A collection of LF ideas & discoveries that don't need a whole thread to themselves

[Tin Can]

Watch out for me doing the same thing, only I use orange Home Depot buckets, also in Chicago...

I have a 5 gallon bucket with lid in my studio. For low shots it's a good stool, for high, I stand on it. I often think it would make a nice road case with some fittings inside. I mean to try to fit my 5x7 in it. . . A couple of holders and a lens or two, maybe would fit, too? The opposite of a "steal me" case?!

For transit I could sling it over my shoulder like a tramp's pail on my tripod.

[dsphotog]

I like the 5 gal. bucket idea, maybe a used paint bucket (clean on inside) with some dry paint on outside- to be stealthy.
I have used milk crates, they can be bungie corded to a cart, stacked, also can be sat on, stood on.

[Matsushime]

Adjustment on my camera back design would require testing different sets of torsion springs with different load ratings. There are not a lot of stock options in the size that would both fit the mandrel diameter and spring housing on my back, and I got the strongest that would fit. I did have a single pair initially and they were once much too loose, so I doubled the springs and arms, now they are too strong. I'll take too strong.

I suppose I could experiment with the heating the springs to reduce the force but would likely ruin them. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. I often can't see the forest for the trees so I could be overlooking something obvious.

Anyway, sorry for the lazy hyperbole in my original post, they're really not that bad, but I do worry sometimes that I'll nudge the focus putting in a holder.

Ahh, I see. I don't have any suggestions besides what you've already mentioned, trying different springs. I thought your camera back design could have had adjustment screws similar to mine for the pressure adjustment. Too bad everything can't be a little easier, eh?

I did take some advice you gave on your post from earlier though! You said that you take the back off to verify that you closed the shutter before you expose the film. I modified that idea. Since my tripod is a cheapo that supports a 20+ pound Horseman monorail, it sometimes moves when I slide the film holder in. I don't know why I never thought of it but now I remove the film holder back from the rear standard, insert the film holder and then mount it back on the camera. I tried this the other day while shooting a model and got exceptionally sharp images!

[Colin Graham]

Er, yeah- that's the whole point of the routine, making sure that the focus isn't disturbed. Getting the extra visual confirmation that the shutter is closed is just a bonus.

Dumb little personal routine, but from back to front I flex the back springs a few times, tighten all the knobs, set the shutter and close the lens- all while looking through the ground glass to make sure focus doesn't change during these final steps. If I'm using a camera with insanely strong back springs, I remove the back from the camera completely before inserting the holder. Returning to the camera with the loaded back I get extra visual proof that the shutter is in fact closed.

[al olson]

After getting some light spill on my negatives while using the Grafmatic, I realized that I was likely separating the holder while operating the slide. I use the Grafloks, even when slipping the Grafmatic into the back, to hold it down and the problem has gone away.

[David Lobato]

Nothing to buy or make, but a few pushups, abdominals, and maybe light dumbbells 2-3 times a week makes doing things in the field easier. Hauling gear from the car and setting up the camera on a tripod just go a little better. A regular walking habit helps while accessing a photographic site. I will be 59 shortly and need any advantage to handle my 8x10 and 11x14 cameras.

[Dan Fromm]

Since no one has mentioned it yet, I keep my lenses in plastic food storage containers with foam buffers added. Keeps dust away, protects them from bumps.

[Heroique]

Ries J600 "backpacker" tripod users (like me) boast of disassembling their tripods and strapping the compact Ries case onto their packs.

It's a great convenience when hiking through thick brush.

However, holding the assembled tripod makes for a fantastic "balancing rod" when hiking over a terrain of roots and rocks.

[Steve Goldstein]

Pre-slit foam pipe insulation is cheap, weighs next to nothing, and comes in a variety of sizes. You can use it to turn your unpadded tripod legs into padded ones in a jiffy. This made my Gitzo 1227 Mk II so much more pleasant to carry on my shoulder!

[neil poulsen]

If my camera is too high to see the figures on top of the shutter, I use the display of my mobile phone as a mirror.

This thread is fun.

Michael

I carry a dentist's mirror and a pen lite for this purpose.