Thanks. I'd love at some point to get an SMCM 50/1.2, but I need a working LX first. I've been through 3 ones all with different issues. For all the LX hype I'm not feeling much love.
TWoK wrote:
Thanks. I'd love at some point to get an SMCM 50/1.2, but I need a working LX first. I've been through 3 ones all with different issues. For all the LX hype I'm not feeling much love.
LXen tend to be either mint (with sticky mirror syndrome due to lack of use) or beat to death. There's no real base of regularly exercised but not beat up LX's like there is for F3's.
And given the cost premium for an LX (or an MZ-S, the only other truly desirable Pentax body IMHO) it can be a real crapshoot to get into Pentax film use if you're used to higher-end gear. I really wish Pentax had made a body akin to the FM2n.
thrice wrote:
There's a near-mint chrome Nikon FM2 going for USD236 at a local shop, that a good deal?
It's a bit on the pricey side if it's an actual FM2, more reasonable for an FM2n. FM2's are one of the few film bodies that's both common and worth a reasonable amount. That said, FM2n's in Chrome are about that price for an EX condition example at KEH, prices seem to have gone up on used Nikon kit of late.
The funny things is that this one is in really nice shape, other than being completely warped. The last one was in even better shape, but they sent it with a HUGE databack without telling me and the shutter lock was broken. I ordered another one from my local store that I'm hopping will be okay. A few more shots that turned out okay even though the focus is not where I meant it to be:
Also the FE2 or FM3A are much better cameras for actually taking pictures than the FM2. I've almost bought an FM2/T a few times though for about $350, but the champagne color discouraged me.
TWoK wrote:
Also the FE2 or FM3A are much better cameras for actually taking pictures than the FM2. I've almost bought an FM2/T a few times though for about $350, but the champagne color discouraged me.
Owning an FM2n and an FE2, I almost always grab the FM2n. Especially for low-light work where its match-LED metering is actually usable unlike the daylight-only Match-Needle metering of the FE2. Of course I am giving up AE and TTL flash when not choosing the FE2, but I don't actually use that much anymore. Looking at my records, my FE2 and FM2n have shot the same amount of film, but I've owned the FM2n for under a year and the FE2 for almost 2 years.
The relative values (FE2's are usually around half the price of FM2n's) and production runs (82-01 vs 83-89) of the two argues as to which usually gets picked as the better shooter as well. The FM3a is of course the exception to this on the value side, but they used to sell around the same price as the FM2n until Nikon discontinued them and thus made them collectible due to their short run and low production numbers.
ovredal73 wrote:
Really cool composition and way of shooting the subject.
Thanks man. He was sitting down on a road case before going on stage at Warped Tour. Hes a friend of mine so I just asked if I could take a nice photos with my new camera. I was stoked on how it turned out.
Shooting flowers with LF is much harder than it looks. I waited forever for a break in the slight breeze and still didn't get all of the flowers standing still. And f22 still didn't give enough DOF to keep all the flowers in focus.
I was using some swing and tilt. Not all the Iris were at the same height and I was caught between the need for a short shutter speed due to the breeze and the DOF needed to cover the varied depth. I'm fairly certain I had lined up the right focus on the flower that is moving in this shot. It worked better when the flower wasn't moving.
I finally got a decent LX and used it for an important shoot for a friend of mine's wife last night. They wanted pregnancy pictures and I'd put off taking them due to international travel. She's two weeks past due, so there was no time left to wait.
mawz wrote:
@TWoK: that's some excellent work. I'm not much of a TMax fan, but the stuff you've posted with it looks quite good.
Thanks, I appreciate it. It's not that I'm a TMax fan either, I just got a heap of expired TMax 400 for 50 yen a roll, so I couldn't pass it up. I'm almost out, so I'll need to order more B&W soon, Any suggestions?
ulrikft wrote:
Great series! I love the grungy feeling tmax pushed gives me! I'm sure your friends loved it too Good job!
They really liked it. I also really love the grungy look I'm getting from TMax.
TWoK wrote:
Thanks, I appreciate it. It's not that I'm a TMax fan either, I just got a heap of expired TMax 400 for 50 yen a roll, so I couldn't pass it up. I'm almost out, so I'll need to order more B&W soon, Any suggestions?
I'm pretty much shooting PanF+ and HP5+ these days. For the sort of push you're doing with that TMax, I like HP5+ or Tri-X in TMax Developer. Neopan 400 is also excellent and you'd likely get it much cheaper than I can (it's about twice the price of HP5 or Tri-X here).
