Re: Semi horor experience with Horizon 202.

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

On 22 Aug 99 at 1:11, Sofjan@xxxxxxx wrote:

> 
>   Hi i was out shooting with H 202 several days ago and here is my horor 
> stories.
> Half way during my shoot i was walking across a parking lot. i was holding 
> the H202 by its handle. in the mid of my stride i accidentally hit the notch 
> (slide) that hold and lock the handle to theH 202 body. Imagine my horor 
> watching my H 202 fly away fling by my swinging hand and left holding the 
> stupid handle. 
> 
>   H202 landed with a crunch it landed on itside and  do a flip and a roll 
> over. The back pop open and i knew this could be bad. The plastic housing 
> doesnot crack or dent (long live plastic eh Polycarbonate) I tried to close 
> the back. it closed with difficulty and the body seams not to line up nymore. 
> you could see that the housing where the front and back shell met does not 
> match anymore . No amount of judicious slap or smack will pop the shell back 
> together. 
>   At this point several 4 letter words and curse on my IQ comes out my mouth. 
> I tried to take some test shot . but the H202 will stop in mids exposure like 
> something is hanging up or stuck. i peer into the well where the aperture and 
> shutter speed lever is any notice that the front shell shifted that when the 
> camera spin the lever will stuck at mid exposure. using fast shutter 
> speen(fast spin ) will untuck it but the aperture orr the shutter speed lever 
> will stuck ant get changed.
>  At this point more berating comment about my IQ come from my mouth. i 
> couldn't wait to come back home and operate on the camera. 
> 
>       I took out my electronic tools case and started to get out all kind 
> miniature screwdriver and plier. after several flase start and lots of 
> memorization on where the screw comes from and deducing if i should use abit 
> more force to open the shell or there is another hidden screw somewhere.(I 
> got a very humiliating experience trying to open a VCR while as a boy and 
> wreck the cover because i didin't think there is another screw somewhere and 
> my dad give my a stren looks and said if it doesn't open may be it don't want 
> to open yet. look for another way).
>      Got almost everything out including the viewfinder ( take a mental note 
> . the viewfinder is cool. could use it for other panoramic project if h202 
> died on opearting table) " Honey dinners ready......!!! blasted i turn too 
> quick and some of thescrew flew off on the carpet. spend next five minutes 
> looking for them. I pulled the hand towel and put it under the H 202 to 
> prevent future misshap due to my low IQ. 
> 
>  
>  Finaly got both the back shell and the front shell off. I couldn't see any 
> crack so i presumed the fall must have knock the alignment of the shell off. 
> While the camera is open i play with it examining how the H202 work. the 
> system is very clever althought the workmanship is not the best. 

Believe me, you won't get a fuzzy warm feeling either when you open up a 
Noblex 150....electronics that would not be misplaced in an 
deadcheap Chinese radio from a decade ago.

> and oh on 
> the shutter speed lever there is an un marked position i tried to put the 
> lever at that particular position and could see that the slit closes even 
> further . 

You indeed need great care to reassemble both levers in the correct 
position....only trial and error will restore things....and could 
once again get knocked off when you put the body shell back on....

> maybe the manufacture designed it to the the 1/500 th shutter speed 
> setting but didn't perfected it yet ?????? ofh maybe the smaller slit 
> intoduces too much diffraction error ? i recall a year or two ago Jan willem 
> seem to announces that there is a 1/500 speed version of H202.

There were a few 202's with only 3x2 shutter times, but where the 
unmarked higher position still allowed 1/500s (and 1/15s). I can only 
assume that they ran out of correctly labeled bodies, with the same 
core/mechanism underneath as the official 1/500s models.
Note that apart from this, even the 1/250s models come in two 
different versions, matching body & core, where the unmarked 
shuttertime is either on the fast end, or on the slow end.
So don't be fooled in thinking that an unmarked position on the 
high end means a 1/500s model in disguise....8-))
 
> 
>     The test shot comes up okay. nothing wrong. no dark or light band 
> indicating variation in drum rotation. also no light leaks. only the  regural 
> flare bands if the shot included the sun . Yippeee.  As the sign of 
> mygratefullness i resolves to learn how to load H202 in darkness to prepare 
> me for IR photography. You know what ? this is not bad. not too easy but not 
> too hard either. I succed the first time without  sneaking apeek. 

For all of you being afraid of darkloading: try it EVERY time you 
load normal film....simply close your eyes, and exercise exercise 
exercise. Then move on to fiddling inside a darkload bag....remember, 
you can still peak if you get stuck! 
Only when you have mastered this to perfection, you are ready for 
Kodak HIE. So you can exercise forever, without wasting a single roll 
of HIE.
Most important trick: if you transport long enough, the leader will 
pop out of the very right of the camera all by itself....no need for 
prying with your fingers. And if the leader is too long, you can 
rewind it back in to the cannister after pressing the rewind-button 
on the bottom....this is also a nice way to squeeze out one more 
shot....remember, you are using a darkload bag, so you can start with 
the very first image, even when the film counter says 'S' !

Kodak EIR (color IR) is also veeeery nice btw....just too bad I haven't 
found a similar filter solution yet, right now I sandwich a thin #12 
to an UV-disc. No darkloading required btw, contrary to what Kodak 
says on the cannister (that recommendation is only needed for 
scientific applications, where absolute color accuracy is needed).

> I quickly 
> went to the H202 case to look for the filter so that i could sent it to Jan 
> willlem to be fitted with IR filter. blasted. the pocket of the H202 case is 
> too shallow and the velcro pop off too easily and i lost three of the 
> original filter don't know when. 8^(    ( STOOOOPIDDDDD !!!!!!!  Somebody 
> with familiar voice yelll , maybe me    8^)   ) . 

Your name isn't Murphy by any chance?....;-))
 
>     Well all went wrong went well . i just need to scrape some extra money to 
> get more filter holder. 

I wish my supply of those would be easier....don't like charging
US$10 for additional holders, but at least it will make sure people
send me their own factory filters first....8-))

> I hope my experience provide some laugh for you guys.
> 
> BTW i maybe going to epoxy the handle to the body of 202 next time just to 
> make sure i'll never accidentaly detach the 202 from the handle.

Why are you using that handle anyway?
I never felt the need for it....keeping your fingers out of the image 
doesn't require this clumsy thing....
It only makes a little sense if you want to store filters in 
there....but even there a empty film cannister filled with soft paper 
tissue is easier, as you can use one cannister for each different 
type of filter (and I created a lot of colors over time....8-)).
 

--                 
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'!]