A little of what I've been up to...

[Xia_Ke]

Sorry haven't been posting shots in a long time. I moved a few months ago and lost the a/c adapter in the process. Finally got in a new one last week and been trying to get caught up on developing. Here's some of what I have been shooting. The 6x6 shots were all taken with a Rolleiflex and the others with a Mamiya M645 and 80mm f/1.9. These were shot with either Plus-X or HP5. The Mamiya is a pretty sweet little camera and the 1.9 has lots of possibilities, however I just never "clicked" (pun intended) with it. I hope you enjoy it Greg and look forward to seeing some shots when you get that film in :thumbsup:

[danic]

Great shots Aaron!

Your thread has reminded me of a roll of HP5 Plus I've yet to develop.


My favourite would have to be the shot with the lighthouse. They all have great composition. Keep posting up shots

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks danic You'll be seeing more now that things have slowed down at work and now that I have a scanner again. I really need to get printing again though cause I just can't get what I want out these scans but, the house I'm living in is real old and none of the faucets will work with my print washer. I'm going to have to mickey mouse some sort of washer here soon.

[brmill26]

Excellent shots, Aaron. I love the vase and the headstone in the rocks. The Mamiya really has a classic look to it and excellent bokeh.

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks Brad The Mamiya M645 is IMO the best bang for the buck in a medium format SLR out there. Bodies and the majority of lenses can be had for under $100 easy. I dunno, it just never felt "right" to me though. It's a huge change from shooting with a TLR which was probably my problem.

[polarbeardiggers]

wow Aaron those are some great black white shots,i was never a big fan of them until now your shots are very clear and crisp and they really bring out a mood in them,makes me want to wet my fingers in the B&W field.

[brmill26]

The Mamiya M645 is IMO the best bang for the buck in a medium format SLR out there. Bodies and the majority of lenses can be had for under $100 easy. I dunno, it just never felt "right" to me though. It's a huge change from shooting with a TLR which was probably my problem.

So I've heard as well. I've looked into a few on eBay, but they're just a little too far out of my student budget once you get a body, lens, and back together. Very excellent cameras, though, as your shots prove. I'd like to get a Mamiya or Hassy MF eventually... very eventually... ha.

Anyway I just scavenged another eBay find. I went well out on a limb for this one... it's a Zeiss Ikon 515/2 Nettar S 6x9 folding camera (120 film). I know Zeiss mixed and matched quite a lot of parts under the same name, so I've found very scarce info around the 'net (and much of it in French?!). But best I can tell, it would've been made before WWII, circa 1937. I can't tell from the auction photos, but it should have a Nettar F/6.3 lens and shutter speeds up to 1/100. At any rate, the seller *claims* "every function is in perfect working condition," but we'll see. The body is a bit worn, but the lens looks very bright in the photos.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=220309683580

I'll post a thread on it w/ decent photos once it gets here...

[Xia_Ke]

Congrats on the "new" camera Brad! The Zeiss Nettars definitely seem to be the best bang for the buck in antique folders, though I haven't seen one quite this old. Most of the ones I have seen were mid to late 40's. Can't beat the price you snagged it at, GREAT find! Hopefully the lens is clean and clear and the bellows are light tight. Looking forward to seeing some shots taken with this :thumbsup:

[brmill26]

Thanks Aaron. I did a bit more research and from the very little tidbits of info out there, I was able to figure out that this version with the hexagonal plate on the shutter is relatively rare. It was only made at the very beginning of the 515/2, from 1933-34. After that, the hexagonal plate was never used on the 515 again. So that just makes it that much more cool. But yes, of course, there's the dreaded "everything is in perfect working condition" comment... who knows; we shall see when it gets here.

As to the price, yes, I really couldn't believe it. It's certainly not the finest Zeiss Ikon ever made, but, it is still a Zeiss Ikon! I've seen quite a few Kodak Brownie No. 2 cameras go for that or more. And of course that's an interesting camera historically, but no where near the quality, of course.

I'm definitely looking forward to shooting it. After browsing through Flickr, it appears as though it can produce quite a fine image: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=nettar+515%2F2 I'll let yall know...

[Xia_Ke]

Brad, if you find any 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, or 11x14 field cameras for that price, let me know!!!

[brmill26]

Hahaha, I did look at those! But as you suggest, they were ruled out via price. Very cool cameras, one of which I'd love to own some day... but for the moment, a bit more than I want to spend for a camera that wouldn't get used a ton and would be fairly expensive, in my terms, to operate.

That said, though, I did see a Voigtlander 4x5 with a fair number of attachments (several film packs, a 120 roll back, filter set, multiple glass backs) go for about $60. I think everything was in operating condition, but the catch is it had a Voigtar lens. I saw another one (maybe a 5x7?) with a broken glass back but a Heliar lens go for $160, which I thought wasn't bad for that lens.

I got my Nettar 515/2 in tonight. I'll post a thread on it tomorrow.

[Xia_Ke]

The problem with a lot of those older cameras liek the Voigtlanders, at least out of the ones I have seen, is that they don't have full tilt and shift abilities. There's always the old Speed Graphic cameras. Those can be had for around $300 and have limited movements. I think I'll just have to save some pennies and send some gear, then try and pick up a new Tachihara after the holidays.

Let me know how you like the Nettar :thumbsup: