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SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

This is my loaded ready to go Minolta Autocord, great for traveling around. Delta 100 B&W YG Filter, Bee Release. On a tripod I add this Baseplate, machined from a block by Dan Daniels, specifically for the Autocord. Dan also helped me change out the Hood to a Hasselblad Early Stovepipe, what a great combination. Finished this off with a Rubber Eyecup from a Kiev 60 Meter Prism. Great eyecup works on NC2 Prisms also.

I think Irving Penn would approve! LOL
 
Phil,

I’m currently going through all my stuff. Actually a good exercise. Hope you find that Bay 1 hood.

My Rolliflex is a 3.5E and it uses the rare Bay 2 hood and filters.

Lately I am thinking of shooting slides and paying for processing. Then again I could just shoot film and make negatives to annoy people. Annoying people is what I do, and it is not a bad idea.

Printing digital got boring. I miss film…

BTW moving around sucks…

Cal
 
Wait, photo talk here? 😄

Phil_F_NM said:
A day of shooting with my "new" (old shutter speeds) Minolta Autocord, has got me inspired again to begin more super wide modifications.

The first is going to be a highly modified Zeiss Ikonta (not a Super Ikonta) on which I will remove the door/lens track then create a front plate with a Nikon flange grafted on. On this I will attach my 28mm f/3.5 P.C. Nikkor (shift lens) which has a 72mm diameter image circle before the hard mechanical vignetting. This will give me a home-hacked "SWC" with effectively an 18mm field of view. I just grabbed a 19mm Canon auxiliary viewfinder here in the classifieds, which will give me my rough guide for composition.

The second mod will be my home-hacked X-Pan, using a broken Kodak David White Stereo camera. This one will be more difficult, as the film transport needs to be modified so proper frame spacing is maintained. The width across the whole film gate is about 90mm, and this is where I come to a crossroads. I could make it modular to use the same 28mm shift lens but would need to constrain the gate to about 70mm.

I still need to worry about a shutter on both of these though and would need to inset the lens mount into a very large shutter. Or I could use a medium or large format wide lens in a shutter, but I want to go wider than 47mm, which is the least expensive Super Angulon available.

Phil
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I'd love to get my hands on an Autocord but they are seemingly rare around here and not showing up as deals. Anyhow the Texas Leica has always served well but 6x9 8exp per roll sometimes is a bit "V8 like" uneconomic.
Curious about the Ikonta mod. The closest hack I'd do would be a 6x12-17 "Holgagon" (Angulon on a pan holga) or 3D printed camera.
Calzone said:
Lately I am thinking of shooting slides and paying for processing. Then again I could just shoot film and make negatives to annoy people. Annoying people is what I do, and it is not a bad idea.

Printing digital got boring. I miss film…

BTW moving around sucks…

Cal
Click to expand...
I put up a print in our local exhibition of a neon shot I did in Hong Kong taken on Provia. I used the advance and shutter drag of the Fuji 6x9 to create a trail off the sign and many people were puzzled and impressed by it. "Oh, it is film?" Some ask when they see the image has good quality.

Infact, the monastic limited inflicted by film sometimes make myself surprised of how convenient and flexible digital (and phones) are. Almost cheating. Zoom? Automation? ISO3200+, IS? Oh wow. Still, my current main driver to renew a camera body is for film scanning.

Fuji seems to be quirky in digital with the rumored vertical sensored "half frame" but film wise I am sad their C41 are no more (in 120 after all) and their Slide film is unobtanium in most markets. I have a pro pack left of still fresh Provia 100 120 but as it is scarce, am not shooting much.
Ektachrome is dear expensive but I did expose the single roll I had left, just now will see if I can get it developed 😂

Interesting things are happening, Ilford Harman will probably release a new Kentmere 200 very soon...
I recently scored some fridge stored, couple years expired mixed rolls including some Portra 400, which I'll shoot in a long weekend trip at the end of May. Might do some infrared BW as well.

Spring is here so not anymore with the dark, inviting to stay in the darkroom time; though I enjoy an occasionam evening of doing workprints... Another photo member wants to unrust his abilities with printing so there might be an accountability partner to get in.
Though being relatively proficient nowadays, I prefer printing on my own as otherwise it ends up being workshop wise and I wait for others to expose and process... and just putting nice music for the session. Social–antisocial.
 
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Phil_F_NM said:
Somewhere in a box from our last move, I have a Bay I hood, which I'm now going to turn the house upside down in order to find. I have a Rollei YG filter I'll stick on the lens when I get the hood. I've noticed in the past the filter's propensity to flare without a hood.
Phil
Click to expand...

These bayonet Is are the cheapest Rollei items on the market. Ebay has them by the down, or did.

A Yashica TLR hood from the 1960s will also fit your Autocord. Again, if you can find such an item today.

I fondly recall visiting pawn shops to troll for used TLR items in New Mexico and Arizona in the late 1970s. Much of what I now have gathering dust at home in my Rollei gadgets box, came from those outlets.

Gosh, the gear they had going for cents on the dollar...
 
Yesterday I felt the side effects of drugs. Easy to catch a chill, my rings fit tighter from bloating, and the early onset of fatigue in the late afternoon.

Also fatigue related less patience and less ability to concentrate.

Gold sprung up $79.00 and is over $3.3K again. Meanwhile there otherwise is a red screen. The Saudi’s are pushing oil down by flooding the market. Their goal is for drive the price down to below $50.00, this is where fracking U.S. oil is no longer profitable, then wells get capped.

Know and understand that theses Saudi cycles cost a lot to U.S. producers. It cost mucho money to start and stop production. This is a gam that gets played again and again.

Politically this hurts Russia mucho… The Saudi’s have the benefit of cheap oil extraction…

Don’t know the consequences of this cycle, but the U.S. is a major energy exporter…

Be aware that cheap oil in this case is a disruption and is not good for the U.S. Know thjat this ploy is for the Saudi’s to gain market share.

Cal
 
Rain expected every day through Saturday. Good for lazy-slacker Calvin. Meanwhile seeds are germinating. I have 5 large pots of Marigolds to help repell insects. One is a 30 gallon wash tub that I use as a funky raised bed. Theses are from seeds I harvested and saved last year.

I think I have cantaloupes emanating in my raised beds from kitchen mulch. I have a second 30 gallon wash tub seeded on purpose with cantaloupe and baby watermelon seeds for the kids in the dead-end.

Should be interesting because last year we harvested feral cantaloupes on the table that came from kitchen mulch.

Today is expected delivery of guitar hangers and some George-“L” cable ends. I have to enable my guitar room to be convertible into a guest room, and guitars litter the convertible couch. “Maggie” asked me how many guitars do I own, and I counted them up: 23.

So here’s the thing with catching a chill easily. If I put on a light jacket, in about 60 seconds I begin sweating. It could be 75-80 degrees and I catch a chill. This is indoors so wind is not a factor. Mucho uncomfortable and annoying.

Then sun and tanning can increase testosterone production, so I wear long sleeve shirts that promote sweating when working outside, or I have to grease up with SPF 70. Also annoying…

I’m in day 5 and I guess the drug is still building up in my system. On the 13th of May begins the every two weeks blood monitoring. Currently I’m on the “max” dose of two horse-pills on an empty stomach along with water to start my day.

Then an hour later I can eat and take the steroid to counter side effects. One side effect from the steroid is disrupted sleep, and this at times happens. I guess this is where the fatigue happens/begins.

So long periods of concentration that is a trademark of my life is kinda handcuffed. This will be for two-years plus up to a year to 18 months to have side effects to wear off. Good thing I’m stubborn…

So a new life of limitations is getting revealed, and it is rude. The thing here is to make the most of this term.

Cal
 
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The market close was a red screen for the three major U.S. indexes. Gold is up $98.00 today, meanwhile oil is hovering around $57.00.

The Saudi oil move could be good or bad for the U.S. Cheap energy could soften the recessionary blow, or promote lower inflation, but it could also make our trade deficit bigger since we are a net exporter of oil. Then there are the costs of capping wells and then starting them up again which is not only costly, but not efficient.

Another headline says that the slow housing market is spilling over to other sectors. This makes sense to me, and I think this also confirms that most American households have to retrench because they hold too much debt.

Home price increases add to the wealth effect, but now that the housing market has softened the wealth effect also softened.

This is a slow-motion slowdown buoyed up by inflated stock prices. The future losses and expenses of tariffs really have had no real effect yet. Still talk and threats…

Cal
 
I just learned that one of the largest independent mental health and drug/alcohol recovery agencies in Philadelphia is closing this month. I don't know why they're shutting down, but it means thousands of people are losing care.
Phil
 
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A red screen on the pre-market for the three U.S. big indexes. Meanwhile Gold is flirting with $3.4K, and oil is in the $58.00 range.

I don’t think the markets liked when Ford mentioned that Tariffs will be a 1.5 billion dollar haircut for Ford, and know that Ford out of the big three automakers utilizes the most domestic parts and labor.

I’m thinking that my 1966 C-10 is a really nice alternative than buying any new car. Now spending $30K to replace the entire drivetrain seems mucho cost feasible.

I love our house. This spic and span cleaning opened things up, and now that I have the attic for storage the clutter is gone that made the house seem too small.

Yesterday I called to make appointments for dental cleanings. We fell behind on this maintenance because of the urgency of my Cancer, and it seems I got lucky in that there was a cancellation for the two slots we need for today. We have to drive to Long Island though.

We need to get a new dentist up here…

Cal
 
A red screen persists into the open. Gold is now perched at $3.4K, but will it stay, or go even higher?

For gold I expect some “basing and sideways action…

A headline is that Powell will likely not be able to lower rates. Then Paul Tudor Jones says a big drop in the markets will happen this year regardless of Trump undoing China tariffs.

I wonder when the market will wake up and realize that a downturn, a probable nasty one that includes stagflation, will happen?

Paul Tudor Jones is one of the chapters in ”The New Market Wizards,” a book that promotes the idea that good stock market traders and big-time money managers have a certain personality profile that makes them winners.

Some of those profiled were professional gamblers, one if I remember correctly was a chess champion, professional poker players…

Anyways I have to fact check, but if my memory from 20 years ago is correct Paul Tudor Jones was the guy who assembled a team and trained them into becoming great traders. He called the team he assembled “The Turtles.”

Funny thing is Hollywood made a film with Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroid called “Trading Places,” that follows two money managers that placed a bet that they could train someone into being a great wealth manager. So pretty much Trading Places is based somewhat on a true story.

From “The New Market Wizards” I kinda learned that I have exactly the right mindset and personality to have become a “Turtle.” I kinda learned my chops though on the street and by myself: I am self taught.

This kinda makes me believe that from my mother’s side I somehow have “Bankster” blood in me.

Let me fact check and then I have a rant on capitolism.

Cal
 
I was wrong about Paul Tudor Jones. Look up the “Turtles” and trading for interesting reads.

23 people were chosen out of 1000 applicants.

Pretty much this was a bet between two very successful traders who were partners.

Interesting that one of the 23 turtles was a musician, another a pro Blackjack gambler…

I feel flattered that I seem to have the right aptitude and personality.

At a certain point, after I’m 70, I’ll have to manage money for investment. I live modestly and at the age of 70 I will be sitting on cash I don’t need. Hmmm…

So I have the itch to do photography again. I will need a new computer even if I decide to go analog. What a can of worms…

Cal
 
There are three consensuses going on: One is that economic growth will come down 2-3% because of tariffs (this is James Dimon); another is a slowdown or recession is eminent; and lastly repeated headlines that the FED and Powell really can’t lower rates.

Moral of the above headlines is that when things decide to go bad, it will be kinda really bad for those who suffer, I mean really harsh and rude.

Eventually the big shoe will drop, and some people will get crushed like ants. Right now the can has been kicked down the road.

We are at a point where according to Paul Tudor Jones that even if tariffs were rescinded a correction to new lows will happen…

Last night I took the Bigsby vibrato off the DeMarino, and I restrung it using the top-loader bridge. Definitively a different feel and vibe. Softened the attack and les treble and brightness. I kinda like it.

Now there are 4 screw holes on the top where the Bigsby was mounted. Fugly, but oh-well.

I need to call Cris to find out if he can get a neck blank to make a new replacement neck that utilizes a roller nut and has a 9 1/2 inch radius. Don’t want to add any screw hole scars to any other guitar.

I would not mind either if Cris just modded the existing neck with a new fingerboard. This is a plane “B”.

Cal
 
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Thank you Robert. Shortages and inflation: a repeat of 2020, the beginning of the Pandemic.

Just got back from a teeth cleaning. I did well considering it is almost a year between cleanings. Know that because I had gum disease that pretty much as maintenance I need 4 cleanings a year. The worst part is the $250.00 bill.

“Moo,” said the Pig.

The traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway was brutal. Have to go back to Long Island a next week to have “Maggie’s” stitches removed. Our periodontist was saddened by my Cancer diagnosis. I have known him for 35 years. When I was 32 I was a hot mess…

In the mail I just got a $10.00 off coupon from DSW. I need more sneakers… Hopefully I can find something cool in the clearance rack. Call me a cheap fXXk…

Our house looks great. Got rid of clutter and cleaned. I have room to move in the basement.

We will be having a house guest.

The three indexes had a red screen at the close, and gold held on to close over $3.4K.

Cal
 
A recent development on guitar is I figured out how exploit my double jointed thumb with a thumb pick to play both pick, pick and fingers, or go full finger style in a seamless manner.

I know a player who can palm a pick and switch rapidly and smoothly between pick and finger style in a seamless manner. I love the different attack and the change in dynamics.

I will work on exploiting this capability and add it into my style.

I’m frustrated by my Sweetwater order. I could really use the dozen guitar hangers I ordered Monday. I was led to believe they would of been delivered today, but I got notice that they only got shipped today. Problem is I built all these electric guitars, but I don’t have enough cases or gig bags to store them.

Wednesday the couch in my guitar room gets converted into a bed for our guest. I ordered them on Monday, so pretty much a possible 2-day deliver, so maybe Thursday? Hopefully.

Anyways the idea is to decorate a wall with electric guitars. Mighty cool. The room is not so big. One wall is three windows, and I figure I can hang at least 9 guitars and maybe 10.

Thinking of hanging one of my painting constructions that dates back to the70’s early 80’s when I identified as a visual artist.

Cal
 
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