rji2goleez wrote:
With the Valoi setup, weight is not a real issue. I use it sitting on a table. The extension tubes are metal as is the attachment to the film housing. There is no 'play' in this setup.
I appreciate the lack of play in handling the film, and I particularly like that once it's loaded, all the frames remain flat and aligned. As you mentioned, this feature will greatly simplify the scanning process for the entire roll without needing to cut it. I plan to do the cutting and storing after scanning using the Valoi.
Can anyone recommend a quality lab that develops ECN-2 film? I have ten rolls of 250D film with the halation layer still on the film. The film was expensive-ish and I'd really like to find out what the film can do but I need a good lab that won't screw it up.
geekcop wrote:
Can anyone recommend a quality lab that develops ECN-2 film? I have ten rolls of 250D film with the halation layer still on the film. The film was expensive-ish and I'd really like to find out what the film can do but I need a good lab that won't screw it up.
I’d recommend Boutique Film Lab in Nashville with the caveat I haven’t had them process any ECN-2 but I know they do it.
With a tabletop setup where the light source rests on the same plane with the camera and the focusing mechanism is not directly supporting the weight of any components you probably won't run into problems. But even a simple setup like the ES-1 on a 60mm lens with metal extension rings is going to degrade the focusing mechanism from tight when you first buy the ES-1 to loose after you've shot a bazillion slides through it. It's not so much of a problem if you're just holding the assembly up to the sky and using daylight, but if you do what many people do -- set the lens down on a lightpad so that the weight of the camera sits on the focusing helix, that's the kiss of death. The weight of the camera sitting on your focusing mechanism is bad and will eventually make things loose. BTDT. Even hanging the lens vertically off of a repro stand is going to eventually cause the focusing mechanism to loosen because it's fighting the weight of the lens and the ES-1 hanging on it. I learned this the hard way.
IME the safest way to do this is to use a setup where the lens does not bear any weight whatsoever, and if some sort of adapter has to be suspended from something, it's best to suspend it from a solid mount and not from the lens. If you're hanging things off of the lens, it's going to loosen up. I think a copystand with a film carrier sitting on a tabletop, or a bellows system that directly supports each component, or some sort of rail system that supports each component (and avoids putting any weight on either the end of the lens or the focusing mechanism) is the safest way to go.
My local lab just started offering ECN-2 again as well as E6, opening up more possibilities (albeit at higher prices). Not much slide film available here these days (just Ektachrome, I believe) but I might try a roll; the ECN-2 opens up all the Kodak Vision 3 films and some others I'd like to try.
coralnut wrote:
With a tabletop setup where the light source rests on the same plane with the camera and the focusing mechanism is not directly supporting the weight of any components you probably won't run into problems. But even a simple setup like the ES-1 on a 60mm lens with metal extension rings is going to degrade the focusing mechanism from tight when you first buy the ES-1 to loose after you've shot a bazillion slides through it. It's not so much of a problem if you're just holding the assembly up to the sky and using daylight, but if you do what many people do -- set the lens down on a lightpad so that the weight of the camera sits on the focusing helix, that's the kiss of death. The weight of the camera sitting on your focusing mechanism is bad and will eventually make things loose. BTDT. Even hanging the lens vertically off of a repro stand is going to eventually cause the focusing mechanism to loosen because it's fighting the weight of the lens and the ES-1 hanging on it. I learned this the hard way.
IME the safest way to do this is to use a setup where the lens does not bear any weight whatsoever, and if some sort of adapter has to be suspended from something, it's best to suspend it from a solid mount and not from the lens. If you're hanging things off of the lens, it's going to loosen up. I think a copystand with a film carrier sitting on a tabletop, or a bellows system that directly supports each component, or some sort of rail system that supports each component (and avoids putting any weight on either the end of the lens or the focusing mechanism) is the safest way to go....Show more →
Using an internal focusing lens would be another solution if you're worried about this.
Oh hey, I was in Montreal this past summer! I'll have to keep looking around, but it's good to know I can get films developed when I go there agaon, thanks!
geekcop wrote:
Can anyone recommend a quality lab that develops ECN-2 film? I have ten rolls of 250D film with the halation layer still on the film. The film was expensive-ish and I'd really like to find out what the film can do but I need a good lab that won't screw it up.
I haven't tried them yet, but after doing some research I was planning to try Midwest Film Co (https://www.midwestfilmco.com). They specialize in ECN-2, to the point of having a real motion picture scanner they use on your still images.
SeanG wrote:
I haven't tried them yet, but after doing some research I was planning to try Midwest Film Co (https://www.midwestfilmco.com). They specialize in ECN-2, to the point of having a real motion picture scanner they use on your still images.
I just looked them up. They will process ECN-2 for $8 which is a good price. Everyone else I've looked at is $10/roll. I do my own scanning so this might work well for my uses. Thanks for the tip.
clu3.clew wrote:
Oh hey, I was in Montreal this past summer! I'll have to keep looking around, but it's good to know I can get films developed when I go there agaon, thanks!
We have several labs in town, but I get mine processed at Studio Argentique. Really friendly, fast service (I sometimes get my scans back a few hours after I drop off my rolls, although in summer it can take much longer, even up to a week, since that's their super-busy season). Studio Argentique also sells film cameras (great selection, although I find the prices to be high) and lenses. It's a popular place; not unusual for there to be a line out the door in summer. I'm typically the only person in there over the age of 25.
They charge CAD $20 per roll for ECN-2, which is pricey even considering it's Canadian dollars. I don't think I'll be shooting much ECN-2 or having C-41 films processed in ECN-2.
Question about the CineStill Film Cs41 Powder Developing Kit:
I mixed the chemicals 4 and 1/2 months ago and have processed 12 rolls of film already. How many more rolls can I develop using the remaining chemicals, and when do the chemicals expire?
I assume I can process another 12 rolls, but I'm curious about the expiration date for the chemicals. They're stored in black containers in a dark location.
One thing that I like to do is to seal the chemicals in a bottle with a tight cap, with the chemicals filled to the top to eliminate any air, and some parafilm or electrical tape around the cap/bottle to form an airtight seal. The idea is to protect the chemicals from oxidization via exposure to the oxygen in air. Another possibly helpful step would be to store the bottle under refrigeration. I don't have any actual proof that this extends the life of the chemicals, but in theory eliminating the air and refrigerating the solution could slow down the process of spoilage. I have no evidence that this works, but it seems like a sound theory. Anyone?
coralnut wrote:
One thing that I like to do is to seal the chemicals in a bottle with a tight cap, with the chemicals filled to the top to eliminate any air, and some parafilm or electrical tape around the cap/bottle to form an airtight seal. The idea is to protect the chemicals from oxidization via exposure to the oxygen in air. Another possibly helpful step would be to store the bottle under refrigeration. I don't have any actual proof that this extends the life of the chemicals, but in theory eliminating the air and refrigerating the solution could slow down the process of spoilage. I have no evidence that this works, but it seems like a sound theory. Anyone?...Show more →
That's a fantastic tip, securing the cap to the bottle even more tightly with tape. I use the CineStill accordion storage bottle, which reduces the amount of air inside.
My question is: Is it realistic to expect approximately one year of chemical storage (after mixing from the powder)? Currently, I've reached nearly five months.
cborel83 wrote:
as someone else said A zeiss ikon body is awesome because they go up to 1/2000th as opposed to M bodies doing 1/1000th
That was the only postive I could see with that camera when I had one. Did not like the flarey rf patch, the exposure readout that got washed out in daylight, the lightweight build quality (film advance mechanism failed on mine exactly the same way it did on my Bessa L - they share the same plastic gears).
But the thing that bugged me the most is the rf system is much more basic than in an M - in an M the rf patch moves w the frame lines as they move to compensate for parallax. So the patch is always centered. With the Zeiss it is fixed in one position so often is off center.
