I keep exposing myself doubly so...

[5stringdeath]

I dunno, sometimes there are beautiful mistakes in the double exposures. Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something :-)

[Vaughn]

I can never decide if I want to cock the shutter of my Diana camera before or after each shot -- so I end up with a few blank negs and some double exposures -- and have one particularly nice image that was an accidental double exposure, so I can't complain! What is the old saying...Expose for the light, develop for the surprises...something like that! LOL!

[bowzart]

My practice has been to wind Before rather than after, because I don't like to leave springs tensioned. I'm not sure how much danger there is of them acquiring memory, but I expect there is some, especially if I leave the camera unused for some time.

[Vaughn]

That is why I can't decide to do it before or after. Also, when using folders, I also worry about changing shutter speeds while the shutter is already cocked -- especially with shutters that use two different springs for short and longer exposure times.

[Sirius Glass]

Before. After. Before. After.

Hasselblad recommends that the cameras and lenses always be left cocked all the time. They designed the equipment for that.

Graflex and Speed Graphics should have the tension released on the focal plan shutters.

Except for the Graflex and Graphic I wind as soon as I take a photograph.

Steve

[bowzart]

Before. After. Before. After.

...

Except for the Graflex and Graphic I wind as soon as I take a photograph.

Steve

A recipe for confusion, for sure. Better to select the lesser of two evils and standardize accordingly, at least for this guy, who is:

1. ADD (therefore, quite prone to distraction)
2. getting old (loosing reliability of memory)

If you don't yet have a problem with the second mentioned, you will, sooner than you think! Habits become more important.

[Vaughn]

Thanks Steve -- I just checked my Speed Graphic -- and yep, there was tension on the focal plane shutter. Now released (after years of being under tension). It is a little relunctant to go from 1.5 to T and T to 0. Should one set the spring tension at any particular setting during non-use (mine has 6 spring tension settings)?

Vaughn

[MattKing]

This highlights the only advantage I've discovered so far of also having a shutter that requires manual cocking.

When I'm using my cameras that don't have double exposure prevention, I always wind the film immediately after taking a shot. I wait, however, until I'm ready to take the next shot before cocking the shutter.

[Q.G.]

You can leave tension on springs and nothing will happen to them.
Perhaps some creep. But before you notice any effect of that, you'll children's children will be telling stories about the good old days when they were young to their children's children.

So whatever you decide, before or after, don't decide to go with 'before' because of fears about what keeping a spring tensioned might do. For it does nothing.


Spring tension does nothing to the metal they are made of, unless you put so much tension on them that they break. So it doesn't matter either at what setting you keep them.

[Sirius Glass]

Thanks Steve -- I just checked my Speed Graphic -- and yep, there was tension on the focal plane shutter. Now released (after years of being under tension). It is a little relunctant to go from 1.5 to T and T to 0. Should one set the spring tension at any particular setting during non-use (mine has 6 spring tension settings)?

Vaughn

Probably T. I am not sure as I am only getting involved with Speed and Graflex shutters. Check www.graflex.org.

Steve