New version Horizon 202!

["Willem-Jan Markerink" <w.j.markerink@xxxxx>]

[wrote this at first for the panorama list, but there is some 
IR-relevance on the bottom, so this message goes to the IR list as 
well]

Dear group,

Can't explain this other than that the CIA must have been sleeping.

Should have written this earlier this week, but here goes:
In a recent shipment of 202's, my eyes popped nearly out of their
sockets when I found one of them significantly different: 

A prominent '500' was featuring on the left of the exposure range
(up front, on top of the turret) while the other (non-altered)
time-combo's were moved one position to the right (250/8, 125/4 & 
60/2). Oddly enough the '500' is printed solo, without its 
slow-turret-speed counter-footer (which is 1/15 in this case, and 
indeed works).

The manual hasn't been updated yet, other than a written 1/500 in the 
spec table....:-))
Serial number is 98xxx512, April this year, and 200 units before it 
was still the old version (I hardly get chronological series for one 
reason or the other, I suspect the old store-stock-system of the 
communist days is still alive somewhere, which obstructs FIFO 
logistics....8-))

Side note #1: one of the earlier series (the first series ('Technopan') 
was made in 1990) had a selection of 4 time combo's, a 
full-continuous range of 1/250s down to 1/2s, IOW including 1/15 and 
1/30 (both these times are lacking on the 202 until now).
[I am still looking for one of these full-range units btw, so if 
anyone sees one, PLEASE give me a call!]

Side note #2: the shutter 'curtain' of this unit shows a nearly
indistinguishable slight angle, resulting in a wider slit on top than
on the bottom. 
At first this doesn't make much sense, until I realized that this
would be a fascinating cute way to create a ND-grad effect....wider
on top means that the bottom section of the image (image is reversed
in the camera, remember?) gets more exposure than the top, which 
would be perfect for bright skies on a dark foreground.
Only works in landscape orientation of course, and with a fixed angle
the exposure-difference effect will show more with the short times
than with the slow ones (slit changes width on the 202 for different
time settings within the same turret speed, unlike most (all?) other
swing-lens cameras).

As for the one single new unit that I currently have: 
Until I see more of them, I won't sell this one yet, so don't start 
bidding please....;-))
I might follow the price difference (new ones US$25 more) to manage 
this situation for the time being, but that depends on whether I have 
any choice in my next shipment. 

Btw, one practical personal use for me is with Kodak Ektachrome
IR....with 200 ASA, the sunny-16 rule (1/200s @ f16) is pretty close
to the upper limit of the 202, banning any contrast-reducing
solutions with push-development. The colors and contrast are
eye-boggling, but far from 'subtle. 1/500s allows some margin for
that. Anyone (on the IR-list) who went this contrast-reducing route
already? The only alternative is the expensive AR-5 processing, or
an IR-reducing filter. Note that I found the colors & contrast VERY
pleasing in winter time, with Alpine landscapes (skiing), a nice
range of colors, with good contrast....yet the summer palette is a
bit wild....:-))





- --                 
Bye,

Willem-Jan Markerink


      The desire to understand 
is sometimes far less intelligent than
     the inability to understand


<w.j.markerink@xxxxx>
[note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]
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