Philippines Filipino RF users!!!

[wamjam]

eddie,

got my canonets at around 2am sunday! toying with it til around 4:30am. i got 2 rolls of kodak gold 12 exposures just to test if the cams are working properly, and they are.

the ql17 is in perfect condition, the GIII' shutter is having problems in slower shutter speeds...light seals are sticky. ISO ring is a bit tough...but everything is working properly. cosmetic wise, i'd rate them 8/10!

was supposed to go to jay's studio yesterday to have the GIII fixed but i suddenly became the designated driver/tour guide for our balibayans. hehehehe.

bottomline, i'm very happy with my canonets! now i can sleep. :angel:

 

[wamjam]

jay-i love both of the shots! hmmmm...ok din pala J12...uh oh...here we go again!

nick-yes, thank you very much...i am definitely enjoying them. and i'm not worried about the GIII...i'm sure it's something jay can definitely fix.

 

[eddie con]

wam and dear friends,
got the camera at 6 am. and i finished putting in the seals this afternoon, at work. and the giii is now ready. outside cosmetics is okay. there are some inexplicable deep scratches on the wall inside the film cavity which do not affect function. i still have to find a battery for it though. manual function is fine down to the slow shutter speeds. my sister got it from ebay for $35.
attached is a photo with jon's seals. all gunk removed and seals attached in the suggested relaxed fashion. after some clean-up of workplace, off to dinner with the balikbayan sister.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Annie: I tried hard to get that magenta cast. It's "in" now with digi rangefinders, hehehehe. Actually, I had a violet gel on one of the strobes. The Spam & Whiskas shot was with a J-3 (again!). J-8, which I've just used lately appears to be a better bet. There's a black J-8 which I've been ignoring for most of the time which turned out to be quite OK. Posted below is an outdoor shot with the J-12. Heto na ang mga street photos! And I even added some 'grain' via PS- not noise, but PS's inboard 'grain' filter.

Nick: Thanks! The model is Aliyah (Viva Hotbabes, I think). Don't get lured into digital RF- stick with film....mahal na addiction The R-D1s is indeed a marvelous camera. But I still like shooting RF with film. Iba pa rin. I have 5 new arrivals- all FED-1 bodies which I need to repair, and look forward to shooting with them once I have film again!

Wam: How are your new babies. Up till 4.30? Yes, you really must have a J-12.

Eddie:How is the repair coming along? Jon's seals are really great. The ones he sent me are still barely used.

Jay

 

[retrocam]

Jay,

Regarding the UST students pic, I dunno. It's close but not quite. I was comparing the pic with your other pics where you used film. I'd agree with you na mas okay pa rin ang film.

I've been wondering about how the J-8 would do as well. Please show us the pics!

 

[wamjam]

jay,

i have to agree with annie. iba pa rin ang film (comparing this latest pic to your film pics).

ok naman yung new canonets...they're both working. just tough ISO RING and the GIII needs new light seals...i guess we could start using those Jon's seals already. thanks in advance jay. i might have time to go to your studio on friday. will text you. thanks again.

 

[eddie con]

Eddie:How is the repair coming along? Jon's seals are really great. The ones he sent me are still barely used.

Jay

jay,
jon's instructions on how to replace the seals are amusing. he practically tells you to install the light seals in zen fashion. i had to use denatured alcohol to get all the gunk out. keeping the strip straight as you stick it to the camera body was a little tricky but everything went well. i am halfway through with the film i loaded. i am hoping at the very least to come out with leak-free pictures.
and my sister also gave me bw agfa asa 400 apx long roll. i hear that it's as good as tri x in terms of grain. and it does not like being pushed. actually, they recommend shooting at iso 250 or lower with it. but it is all i have at the moment, and i would appreciate tips on how best to use and process it. and, por favor, where is the best place to purchase film canisters?
and, i like the rhythm in your street photo. there is a cadence to it, something that requires some waiting, i can imagine.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Jay,

Regarding the UST students pic, I dunno. It's close but not quite. I was comparing the pic with your other pics where you used film. I'd agree with you na mas okay pa rin ang film.

I've been wondering about how the J-8 would do as well. Please show us the pics!

Annie

Digi can never emulate film totally....it's like 3-in-1 instant coffeee vs Batangas Barako. May look and smell almost the same, but the instant brew cannot be the real one

The J-8 seems easier to use. It's not as prone to focus errors on the R-D1s. Yes, even a properly adjusted lens will create focus errors on the R-D1s because of the short RF baselength, among other things. I suspect the way the camera is held, as well as how the RF is oriented towards the subject, as well as some lens focusing/coupling backlash will all contribute to some form of bad focus. The lower aperture 50's like the J-8 and Industars are not so prone to any of these.

Jay

 

[ZorkiKat]

jay,
jon's instructions on how to replace the seals are amusing. he practically tells you to install the light seals in zen fashion. i had to use denatured alcohol to get all the gunk out. keeping the strip straight as you stick it to the camera body was a little tricky but everything went well. i am halfway through with the film i loaded. i am hoping at the very least to come out with leak-free pictures.
and my sister also gave me bw agfa asa 400 apx long roll. i hear that it's as good as tri x in terms of grain. and it does not like being pushed. actually, they recommend shooting at iso 250 or lower with it. but it is all i have at the moment, and i would appreciate tips on how best to use and process it. and, por favor, where is the best place to purchase film canisters?
and, i like the rhythm in your street photo. there is a cadence to it, something that requires some waiting, i can imagine.

Eddie

Did you get the blue instruction book? Jon even suggests using old jockey shorts as cleaning material for lenses....now that's really funny.

Agfapan is good. Still have the 100 version, thanks to Annie. You should develop this film in Rodinal or paRodinal. A few bottles of this potion will be given away on the 29th!

Eh, that UST photo owes much of what it has to serendipity

Jay

 

[ZorkiKat]

jay,

i have to agree with annie. iba pa rin ang film (comparing this latest pic to your film pics).

ok naman yung new canonets...they're both working. just tough ISO RING and the GIII needs new light seals...i guess we could start using those Jon's seals already. thanks in advance jay. i might have time to go to your studio on friday. will text you. thanks again.

Wam

The tight rings may be loosened by the elixir of mechanical cameras: lighter fluid! Might be in Cebu this friday though, but will be back Sat.

Jay

 

[wamjam]

Wam

The tight rings may be loosened by the elixir of mechanical cameras: lighter fluid! Might be in Cebu this friday though, but will be back Sat.

ok jay, will just wait for you. i would love to tweak my camera/s but this is gonna be the first time and instead of fu&#$n up, i'd rather wait till someone shows me how to do it the right way.

i'll text you nalang. thanks

 

[nickvesq]

Got my canon already. Externally and internally, appears to be in excellent, if not mint, condition. Will load it up with cheap asa 400 BW lucky. So, what batteries should I try to use with it again?

 

[eddie con]

Eddie

Did you get the blue instruction book? Jon even suggests using old jockey shorts as cleaning material for lenses....now that's really funny.

Agfapan is good. Still have the 100 version, thanks to Annie. You should develop this film in Rodinal or paRodinal. A few bottles of this potion will be given away on the 29th!

Eh, that UST photo owes much of what it has to serendipity

Jay

blue instruction book on the use of jockey shorts?! the seals came through snail mail and it had 4 pages of comprehensive instruction sheets.

what a come on, jay! Rodinal potions giveaway for the 29th?! can i bring two empty jugs? pa-reserve ng isa, puh-lease. (and i still have to go to hidalgo to get a spare spool for my developing tank). baka dumugin ang party mo nito at walang matira sa akin. what time will it start?

... and the repetition in the UST photo was out of sheer luck?! whoa! as my son would put it, that's kewl!

 

[eddie con]

ok jay, will just wait for you. i would love to tweak my camera/s but this is gonna be the first time and instead of fu&#$n up, i'd rather wait till someone shows me how to do it the right way.

i'll text you nalang. thanks

i also have spare seals now. and, it is hard to F! up the camera. i don't mind sharing the spare seals and give a tip or two on how to install them. but i only have one camera to show for experience. on second thought, it might be better for you to wait for the master as i also opted to just skip replacing a thin light seal near the hinge of the camera back until i got expert advise; it didn't look like it needed replacement. however, removing the sticky light seals takes so much time. i suggest you start doing it. i used denatured alcohol because that was one of those that jon goodman suggested. jay suggests lighter fluid. i also used a piece of tweezers, a small swiss knife and the very useful stick that came with the lightseals that had wedged edges. all you have to do is proceed slowly and leisurely. jon almost sounded like you need to recite a mantra as you work on the light seals. and if you do a big F! up on one, there is the other spare canonet. but you really have to be a clot to do that. (afterall, it is a lot harder to play percussion on reggae).
you can check out the wedged stick on this link: goodman seal.

 

[xta]

hi guys! thanks for the info about the batteries, i decided to make myself familiar with the minolta 7sII, and keep the Yashica GSN first.

a few more questions before I point and shoot:
- how do I know if it still works?
- any tips on how to "restore" an RF (minolta 7sII) that was just retrieved from a long slumber?

 

[eddie con]

hi guys! thanks for the info about the batteries, i decided to make myself familiar with the minolta 7sII, and keep the Yashica GSN first.

a few more questions before I point and shoot:
- how do I know if it still works?
- any tips on how to "restore" an RF (minolta 7sII) that was just retrieved from a long slumber?

xta,
you may want to read this: checking a rangefinder.
you may also wish to get in touch with other minolta rf users at this site: link.
and good luck.

 

[Kat]

It's hard to go wrong with Jon's seals. Just don't use any metal (e.g. screwdriver) to remove the old stuff, which is a pain to work on, esp. when they have hardened. I use the lighter fluid as well, since I had already bought a small can for my HiMatics' sticky shutters. Putting the new seals in is fun, after you get the thickness and measurements/cutting right. I got the small kit, and so far I've resealed about six cameras, but still got enough left for one or two more. I'll take that as a sign I should stop buying any more cameras.:angel:

 

[retrocam]

Annie

Digi can never emulate film totally....it's like 3-in-1 instant coffeee vs Batangas Barako. May look and smell almost the same, but the instant brew cannot be the real one

The J-8 seems easier to use. It's not as prone to focus errors on the R-D1s. Yes, even a properly adjusted lens will create focus errors on the R-D1s because of the short RF baselength, among other things. I suspect the way the camera is held, as well as how the RF is oriented towards the subject, as well as some lens focusing/coupling backlash will all contribute to some form of bad focus. The lower aperture 50's like the J-8 and Industars are not so prone to any of these.

Jay

Jay, I thought the RF baselength only impacts the focus on lenses with longer focal lengths. I guess I have to read up (or you can tell me ) why/how the RF baselength has an impact on lenses with larger aperture.

@ Nick: I think the Canonet uses the mercury batteries but you can have them converted them to use alkaline (nabasa ko lang through google). Jay, Ed and Wam, perhaps you can share your thoughts on this?

Dear Friends,

If I don't get to log on in the next few days ... Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !!!

 

[nickvesq]

I got lucky. Tried a 1.5V alkaline battery and popped it into the battery slot. It just fit in. Didn't need to put in additional o-ring, rubber, etc. Meter's working. Could have been converted already? The seller didn't indicate.

How far off are the meter's reading, given that the battery is 1.5V instead of the original 1.35V? I read in some fora that it's two to three stops off but they don't say if under or over. I suppose over?

As with Annie, if I don't get to log during the holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! Enjoy the party!

 

[eddie con]

my canonet works! i took this picture using its automode.