Bill vander Sluys Photography

HP5+ - ignore the dust!!

I finally have the 21 year old Leafscan 45 functional. I was having focusing problems so regular maintenance (cleaning and lube) was performed. This didn't solve the focusing errors so with info obtained from the Yahoo Leafscan group I found the problem. Seems like the CCD and lens stage rollers deteriorate over time, turning into a gummy mess. The rollers where removed, cleaned up and the old roller material was replaced with 1/4 in ID vacuum tube sections. No more focusing problems...

I've purchased a used Leafscan 45 film scanner, it should arrive within a week or so. I'll have 4x5 and Fuji FP-100C45 (negative) scans online when I get the old scanner working. My plan is to create enlarged digital negatives from 4x5 and Fuji peel apart negative scans from the Leafscan 45 and contact print using UV light and platinum/palladium chemistry on archival art paper. I'll need to find a transmission densitometer with a UV response mode, as correct negative densities are critical to successful platinum/palladium printing...

Initial shots with the Rittreck View and Fuji FP-100C45 look promising, I'm still testing to achieve proper negative densities for the platinum/palladium printing process. Work in progress!

I had a fairly long hiatus from photography and of all the film formats I missed the most, Large Format was at the top of the list. Recently I've found a good deal on a Rittreck 5x7 View (Wista) on Ebay and am now waiting patiently for it to arrive. It includes a Fujinar-W 15cm F6.3 in Seikosha-SLV shutter, Polaroid 550 back and 4x5 sheet film holders. This is a backpackable metal field camera with enough movements for my photographic subjects. Now shopping for deals on 4x5 film, Fuji FP-100C45 peel apart.