Philippines Filipino RF users!!!

[nickvesq]

Wam, will check the music stores for Indio I's CDs.

Eddie, thanks for making the effort. Will definitely check those two stores out.

Jay, after sales service is also a concern. I called Sanly, the local Pentax distributor. They sell the K100D for 34k++. I checked some online Hong Kong stores and for a little bit more, I can get a camera kit, an extra lens, a bag and a 1GB card. I will decide when I get to HK. You know Wig Tysmans? I know his daughter Patty, who is married to my officemate Luis.

We went through three VW Beetles. The second one was carnapped during the 70s. The third one, a red one, was an all-German model. When I was in college, I used to borrow it from my mom whenever I went home to my parents in Olongapo. It was subsequently bought by a retired American serviceman in the early 90s. I think he got the better part of the deal. I so miss that car. 🙄

 

[nickvesq]

Oh, I forgot. I was able to finally scan my negs. Posted some pics on my flickr site. All taken by my finicky and temperemental LC-A. Please take a look at them if you have the time and give me the brutal truth. As you will notice, I'm having difficulties with zone focusing. 🙁

Thanks.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78406600@N00/

 

[wamjam]

nick. they are not available in stores anymore. i think i am the only one in the band who still has a copy. 😀

alot of my nikon-user friends switched to canon just for the reason of 'after-sales-service'. you should also make sure that if you're gonna get a pentax, they would be able to fix problems later...and probably lend you a service unit.

 

[eddie con]

TIN CHEUNG CAMERA CO. shop 5 friend's house, 6 B carnavon road, tst.
tel 27221265 (they have used cameras on the second floor. queenie, a lovely lady, takes charge of this. when you see her, pls send my regards -- i bought the billingham from her at a hugely discounted price. and checked out her m3s -- the camera, of course -- and was quite disappointed.)
NEW SANKYO CAMERA CO. - tony leung's shop: G19 GOLDEN-MILE HOLIDAY INN, 50 NATHAN ROAD, KOWLOON; but his shop is along mody road, side of holiday inn.
tel 23670350/ 23699491
i did not visit these other shops but you may wish to call them: new francisco tel 23695677; kinephoto (stanley road) tel 25232087; tat shing hong (some call this gray market) tel 23938398.
tony sells the nikon 40d US$650; HK$4900. internet undelivered costs US$600.
and, yup, jay and wam gave good advice there re: aftersales. that is actually my worry with the rds1. i hear bad stories about epson's aftersales. so i am cuddling it like a baby.
nick, i took a look at your album. and, the moonlight scenes are nice. the others are as expected of lomos. weird! it has to grow on you. like fungus. 😀 seriously, i don't know much about lomography to make any assessments. period. but it looks like a fun toy to use and experiment with.
and btw, be careful of scammers in hk. there is a threadful of misadventures with hk photoshops in this forum. also last week, a colleague almost got scammed when the display camera he wanted because of its rockbottom price inadvertently was "out of stock"; he was told after waiting for an hour. in the meantime, the storekeeper was hard-selling a more expensive camera. only HK$200 more, seller says. and my friend had to raise hell just so he could get his credit card back and cancel his order. he even called the police. no response. eventually, he had to call our hong kong host who promptly called the shop. only then did the seller tear the order form and return his credit card.
by the way, better to pay in US dollars. rate of exchange is better. as of last week. good luck and have fun.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Jay, after sales service is also a concern. I called Sanly, the local Pentax distributor. They sell the K100D for 34k++. I checked some online Hong Kong stores and for a little bit more, I can get a camera kit, an extra lens, a bag and a 1GB card. I will decide when I get to HK. You know Wig Tysmans? I know his daughter Patty, who is married to my officemate Luis.

:

Nick

Wig was my teacher. I had been an apprentice of his years ago. I also know Patty and Luis, as well as the other 'wiglets' Tanya and Nash. Of the three, only Nash seems to have taken on the camera bug. She also shoots with a Lomo. I've been cajoling her to grab one of her father's hasselblads and go shoot with it during her class breaks. She's now in college; she was just a toddler when I first knew the Tysmans...ang bilis talaga ng panahon.

Before you make the HK purchase, ask Sanly if they will honour the international warranty (which the HK store would likely give you). For some reason, the distributors here have taken on a very parochial attitude when it comes to warranties. Canon included- but at least they do better after sales service. Columbia really stinks. They can't even offer decent service, and yet they boast of a database which contains the list of cameras sold here and valid for local servicing.

I wouldn't be too tempted with the bags and cards offer. Bags and cards are becoming cheap here now. A 2 Gb SD costs about Php 2400 in Hidalgo. But the extra lens offer is quite hard to ignore. PK AF lenses aren't that common here though the third-party lens distributors may have some of in PK. Another reason to go Canon- more lenses in this mount are to be found here.

Jay

 

[ZorkiKat]

Oh, I forgot. I was able to finally scan my negs. Posted some pics on my flickr site. All taken by my finicky and temperemental LC-A. Please take a look at them if you have the time and give me the brutal truth. As you will notice, I'm having difficulties with zone focusing. 🙁

Thanks.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78406600@N00/

Like the children's pics Nick. Its ill temperament is what makes the LKA great 😀

Focusing should be easy- don't bother with focusing for anything that is beyond 3m. The older LKA had icons in the viewfinder which matched the camera's focus zones. Bust icon for portraits (1 or so metre), halfbody (for 1.5m), group (3-4m), trees (for 10m) and infinity...not sure if I'm thinking of the LKA icons or the Smena's, but it should be the same though. Just match what you see in the VF with the respective icons and your lens is all set.

 

[retrocam]

Reading about Jay, Wig and Nick, now, I really believe in the Six Degrees of Separation theory. 😉

Nick, I like the kids' pics as well. Chalk up "flaws" to character. 😛 I'd also suggest going for a Canon DSLR because there are a lot of lens adapters available for the Canon.

I got the 500 C/M kit ( with CZ 80 f/2.8 lens and box) months ago for much, much less than the HK price. And, it includes a slew of filters and a hood. Some guy traded his Hassy kit for a 30D sa aking suking tindahan. Then the shopkeeper called me. Kasi, it was in a better condition than the one I got from him a few days earlier. I really got a kick out of those filters. I got Softar and Proxar filters for less than $20 each and because I like the V engraving on some of them. 😀 I think mas mahal sa HK because of the Japanese collectors.

Jay, compatible ba yung Hassy 500 series sa Kiev 88 lenses? Don't sell your Kiev 88 lenses ha. 😀

Kids (nyeh - feeling old and wise tayo?) not appreciating B/W? I guess that's the video game talking. Sayang....

BTW (and shameless, unpaid plug na rin), my sister's friend was amazed with my nieces' B/W portraits - all done by Jay, taken with his trusty film camera. 😀 Did you use an RF or SLR, Jay?

I really wish I could attend the party. Have you invited folks from other forums as well to spread the virtues of RF? Hehehe. Sana mag-perform si Wam 'no? 😀

 

[nickvesq]

Thanks for all your comments and tips, which will all be considered. Natawa lang ako sa comment ni Eddie: "i took a look at your album. and, the moonlight scenes are nice". Er, those were actually shots of the sun on Punta Fuego's Sunset Beach in the middle of the afternoon 😀. I think I was using ASA 200 and thinking that the sun was too bright, I put the LCA on the ASA 400 setting. I was thinking I could still get a bright ocean but subtle sun pero lumabas parang moonlight scene. Totally unexpected. 😱

Jay, you also probably know Jo Avila? He shot our wedding and my son's christening. When he shot our wedding, he was still into film but just trying out digital. By the time of my son's christening, fully digital na siya. 😛

For now, puro kids pics pa lang. But I'd love to try street photography. Dami kong nakikitang magandang kunan while I'm stuck in traffic. Just can't get out of the car and shoot, though. Right now, since I'm in an office most of the time, I try to shoot people here in their different moods while working. Problema lang, pag nakakakita ng camera, nagpopose. 😡

 

[eddie con]

nick,
well, you just burst my bubble. i was so contented and impressed with the thought that you had a very steady hand to capture that shot. 😀 oops... i gave it a second look. the moon was too bright for it to be a moon. oh well... and the kid shots do look nice. on second look. lomo really has to grow on you.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Reading about Jay, Wig and Nick, now, I really believe in the Six Degrees of Separation theory. 😉

Nick, I like the kids' pics as well. Chalk up "flaws" to character. 😛 I'd also suggest going for a Canon DSLR because there are a lot of lens adapters available for the Canon.

I got the 500 C/M kit ( with CZ 80 f/2.8 lens and box) months ago for much, much less than the HK price. And, it includes a slew of filters and a hood. Some guy traded his Hassy kit for a 30D sa aking suking tindahan. Then the shopkeeper called me. Kasi, it was in a better condition than the one I got from him a few days earlier. I really got a kick out of those filters. I got Softar and Proxar filters for less than $20 each and because I like the V engraving on some of them. 😀 I think mas mahal sa HK because of the Japanese collectors.

Jay, compatible ba yung Hassy 500 series sa Kiev 88 lenses? Don't sell your Kiev 88 lenses ha. 😀

Kids (nyeh - feeling old and wise tayo?) not appreciating B/W? I guess that's the video game talking. Sayang....

BTW (and shameless, unpaid plug na rin), my sister's friend was amazed with my nieces' B/W portraits - all done by Jay, taken with his trusty film camera. 😀 Did you use an RF or SLR, Jay?

I really wish I could attend the party. Have you invited folks from other forums as well to spread the virtues of RF? Hehehe. Sana mag-perform si Wam 'no? 😀

Hi Annie

Did you see the film "Six Degrees of Separation"? Ang ganda nun!

The Kiev 88 is supposed to be the Hassy 1600/1000 clone, but this isn't universally accepted. Some say that the two cameras evolved along parallel lines, but having the Kiev look to much like an old pre-C Hassy leads one to suspect that the Soviets took on what the Swedes abandoned. The only things which the Kiev 88 and the Hassy can share is the prism finder. There are some crafty souls out there who have gone as far as modifying K-88 film magazines to make them fit the Hassies. The lens mounts won't definitely go into a C-Hassy: K-88 lenses have no shutters. K-88s have focal plane shutters like the old 1600/1000F Hassy; the focal plane was abandoned by Hasselblad
because it was so prone to problems and instead went with central lens leaf shutters. So its not surprising that the most problematic part of the K-88 is the shutter. The lens mount in the K-88 and Hassy-F are almost identical, but not really compatible.

The BW portraits were shot on Neopan 400, developed in paRodinal, and then scanned. They were shot with a Praktica MTL-3 with Domiplan (2,8/50- supposedly the worst 50mm lens ever), Orestor (1,8/50mm) and Jupiter-9
(2/85mm) lenses. As you can see all were commie equipment! 😀

Baka puedeng mag-online during the party? Buo pa yata ang webcam ng pc.
Go live sa Yahoo IM?

Jay

 

[ZorkiKat]

Thanks for all your comments and tips, which will all be considered. Natawa lang ako sa comment ni Eddie: "i took a look at your album. and, the moonlight scenes are nice". Er, those were actually shots of the sun on Punta Fuego's Sunset Beach in the middle of the afternoon 😀. I think I was using ASA 200 and thinking that the sun was too bright, I put the LCA on the ASA 400 setting. I was thinking I could still get a bright ocean but subtle sun pero lumabas parang moonlight scene. Totally unexpected. 😱

Jay, you also probably know Jo Avila? He shot our wedding and my son's christening. When he shot our wedding, he was still into film but just trying out digital. By the time of my son's christening, fully digital na siya. 😛

For now, puro kids pics pa lang. But I'd love to try street photography. Dami kong nakikitang magandang kunan while I'm stuck in traffic. Just can't get out of the car and shoot, though. Right now, since I'm in an office most of the time, I try to shoot people here in their different moods while working. Problema lang, pag nakakakita ng camera, nagpopose. 😡

NIck:

It wouldn't have mattered whether you set your camera to ISO 200 or 400- that scene would still have looked like a moonscape shot. The camera's "eye"
would have detected extreme brightness and would thus set the exposure to a value which will give underexposure. This is a common problem with less sophisticated auto-exposure systems. Even an advanced camera, when used
with less discretion about the exposure settings will likely give the same result.
So if your sunlit beach looked like a moonscape at night, and still looked good, then there's no problem, is there?...go with it! hehehe 😀

Who wouldn't know the great Jo Avila? Just any photographer or photo enthusiast would know him. He's a great resource for anything photographic.
A great teacher too.

One application where simple, unsophisticated cameras excel is street and candid photography. Either the camera goes unnoticed, or anyone who notices it ignores it and dismisses its user as an amateur or better still, a freak 😀 A black, mean-looking fully armed (D)SLR with a big long lens(aside from resolving its owner's Freudian issues 😀) is bound to elicit less natural poses. People will tend to pose more, become more cautious or wary, if not scamper away to avoid being in the camera's field. 🙂

Jay

 

[retrocam]

Hi Annie

Did you see the film "Six Degrees of Separation"? Ang ganda nun!

The Kiev 88 is supposed to be the Hassy 1600/1000 clone, but this isn't universally accepted. Some say that the two cameras evolved along parallel lines, but having the Kiev look to much like an old pre-C Hassy leads one to suspect that the Soviets took on what the Swedes abandoned. The only things which the Kiev 88 and the Hassy can share is the prism finder. There are some crafty souls out there who have gone as far as modifying K-88 film magazines to make them fit the Hassies. The lens mounts won't definitely go into a C-Hassy: K-88 lenses have no shutters. K-88s have focal plane shutters like the old 1600/1000F Hassy; the focal plane was abandoned by Hasselblad
because it was so prone to problems and instead went with central lens leaf shutters. So its not surprising that the most problematic part of the K-88 is the shutter. The lens mount in the K-88 and Hassy-F are almost identical, but not really compatible.

The BW portraits were shot on Neopan 400, developed in paRodinal, and then scanned. They were shot with a Praktica MTL-3 with Domiplan (2,8/50- supposedly the worst 50mm lens ever), Orestor (1,8/50mm) and Jupiter-9
(2/85mm) lenses. As you can see all were commie equipment! 😀

Baka puedeng mag-online during the party? Buo pa yata ang webcam ng pc.
Go live sa Yahoo IM?

Jay

Jay,

I haven't seen the movie because I keep forgetting to rent it. I was referring to the new TV show "Six Degrees". One of the main characters is a photographer, BTW.

Sayang about the Kiev. I thought I could try your lenses. 😀
I regret asking you about the gear you used for my nieces' portraits because it made my GAS act up again. :bang: The Oreston/Orestor is a great lens from what I've seen. I saw a portrait taken with an 800 ISO film but it looked so creamy. I dismissed it as siguro typo lang yung 800 ISO. But those in Flickr really looked great! Ay, tama na nga 'yan....🙄

Guys,
So, dumating na ba ang mga inaabangan: Jay with his DRF and Nick with his RF? 🙂 Did I miss anyone?

I guess everybody's busy na with the holidays... but please don't forget to share pictures from Pinas!

 

[nickvesq]

Annie, I viewed your gallery. Great pics. Parang photography class: puro studies of objects and concepts. And your camera collection is something to envy. Eto naghihintay pa rin ng camera. Shipped last week by USPS Global Express.

Jay, saan ba OK bumili ng Russian RFs? I mean other than ebay.

 

[wamjam]

woohoo!!!! my cousin will be arriving on the 16th from california. in her baggage...a Canon Canonet QL17 and a GIII QL17...for me!!!! can't wait! 😀 😀 😀

jay, pa adjust ko on or before the party ha. thanks 🙂

 

[ZorkiKat]

Annie: You should see that film. Galing ni Will Smith (sya nga ba yun?). Yes, its time for Christmas GAS. Pick up a Praktica. The MTL series are modern enough for practical use. If you like something more vintage, go for the Nova series. Just make sure they have an Orestor or Praktica 1,8/50 on them...🙂

Nick: Sa ebay pa rin best bumili ng Russian RF. It's more of an exception to find one here...either the one you find is bad and rusty, or its mine 😀... pero marami na ako nahawa so they have their Russian RFs too. All eBay purchases, likely. My Russian RF shots (most of them anyway) here:http://flickr.com/photos/pusang_puti/

Wam: Sige, let's look at the Canons. What sort of adjustments do you think are needed- lubing ng lens?

Tomorrow, 12/12 the R-D1 arrives!

Jay

 

[wamjam]

thanks jay. lubing the lens plus light seals. 😀

nick, i got my first RF on ebay for only $11...3 years ago. i gotta FED 2 with Industar61= 52/2.8 🙂

 

[retrocam]

Nick, thanks for visiting my gallery and for the comments as well. 🙂 I am still learning. Siguro minsan, you might consider going for a photo shoot/walkabout with the group. IMHO, going out with a group helps with the learning process aside from being fun. I got my Zorki-4 from Jay - he customized the strap and the leather trim ng Industar lens ko. Regarding my camera collection - it's nothing compared to Jay's. 😀

Jay, do you have sample pics taken with your new RD-1, hehehe? I bet your looking for wides now. 15, 21 or 25? 😛 Yeah, it's Wil Smith in "Six Degrees...". And yes, I'm on the look out for the Praktica MTL3 and Orestor. Kaso, I only see Exakta and can't find any Orestor in the stores I frequent. Here I go again.... :bang: Well, it makes for a great hunt....😀 And keeps me from thinking about any DRF. :bang:

Wam, congrats sa Canonet! Cute - ala Pecker. Hehehe. Have you seen that movie? 😛

 

[wamjam]

Wam, congrats sa Canonet! Cute - ala Pecker. Hehehe. Have you seen that movie? 😛

not yet annie...been meaning to get it from amazon since i've read it on cameraquest.com. i've seen the poster though. 😀

 

[ZorkiKat]

My R-D1s is here!

My R-D1s is here!

Fetched my R-D1s tonight. It's really one fine camera. Spent a better part of the evening putting its strap on and fiddling with the camera settings. Being from Japan, the instructions and menu were all in Japanese. I got a bit worried when I read from the downloaded English manual that the menu languages differed according to where the camera was sold...I feared that it would be Japanese-only. Buti na lang I could still recognise a bit of Kanji, and looked for the characters which stood for 'language' and found the setting. Now it's in English. 🙂

I couldn't shoot anything decent with it yet. I just tried the Russian Jupiter-3 (1.5/50) and the Jupiter-12, as well as a Jupiter-9. The J-3 and J-12 focused properly. The particular J-9 did not, so I'd have to look for another (meron pang 6 to choose from 🙂) which would focus right.

One thing I immediately noticed was the quality of the Epson picture processing engine. The quality is so good. I've not seen anything like it from my DSLRs. What it does can easily compete with the quality given by Canon or Fuji.

Heto lang ang picture na mapapakita ko- that of the camera! 😀

 

[xta]

hi. i'm also from the philippines. i have no background whatsoever in photography but i did not want my dad's cameras to just rot in the cabinet. he's not here now, so i have to learn it by myself. anyway, do you guys have any idea how much it costs to have an RF repaired at hidalgo, quiapo?