Or Nikon users can use a Bellows PB-4. Ability to tilt and shift, with enlarging, microscope objectives, salvaged copier lenses, etc. Along with conventional macro lenses. All fun ways to experiment.
I would like to purchase your FB tube, Would need your Paypal address to send you the funds.
Sometimes I wish I had a tailgunner while driving on our interstates!
They are reputable and fair. Also the condition claims are always understated. I have bought several items from them in the past, I would not hesitate to deal with them again.
I took out all the racks and carried it down with a buddy of mine. It was no problem at all. Easy to grip the machine, and maybe only 250# or so when stripped down. But now with a bad knee and arthritis, not so easy any more. I tried to give the processor to a local college some years ago but the department head, who is known to be a PITA, wanted me to bring it to him! They have a whole maintenance dept, and trucks, but he did not want to use his valuable time getting his people involved in the move. I was going to give his school a lot of equipment, way more than what I am giving away now. So I walked away from that. I just let it sit in my basement. I have a rather large house for just me and my wife, so the equipment was not really in the way. Trying to simplify things now, and getting rid of things that I know I will no longer use. If I do not hear from anyone in a couple days I have no problem chopping it into easy to carry pieces, and dump it. Such a shame though because the machine looks like it is only a few months old. I never let chemicals sit in it longer than a day, before cleaning it out. I used floating lid tanks to store all chemicals, and added a layer of inert gas over them to retard oxidation. It was great system, real consistent prints.
I have done what you are asking about with inkjet paper. My printer takes rolls so works great, but when I tried to do smaller jobs and did not want to switch out the roll mounted it was a big PITA!. You need a good paper cutter that can keep square dimensions, this is no place for scissors. I have all the right equipment, pro grade, and it is still a pain. I recommend to buy the sheet already cut and save the aggravation! Inkjet has the pitfalls that others already mentioned. One more to add to the misery: handling a cut from roll sheet can result in a dimple or slight crease when trying to uncurl. It looks like nothing to worry about, but can mess when printing. Been there done that!
I have a 20 inch processor in very nice condition. Sold by Kodak, made by Hope, and plumbed by me to use both BW and color RA4 paper with switch over completed in 30 minutes! No cross contamination either! Develop RC paper as fast as 45 sec dry to dry, or use RA-4 chemicals for color printing. Up to 20 inches wide by up to 100 feet long! Also capable of handling little 4x5 prints without jamming. I used to develop 2 inch wide by 5 inch long prints as tests all the time before printing large prints. The dryer part is infra red, so no problem with too much heat generated. Just a flip of a few quarter turn valves keeps the color chemicals sealed within, rinse the machine then fill with BW chems. Computer controlled for all phases including replenishment for the color system controlled by sensors. I used this with floating lid tanks and got months out of one mixed batch of chemicals! Roll feed attachment included to roll up the finished prints up to 100 feet long! This machine cost over $10K new, and it is in fine condition, no gunk, no staining of the rollers, I was a nut about keeping rollers clean. Also have spare parts, and factory repair manual. I just remembered: I may have a spare rack or two as well!
A Case of each of the RA-4 chemicals and extenders, unopened, etc, a case of portrait paper in 8X10 size in luster finish. Boxes of 8x10 B&W paper. Special 4x5 films for positive, some neg, internegative, litho, and more than I can remember. Some 11x14 BW, and maybe color too. An nearly full roll of RA-4 glossy Kodak metallic paper 8 inches wide, maybe 300 foot long? Easy to cut to size.
If I get no takers, I will cannaballize the processor for some parts like the DC motor system, etc. Cut up the rest with a demolition Sawzall and take it out in pieces. I used to have a better photo lab than most pro labs in the area!
All paper and film were frozen at zero deg for the past 10+ yrs . I just pulled the paper out of the deep freeze to keep food safe after our fridge died.
KEEP THIS IN MIND: YOU HAVE TO REMOVE ALL THIS FROM MY DRY BASEMENT. YOU HAD BETTER BE STRONG AND HAVE SOMEONE STRONG TO HELP. I CANNOT LIFT THIS ANYMORE. ALL THE RACKS ARE REMOVABLE OF COURSE, SO THE SHELL IS NOT TOO BAD TO HANDLE. BUT I AM NOT in the proper health to be helping. You will need either a small trailer or at least a full size van I would expect?
I am in Mentor Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Contact me here if interested. Then we can exchange phone numbers and discuss the logistics. I sold all my electronic enlargers, lenses, and everything else. I held onto this too long I know, I really enjoyed darkroom work. Preference goes to whomever takes it all at once. And I will not ship, not even some small part of it, would be too costly! Hope someone can put this to good use?
And did I mention: FREE ?? AND: my wife will finally quit bugging me about this!
Who gives a hit? :) , LOL. Typed on my Logitech keyboard.
Love the mood of the pic. But the focus should have been on the lovely lady, instead of the rail behind her? Camera sensors can get fooled easily by things which have a lot of contrast. But you had the right idea Bob. Sorry to seem negative, but my wish is: to be constructive?
If you are really picky about sharpness with macro up to about 1:1 then just add a flash for macro work. You can spend some bucks and get the Nikon R1C1, though do not really need the commander part, it is sold in both versions. Or you can make a homemade rig like many here use. But out of the box the Nikon one is terrific even if pricey. If the insects are really flighty with your 90mm Tamron, then a longer macro lens is advisable. Something closer to a 200mm macro is better, in order to stay further away, and not spook your subject. By all means a tripod is better than handholding. If you strive for perfect sharpness, use a focusing rail too. When using a focus rail, set the reproduction ratio with the lens focus ring, then actually focus the image using the rail, moving your rig fore and aft. If you want to duplicate some of those fantastic macro shots seen here and in publications then consider getting into focus stacking, but that is a subject beyond this particular forum perhaps? And if you want to go way beyond 1:1, then seek out the macro forum here on the hog. Lastly forget about VR, and auto focus. They really have very little use in macro work. Anything beyond 1:2 eliminates the usefulness of VR, and autofocus will drive you nuts as the system hunts through its range for a good focus point. Manual focus on a rail, or even handheld and swaying front and back to achieve focus, works way better ! Do some reading on the Macro forum it is loaded with good ideas.
Canon Prograf pro-2000 is perhaps the latest and greatest. I had Epson 17inch roll printers and some experience with larger ones too. This 24 inch Canon is a super bargain at about $2500 and uses half the ink compared to Epson. Easy for user to replace the head too! No clogging either reported from users that have experience with them. Maybe more than you plan to spend but look into this gem. This is my next printer!
Simple question: Did you ever see images of Ansel Adams taking some of his famous photographs? Did you see a lens hood on his large format lenses? The answer is most likely no. The reason for that: he always had a hat on his head and of course used a tripod to hold everything steady as he shot, often with long exposures and tiny f-stops. But during the shot he positioned his hat so that a shadow is cast over the front element of the lens! Though some large format photographers use a compendium bellows lens hood if they do not mind carrying more stuff. You have to decide if the convenience and function of a lens hood matters to you? It does provide protection when shooting fast in crowded areas, so another plus to use a hood.
So if you are street shooting, without a tripod, then just use a lens hood! So do you need a lens hood on your lens all the time, no. Is it convenient when shooting fast, yes. So maybe a good idea to use a lens hood? I have a question: if shooting close in with a shoe mounted flash, will the lens hood cast an ugly shadow? When I shot weddings, I rarely used a lens hood when indoors with flash, A hood caused too many issues with pesky shadows ruining my images. And a clear filter could protect my lens from finger prints and small bumps. You decide based on your method of taking images.
A terrific article, thanks for sharing with the group. It is one of the most interesting I have seen.