Thank You Vern

Not all readers of this blog may be aware that I also write for a camera gear review website. Camerology's niche is reviewing gear that is usually ignored by the more common review sites. On a recent Friday I took a ride to purchase a couple reviewable items from a local photographer.

While the Konica Hexar AF and Nikkormat FT turned out to be good gear for my purposes, the real gem of the trip was chatting with the seller. We discussed the contact prints hanging proudly in his living room. He recalled the allure of creating prints and the hours spent in the dark room. And we shared our general fondness for working with film.


This photo is eye candy only. It does not relate to this post. Shot with an EF 28-80mm USM kit lens.

But the most interesting part of the discussion was about how camera gear can affect a photographer's photography. But not necessarily the way we might expect. We both related situations where the gear we chose influenced the photos we created. Not the sharpness of the image. Not how much detail was present. But the style or mood of the photographs.

It was on the way home that I started to realize the impact of the day's conversation.

As a student of photography I often look for ways to improve my work. Sometimes I ask a respected photographer for a critique. Other times I study a collection and attempt to understand what makes it work. But this day just chatting with a photog with more experience helped me realize one aspect of photography that I had already observed. The topic we related on may have been a small thing, but I felt validated, more confident, and inspired to continue pushing forward to improve my work.

Thank you Vern.

MC W.Rokkor-NL 21mm Advice

I've been shooting some film images with the camera and lens shown below. Readers of my Camerology.com website may remember my fondness for the Minolta X-370 body. The MC W.Rokkor-NL 21mm 1:2.8 lens has been interesting and fun to use and the lens review is published.

But I have a question for other users of this early Rokkor-NL 21mm lens. The focus ring, which is gnurled, turns smoothly, is well damped, and has no looseness. The metal portion of the lens in front of the focus ring, which seems to act only as a non-rotating hood/filter ring, has about one millimeter of slop. Is that normal? If another Minolta user could leave me a comment regarding the normal-ness of this looseness I would surely appreciate it. TIA

Photo Bike

Kevin over at A Few Fuzzy Photos talks about going on a 'Photo Hike'. I've taken the next step and am now venturing out on my own version. A 'Photo Bike'. Some of my most enjoyable photography seems to happen when I follow the front wheel of my bicycle and shoot whatever catches my eye as I ride by.

Western Washington was treated to a few hours of dry and mild weather today. With The Tin Man, a vintage Raleigh Record, I headed for a popular walking trail that circumnavigates Chambers Bay Golf Course. I've visited this trail many times with my camera and never seem to bring back the same image twice.

A Madrona soaks in the last few rays of the days sunshine.

A popular vantage point to catch a sunset over South Puget Sound.

Manualized Canon 10d

In a previous blog post I mentioned a Canon 10D that was experiencing the dreaded Err99. The previous owner knows that I'm familiar with the 10D as I use one for some of my lens reviews. He didn't want to waste time with it and sold it to me, with a BG-ED3 battery grip, for a low price.

After some research and experimentation I came to the conclusion that the camera was having trouble communicating electronically with the lens. The err99 would only occur when the camera attempted to communicate with the lens at the moment of exposure. By fitting an adapter that allows M42 screw mount lenses to be mounted I was able to get the camera to function in AV (aperture priority) and manual modes. Of course the M42 lenses require manual focus and manually setting the aperture with the on-lens aperture ring.

Before selling this body I decided it should be used a bit to guarantee it would still function in what I call 'Hobbled Mode'. I already owned an M42 to EOS adapter. My adapter has the focus confirmation chip. A strip of tape over the contacts prevented electrical communication and prevented the err99 from occurring. From my box of unsellable camera gear came an M42 screw mount Hanimex Automatic 35mm 1:2.8 and an M42 screw mount Auto Exaktar 35mm 1:2.8. Neither of these lenses inspired confidence in their optical quality potential. The Auto Exaktar felt cheap, had already lost a mount side dust cover, and possessed the unusual feature of excessive focus dampening in one direction and none in the other. The Hanimex felt better built with a well damped focus mechanism and more legible aperture and focus markings.

The Hanimex 35mm 1:2.8 was fitted for the following images. I didn't expect much from the camera or lens. My first outing started at dusk and went into the early evening. The shutter speeds were long and required the camera to be rested on or against whatever objects were available. Most images showed enough camera movement that the lack of lens sharpness was not an issue.

Despite all these shortcomings, one of the images was perfect. As my wife and daughter started off towards the restaurant I noticed their silhouettes and shadows on the wet pavement. I had only enough time to set the focus to infinity, rest the camera on the ground, and get off a couple exposures before they moved out of the path of the light. Technically they were duds. But emotionally, the one shown below is one of my favorites.

Walking to Steamer's

A light pole lights itself. Shot handheld, it was one of the few images I attempted without something to brace the camera.

Call for advice from 10D owners

A friend asked me to take a look at a Canon 10D that shows err99. I did some research to get a better understanding of the issue. Then I tested the 10D in question to find out when and how the err99 occurred. It seems that the error only surfaces when a lens is attached and the camera attempts to make an exposure. The camera will make an exposure with no lens attached. Has anyone experienced a similar problem and simply dedicated their body to adapted non-EOS lenses? Does anyone have a good sense of what this faulty body is worth on the used market?

The Tin Man

A Craigslist recycled bicycle frame has been transformed into a bicycle. The project was so rewarding I added the Raleigh Record page to my sailing site.