6 by 4 size photo !!!! i had to pay $$$$$ FUCKen HELP ME !!!

[jingai]

Any modern place (like Kitamura) is a digital minilab. They use machines like the Fuji Frontier that scan your film and then print it. Any place like this can easily put white borders on your film. Ask for borders and if you're using digital (which is a different aspect ratio than 4x6) as for "fill-in," which will give you borders and won't crop your image at all. If you manipulate your images on the computer and get them exactly how you want them, ask for "no corrections" and their machines won't screw it up. The Frontier is a very capable beast- I use it stateside on Fuji Crystal Archive for all my photos.

I used to use Kitamura for slides (they set it to Kodak/Fuji) and for prints from slides (about 100yen/4x6, decent quality).
I used Marmo in Irinaka, Nagoya for all my color negative needs. They have a tremendous selection of paper and are reasonable. It's run by a pro photographer and his buddy who dresses in US camo gear and they blast rap out of the shop. Cool cats. I used to develop and get 4x6 singles of my rolls on Kodak Royal paper for about 1200 yen, which isn't bad. Cheaper Agfa paper is closer to 800 yen.

[FG Lurker]

hey there - I already have the new CANON EOS kiss DIGITAL in mind !!!

I have the 20D... Sold my EOS 3 body and the D60 to buy it. Couldn't be happier! I have hardly shot any film since I bought the D60 in 2002 and I no longer have any film bodies.

The new KISS looks good too, but I have yet to try one out. If you get "L lens fever" then things start to get pricey real fast though. ]
I have the PENTAX *ist SLR..... its a good enough camera for my needs but think im being converted to the digital side......

Once you get a DSLR you won't go back. Guaranteed!

You have any idea what them 28mm-300mm Tamron lens are like by any chance?

Yes...Not very good -- to be generous. None of the "super zooms" are. Too many sacrifices to get a 10x+ zoom in a cheap package.

You'll be much better off with two lenses, one 28-105 or 135, and a longer zoom if you need one. Longer consumer zooms (100-300mm for example) often suffer from low image quality as well though. It's not easy to make a cheap long lens with good optical quality.

[FG Lurker]

I am a newcomer to the SLR world so I had to start my collection from scratch. I am focused (pun intended) on convenience & bargains right now. Mrs. Omae Mona was in enough shock seeing the price on the camera body, so I wanted to make sure I had a setup I would use often, without adding too much more onto the price tag.

Hehe, she should be happy she isn't married to me! I bought a D60 when it came out, 260,000yen... And have bought several L zooms since I first started with my EOS 5:

17-40 F4L
28-70 F2.8L
70-200 F2.8L
1.4x TC (Canon)
Sigma 180mm F3.5 EX HSM Macro

Also had an EOS 3 after the 5, then the D60 and now the 20D. My wife doesn't know about the 20D actually -- sold the EOS 3 and the D60 and paid for the rest with consulting money.

The Sigma 180 I had actually decided not to buy, even though I really wanted it...Then I saw it in HK for 55,000yen. It's 88,000yen in Japan, and the Canon 180mm F3.5L Macro is 170,000 or so... The Sigma is as good or better. I couldn't resist... ]Though I lust for L glass, I'm using the kit EF-S 17-85 IS lens as a walkaround lens.[/quote]
I am also looking for a general walk-around lens and have been considering this one. Also the Sigma 18-125 lens which has had some very good reviews. Currently I use the 17-40 F4L for my walk-around. Not always long enough, but damn it's sharp and gives good colours.

[quote="omae mona"]FGL, have you cleaned your sensor yet? I just got to the point where I need to do so]
I haven't done the 20D yet, but I probably should. It's not hard to do -- you're not actually cleaning the sensor itself, but a glass sheet over the sensor. You will probably find this site very helpful: http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning

[FG Lurker]

Any modern place (like Kitamura) is a digital minilab. They use machines like the Fuji Frontier that scan your film and then print it. Any place like this can easily put white borders on your film.

Yes, they "could" do this... But TIJ. "Could" and "will" in the customer-service world are often light-years apart. ]Ask for borders and if you're using digital (which is a different aspect ratio than 4x6) as for "fill-in," which will give you borders and won't crop your image at all.[/quote]
Kitamura will give you white borders this way, but for some unknown reason ONLY if you submit the images via their web interface. If you take the images into the shop on media then they crop them to fit.

If you manipulate your images on the computer and get them exactly how you want them, ask for "no corrections" and their machines won't screw it up.

Yes, this is what I do now. I send everything from their web interface and choose no corrections. Nice to get back exactly what I send.

I used Marmo in Irinaka, Nagoya for all my color negative needs. They have a tremendous selection of paper and are reasonable. It's run by a pro photographer and his buddy who dresses in US camo gear and they blast rap out of the shop. Cool cats.

Damn, wish I had a camera shop in Osaka like that!

[Mulboyne]

Kyodo via Japan Today: Photo shop chain 55 Station goes bust

[FG Lurker]

I can only say that I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner... Not 55 Station in particular, but all the photo chains have got to be hurting these days.

Film is not "dead" of course, but it is dying rapidly as a general public mass-use item.

[kotatsuneko]

any reccomendations for a general use wide angle lens for canon film/digital slrs? am also thinking of buying a fish eye lens but they are a bit pricey!

[FG Lurker]

any reccomendations for a general use wide angle lens for canon film/digital slrs? am also thinking of buying a fish eye lens but they are a bit pricey!

How wide, how fast, and what budget? Also, do you need it only for a 1.6 crop DSLR, or will you use it on a larger DSLR sensor and/or film?

The Sigma 18-50 F2.8 is a very nice lens and is not too expensive. Alas it is only for 1.6x DSLRs.

I have the Canon 17-40 F4L and it is great, although a bit slow with a max aperture of F4. Also a lot more $$$ than the Sigma, but you do have the flexability to use it on any EOS body.

[omae mona]

any reccomendations for a general use wide angle lens for canon film/digital slrs? am also thinking of buying a fish eye lens but they are a bit pricey!

If you have one of the new Canon DSLRs (EOS20D, Rebel) with an EF-S mount, don't forget they just released the EF-S 10-22 3.5-4.5 lens. You wouldn't be able to use it on your film bodies though. I have had my eye on it based on reviews. Sounds like it's close to L quality, compact, but some seem to think it's a bit pricey for what you get.

[kotatsuneko]

well, i currently use my dad in laws eos 5qd, but am due a nice pension payout later in the year so by then the eos 20d should be affordable, was hoping to get lenses that will work on either but if digital only is the only choice, then so be it.

regarding aspect ratios/speed, i have no idea, [i just point and shoot 90% of the time] am just looking for everyday lenses for shooting buildings/crowds/the occasional countryside shot really, i already have 3 ultrasonic lenses for zoom/moving images etc.

as for budget, well the cheaper the better really, its a hobby, not a living ; ]

[FG Lurker]

i already have 3 ultrasonic lenses for zoom/moving images etc.

Which 3 lenses are you using? Which one is your favorite? Do you have any specific complaints about them (other than not wide enough)?

This information will indicate what sort of level of lens you are likely to be happy with for your next purchase.

[jingai]

Wow, you guys have a lot of money to burn. I use 28mm, 50mm and 135mm prime on my manual-focus film SLR. Total cost? Under $250 US. I also have a rangefinder with a fixed 40mm lens for stealthy candids.

I'd be perfectly happy to shoot everything with a lens in the 35-40mm range and simply stand in the right place.

It's not about the equipment...

[FG Lurker]

Wow, you guys have a lot of money to burn.

Sure...That's what it's for!

I use 28mm, 50mm and 135mm prime on my manual-focus film SLR. Total cost? Under $250 US. I also have a rangefinder with a fixed 40mm lens for stealthy candids.

I'd be perfectly happy to shoot everything with a lens in the 35-40mm range and simply stand in the right place.

It's not about the equipment...

Or you could just paint what you see and not have to spend any money on camera stuff at all...

A lot of manual equipment can be bought for a song these days because of lack of demand for all but very specific items. But low price does not equate to good value for each person.

Personally even if I were shooting film I would end up scanning quite a bit of it for editing and printing purposes. Looking at it from that perspective this is what I get:

cost of film + cost of processing + value of my time
-vs-
cost of buying digital equipment and more expensive glass

If I was a student or if I had large amounts of free time then I might end up with a different set of answers, but for me (at this time) it is much cheaper to buy the equipment.

About shooting everything with a 35 or 40mm lens and just using your feet, I am sure you realize that is often impossible in the "real world". For many things of course it can work, and you often get better images because it forces you to think... But there are very good reasons for wider, longer, or specialty lenses.

[jingai]

So what happened to that photo contest we all talked about before?

It seems that there is interest in photography and I'd rather not talk about equipment.

[Mulboyne]

Kyodo via Japan Today: Photo shop chain 55 Station goes bust

Kyodo via Yahoo: Top photo shop chain signs deal to fund revival of failed 55 Station
The nation's largest photo shop chain Plaza Create Co. said Saturday it has concluded a contract to sponsor the rehabilitation efforts of its former rival 55 Station Inc. which failed with 12.7 billion yen in debts in February. Since Plaza Create runs a network of 915 photo shops under the Palette Plaza brand, the company will grab a dominant share of the nation's photo shop market by adding 55 Station's network of 800 outlets, industry officials said.

[Buraku]

can someone help me on where i can get cheap 6 by 4 shots developed

You can find Cheap 6 X 4's in The States, UK, and Australia.

17 000 YEN , holy friggin shit

You could have built your own fucking photography studio for that cash
set up a dark room - dont give those stupid pricks any more yen