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That is not balsam separation in my opinion. The pattern plus the rainbow suggest a more modern cement.

It depends on what the chemical is. The manufacturers typically have their own data on this, which tends to be conservative. In general, as Mark suggests, the lack of air in the container makes a...

Can’t go wrong with a Vivitar 283 or 285. Powerful, reliable, cheap. The 285 lets you dial in output for fill flash. I put a “cold shoe” on top of my camera. You could do or use a side handle. ...

The Xenar is quite a good lens, used within the narrow limits of its coverage. Several people have commented on their disappointment with the 135, which leads me to believe somebody has messed with...

Peter, I guess I'll be the one to ask. What are you seeing that is "pretty obvious"? To me the Schneider one on top has a little more contrast. And slightly better highlight separation. What am I...

Yes, regluing will solve it, but something this minor doesn't qualify as a practical problem. It may remain steady like this for years. I'd be especially careful to avoid temperature shocks,...

It depends on your finances, of course.

I've had a 3 section Gitzo CF tripod for many years. I've used it for everything up to 8X10. It weighs MUCH less than my previous standard, which was a...

Having repaired lots of lenses with modern UV cure cement, I've settled on cheesecloth with Acetone on it, following by a swipe with a really high quality lens tissue.

Use an 11x14 tray and let the negative move all over the play during agitation and this problem will be gone.

Restaurant supply stores have clear plastic lettuce trays that are great for...

Copal shutters have evenly spaced f stops on the scale. But changing focal length can throw everything off. After you do the math on the change, you should be able to shift the scale, but of course...

It depends completely the the focal length of the lens. F:9 on 150mm g claron will not match f:9 on a 305....

If the donor is a 210, then it should be really close.

I can’t think of a more frequently asked question in here. And answered extensively over and over.

At the risk of looking like an forgetful idiot, I am going to actually share my list. This is taped to a cabinet in the darkroom and I wrote it up about 15 years ago after stupidly forgetting...

While TMAX films may be forgiving in the sense they they work well with many different developers, you’ll have much better luck with close attention to time, temperature and repeatable, consistent...

Out of curiosity I tried D23 1:1 with TM100. DIY mixes don't get easier than two ingredients. (OK, three if you count water.) I've been very pleased with the results.

Looking again at the small photos - is this missing the cocking lever? There is a large, flat lever that lets you cock the shutter. Then you can lock it open for focusing and composition by pushing...

Assuming it needs nothing more than a clean, lube and adjustment, go for it. My Acme shutters have been very reliable and all have gone a decade plus without needing service. No worse than many of...

As a increasingly frequent user of Crown Graphics, I think it is easy to sell them short as general purpose landscape cameras, despite the relative lack of movements. My most frequently used...

I've (rarely) had this problem, but I've solved it by using one of those rubber things people use for getting stuck lids off jars. Hold the shutter in one hand securely, so you won't break or bend...

Maybe I lucked out with my uncoated f:12 Wollensak, but it was adequately sharp for me edge to edge. I don't shoot 8X10 any longer, but I still use it for 4X10 and it does a nice job for me.

Back when I had more time on my hands I did a shoot off between my original Symmar 150mm (serial number in the 5's) and my APO modern Symmar in the same focal length. I shot the AF test target from...

If you are thinking spending that $600 will get you noticeably better performance in the 135mmm range, then I think you will be disappointed. Both 135s are terrific lenses. The MC Symmar-S lenses...

It depends on the paper. Kodak's excellent Polymax paper didn't keep worth beans. Did not matter if you kept it in the fridge or the freezer. (Developer incorporated?) I am still using my frozen...

I'm with Alan on this. If they are working fine (and it sounds like they are) then sell them, advertised as working fine.

G Claron 240/270 [harder to find] both in Copal 1

210 G Claron gives you about an inch of rise, it is quite small.

the 305 G Claron is a fine lens, but not one I'd call small and light.

For...

The shoe on the crown may be the mounting place for the optical viewfinder. Looks kind of like a cold shoe.

I just searched "Graflex" on our local CL. Somebody is selling perhaps 20 Graflex Type V film holders in nice shape for $15 each. Depends what your time is worth.

Since 4x5 film holders are so available and so cheap, I wouldn't bother. Even though I have, in the past, done this. Graflock backs on Crowns are pretty hard on film holders, so I'm not sure wood...

I've never done that, going on 32 years of LF. Never been a problem for me. There is no reason not to do it.

The light leak does widen across the film, consistent with light shining in from a leak.

It may take a few days to get a response, but you can ask Beseler. They were helpful recently when I had alignment issues.

I measured the near and far limits of the bellow at each position on the base. I put P Touch labels indicating the choices on the back of the ground glass protector. That helped in picking the...

Some cameras grip the holder like a bear trap (Canhams, Graphics, etc.) and some hold it just adequately (Charmonix) and on those it is easy to accidentally lift the holder a bit, especially if your...

Could be not fully seated in the light trap slot, or pulled it up a little bit when withdrawing or inserting the dark slide? Happened just on this one negative?

PRJ is exactly right in my opinion. It is in terrible shape. Those aren't minor cleaning marks.

Schneideritis never hurt anybody. Lens look plenty sharp enough. Good for you!

Yeah, unmolested ones are plentiful and relatively inexpensive so I certainly would pass. Get a mutlicoated -S or an APO. Looks like someone custom-made the rear element brass. All those thread...

I think the Vivitar 285, which is also quite good, has the variable power feature built into the adjuster for the flash ranges on auto exposure.

Thats the Metz unit I was thinking about (think I mentioned the wrong model number) with the little fill light on the front. Bounced it can take remarkable un flash-like nicely illuminated photos.

MEK will probably do it eventually. I have used it to undo learning mistakes using modern UV cure cements on protar lenses. But it can take weeks as it slowly works its way in, and I didn't fully...