so which one should i go for? i'm more into portrait, the price range not very far eh.. (85mm or 580exII)

If you are into portrait, you'll love 85mm

for now, i'm eating grass for speedlight..still thinking either SB800 or SB900..will decide once cash is ready..

i think sb 800 will do, for most ppl

i'm saving to get a sb600 or a sb800. SOooo... expensive

where can get sb800?
i dun mind eating rock even...if can still get sb800...

btw, i think i have to eat grass now, saving for the next 5D MK III, so after 2 years, can get a complete FF cam and pair up with a couple of L prime~that would be around 16k...

16k hard earn $$$$$, what u think? hmmmm

nothing is impossible....if u really want sure can do it..

i'm saving for canon 16-35mm

70-200mm f2.8

speedlite 580EXII

but still no money to get any of em.. T_T

Saving for either a Leica M7 or a new Steyr with good glass on either one. Argubly the Leica would cost me more and not allow me to amok tho. Anyone here develop BW film at home? Any tips?

Choices, choices. But i did rompak an L-lense from a friend of mine, so +1 to my collection.

With the current economic situation + Canon price hike. I think I'll be learning to eat air soon.

er..16k dont think is enought to get you a 5D mkIII body with some L lens la
2 years down, 5d markIII would be new body. that will cost you about 9-10k
just enough to get you a 70-200L F2.8
or...maybe a 24-105L plus a 2nd hand 17-40 la

The new 5D Mark II with kit (EF24-105mm F4L IS USM) is worth RM12,000-RM13,000 (inclusive of recent price increase). So you're left with around RM3,000. With this you can get a fairly decent used EF70-200 F2.8L or maybe an EF17-40 F4L for ultra-wide. OR add RM400+ you can get a new Sigma APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM (worth RM3399 - Key Color MV) to cover the tele range.

Not really an EF100-400 contender but it'll be sufficient. Its lighter, more compact and with good focusing speed (full time manual) and 4 stops of IS. Its not EX built but the IQ seems to be good enough provided you have a good copy.

my tokina....

i do. or i used to do. heck, i used to teach people doing it.
how can i help?

Nice nice, have actually a few questions, even after watching all the jewtube videos

i realize that there are generally 3 steps,

Development, fixing and cleaning,

1) You get bag, put film in, pull it out in bag and put it into loader. Put loader into tank. Close dev tank.

2) Add development chemical (question : i've seen people pour warm water in before this, do it or not?)

3) Shake for a specific amount of seconds (question : Really that specific? Some dudes, shake once and leave, some shake once a minutes? Which is better?)

4) Wait for a specific amount of time (Question : I know the development time influences the exposure, but how accurate must you be in regards to this? How much variance for say +0.5EV? on sat Ilfrord Delta 3200? Is it calculatable?)

5) Drain tank

6) Now i've seen different people do it differently, but some either use acid or water for the stop bath, i'm not really sure which is best and what each version does.

7) Add fixer. No questions here.

8) Add Cleaner and Wash (Question : some guides don't mention the cleaner and just the wash? How Essential is this?)

9) Add wetting agent? Erm, 100 percent tak tau anything about this part.

10) Dry and enjoice.

Saving up for a decent tripod + 105mm f2.8 VR macro lens

wow. it's easier if i show it to you in person. thing is, this thing comes with experience. that's the reason why u see some people have their own way of doing it.

i will try to answer best i can

1) You get bag, put film in, pull it out in bag and put it into loader. Put loader into tank. Close dev tank.
do you have those film changing bag? do you know how to retrieve the film leader from the film canister? do you have the film developing tank? which type of developing tank are you using? metal or plastic? one roll or 2 rolls of film tank? are you processing one roll or 2 rolls?

prepare the 3 baths of chemical before starting. then the developer has to be in the precise tempreture before u start. best is have a stop watch with u too. if you are using plastic developing tank. 1 roll of film prepare 400ml worth of solution. 2 rolls is 600ml.

2) Add development chemical (question : i've seen people pour warm water in before this, do it or not?)
i need more information on what type of film developer you are using. do note that there is a paper developer and film developer. and of course to process film, use film developer. but still, i need to know what type of film developer are you using and what film are you using. you mentioned ilford delta 3200. is that the film? no such thing as pouring warm water. people pour warm water to expand the film so when you pour in ice cold fixer, the film will crack. it's a special effect that they wanna get. renticulation or something like that. i don't bother. tempreture has to be at 20 celcius SHARP! in a nutshell. different film developer, different dilution, different film, different tempreture will give u different time for processing.

start time on stop water the moment you pour in the chemical.

3) Shake for a specific amount of seconds (question : Really that specific? Some dudes, shake once and leave, some shake once a minutes? Which is better?)
example: my total processing time is 5 minutes. what i do is:
first minute: agitate/shake it non stop
remaining 4 minutes: let the tank rest on the table for 40 seconds and agitate/shake for 20 seconds till time's up
method of agitation/shake: some do 180 degree terbalik technique. some spin the tank clockwise/anti clock wise.
up to you. i am more comfortable with the 180 degree terbalik technique.
mind you, harder you agitate/shake: higher contrast (over develop) it becomes. too soft and it will be lower contrast (under develop) oh oh and if wrong technique, air bubble might form on the film and caused undeveloped spots on film... wahahaa

4) Wait for a specific amount of time (Question : I know the development time influences the exposure, but how accurate must you be in regards to this? How much variance for say +0.5EV? on sat Ilfrord Delta 3200? Is it calculatable?)
mentioned it above (3)

5) Drain tank
5 seconds before time's up, drain the tank. don't take too long to pour in the second solution.

6) Now i've seen different people do it differently, but some either use acid or water for the stop bath, i'm not really sure which is best and what each version does.
best is use a photographic stop bath. it's acid. and smell like vinegar. it's sharp and poke through your nose. i mean the smell. i used to ask my students to get vinegar. yeah. eating vinegar but the colourless wan. don't get those black colour wan. but vinegar is very weak compare to stop bath. you need a stronger dilution for this.

7) Add fixer. No questions here.
get the ilford hypam. best fixer out there. of course the powder type is cheap but ppffttt.

8) Add Cleaner and Wash (Question : some guides don't mention the cleaner and just the wash? How Essential is this?)
i don't bother with the cleaner. it's call hypo clean bath or something like that. if u use this bath, you save water and time and money. if don't what i do is you wash your film for 10 minutes, in running water. you are allowed to open the tank after the fixer as your film is err fixed. leave the films in the film roller and turn on the tap and let the water flow. beware of bubble attaching on the film though. pour the water away every 2 minutes for a complete change of water. but do let the water flow all the time for 10 minutes.

9) Add wetting agent? Erm, 100 percent tak tau anything about this part.
wetting agent is like a soapy solution but of course dont use soap or detergent or softlan. they contain oil. the best is the kodak wetting agent. ilford's smell like cum. i am serious. unless you want your film to smell like cum if not, go for the kodak. you only need 1-2 drops. damn strong. then err... i dunno what the technique call but u take up and down the film together with the roller. like teh tarik for 30 seconds.

10) Dry and enjoice.
do you have a professional film dryer? if not, becareful of dust sticking on it. if yes, not too hot. 400w is ideal. 800w will burn the films. usually take 20 minutes. then cut the film from the back. number 36 onwards. do not cut the film from 1 onward.

i am blur edi. it's not that hard to be honest. if you are in malaysia now, do let me know and i don't mind showing it to you on how to do. or supervise you. wahahaa...



This post has been edited by ifer: Mar 3 2009, 02:31 PM

^ Wish i could take you up on your offer lol, but it's gonna be a long time before i come back.

But thanks for the tips, atleast i can shape my plans a little clearer now.

we're on a same boat.eating grass for sb-900.btw dudes, what's the sb900 price now?