Last Post For Zegarkus.

Posted by on Nov 12 2013

My first post here was 6 years ago on 3 November 2007 and I will conclude my final post today on 12 Nov 2013 (or if you are numerically inclined 11-12-13 if you use American style dating). I simply haven’t had the motivation to continue blogging here.

This was my first real attempt at blogging. It has been relatively anonymous; I felt comfortable putting my thoughts without explaining myself to a wider social network.Looking back, I have noticed myself change over the years:  I feel like I’ve matured and become a better person.

Though hasn’t been that productive (only 117 posts here), here are some of the more ‘popular’ ones (based on a paltry some of pageviews):

My personal favourite post here has been a critique of the Falling Man photo from Sept 11 Tragedy: http://vonnagy.com/2009/07/03/the-9-11-falling-man-another-look/, perhaps the most original thing that I have written to date.

So what will happen to this site? I don’t know if I agree with everything I wrote in the past, but I’ll keep this blog as snapshot of who I was at certain point in time.I will continue to renew the domain; I’d hate for domain squatters to get it. There simply won’t any new posts here. Should I continue blogging again, I will do so on a new site. For those who have left comments or simply took the time to read anything I wrote; I sincerely thank you tolerating my little personal experiment on the internet.

— Zegarkus.

Pentax MZ-5N Review

Posted by on Jan 06 2013

The Pentax MZ-5N was one of the cameras I won in my ‘Pentax bundle’ auction in December 2012.  Like the Z1-P, its fully automatic.

First Impressions:
Like the Z1-P, its very plasticky. It came with 28-80mm 3.5 lens, as I mentioned earlier I am not a big fan of  zoom lenses. The camera has a nice weight to it, the feel is nice as well – but perhaps it just me as I have small hands.

Giving it a Hoon:
I shot a roll of 12 exposure Fuji Superia 100 ASA and developed it normally. Here is a sample of shots I took at the Winter Garden in Auckland domain:

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Final Thoughts:

This camera was actually easier to start using that the ZP-1. To test it I just put everything on automatic. The pictures were pretty good. As with the ZP-1, I went about using this camera without using the manual; in this case, the manual wasn’t needed. Here are a few notes:

  • This camera takes 2 Lithium CR2 batteries, I couldn’t find these cheaply in New Zealand so I ordered them from the UK at a reasonably cost.
  • The Autorewind will pull the leader into the cartridge. 
  • The Pentax F 28-80 Zoom lens is nice and sturdy, if a bit plasticky. 
Overall its a good camera. There is nothing that would make go ‘wow!’ about it, so I would probably shoot some of my other Pentax’s before giving this one another go. Even though this camera was simpler to use than the ZP-1, I prefer the ZP-1. The off the top of my head score for this cam: 7 outta 10.
Some links for this Camera:

Pentax Z-1P Review

Posted by on Jan 05 2013

I’ve won a whole heap of Pentax 35mm cameras before Christmas in an auction, in fact probably more than I could ever have use for! The first one I decided to test out was my fully Automatic Pentax Z-1P. This is just a mini review so check out the review links below for more in depth review:

First impressions:
The first impression at looking at the body was that its plasticky. While I don’t dislike plastic, I really like a bit of metal on my SLR’s. However upon picking up, it felt as solid as any DSLR i’ve handled – and its heavy duty plastic, so it feels quite rugged – that is a big plus. It has 28-200 3.8 Zoom lens. Not a big fan of zoom lenses, as I prefer the simplicity and speed of a prime lens, but it looks well built.

Giving it a hoon..
My prior experience with 35mm SLR have only been been AV priority SLRs (namely my much beloved Canon AV-1).  This camera is fully automatic which through me for a curve at first but ended up loving it in the end! The thing that through me off was how to use the dials. I decided that best way to learn was to bypass the RTFM logic and dive right into taking photos. After about 5 minutes of fiddling around, I finally managed to put it on fully automatic. After that it was smooth sailing.

I shot 2 rolls of Fuji Superia 100 (12 exposure) and developed them with Tetenal C-41 kit (normal processing). These where taken at Bayly’s Beach in Northland New Zealand on Christmas Day 2012:

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Final Thoughts:

I liked it alot, the experience shooting a fully automatic 35mm SLR does have more appeal to me now than before. Here are a few things that annoyed me, all quite minor:

  • Zoom Lens – the friction holding the ‘zoom’ together wasn’t strong enough to keep it contracted while I was walking – so the zoom was always extended when I needed to take it for a shot. This did not effect performance. Overall, though I still prefer prime lenses, it was good fun to use!
  • Autofocus – As with all autofocuses, even DSLRs, if you want to fine focus on something, you’ll need to switch to manual or your camera will beep itself to death try to guess what you focusing on.
  • Autorewind – This is probably typical for most 35mm SLRs, it will suck the film leader back into the cartridge. If you self develop film, it means that you have crack open the cartridge in a changebag/darkroom and spool. Not a bit deal, but extra work. 
  • Fiddly Buttons – Figuring out the buttons is not intuitive, but once you are set, its a proverbial piece of piss to take pics.
  • Funky Battery – thankfully this camera has a working battery, but it looks quite unusual and might be hard to replace in NZ (Lithium 6V 2CR5)
Would I shoot this camera again? Yes I would, the automation and picture quality is pleasing. If you can tolerate the quirks above, you might be able to score one cheaply in an online auction. Price? I haven’t seen enough of these around to give an accurate price.
Off the top of my head score: 8.5 outta 10. 
Here are some links should you consider adding this camera to your collection:
Pentax Z-1P Manual would advise downloading this.
Pentax Z-1P on Ebay  (may yield null results)
Pentax Z-1P on Trademe (may yield null results)

Expired 126 Film Cartridge Getting Stuck

Posted by on Jan 02 2013

I’ve recently had problems with expired film in 126 Cartridge – it wouldn’t wind and would get stuck before the first frame. I have 8 cartridges, I’ve shot 3 but I’ve had 3 cartridges which seemed jammed. I really was hoping that it wasn’t my SL26 camera – as it turned out, thankfully, it wasn’t. So if you are trying 126 film (thats very expired) for the first time, this post may be useful.

What seemed be be happening was that the tape holding the film to backing paper had become undone (the film is 26 years old, so its not unlikely the tape just doesn’t become sticky and more. When winding the film, it causes a ‘log jam’ and won’t advance the film from one side of the cartridge to the other.

It could also be that I have had the film in the freezer since I bought and perhaps some condensation made it through the protective foil holding the cartridge.

Unfortunately I couldn’t rescue the ‘jammed’ film, however for the next cartridge, I tried something different. Instead of winding the film in my camera, I wound very slowly with a fifty cent coin (any coin will probably do). I was slowly able to come through most resistance until the tape section came out. The tape was frayed at the end, so I cut it off with a hobby knife. I then put a new piece of tape over the old and popped in the camera and Viola! – it went to the first frame.

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So while this won’t rescue films that are jammed in the cartridge, if you are working with very expired cartridges you might want to manually wind them first. Disclaimer – I’ve manually wound 3 films so far and was able to rescue 2 of them – so 2 out 3 ain’t bad?

Quick Recap:

  1. Use a coin to slowly wind the spindle on the cartridge, if you come across resistance just very gently apply force.
  2. have the emulsion face turned toward you so you can see the film come out. 
  3. When the film comes out, trim any jutting tape away.
  4. Tape it back down.
  5. Pop in Camera, wind to first exposure.

Zen and the Art of Rondinax Developing

Posted by on Dec 31 2012

For those who want an simple way to dive into home negative developing, I can’t think of an easier way of getting started than to get your hand on the Agfa Rondinax 35U.

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The Awesomeness of the Rondinax

The Rondinax 35U is daylight film developing tank, meaning that you don’t need a darkroom for developing 35mm negatives. For those people who previously have used traditional plastic / steel tanks to load film, you are are in for a treat:

  • No Darkroom Required. You might need a change bag for certain situations, but I’ll cover that later.
  • Spooling Film is no fuss! – This is great for beginners. You just put the clamp on the film and the Rondinax will almost do all the rest for you. Although I can now easily spool film now, I still prefer the Rondinax I have minimal contact with the film. This means less scratches and scuffs on the negative. That is always a plus. 
  • Minimal Amount Developer Needed. I think the smallest single developing tanks use 300ml of developer, the Rondinax only uses 200ml. Save your precious developer fluid. Its very economical, especially for colour development.
  • Colour and B&W – though the instructions in the manual are for B&W film, its just as easy (so long as you keep your temperatures constant) to develop colour film with a Tetenal c-41 kit.
  • Very consistent development – I’ve developed in tanks and the Rondinax, I’ve always gotten the most consistent results out of the Rondinax over my other tanks. 

The sub-awesomeness of the Rondinax

So whats bad about the Rondinax? There are a few things to consider:

  • One film at a time: Rondinax is a film-at-a-time type of tank. This means that it can take a lot of time, especially if you do colour development. I don’t mind at all, if I wanted speed I’d shoot digital 🙂
  • Its made of Bakelite: There is nothing wrong Bakelite if you take care of it, however it doesn’t seem to age a well as other plastics. I’ve had a couple of chips in my Rondinax, but nothing a bit of super glue couldn’t fix. 
  • Temp Control: -The Thermometer doesn’t go up to 38 C for colour development, so you’ll just need to buy an extra thermometer.
  • Needs the film leader out. This is a nuance with modern 35mm cameras. By default, many automatic cameras will rewind the film all the way into the canister. The film leader, that small strip at the end with perforations only one edge gets sucked in. Well, you’ll need to have the leader out.  I know of two methods for retrieving: film leader retriever and cracking the film open in a darkbag. I haven’t used a film leader retriever before but have used the darkbag method several times. What you’ll need is the film canister, can opener, Rondinax, and darkbag. Once in the darkbag, crack open the film from the bottom (not the top bit with the plastic bit sticking out). Place the film in the Rondinax and spool it.
Other Stuff ’bout the Rondinax:
What amazes me is these boxes has been around for 50+ years. It was based of a patent by Ernst Leitz dating to the late 1930s (ever hear of Leica?) and the design and use is very efficient and user friendly. Later Leitz partnered with Agfa to make Rondinax that I use. Here is a great link on the Rondinax‘s history, though you’ll have use a translation program as its in Francaise.
What should you pay for your Rondinax? Its a bit of a mixed bag – I have paid as much as $100NZ (for the first one) and recently I pounced on a $40 Buy Now on Trademe.co.nz. You can see cheaper Rondinax’s on Ebay, but by the time you are done with shipping and exchange rates the price comes closer to $80NZD. Note, if you do see one on Ebay, don’t be afraid to ask the seller if they will ship it to NZ, even if its plastered on their listing that they will not ship overseas. I’ve found most sellers will actually ship to NZ (must be some of that Hobbit charm).
If you are looking for a rondinax manual, click here. If you are looking for more detailed how-to of using it, check out this superb Rondinax introduction from aperturepriority.co.nz. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any English videos of how to use the Rondinax 35, but if you do find one, make sure post it in a comment here.

A couple of final tips:

  • If you have manual rewind camera, don’t wind the film all the way into the cartridge, leave a little something for your friend, the Rondinax.
  • When spooling your film, don’t ever tug needlessly after you meet resistance. Use the Rondinax cutting lever as soon as you feel a firm tug. If you are not sure, check the exposure counter to see where you are at (eg if its pointing at 36, and you have 36 exposure film, then its time to cut). The only time I messed up a roll in the Rondinax was when I pulling too tightly after feeling the first sign of resistance.
  • While it is Daylight box (meaning that you don’t need a dark room or dark bag), having a changing bag is going to be really useful for emergency situations such as removing stuck film in the camera or the above mentioned film leader rewind problem. 
Parting Thoughts:
This is a very well designed daylight box – its perfect for beginners or extremes amateurs such as myself. Though I may overpaid for my Rondinax, I am reminding of the words of Gucci who said “Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten”.