Improvement frame/saljut

Gast · 2005-08-29T18:48:02+00:00

Hallo, ich schreibe mal beides zusammen, ist ja nicht schlimm oder? Ich habe eine Saljut erstanden, mit Industar 29, privat von einem Russen, der in Deutsc...

Gast

Hello, I’ll just put both together here – I hope that’s OK? I’ve bought a Salyut, complete with an Industar 29 lens, privately from a Russian man living in Germany. It’s the predecessor to the Kiev 88 and I’m amazed – the 30-year-old camera works like new. The only thing is, the spare magazine makes a bit of a scraping noise when you get to the 7th frame. Is there anything I can do about that? Another question: which lenses are compatible? A friend lent me his Kiev Volna (because the Industar only focuses down to 0.9 m) and the result is that it fits, but the aperture keeps closing and won’t stay open; the Industar has to be clamped on the outside to set it at full aperture. The reverse (Industar on the Kiev 88) doesn’t work at all. Should I get extension rings, or is there a Saljut lens I can use for portraits? What additional lenses would you recommend? Now regarding the enlarger frame: I’ve got medium format now and want to print larger; for the time being, I’m using a 50x60 glass plate. Ideally, I’d like a proper frame, but I’m just wondering why second-hand ones are so expensive – I can sometimes get a complete Duka set with 30x40 or 50x60 frames for less than a single one? Thanks Joachim

Gast

I almost forgot... I’ve got 10 free roll films of CBEMA 64 film or something like that, expiring in 1998. Can I still use them, and if so, how should I develop them?

Gast

Hello, The scratching noise is completely normal. It’s because the diameter of the take-up reel is constantly increasing, so the spacing between frames has to remain roughly the same, which causes the reel to disengage. The length of the noise also increases as the number of frames rises. As far as I know, the Salyut does not have a spring-loaded shutter mechanism, similar to the Hasselblad 1000F. Regards, Marwan

cfb_de

Hi Joachim, Before you go and throw a pile of money at some random eBay seller for a "cheap" variable magnification frame (keyword: "Meopta" frames – completely overpriced and really only useful when brand new)... Think about the formats you need and buy the Versamask system. First and foremost brilliant fixed-format frames, and quite affordable even as “second choice”. I’m using their prototypes (bought second-hand – you rarely find them because nobody ever gives them back :-) – and I’m so happy with them that I’d be happy to hand over my 20x30 Herma frame with three mask strips in exchange for two beers and postage (warning: the thing’s rubbish, but at least it’s heavy!). However, I accept no responsibility for any resulting psychiatric treatment. After all, you’re paying the postage and two beers for me. I’ll drink the beers, of course – to protect you from making a purchase decision – in the local pub. And you pay :-) Alternatives would be – supposedly, I haven’t tested them – ‘Saunders’ in standard format or ‘RRBeard’ as a mask jumble. A presumably cheaper alternative would be a steel plate with a hole cut into it, cut and welded by the local steel-Fredi. It costs nothing to go and ask. You can choose any size you like. They can get it flat and black too; you’ll just have to work out the design on paper yourself. Just have a look at what’s available. Then ask again what experienced users think of your choice. Otherwise, everyone here will recommend their own “holy grail” (it was expensive, so it must be good) as the only way to happiness. I’m sticking with the Versamask myself. That’s all anyone needs. Should I ever feel the need for a variable frame... an old Leitz model would be my go-to. But they’re also a proper rip-off on eBay if you need anything larger than 18x24. Best regards, Franz

PhilippReichmuth

Now, about the enlarger frame: I’ve got a medium-format camera now and want to print larger formats; for the time being, I’m using a 50x60 glass plate. Ideally, I’d like a proper frame, but I’m just wondering why second-hand ones are so expensive – I can sometimes get a complete Duka set with 30x40 or 50x60 frames for less than the price of a single one?

Hmm, probably because they’re produced in small batches and require precision engineering. Just be happy, go for the complete Duka set and strip the residue for parts somehow :) Don’t buy a cheap frame just because it’s cheap. Franz’s tip about the Versamasks isn’t bad, but you just have to think about how flexible you want to be. For every format you enlarge, you need a separate fixed-format frame. Yesterday, for example, we spontaneously enlarged a few panoramas to 12x30 here; that would have been tricky. If you want decent flexibility on a tight budget and with acceptable precision, use Lego: slot several 30x30 base plates together and build your own mask. Philipp

uworischki

The older Salyut models (I used to own a 1964 model myself) don’t have quite the same bayonet mount as the Kiev 88 models; as far as I know, apart from the Industar 29, the old Salyut also had a Mir-3 65 mm and a Tair 300 mm. Have a look here: http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/salyut.html Greetings from Berlin Uwe

Gast

Since the others have already told you everything about the frame and the camera, I’ll tell you what to do with the films. I’d say they’re still more or less usable, perhaps with a loss of about one-third of the exposure. I’ve played around with Svema 64 enough to be able to give you some pretty good exposure times. Mine are based on 7 mins as per the box; I don’t know what you’ve got, so adjust accordingly. ID 11: comes out very nice but too grainy Base 7 mins 1+1 10 mins Calbe A49: comes out a bit muddy but quite fine, or whatever that means with Svema 1+2 15 mins Negafort; actually not bad, very balanced in every respect, but you can only throw it away after use because it’s not suitable as a single-use developer and Forte doesn’t specify any factors Stem 5 minutes Agfa Rodinal, very sharp and, unusually, much finer in grain than ID 11, but not as fine as A49 1+50 10 minutes I won’t be testing any more; I still want to take photos – pick something out for yourself. Roland

Gast

PS: The differences between the various developers are huge; this isn’t a foolproof film when it comes to development, and even with Efke films the differences aren’t that dramatic. Exposure isn’t quite as critical, but if you want the negatives to have a sufficiently fine grain, you should underexpose slightly. It can also handle being overexposed by 5 stops; only then will you have negatives that are still suitable for contact copying.

Gast

Thanks for the great tips; the first of the films is currently hanging up to dry in my darkroom, and I can’t wait to see how the photos have turned out. Joachim