Rangefinder Magazine
Archives

September 2000

Problems and Solutions by Bill Hurter


From: Robert Casper
e-mail: rcasper@nmia.com
My 20 year old NiCd batteries in my flash unit finally gave out and replacements are no longer available. I recently had them rebuilt by Battery Wholesale, 1515 W. Alexis Rd, Toledo, OH 43612; (800) 701-4008. The batteries are like new.
Thought you might be interested in knowing about them.

From: Juan Gil
Shades International srl
Milano, Italy
e-mail: Info@shadesdirect.com
I am currently a manufacturer/distributor of fine-crafted albums in Italy looking for those whoare interested in Italian design and quality in their albums. We also distribute acid/lignin free pages with or without plastic sleeves. Our orders can be for standard albums or for those who know what they want, an album can be made fit-to-order.

Interested parties should contact Shades International via e-mail at: Info@shadesdirect.com.

From: Chris Hinton
e-mail: chinton@nc.ndl.net
Thank you George Schaub! I really found your article to be most enlightening. After looking at all the media used to produce digital images, inks seem to be the best media with a lot of potential. I have been a photographer for 25 years and have read the Rangefinder even longer. Both of you keep up the good work!

Thanks for the kind words.

I recently received a card from Leandro Medina, 100 75th St., #23, North Bergen, NJ 07047 regarding Vivitar 283/285 and Metz 45 CT-series flash head conversions. The conversion includes an aluminum reflector and housing (see photo) that increases power to 100 and 200 watt-seconds, respectively. Full auto and manual control is still possible with the flash units and the modified strobes accept all original power sources. Medina also makes high voltage NiCd battery packs with a modified panel socket/plug for use with Quantum Turbo cables. Medina also sells a custom made gel-cell power pack with a 1.5 second recycle time. Call Leandro Medina at (201) 869-1373 for more information.

From: Andy Beals
e-mail: bandy@cinnamon.com
Regarding the company, Film for Classics, I spoke with them about a year ago and they no longer sell film other than 620 and 127. They don't even sell 828 anymore! I suppose that stock for the larger sizes has dried up and demand for 828 has all but disappeared.

For readers' information, Film for Classics can be contacted at P.O. Box 486, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472; (716) 624-4945.

From: Kostas Triantafyllopoulos
e-mail: strbo@snow.warwick.ac.uk
I want to make enlargements up to 20x30 inches using a Nikon FM2 with 28mm and 50mm lenses and Fujichrome Velvia 50 slide film. The question is whether I have a good enough quality for such a big enlargement.

Absolutely. Both the film resolution of Velvia and the lens resolution of Nikkor lenses in general are more than adequate for producing enlargements that big. In fact, I've seen a lot bigger. You should do everything possible, however, to minimize camera and subject movement… use a sturdy tripod, shoot at peak of action, use a fast shutter speed and use an optimal lens aperture (usually 2-3 stops from wide open), lock the mirror up, and so forth. Exposure is also critical in producing optimal images for extreme enlargement.

From:Angie Bowden
e-mail: angelb62@home.com
I ordered a CD with my photos on it and I can not get into them. Why? It is as if there is nothing on the CD. What do I do?

Contact the company who copied your images to CD and find out what CD protocols are needed to open the CD on the computer you are using. You are not alone. Here at the magazine, we routinely receive CDs that are unopenable. This often happens when the CD is written cross-platform (i.e., you're using a Mac and the CD was authored on a PC). There are, however, many applications that will help you. We use CD-ROM Toolkit from FWB Software. It will mount even the stubbornnest of CDs. Call your service bureau to see if they can offer suggestions.