Page 34 of 34 FirstFirst ... 24323334
Results 331 to 340 of 340

Thread: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

  1. #331
    Scott Davis
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Washington DC
    Posts
    1,875

    Re: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

    Ruddy-

    I don't think anyone is criticizing the Littman camera itself- it may very well be the best Polaroid conversion ever made. What folks take issue with is the fact that Mr. Littman and his alter egos shout down every other conversion, and that whatever his quality differences might be, there is no justification for collectible-Leica pricing for something that never was and never will be what a collectible Lecia is. It's a combination of arrogance, hubris and short-sightedness on the part of the maker that causes folks to react to the cameras like a bad rash, not the cameras themselves.

    Oh, and BTW - Nick IS another of Mr. Littman's alter egos- he posted the same screed word for word on Photo.net and APUG at the same time he posted this one here.

  2. #332
    Kirk Gittings's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Albuquerque, Nuevo Mexico
    Posts
    9,864

    Re: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

    Ruddy, your observations and experience is welcome and respected here.
    Thanks,
    Kirk

    at age 73:
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep"

  3. #333
    Cooke, Heliar, Petzval...yeah
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    700

    Re: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

    Littman was here? Damn, I "missed" it! My day is ruined!
    Peter Hruby
    www.peterhruby.ca

  4. #334
    Drew Bedo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Houston Texas
    Posts
    3,225

    Re: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

    Rudy: Thanks for the drama-less evaluation. I have been looking for an objective apples-to-apples comparison and your post is likely to be as close as we will get to that ideal in this thread, so once again . . .thanks.

    Unfortunatly, I am as likely to be able shoot with a Littman as I am to shoot with a Technika or a Nikon D-3. One day I may get a a Byron, they look pretty good on U-Tube, and the cost is below the heart-attack level.
    Drew Bedo
    www.quietlightphoto.com
    http://www.artsyhome.com/author/drew-bedo




    There are only three types of mounting flanges; too big, too small and wrong thread!

  5. #335

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    NSW Australia.
    Posts
    131

    Re: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

    I can speak from experience on this subject as I own both a Littman and a Razzle. I have compared them side by side and used them both fairly often. I have found that although the Littman has a Horseman back fitted, it relies on a plastic pack film holder to attach the 4x5 back to the Polaroid body. The identical system can be found on the Four Designs pack film conversions from a few years back. The myterious method of using a strip of tacky Velcro to hold the front standard in place, has often made me wonder why? Even the highly expensive Littman camera that sells for $5000+ still uses a strip of Velcro.

    The Razzle uses the original Polaroid front standard locking method which is far more sturdy, so the fact that Ruddy states it seems wobbly seems strange, mine locks in firmly and doesn't move at all. Surely Polaroid would not have designed it to be that way back in the fifties?

    The Byron now goes a step further and uses a metal plate with grooves that allow the little locking tab to engage in, so this is even more acceptable, especially if using interchangeable lenses.
    The Byron looks to be the most clever of all the conversions, judging by the photos I have seen of it. The Razzle is the next best thing to a Byron, and finally, the Littman misses out due to lack of detail here and there. It usually requires a little coaxing to get a decent result, although I can never really tell which camera produced which neg, that seems solely dependant upon the lens fitted.

    Ruddy, do you not relise that you shouldn't be using the ground glass screen at all? These cameras are designed for hand held use and WITHOUT a tripod. As far as I know the screen is only used for checking the accuracy of the rangefinder from time to time. I leave mine at home and Littman sells his as a rather expensive accessory.
    If you must rely on the GG screen, why use a rangefinder? Unless you have very steady arms, using the ground glass hand held would seem impossible.
    I think that most problems associated with using a converted Polaroid camera arise from either user error or just plain ignorance of the method.

    The really sad thing about the whole Polaroid conversion scenario is the attitude that has been long adopted by an individual and unfortunately it has tainted the LF world for quite a few years.

    GF.

  6. #336
    Drew Bedo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Houston Texas
    Posts
    3,225

    Re: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

    Hello Rudy,

    Thanks for the side-by-side comparison and review. I have held one example from Alpenhause done on a 900 body. It seemed to be competently done, but I had nothing else to compare it to. I am liking the Byron more and more.
    Drew Bedo
    www.quietlightphoto.com
    http://www.artsyhome.com/author/drew-bedo




    There are only three types of mounting flanges; too big, too small and wrong thread!

  7. #337

    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    2,639

    Re: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

    Just pulled out my Razzle 900, because the previous posts/comments got me wondering if I've overlooked any of those criticisms.

    I clicked the front standard into place and gave everything a rattle, tried to move things with a determined but not aggressive force (think, push not shove). Nothing wobbled.

    The focusing is smooth and with little friction, so you could say it was 'loose' compared to a geared field or monorail. If I'm focusing with my thumb I don't want something that isn't easy to go back and forth. Fact is, I keep my thumb on the wheel as I take the image, that's how I'd 'lock' the focus, just like on any other rangefinder or slr from a smaller format.

    Viewfinder isn't as bright as a Leica, but the RF patch is viewable and have focused in a number of lighting situations.

    The ground glass I agree is nothing compared to a satin-snow. That said I'd almost never use a Razzle or any other conversion for GG focusing. The reason I bought it was for handheld. When I check the RF vs GG, I can take a loupe and I can see the focus matches up exactly between RF and GG - it's sharp, it's the same, and if I can use an eye in a viewfinder I'd prefer that to a screen on the back.

    The protruding bolts are annoying, yes. I think Dean's new versions feature something a bit slimmer. For me I just deal with it. There's roughly an inch and a half between the top left bolt and the VF, which means for my skull, more than enough space I'm not poking myself in the face.

    As for lens, I tried a quick readup before I got mine converted for me. I was offered the Fujinon W 150/5,6 - hardly found any info online about it, but it was modern, resolved enough detail in a large enough image circle. In practice it's produced a sharp image even wide open with enough resolution for large images (12x16 traditional prints, and scans to at least that effective print size at 450dpi or above).


    To be honest, I got so pissed with the last guy who dragged me out of town to look at the camera and made comments based on speculation, that I decided the camera was worth more to me than to try and sell. Even though I wanted to sell it, I play with it (fondle?) and it just feels too nice to give away for any price.

    If the camera had produced poor results, I'd have chopped it in a long time ago. I ended up selling my (60's) Hasselblad and going back to an RB67 (70's). Guess which I prefer? Which is the bigger name in photography?

    It's down to user and budget, but I see nothing in a >$1000 conversion that I couldn't get in something for less.

  8. #338

    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Posts
    833

    Re: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

    Nick,

    I really don't think the issue has ever been with the camera. Granted, some of the newer models seem to border on gaudy.. but there is genuine craftsmanship there. From what i've read, the issue is with Mr. Littman, and with the tactics he has taken in regard to his camera. The pages and pages of near irrational monologue has done nothing to further the marketing of the camera. He really is his own worst enemy. There's enough room for both Leica and Bessa, and I don't see Leica having public breakdowns about the Bessa product (referring to Mr. Littman's posts about his competitors .. not yours). These monologues have dirtied the water for further praise of the Littman camera... which is the reason for the treatment your post received here.

    Quote Originally Posted by nickmaghera View Post
    Jim. I think you are right 100% about what it means being part of the forum.
    As a matter of fact, I have been in the forum for years (as well as in photo.net) with my real name!

    And I love the forums. If you only knew how many people helped me when I had technical questions on techniques (especially lighting techniques) and such....
    I mean I have done jobs around the world and before leaving, I was going back and forth with pros all over the world on how some hard to do lighting was supposed to be done, what gear to bring not to be left behind etc. etc.


    Trust me, I am in the forums and I love them and some things I have been accomplished would not at all have been possible if not for the great photographers that share their experience in these forums. And the best tips come by the people who are not famous but share their knowledge and I would want to hug them all

    But the point here is that I want to express my opinion (which has been cancelled as if I were an email address, not even a person, just like that) on a camera that I own and I love and it is just not fair that I cannot share videos and images to show what I think shows these differences are.

    And it's not fair when a producer tries to pull another producer down, when they are making two completely different products, especially when all of the attention on Polaroid conversions has been mainly drawned by WL, even if he wasn't the first.

    Even if we were speaking about the external details / decoration alone, there is so much more work on the Littman. We don't see the differences between a Woolsworth bag and a Prada one, but our wives do! And it's not like our wives are material or superficial, they have a different sensitivity, that's it! But don't they often see things that we don't see? Isn't it cool when they walk like a sexy cat with that new shiny bag they spend all our money on?

    To me it is fair that someone who has put such effort in making such beauty, is prized for this effort, and should point out the differences, when there are, and to me there are differences. And it is unfair that other competitors compare their cameras to his being in a different price range when they have so obviously not invested such amounts of money to obtain perfect parallelism, close up focusing, the center of the film plane correspondance to the center of the lens etc etc etc.,

    Call Mr. Weigand at Linhof and tell him that with much less (1/3) you can buy a Shen Hao and that it does the exact same things. See what he says! It probably infact does the exact same things, or very similar functions. But would we ever say that is the same camera? would we ever say that they have the same exact value and that there is no point for Linhof to have a small share of the market? would we like if Linhof weren't there anymore?
    (I know myself it is such a pushed comparison. But you have to remember that here we are not talkin about companies with capitals and private equity, german or japanese. we are talking about a single person investing all they have in a project in which they believe in, which to me needs to be safeguarded at all costs)


    Anyways I love my cameras all of them and I love all of the producers that have done them and the engineers that have built them, and I cannot call up Mr. Mamiya and do that but I can do that with Mr. Littman! (who is always exagerated in his words, but again if he doesn't defend his position he wouldn't at all be in the market and that to me would suck).

    And I love the forum so now this is the last post with this "emergency identity" - I am going back to my work and my love: photography!

    Nick

    (whether you use a ground glass or not, well that depends on how you compose really. It's not that the camera is "meant to be handheld". That is an option you have but you don't "have to do it". If I want to have an option to compose in a different way, which I do, and want a proper gg, well, then you need the gg, and it better be good!)

    (attourneys? never liked them)

  9. #339

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    NSW Australia.
    Posts
    131

    Re: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

    Quote Originally Posted by nickmaghera View Post

    Even if we were speaking about the external details / decoration alone, there is so much more work on the Littman.
    To me it is fair that someone who has put such effort in making such beauty, is prized for this effort, and should point out the differences, when there are, and to me there are differences.
    Nick, you really need to take a closer look at the finer details. If what you say is true, please tell me why the latest $5200 offering comes complete with nasty hacksaw marks to the chrome pivots and they're on BOTH sides! I doubt you will see such handywork on a Byron, Razzle, Alpenhause or any other decent conversion. As you say there are distinct differences.

    The Alpenhause and the Razzle cost under a thousand dollars and the Byron is less than half the price of $5200. There is definitely more work on the Littman, but this is irrelevant is it's not carried out with skill.

    GF.

  10. #340

    Join Date
    Dec 1999
    Location
    Forest Grove, Ore.
    Posts
    4,675

    Re: LITTMAN 45 SINGLE VI On EbaY 8,000

    Thread Closed.

Similar Threads

  1. New article by Michael Kravit: Littman 45 Single
    By QT Luong in forum Feedback
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 6-Feb-2005, 18:23
  2. Littman 45 Single
    By Erik The Viking in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 6-Apr-2004, 23:03
  3. Littman 45 Single
    By Ulianov Pavel in forum Lenses & Lens Accessories
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 30-May-2002, 08:13
  4. Littman 45 Single
    By Bruce Moyer in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 7-Feb-2002, 11:57

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •