Shades Creek Mill Wheel

Back in the summer I posted this photo, in conjunction with some others, depicting the Old Mill at Shades Creek in Mountain Brook. But since then I have learned some more about the mill's wheel that I thought to be worth sharing.

Minolta SRT 202, Vivitar MC 135mm f/2.8, Kodak Gold 200

Though the main structure stands largely as it was constructed in 1926, the wheel had fallen into disrepair and rot by the turn of the millennium. Mike Franklin and John Parker were commissioned to build a new wheel that would restore this Mountain Brook icon to a stately condition. This required them to remove the old will by crane. Then using the old wheel as a template and salvaging as much of the old frame as possible, they constructed the current functioning wheel, which works by pump. Upon finishing the new wheel, family and others watched as the new wheel was installed in the 2002 or  2003.

And if Shades Creek is of particular interest to you, another recent post regarding that little watershed can be found here.

Technorati Tags: alabama, mountain brook, old mill, shades creek

New Lenses for my Minolta SRT 202

A couple of months ago, I was given a Minolta SRT 202, and only recently finished putting my first and second rolls of film through the camera. The camera was without a lens, so my first purchase was a Minolta Rokkor-PF 55mm f/1.7 lens, which though gently used, functions really well and has clean glass.

I really wanted to diversify my lens collection, but without great cost, because my gear budget is slim right now. So I ventured on over to KEH, my favorite retailer for used cameras and lenses. There I found three lenses that cost me a grand total of $30.

Vivitar MC 28mm f/2.8 :: To be honest, I don't love a 28mm lens and can't often find a place for one in my camera bag. But in this instance, I thought I might sometimes need something wider than 35mm, and I couldn't justify springing for a 24mm lens at this point.

This Vivitar is the lightest lens I have ever held. The barrel is made entirely of plastic, except for the lens mount. That doesn't really bother me much in this case, as I don't expect it to be much abused. The front of the lens extends as the lens is focused. It has a 49mm filter thread, which for me is unfortunate, as I have no other lenses of that thread size, and hence no filters - I may have to search out a step-up ring.

Soligor 35mm f/2.8 :: Considering it's ordinary size, the Soligor lens is inordinately heavy. If I get in a bind while hiking and run across some wild beast, I have no doubt I could effectively brain it with the chunk of glass and metal.

The lens also has the distinction of the focus ring rotating in the opposite direction of the other lenses I have for the Minolta. Having said all that, I am excited to use this lens, as the 35mm focal length is one of my favorites. So here's hoping that the optics deliver, since it will likely be much used.

Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 :: The 135mm focal length is another that I don't find much use for (although I did use it on its first trip out. This lens is stout and has a built-in hood, as did most telephoto lenses of its generation. I hope to find more use for it than I have similar lenses in the past.

I hope to add some more lenses to my Minolta family in the future, perhaps some wides or super-wides. Maybe I'll even get adventurous and try out a tilt-shift lens. Any suggestions of noteworthy lenses would be appreciated.

The Old Mill on Shades Creek

On this site, an early inhabitant of Birmingham once operated a grist mill, in which he would grind farmers' corn into meal. In the mid-1880s, after twenty years of operation, the grist mill ceased to be operational.

Minolta SRT 202, Soligor 35mm f/2.8, Kodak Gold 200

In 1927, the present structure was erected by the founder of Mountain Brook. Although it is not a functional mill, it served as a restaurant for towngoers for more than twenty years.

Minolta SRT 202, Rokkor-PF 55mm f/1.7, Kodak Gold 200

Minolta SRT 202, Vivitar MC 135mm f/2.8, Kodak Gold 200

 Following that, it became a private residence, which function it served for some fifty years.

Canon T2i, Tokina AT-X 12-24mm f/4

Greenwood Cemetery, Vol. 2

Today, I finished the second roll of film that was begun about a month ago at Greenwood Cemetery (a previous posting on the first roll can be found here). I think perhaps these are not the best photographs on this roll (some photos of an old mill on Shades Creek will be shown soon - likely tomorrow), but a few are worth sharing nonetheless. All of these photos were shot on my Minolta SRT 202, Rokkor-PF 55mm f/1.7 lens, and Kodak Gold 200 film.

This final photo is entirely irreverant, but I figured since I wasn't the one defiling the place, I could at least be the one to denote its having been done. I at least need to come up with some clever title for it, like: Beer, a Bra, and Burial Plots.

Photographing Greenwood Cemetery

Having finally received a functioning lens for my newly acquired Minolta SRT 202, it was time to put it through its paces. For both economic and practical reasons, I selected a Rokkor-PF 55mm f/1.7 lens. Several weeks ago, I wrote up a piece about the 202's cousin, MC-II, on which I did some repair work, but has since been gifted to friend and fellow-blogger Tyler Dooley.

Greenwood Cemetery seems to be an almost forgotten place on the outskirts of Birmingham, cuddled up next to the airport. Many of the headstones there have been unsettled by trees which at the time were mere infants or nonexistent. Others have been neglected and abused by the elements, some rather directly.

Dissecting a Minolta SRT MC-II

Recently, I was gifted a couple of Minolta cameras and a lens by Andy Lynn. The Minolta SRT 202 is in need of some affection in the way of cleaning it up (particularly its insides) but otherwise appears to be in good, functioning condition. The Minolta SRT MC-II is also in good condition, but there is a loose shim in the viewfinder that floats about and obstructs one's view of the subject. The Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm f/2.8-3.8 is a really nice lens but fails to focus at infinity.

So I have embarked on making these items fully functional again, relying heavily on the advice of the photography wizards at photo.net. Follow this link to the thread in which I was given so much inestimably valuable advice and instruction.

MC-II preparing for surgery, those two screws are the first to be removed, along with another on the right side.

I decided first to tackle the MC-II. I began by removing screws that would allow me to remove the camera's top-plate. This required the removal of: three individual screws, the shutter speed dial, the shutter cocking lever, and the film rewind knob and baseplate. This last item is where I hit my first snag, and was the last obstruction to removing the top-plate.

Baseplate for film rewind knob, which has already been removed.

It was apparent that I needed to turn the baseplate via the notches next to the threaded post. But not having a spanning wrench, I had to do so by nimbly using to flathead screwdrivers to turn it lefty loosy. Once I was able to finagle the screwdrivers to work simultaneously the plate turned easily, and became easy to remove; then off came the top.

Various angles of the MC-II with top-plate removed.

What you should do next and what I did do are two different things. What you should do: Take the film rewind knob that you removed in order to take of the baseplate, and screw it back onto the post. I didn't do that, and as a result, that top brass disk that can be seen above (far right) fell off causing the metering strings to come unwound after losing tension. After more than an hour, I was able to restore them to what appears to be their prior positions, but I won't be able to make sure the camera meters correctly until I get a battery. This camera may be relegated to a meterless life from this point forward.

Next step: get into the pentaprism to remove the obstruction.

View from above the pentaprism

 This step is pretty simple. It only requires unscrewing the two screws in the bottom middle of the above from, then gently lifting the prism out. You have to be careful not to touch the glass, or it'll require even more cleaning because of oily little fingerprints. Once the prism was out of the way, I could immediately behold the object of my duress.

View of focusing screen after removing prism, obstruction on left.

So using a silk cloth, I gently slid the shim out and (not being able to find where it originally belonged) removed it entirely. Using my camel hair brush and a little compressed air from my lungs, I gave the focusing screen a little dusting. I then reassembled the MC-II and having no leftover bits, declared my quest a success. Feeling victorious, I undertook the same task with the SRT 202, and accomplished the task much more quickly, in less than a quarter of the time and repeating none of my initial mistakes.

This morning, I took the newly reassembled MC-II out for a little fresh air and to get its photo taken.

All that's left is to go get a battery, insert some film, and see if the meter reads accurately.