Another new member...

[EddieB]

I've been snooping in and out for ages, finally decided to log in properly!

Hi to all - I'm Eddie and I'm a filmaholic. There - I feel better already.

I started in photography late 70's with a Zenith B - the bug bit. I earned extra pocket money by putting the bins out, doing the washing up, putting my clothes away etc etc (the wife was very generous, even back then). Soon I'd built up enough for an OM2 (there was a lot of washing up...) and Zuikos from 28 to 300mm (there were a lot of bins, too).

Portraiture was my main interest back then - and I had a measure of success on the Club circuit. Then it was social documentary - the streets. Then came 4 sons - now that was an expensive hobby - portraiture and the streets had to take second (fifth?) place. No time for the camera club with work and the family commitments.

I never left photography, though. I went on to a Nikon F4S (what was Olympus thinking when they abandoned filmees?). Left portraiture - and the streets - and turned to landscape. The search for fine grain continued. Then finer grain. Then grainless...

When the kids finally left home (can anyone explain why the washing basket is still full of their clothes and the fridge is always empty after they've visited??) my wife bought me a Hasselblad for my 50th birthday (well, the bins had been getting heavier over the years, washing up increased etc etc). When I say "she bought me..." she didn't actually know what it was - but you get my drift.

Still it wasn't enough. Last year I invested in an Ebony RSW45 plus Schneider 90mm f6.8 and Symmar S 150mmm f5.6. I've spent over 12 months trying to focus the **** thing, fighting with a **** dark cloth, wondering why the **** lens seems loose enough to tilt back and fore and go up and down (a manufacturing fault, surely?), sheltering it from the slightest of breezes, trying to find a method of producing consistent results from processing the **** B&W sheet film. In short, just loving it!

Haven't got there yet. Had a lot of help from this site - thanks to all you unwitting contributors - and followed Tim Parkin's blog with his battles with this terrible affliction. Looking forward to contributing if I can.

I live in Wishaw, Scotland. Frequent visitor with a camera to points North. My job involves a fair bit of travelling in UK and USA and I'm regularly visiting Burnley and Derby areas - not always easy to fit in any camera work, though - so if there are any tips for areas to visit of an evening thereabouts...

I'm off to Arizona in September - our fourth year for a holiday there. Up to now I've had to make do with the D200 for pictures due to security and hand luggage restrictions. This time my Ebony baby will be going. I've already phoned Photomark in Phoenix to arrange film (can someone explain why USA film price has the same number as the UK, but with a $ sign instead of a £?).

If I ever get to grips with scanning stuff, I'll post something - assuming I get to grips with posting stuff... In the meantime, I might need to make do with digital copies from the D200 taken at the same time as the proper camera.

Looking forward to a conversation or two.

Regards

Eddie

[Nigels]

Welcome to the forum Eddie.
Looks like we had a similar progression.
I started with a Cosina CSM and Nikon F301 before peaking 35mm with the fantastic F4s.
Where you went 'Blad for MF I went for the Fuji GSW690 before advancing to the beautiful Ebony RSW.
And yes I have a digi SLR to back it up - A Nikon D70.
Look forward to seeing some of your LF work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24301567@N08/sets/

[EddieB]

Thanks Nigel.

Just did a quick check on your Flickr site - some of those beach shots are very very pretty!!! Is that sun in some of the shots? A rare occurrence in some the places I get to up here

Looks like you've conquered the focusing thing... I'm still working my way through it - Horseman x7 loupe too much for the 90mm. I've got a x4 which is ok. I'll see if I can find a Schneider loupe when I'm in the States.

Then there's the Batman cape. I've got a Harrison, but it's just too much - light breezes have been known in this area - so I'm improvising with a couple of black T shirts... Rod Klukas in Photomark, Phoenix tells me he has a lightweight / lightproof focus cloth he gets made locally. I'll check it out when I get there - I live in hope..

Best Regards

Eddie

[PAUL O]

Welcome to the forum! You'll soon get the hang of the Ebony

[Paul Mitchell]

Welcome Eddie, unfortunately my offspring has not flown the coop yet so try and do what I can on a limited budget (can't afford an Ebony YET!!).

Paul

[Joanna Carter]

Looks like you've conquered the focusing thing... I'm still working my way through it - Horseman x7 loupe too much for the 90mm. I've got a x4 which is ok. I'll see if I can find a Schneider loupe when I'm in the States.

Eddie, if you are willing to travel a bit, I'm sure we can organise a mini-workshop somewhere near you. Anyone live within easy travelling of the Glasgow area? As to a loupe, it is unlikely to be your Horseman loupe that is causing focusing problems, it is more than likely the lack of a fresnel on your GG screen. What do you find to be the problem?

Then there's the Batman cape. I've got a Harrison, but it's just too much - light breezes have been known in this area - so I'm improvising with a couple of black T shirts... Rod Klukas in Photomark, Phoenix tells me he has a lightweight / lightproof focus cloth he gets made locally. I'll check it out when I get there - I live in hope..

Focusing cloths and wind really don't go together that well Provided your vision is OK with close distances, the BTZS "tube" is the most resistant I have tried; I have a slightly used one for sale if you are interested.

[gari]

Hi Eddie, I am in Oban if you fancy a get together, I get into Glencoe and up and down the west coast alot.
Drop me a line if you fancy a day out, I am more than happy to share what I know.

Gari

[EddieB]

Wow - thanks for the welcome!

Joanna - the Ebony came with a fresnel screen. The x7 magnification of the Horseman seems to show up the rings better than the subject. Better with the x4, but it's a Jessops made loupe for 35mm slides - I'd like to try something that covers a wider area of the screen. I wear contact lenses to give me good distance vision - unfortunately, my eyes are bad enough that I then have to wear glasses for close work! If I don't wear contacts I can focus well enough on the screen - although tripping over things when I'm walking is a nuisance . I've just got a pair of reading glasses which seem to let me get close enough to the screen for focusing - old age is terrible thing... I had a similar problem with ground glass on the Hasselblad - easily solved with a split-image screen. I think practice is the main thing - I tend to find myself focusing through the subject, then back again so it's sharp, then forward again to check that it's as good as I can get it etc etc - "the indecisive moment" - and that's before i start fiddling with tilt! All part of the joys of LF. I'll check out the BTZS tube.

Gari - I'm planning for a visit, probably to Glen Etive, for next Sunday. It might be a "weather permitting" day, but I can always be persuaded to ignore rain, wind and general disappointment with results . Let me know and I'm sure we can arrange something - might even include a tearoom!

Everyone else - thanks again. I'm sure there'll be plenty of questions coming your way

Best Regards

[Joanna Carter]

the Ebony came with a fresnel screen. The x7 magnification of the Horseman seems to show up the rings better than the subject.

Eddie, I used to use the Ebony screen and know what you mean by the obtrusive fresnel; also I found that the standard fresnel was unacceptably dark in the corners when used with wide angle lenses. I did purchase the Ebony WA fresnel but found that, without a second frame to hold it ready for use, I would have to decide whether I wanted to take WA or standard shots before going out, to avoid having to change the screen in the field.

Since the cost of an Ebony frame, fresnel, GG and cover glass was more, I decided to go for the Maxwell focusing screen, which can cope with lenses from, at least, 72mm to 400mm on the single screen. Also, it is a "micro" fresnel which is barely discernable in use.

Until you can afford a Maxwell, you might like to check that the GG and fresnel are in the right order and the right way round. You might also try to ensure that you are focusing the loupe on the front of the GG instead of on the ridges of the fresnel; it's not easy but it might help.

I wear contact lenses to give me good distance vision - unfortunately, my eyes are bad enough that I then have to wear glasses for close work! If I don't wear contacts I can focus well enough on the screen - although tripping over things when I'm walking is a nuisance . I've just got a pair of reading glasses which seem to let me get close enough to the screen for focusing - old age is terrible thing...

Tell me about it!! I had perfect vision in my left eye until just around 40, then it got to be very frustrating. My biggest problem is close focus; I wear vari-focal glasses (not keen on contacts) but I have adjusted my Horseman 7x loupe to my uncorrected vision and take my glasses off for final focusing.

I think practice is the main thing - I tend to find myself focusing through the subject, then back again so it's sharp, then forward again to check that it's as good as I can get it etc etc - "the indecisive moment" - and that's before i start fiddling with tilt!

Focusing through the subject is standard procedure isn't it? I hope you can get out with Gari, but until you do, you might like to try the following exercises:

1. Find a very strong contrast subject to focus on, adjust the camera focus until it is as sharp as you can get it without the loupe (it might not be perfectly sharp). Then adjust your loupe until the contrast line on the image is as sharp as possible, trying to ignore the fresnel lines. This may help with throwing the fresnel further out of focus.

2. As an exercise in tilt, you might like to find some flat land with a wall, about 8ft tall, about 20ft away. Put some axis tilt (just a little) on the front standard and attempt to focus on the ground immediately in front of you. Then, using the axis tilt only, try to focus on a point about halfway up the wall; there should be a horizontal "stripe" of sharp focus which will drift up and down the wall as you alter the tilt.

After you have a stripe of sharp focus halfway up the wall, you will find that this has put the foreground out of focus, so go back to looking at the foreground and only adjust the focus halfway between the point of focus for the foreground and that for halfway up the wall; then readjust the axis tilt until the "stripe" is as close to halfway up the wall and the foreground is as sharp as that allows. Iterate through tilt and focus, using very small adjustments, until both the "sharp stripe" on the wall is halfway up and the foreground is sharp.

You are not looking to get the whole image sharp on the GG; this will only usually happen as you stop down. Once you are happy that both the middle of the wall and the foreground are in focus, try stopping down the aperture whilst checking until both the top and bottom of the wall are acceptably sharp.

So now you will have used used tilt and focus to establish a plane of sharp focus which passes from the foreground to halfway up your subject (the wall), and you should be able to see how depth of field doesn't work "front to back" but as a wedge that originates under your camera and gets wider, the further away from the camera the subject.

If you are not aware of them, take a look at the articles written by Harold Merklinger here, especially this page and this article

[EddieB]

Hi Joanna

The rain has stopped, a really bright light source has appeared from behind some clouds , I've just cleaned the kit. I'm off to try that focus exercise.

I'll get a PM to Gari to see if he's avaiable next weekend.

Thanks

[Joanna Carter]

... a really bright light source has appeared from behind some clouds

Ah, that'll be a 747 coming in to land

[timparkin]

Hi Eddie!

Nice to find out about another reader - hope you don't blame me for the Ebony wallet damage

Look forward to seeing some pictures from your 'wee timorous beastie'

Tim

[EddieB]

Hi Tim

Little "Eboneezer" is having an outing on Sunday. Glen Etive looks like the favoured location - one or two spots are a work in progress (ie previous attempts have been c***!).

At this time of year it's tempting to take a macro lens to get a couple of close-ups of the midges...

Re' getting the blame for the Ebony habit - you're safe. I have a co-operative GP - he gave me a note stating it was a medical necessity for me to buy one... Not sure if my wife fully accepted it, though. It may only be good for single use.

But now that you've mentioned it - I may use your name on a future occasion

Best Regards