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Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
I have an idea for a new project.

You know how ringflashes are all the rage? Well, what about building one for a TLR?

I have a Yashica D that I would love to use for this project, but there are a number of things I need to figure out first:
- Is it even feasible on a TLR? Won't it render the wlf unusable? Is there a way around this?
-What light source should I use? I don't have an external flash atm.

Ideas?
>> Anonymous
how exactly are you going to trigger it
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
>>223963
That's uh, that's a pretty good question.

There's a hotshoe on the side...
>> Anonymous
you are an electrical engineer now?
>> Anonymous
Doesn't it have a flash sync socket?
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
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>>223969
Er, yes, it does, I'm an idiot.
>> Anonymous
>>223968
I actually am! Maybe I can help?
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
Does a Ringflash go in front of the taking lens or around it?
If it goes around it, we got a problem, the taking lens does not protrude from the body, so it can't go around it.
However, if it just needs to be BEHIND the lens, not wrapped around it, could I just expand the circle and make it larger than the camera?
>> Anonymous
>>223977
It needs to be around it, but you've really got a lot of lee-way with it.

Give me a second, I'll draw it out
>> sage !i/euDJmWr2
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>>223979
That was me, forgot my tripcode.

Here you go. It should work fine like this, it doesn't actually need to sit right next to the lens as long as the lens is in the center, it does need to be more powerful to compensate for the distance I think though. If you wanted it closer, you could always simply compose the picture without the ring in place and then move it in before you take the picture.

The hard part will be making the light itself though if you want an actual ringflash. A continuous ringlight is really easy to build though, you can pretty much buy that pre-made by buying one of those circular lights or by using rope lighting
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
Thanks a bunch, sage.

>>223989circular lights or by using rope lighting
Wouldn't that give me nowhere near the power I'd need for it to be worthwhile though?
>> sage !i/euDJmWr2
>>224011
The rope light didn't for me, but if you used enough of them (I forgot where I saw it, but someone had like 5 or 6 ropes of them wound together in a cookie tin that worked pretty well) it might.

The circular bulb seems to work pretty well looking at>>223700but I havent tried that myself yet.

If you already had an external flash then I know a few different ways to build one with those, but the most effective designs are kind of bulky.
>> Anonymous
Rope light would really depend on the amount of ambient lightning. If you shoot in pitch-dark, one ring of rope light would be enough, but shooting outside would be impossible.
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
>>224015
Yeah, I checked out the Strobist's Ringflash week posts, and there's a guide there to make one with an existing speedlight.
I need to buy one eventually, but I'm not sure which I'm going to buy. I know I'll go used and cheap, because I'm used and cheap.
I was thinking an old vivitar perhaps, I see some on the bay right now for like $10...
>> Anonymous
>>224018
If you're going old and cheap, almost anything will do. Really. Vivitar isn't well known for strobes though. (At least not in the past.)
>> sage !i/euDJmWr2
>>224018
I have a Sunpak 383 that I use right now, but I need to pick up a few more flashes. I really want to try 3 point lighting but it's hard to do with only one light, you know? :P

The main thing to watch for with older flashes is the trigger voltage, but I don't think you shoot digital so that isn't a big deal to you.
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
>>224023
See, film has it's advantages. :P
>> Anonymous
>>224023
You'd need wireless triggers as well, or chord splitters, though I think that will actually end up more expensive..
>> sage !i/euDJmWr2
>>224026
I already have wireless, I would just need 2 more cheapo receivers. And some light stands, right now an extra tripod I have does double duty as a short lightstand, I need something taller though.
>> Anonymous
>>224036
So what are you waiting for? I'd love to see some three way light shots, I've been meaning to try it out but haven't gotten any wireless triggers yet..
>> sage !i/euDJmWr2
>>224025
ironically, I don't use flash at all when I'm shooting film. I don't think I could afford all of the wasted film I would go through playing with the lighting ;_;
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
>>224044
Cheap B/W + Home processing + Diafine = w/e.
That, and I'll try and plan as much as possible. :P
>> sage !i/euDJmWr2
>>224042
Dunno...money I guess? Or I can just wait until spring and just mooch off of the university's studio :P
>> Anonymous
>>224046
What cheap b/w are you using? I mostly have the same reason for not 'playing' with light on film, I don't like wasting film.

>>224049
That'll work. :) We have a lovely studio at our academy, with almost anything I might want. Same for gear, hasselblads, leicas, etcetera. I dislike holidays because of it.
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
>>224055
Arista.Edu (Fomapan) in 120, Arista II (APX) in 35mm.
Bought from Freestylephoto.biz
>> Anonymous
>>224059
Thanks. Any downsides to Fomapan? I've heard it more often, but haven't checked it out yet.
>> sage !i/euDJmWr2
>>224046
ugh, I wish I could develop and process at home, but I just don't have anywhere to do it. The way my bathroom is designed there's practically no space for anything in it, and every other room in the house has at least one giant window D:

Not really sure what I would do about disposing the chemicals, either. I don't know where I would take them since there are no labs around here except for pharmacies and stuff, and dumping it down the drain wouldn't go well with my bleeding heart.
>> Anonymous
>>224067
What about a light-tight tank? All you'd need to do in your bathroom is roll in the film, after that you can develop anywhere you want.. If you use Diafine, you can reuse your chemicals for a long long time, as I've heard. No need to throw it away!
>> sage !i/euDJmWr2
>>224070
I might look into it. I'm going to be shooting film a lot more with my Bessa, so it would be a lot cheaper for me to do that.
>> Anonymous
>>224077
Good idea. Be sure to post 'em here, we need more rangefinder users.
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
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>>224063
Well, it's kind of ugly. At least everything I've done with it is.

>>224067
All you need is a changing bag and a developing tank, and a sink. It's easy and kinda-fun. Do it!
As for disposing chemicals, it's in such small amounts that it doesn't really matter...

>>224077
Do iiiiit. Pic related (APX 400 shot in my Bessa!)
>> Anonymous
>>224121
What's ugly about it? Could you give a more in depth review perhaps? Or re-direct me to one, I might just be lazy right now.
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
Okay, this thread is about me again.

Buying advice, I need a strobe to use off-camera. Cameras I will be using it with (Doubt I'd use my Bessa):
-Yashica D: Flash plug
-Nikon N80: Hotshoe only

My budget is about $40, though the cheaper the better.
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
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>>224123
Fomapan (Arista.Edu Ultra), as far as I've seen, gives pretty muddy midtones, and gets grainy real fast.
http://flickr.com/search/?q=Fomapan

Pic is one of my shots, Fomapan in D-76.
>> Anonymous
>>224124
I'd suggest getting a hot-shoe strobe and a small sync-to-shoe shoe, so you can just buy a strobe without a sync cable socket.
>> Anonymous
>>224130
Thanks, doesn't sound too bad. Muddy mid tones suck, but I'm okay with grain. Little bit of leveling should make the mid tones a little more lively.
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
>>224137
Are you going to be shooting 35 or 120? Because if you are shooting 35, just buy the Arista II (APX), it's better and essentially the same price.
>> Anonymous
>>224139
Both, is APX available in 120?
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
>>224146
Not as Arista II, but I hear tell that Rollei Retro is old APX stock...
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=&pid=1000002441
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
Ok, opinions, Vivitar 285HV? Will it work?
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
Bump.
>> Anonymous
>>224357

yes it's fine, typical strobist gear

downside is it doesn't swivel if you ever want to use it on your camera
>> Haddock !!xREx2m9lgBs
A couple others I found/am watching on ebay:
Soligor MK-24AS II
SOLIGOR MK-9A
>> Anonymous
>>224363
I don't know them personally, link to auctions?

>>224360

has a good point as well, you might want to look into a strobe that has a swivel head.
>> Anonymous
>>224524
eBay #s
320273545313
160235290571
>> Anonymous
>>224168
Of what I've heard, Vivitar 285HVs seem to be great. I bought two and both died (one started flashing without anyone triggering it and then it gave a real loud pop and that was it, the other one just wouldn't flash and later caught fire). You'll probably be fine but I'd avoid it if possible.
>> Anonymous
What about 200237828384 ? I've never had trouble with sunpaks.