Re: P is for Problems, I is for Insanity

[Robert Erickson <cirkut8@xxxxxxxxx>]

The laws of physics still apply no matter how much you
pay or which country your camera is made in.

I once dropped my Noblex on a gravel road, I got some
gravel dust in the works. It took me months to work it
out of the mechanism. For a year every once in a while
the darn thing would band. The is not a fault of the
mauufacturer. It was dirt in the works.

I have taken hundreds of, maybe a thousand perfect
Cirkut negatives. However, all it takes is one surface
of dry metal moving against dry metal, or a bit of
grit on one gear to cause a band. This is not
something to sue anybody about. I must take the blame
because I didn't do my yearly lub job or check that
the gears were all clean. I always excersise my
cameras before loading film, ALWAYS! I can usualy hear
if there is a problem and fix it before wasting film.

I have seen world famous panorama photographers carry
their Noblex, Horizon, or Widelux cameras around their
necks on dusty trails. This is an invitation for
disaster! Keep your moving cameras clean in a bag or
pouch. Take it out only to make an exposure. If you
have a neck strap attached to your swinglens camera
PLEASE stop reading this email!!! Go right now and
take it off!!! You have been warned! If you like to
walk around with your camera buy a fanny pack and keep
it zipped and clean.

I simply shake my head in disbelief when I ask someone
when the last time their moving camera was cleaned and
lubed and they reply "never". They haven't a clue why
they are getting banding. 8-(

There will always be a physical cause for the band. It
will almost never be caused by the manufacturer of the
slit.(OK, it is possible for a bad slit to be
manufactured. But that problem will show on every
exposure. Anybody who would use such a camera over and
over again expecting it to all of a sudden to work is
insane.) It could be caused by dirt in the slit, or by
individuals who make their slit too narrow, beyond
factory specs. There is a point where banding will
naturally appear if the slit is too narrow. BTY- It is
a function of the focal length. The longer the lens
the wider the slit must be!!! Photographers who use
the narrow slit for telephoto lenses will have
banding. This is an operator error not a manufacturer
defect.

When was your swinglens or rotational camera last
cleaned and lubed? Do you have a neck strap on your
camera?

Bob



--- Daniel Larin <virt360@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Did you notice that every panoramist has problem
> with there camera.  No 
> matter if the camera is good, bad, ugly, nice,
> electronically advanced, 
> handbuilted and so on.
> Everybody as a story about banding.  What causes
> banding? "The slit" 
> somebody told me. The slit? OK. But i'm sure there
> is more than that. Why 
> does the slit causes banding?  Is the slit
> manufacturer the common cause of 
> all panoramist headaches?
> Could the film manufacturers one of the cause of
> banding?
> Should they get seriously involve in the panoramic
> business? Are they about 
> to?
> 
> 
> I'm a "Handbuilted" panoramist(17 to 135 mm focal
> lenght, 16 to 70 mm 
> films).
> 
> 
>   Thanks for all your mail and tips.
> 
> As a matter of fact i'm always looking for advice,
> ideas, products or others 
> to improve my handbuilted prototypes, my knowledge
> and also my social life.
> If you do have any suggestions please do.
> Daniel Larin
> 
> 
>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> 
> 
> Bravo M. Gildas Le Lostec. Merci pour votre site et
> vos images.
> 
>
re:http//perso.wanadoo.fr/panorama/francais/gallery.htm
>
______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at
> http://www.hotmail.com
> 
> 





=====
Robert Erickson, cirkut8@xxxxxxxxx
http://members.tripod.com/cirkut8/links.html
http://www.panoramic.net


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