LF - Layton 45A

Update April 16, 2012.--This week the check arrived and was deposited. Mr. Layton is working to get an update to people on the history of the production of the L-45A and when it might be produced and available for sale. Many of us look forward to that opportunity, to own and use a really great camera. We can hope.

Update April 4, 2012.--This week the registered letter arrived. He had moved but none of any public records reflected this move, so the letter took a bit longer to get there. He replied he'll refund the deposit and plans to resume the work on the production of the camera, but no date was set for when. For now it's the old adage, "The check is in the mail."

Update March 23, 2012.--This week I sent Mr. Layton letter (yes, registered signature required) with a choice of refunding the deposit or sending one of the prototypes as the production camera. He once said he had made three for demonstrations and testing, and offered one until the production version was available. I'll keep you posted.

Update March 13, 2012.--Using a Web archive Website I found Mr. Layton's former Website for the L45A 4x5 camera. The Website isn't complete as it only has the shell and word content with some images, but it shows what he intended to produce.

Original Post.--Well, it seems Mr. Layton, who won an innovative design award for his then new L45A 4x5 camera (above) in June 2005 and promised first delivery of the camera to customers who paid deposits in December 2005, has opted to quit work on the production, reported at about 95% complete and has decided not to communicate with the depositors.

Ok, I'm not saying this is or was a scam, it wasn't. He had very good intentions of building the camera and worked to that goal, as noted was almost complete with the first 10 or so cameras, but then a series of problems occurred which derailed the production, and as now, no one knows anything except Mr. Layton.

Efforts by several photographers who know him or have met him say the interest is still there. I am one of the depositors (fall 2005) but after 6 years all I have is a series of old e-mails with explanations and promises, but not word when the cameras will be produced let alone delivered.

But I still want one of his cameras. It's still innovative for its design and function, and while some are comparable, none match it. I just wish he would say something. I've discovered while he occasionally active on some photography forums he doesn't have a Website anymore and while I think I have an address for photography studio, I can't confirm it to send a registered letter.

If anyone knows him or knows of him, he lives and works in Norwich, Vermont, please let him know customers with deposits are waiting for news and preferably a camera. The checks are waiting.

Apple App Store Bug

I've discovered Apple's App store has a really big bug, a really big nuisance and frustration for people who buy applications through the App store. And that is once you buy the app, you can't completely remove it where Apple and the App store doesn't know you bought it. You can hide the app by "removing it" but that only hides it from the list, it doesn't remove it from your account.

You can go to your account and "Reset" all the warnings about buying and downloading apps, but it doesn't remove the flag for an app you bought but don't want anymore for whatever reasons, which in my case I transferred it to the company's Website, when there is an update available for downloading.

The truth is I don't give a flying .... about this one app in the App store anymore and I'm angry Apple doesn't give buyers the option to just forget this app by completely removing it from the store. Not hide it, but just completely erase it from Apple's memory. Why they don't have this tool or function baffles me to give buyers more control of their account.

It's like Apple doesn't trust you to say, get rid of this app from your account. What store would do that, simply let you decide to forget this product? Until they do have this option, the only choice is simply ignore the warnings about the update, but then Apple should at least have the option to ignore an update or set your copy to current.

Or as often happens, there is a way and I have overlooked it or haven't found it. Ok, enuf said this morning on this topic. For now at least. I'll go refresh my coffee now.

My Advice on LF

Occasionally I read from someone who decided to get into Large Format (LF) photography, meaning cameras larger than medium format, "Like Duh?", which has long been consider 6x6 or 2 1/4 photography with twin lens cameras or the type made famous by Hassalblad. LF cameras were, and still are, mechinical and the process mental, especially before light meters.

What distinguishes LF photography is that historically it used, and still uses, sheet film, from 4x5 to as large as you can make sheet film (16x20 is more the practical limit from the past) which has been standardized at 4x5 and 8x10. The intermediate size, 5x7, is disappearing as it's not a common format anymore.

Anyway, back to the topic. When I read these from these guys, and yes, so far they're all guys, to hear it was an impulse buy when they saw a LF camera in a shop or on-line, or decided to try it out and buy a LF camera package from someone offering a "great" deal. Well, the problem is they didn't do their homework and suddenly they realize they're in over their heads.

Not just for the camera gear they bought, which is usually just old and occasionally good, and always well used, but for the process of shooting large format, such as using sheet film and understanding the process of taking a photograph with a LF camera. A little homework and they would and could have saved their money.

Large format photography isn't something you jump into on a whim. First, it's guarranteed you won't be able to resale your stuff unless it's a collectable, has some historical value, or is in excellent shape, and all of their purchases never fits into either of those catagories. So, it's likely they now have stuff they're replace if they stay in LF photography and collect dust in a box somewhere if they don't stay.

So, after working in LF photography for the last 4+ years, here's my advice.

Do not get into Large Format photography
Ever! Never get into it as it's the endless deep hole you'll eventually regret the loss, and really waste, of time, energy and money. Really. Do I regret getting into it? No, I don't for one basic reason. I spent a year just reading and doing homework on the whole thing about LF photography and equipment.

I knew what I was walking into for time and energy, and while I've regretted spending money on lenses I haven't used for a camera that was never made (long story) and will buy another one for these lenses, I've never regretted the time and energy. In part because I like the work and in part because I want to research the early photographers in Mt. Rainier NP and see if I can locate where they took their photographs to get a new one.

I say don't get into LF photography not just because of the equipment, but because of the film. It's not cheap to buy and not cheap to process, even if you process your own black and white sheets. You're not afforded many mistakes as a sheet of 4x5 film can easily run $4+ for the film and processing. Mistakes add up fast.

And mistakes is what you'll make a lot of if you're not experienced or knowledgeable about the basics of photography to work in LF photography. There's nothing automatic about these cameras, unless you have gobs, meaning tens of thousand of dollars, for digital equipment (cameras, backs, lenses, etc.), and it's all mental, especially when it comes to the exposure.

This is where the only digital technology which helps, a good light meter. And yes, add that to the expense. Don't use digital camers as film and digital aren't the same and digital light meters in cameras aren't the real world you see for film. Guessing is not for the beginner, see comment on mistakes above.

In the end, if you don't have the time or energy to work in LF photography, and don't have the motivation to stay in LF photography, don't bother, just keep using your digital camera and be happy. Do not get into it as an impulse, walk away, but then if you're are interested and are thinking about it, do your homework. first.

There are some good Websites, some great books, and some ordinary (me) to great photographers shooting large format. There's no loss of information, avail yourself to it first, and then wait. The equipment won't go away, there's a glut of it in many countries, but your interest may, and likely will. Learn what it takes first. You can take photography classes at community colleges.

In short, get your feet wet without buying equipment which is likely to be resigned to the basement storage. If after a year or so, you're still learning and working in LF photography, then look for something you'll use the rest of your life. LF equipment lasts a lifetime - why there's a glut of it in the used market, it doesn't get obsolete, so you can take the time to spend wisely.

And no I don't regret the still unused lenses, I will have a camera to use them in the near future, but remember even the cameras last a lifetime, so don't buy one you'll replace. You don't need extra cameras. Use what you have and only have what you use. After that, enjoy it, it's a great way to do photography and it's always fun seeing a really good 4x5 slide.

Who We Need Now

I can only say that in these times and events the one voice we need more than any, the one person we need standing up for all of us and the one woman we need to represent all women is Barbara Jordan. I remember her on TV with the Nixon impeachment hearings and listened to her other speeches and interviews.

All you have to do is listen to her 1976 Democratic concention keynote speech or her opening speech on the Nixon impeachment hearings, found here. She is the one person, the one woman but more so the one voice we need to speak for all of us. She is missed more than ever. Her words and her voice, words spoken with such power, clarity and sincerity.

She is what we need now and sadly missed.

Hands Off My FEHB

To the Tea Party and those you elected to Congress. Yes, you Mr. Rand Paul.

Hands off my health insurance!!
Remember that slogan from 2009? This is to the Republicans who are offering the Health Care for Seniors Act which would merge Medicare into the Federal Employees Health Benefit program. It's a dumb idea and would only make the FEHB enrollees, which are all of the active and retired federal employees, and yes members of Congress and their staff when they are in Congress, pay more for the Medicare receiptants.

Initially they, the Republicans, estimate it would add $30 per month to our premium, but realistically closer to double that, and considering my premium has gone up 50% in 3 years, thanks to the Healthcare Reform Act, and yes, this law didn't and doesn't help us since it excluded us for the most part.

Right now enrollees in the FEHB program are eligible for Medicare when they reach the eligibility age and have the option to make their FEHB plan their primary or secondary care, meaning Medicare can be their primary care and FEHB their secondary, but not decrease in FEHB premiums but just adding the Medicare premiums, or not take Medicare and just keep their FEHB as their sole health insurance.

I plan to choose the latter, ignore Medicare as I'm happy with my FEHB, which for everyone's information is a plan overseen by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in the Federal government, which determines a base coverage and allows all the private insurance companies to offer plans fitting the base or adding more with additional premiums. Right now there are on average 20-25 companies offering 50+ plans in every state with 20+ national plans covering all states.

It's a program which offers middle-of-the-road plans at affordable prices. My premium for Blue Cross/Blue Shied is $190 per month for just me with a 20% deductible and a co-pay. It's advantage is that it's accepted by the larger providers and many smaller one who opt into the program (you apply and accept the terms of payment under scrutiny of OPM, meaning fraud is rare).

Merging Medicare enrollees into the FEHB only hurts the lower grade active employees and retired employees living on their now fixed annuity, myself included, no thanks to the President and Congress. Adding the increased premium takes away the money they need to live and pushes the higher grade employees and retirees closer to just surviving.

The FEHB program is made up of about 8 million enrolless, half active employees almost all of whom are healthy people and half retirees, many of whom are healthy with only a small proportion incurring higher costs to the insurance companies. It's a profitable program for the companies.

Adding all the nearly 30 million Medicare enrollees would swamp the FEHB, the vast majority of whom are incurring higher costs for their healthcare because of age, long standing medical conditions and other health problems or issues. As noted the average cost for enrollees is 3-plus times the amount they pay in. This is the reverse for FEHB where most pay considerably more into their insurance over their 30-40 year career.

It's like putting an anchor (Medicare) in a rowboat (FEHB). Or more so the Titanic (FEHB) hitting the iceberg (Medicare). You can bet the cost would be born by the FEHB enrollees and number size of fraud cases would increase substantially, just look at the news of Medicare fraud cases (including the company owned by the governor of Florida for $1 billion).

It's not right or fair. And while the Tea Party, including the sponsors of this bill (Rand Paul) who yelled, "Hands off my health insurance!" during the debate and fight over the Healthcare Reform Act in 2009, they don't seem adverse to going after someone else's health insurance, so to them I say loudly and clearly.

Hands off my health insurance!!
You know the tune and tone. It's the same you spouted in 2009. So do what you believe and said.