be testing it right there and then, and if there are any problems the salesperson will have to exchange it or refund her money back.

It would be a good idea to create a blog about your Hidalgo trips and rant about the vendors there with the hope that those vendors will shape up.

I have my own pilgrimage here...sa Englewood naman. The vendors are quite friendly and they let me take some gear home for testing.

 

[ZorkiKat]

It would be a good idea to create a blog about your Hidalgo trips and rant about the vendors there with the hope that those vendors will shape up.

Made a quick trip to Hidalgo today to pick up some batteries. It's now confirmed: no more BW! Colpan is gone and so is long-roll TriX.

Saw a lot of ancient cameras, including wooden studio cameras. Shelves were filled with late-model Film slrs. In the shops, people were either buying some digital camera peripheral (memory cards, batteries) if not digital cameras. The printers were making prints from digital files. I did find some "pro" (low priced though) 35mm colour negative film from Kodak and Fuji.

Jay

 

[retrocam]

Made a quick trip to Hidalgo today to pick up some batteries. It's now confirmed: no more BW! Colpan is gone and so is long-roll TriX.

Jay

Maybe, the would-be attendees of your BW Film Development workshop all marched to Hidalgo and got all the BW. Maybe because it's Christmas soon (heavy wedding period for Pinas) a wedding photog hoarded BW films for classic-looking wedding pics. Maybe it's just a sad coincidence. Maybe, maybe....

Did you ask if they are going to re-fill their stock of BW film? Aren't fine arts departments in Pinas supporting BW? Where do the fine art photogs in Pinas get their BW film then?

Thanks for the heads-up. Actually, I was planning to send bulk loading materials to my sister next year so I wouldn't have to bring lots of film in my carry-on luggage. BTW, I sent you an email about this in your yahoo account. Please check it out.

 

[eddie con]

i was in hidalgo two months ago. the only b/w films were at the island photo. and they only have kodak tmx 100 films for Php240 @ (exclusive of vat). and even that is gone now?

 

[ZorkiKat]

Maybe, the would-be attendees of your BW Film Development workshop all marched to Hidalgo and got all the BW. Maybe because it's Christmas soon (heavy wedding period for Pinas) a wedding photog hoarded BW films for classic-looking wedding pics. Maybe it's just a sad coincidence. Maybe, maybe....

Did you ask if they are going to re-fill their stock of BW film? Aren't fine arts departments in Pinas supporting BW? Where do the fine art photogs in Pinas get their BW film then?

Thanks for the heads-up. Actually, I was planning to send bulk loading materials to my sister next year so I wouldn't have to bring lots of film in my carry-on luggage. BTW, I sent you an email about this in your yahoo account. Please check it out.

Hi Annie

I read your email and sent you a reply.

I hope that the case is exactly as you described. But I did ask Columbia (which distributed Colpan) if they were going to restock. Their reply was no. It seems that their stocks of Chinese BW film from which Colpan was respooled was gone. Perhaps the factory which made it was already gone, or it was probably Columbia is no longer interested in selling bW. Their (assumed) main consumers for this BW film was the low-end ID photographers. Since most ID photographers were now using colour - or more likely, have gone digital - they saw the market to be dead. They forgot the academic users. In school today, I had to assign shoots using the still available colour negative films, instead of the usual BW. I would assume that the other schools would also be doing the same for now.

I also asked Island if they were going to have stocks of long-roll Tri-X as well.
They said that it wasn't likely as well. They have placed orders, and would have it ONLY if Kodak would supply them. The situation seems rather bleak.

Jay

 

[ZorkiKat]

i was in hidalgo two months ago. the only b/w films were at the island photo. and they only have kodak tmx 100 films for Php240 @ (exclusive of vat). and even that is gone now?

I didn't see any yellow&grey boxes on the shelves today. Perhaps I wasn't looking. P240/roll is a bit steep, considering that it used to be possible to get 5 or 6 Colpan rolls for that amount. Besides, I don't like Tmax. I find it too fine. I prefer something grittier, with more character, with more 'kick'. Tmax seems too clean for me. The main reason why I still shoot film is for the random textures which arise from the many chemical reactions which take place between exposure and development.

Tmax for me just doesn't have "balls" If I wanted something that's clean and clear and fine, I could probably do better with digital :angel:

Jay

 

[Kat]

Yeah, I asked a hidalgo store owner about B&W, and he said that wala na stock ng Colpan, while the branded films are just too expensive (kahit yung acquisition cost nila). Anyone up for bulk-loading, or group ordering online? hehehe! I've had my eye on the Arista Ultra Edu over at Freestyle for a while now, and Jay seems to have had nice results with it, but I don't use too much black and white, actually.

 

[retrocam]

Hi Annie

I read your email and sent you a reply.

I hope that the case is exactly as you described. Jay

Almost. Please confirm na lang yung list in my reply.

Kat,

Arista Edu Ultra = Fomapan. It's good.