In The Zone: The General Photography Tips, Advice & Shop Talk Thread

[Margin Walker]

Originally posted by Margin Walker
Personally, I'd check the antique shops in your neck of the woods first. I'd bet that they have older cameras with the same features as the Seagull, but for much cheaper (AND Swiss optics!). The dealers usually don't know shit about cameras or anything mechanical (right now I'm looking at my pachinko machine from the 50's that I picked up for all of $100. I don't know what it's worth, but it's sure more than $100). All they know is that it's old and that people buy old shit to put in their T.G.I.Friday's or wherever. Also, some of those items are there on consignment and the widow or widower doesn't give a damn how much they earn from the sale--as long as they earn something for it. Good luck.

Man, am I ever glad I followed my own advice. The very first antique shop I checked out had a Kodak Reflex II TLR for a mere $35 bucks!! And it's 6cm X 6cm (2 1/4" X 2 1/4")!! But there's a catch--it's 620. Kodak (the same folks that gave us the shitty-ass Disc camera) had their own special kind of roll film (620) that's impossible to find nowadays. Which means I either have to 1) respool the 120 film onto a 620 spool or 2) sand the plastic 120 film diameter until it can fit in the 620 camera (the diameter of the 120 film spool is about 1/4" wider than 620 spools). Oh yeah, 120-620 F.A.Q. here.

[toisan_toughman]

awesome pics wonki! please post more! djbadmonkey, I'd like to see some of your downtown L.A. shots.
________
Cloudy Trichomes

[toisan_toughman]

Where do you bots in the L.A. area go to develop your pics? I know that a lot of you develop your own, but I'm not lucky enough to have access to a darkroom.

I'm trying to look for a place (preferrably somewhere in the San Gabriel Valley/Pasadena area) that develops good quality pics in a decent amount of time for a good price. I currently develop my pictures at Target: double prints at decent quality for a low price but sometimes they take 2-3 days to develop.

I tried this place called Fotofun in Alhambra, I like their matte finish with white border prints and can get the prints in a day, but they cost double the amount as Target for only one set of prints.

How 'bout naming some other photo processing places?
________
FORD CORSAIR HISTORY

[nathaniel]

more pics wonki! those were cool. i like the last one the best i think

[Margin Walker]

Originally posted by dimbulb
does anyone know the name of that tape they use to block off blank areas on slides so it appears black when the slide's show on a projector? (i'm doing documentation of my paintings... )

The stuff I saw in the shop today was called Silver Mylar Tape. Nowyou know: and knowing is half of the battle.

<cue "G.I. Joe" theme music>

[Lain]

Okay Margin, do they make film that takes pictures in inverse?

[wonki wonki]

thanks yam, toisan, nathaniel. i'm planning to do another run of downtown la, probably concentrate on broadway, so if i snag anything good, i'll share.

[wonki wonki]

...

[wonki wonki]

so, does anyone own a film scanner?

i'm thinking about getting one, and i'm looking at Minolta Dimage Scan Dual III, mainly because of its price (under $300?). i could almost afford that after a couple months of saving.

[filmingisgay]

I have a CanoScan FS 4000 US, its good because my old film scanner didn't take slides, and now I have to shoot slides for magazines and ads. But anyway, its good. You should also invest in a good printer I have an Epson Stylus Photo 2200. I had to save more months and only drink 40 oz. Sometimes New Castle would sneak in there and his friend Guiness but that was on rare occasions.

[wonki wonki]

is that the one with infrared dust removal feature? you think that feature is worth it in practice?

[dimbulb]

i've wanted a lomo cam for a while, but i can never find them around this part of town... how much should i expect to pay for one of them?

[ocd]

Here ya go: http://shop.lomography.com/shop/

you can occaisionally get them for like $20 less on amazon or various other sites, but I don't think they come w/ the extras.

[Margin Walker]

Here's a bunch of photo links that I copied out of ReadyMade Magazine for anyone that's interested.

Blueprint photography: http://www.sentex.net/~mwandel/blueprint/blueprint.html
Chemicals: http://www.photoformulary.com
Alternative Printing: http://www.mikeware.demon.co.uk
History of Photography: http://albumen.stanford.edu
Archival supplies: http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com
Vintage Cameras: http://www.pacificrimcamera.com
Palladium & Platinum Printing supplies: http://www.bostick-sullivan.com
Strobes & Studio gear: http://www.calumetphoto.com
Blueprint paper supplier: http://www.certsup.com
Diana camera site: http://www.huskudu.com
Film for out-of-date formats (Minox, 127, etc): http://www.frugalphotographer.com

[ocd]

MW, AK is looking for a new Digicam. Any suggestions?