What have you done with your camera today

Placed the camera and all of my lenses on a table, measured them and tried to work out if they would fit the various rucksacks i'm looking
 
We have a new car park in Lincoln so I went to the third floor to do some roofscapes. Unfortunately, it rained once I got there and I had to shoot through glass with rain drops on it. I shall return of Friday, rain permitting, to repeat without the rain drops.

Later in the year I shall return when the top floors are finished as I would prefer to shoot from the roof level with no glass in the way.
 
Covered my film back in baby powder. Smells terrific!

MF261.jpg
 
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Unpacked from my first photo shoot for a magazine (y)
 
I guess i'm the naive one here, but why?

To make sure the film stays spotlessly clean?

Took some tacky shots then.?

No, I invented it!
Photographers have their noses up against the back of their cameras all the time. Why smell nothing when you can smell a nice fragrance? Once word gets out I think in 12 months first thing a photographer will put in their bag is a small bottle of baby powder! I'm so really proud of myself at this moment!

Ok, not totally the truth...some of it kinda is.
This is the multi function back off a Nikon F90X film SLR. Over time the rubber used on this back and the standard back that comes with the camera degrades and breaks down. This results in a very sticky back. You could put your nose against it but maybe not get it off! lol
My backs became sticky as well so I hit Google to see what other people were doing for a solution. I found guys were hacking at the rubber with razor blades, using alcohols, acetone etc. Then I come across a lady poster who comes in with something like, "I put baby powder on mine, works a treat."
She was right! I'm still playing around with this but the baby powder works! From the picture I posted I then wipe off the excess with a cloth. The back feels perfect, smooth as silk, no stickiness at all. The broken down rubber looks like it soaks in some of the powder and you do get left with a nice textured look as the white of the powder is still there. Not sure if long term I will need to re-apply but that's not hard to do. Works a treat and you don't need to destroy your back! AND, the part I said is the truth, I haven't used the camera since doing this but I'm sure I'll now have a nice fragrance too! All round success!
 
No, I invented it!
Photographers have their noses up against the back of their cameras all the time. Why smell nothing when you can smell a nice fragrance? Once word gets out I think in 12 months first thing a photographer will put in their bag is a small bottle of baby powder! I'm so really proud of myself at this moment!

Ok, not totally the truth...some of it kinda is.
This is the multi function back off a Nikon F90X film SLR. Over time the rubber used on this back and the standard back that comes with the camera degrades and breaks down. This results in a very sticky back. You could put your nose against it but maybe not get it off! lol
My backs became sticky as well so I hit Google to see what other people were doing for a solution. I found guys were hacking at the rubber with razor blades, using alcohols, acetone etc. Then I come across a lady poster who comes in with something like, "I put baby powder on mine, works a treat."
She was right! I'm still playing around with this but the baby powder works! From the picture I posted I then wipe off the excess with a cloth. The back feels perfect, smooth as silk, no stickiness at all. The broken down rubber looks like it soaks in some of the powder and you do get left with a nice textured look as the white of the powder is still there. Not sure if long term I will need to re-apply but that's not hard to do. Works a treat and you don't need to destroy your back! AND, the part I said is the truth, I haven't used the camera since doing this but I'm sure I'll now have a nice fragrance too! All round success!

I understand everything you've said Mark, and how it protects the back and helps keep things dry but (and I hope this isn't just a spoof i'm falling for)are you not worried about getting talc in the camera or on th lens at all?
 
are you not worried about getting talc in the camera or on th lens at all?

No, I knew the pic I posted would likely make people think OMG but it's not as bad as it looks. It's easy to apply. The back is removed from the rest of the camera so you just have to be careful to not get any on the pressure plate side. This in practice is also quite easy to do and once the powder is removed it comes off without making a mess either. Cloth and some blower work and it's done. Once you start touching the back enough times I'm sure it'll get sticky again. I'm hoping with enough applications the stickiness will completely go away on a permanent-ish basis. I trialed first on the back I don't use (standard back that comes with the camera) before I did this one. After you've cleaned it up, in use, you no longer get powder coming off on your fingers so there is no mess when using the camera which may lead to powder residue getting in other places.

I also have a F50 SLR from a family member that no longer works. The grip looks like it uses a similar rubber compound and has turned sticky as well. As it doesn't matter what happens to this camera I'm going to try and use acetone on it and see what happens.

The powder does seem like a good method where you don't actually damage the rubber. At worst it'll never be it's original black color again but that's better than attacking it with razor blades imo!
 
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Thanks for the very in-depth reply Mark. I am amazed that it all works so well. Obviously you've not looked at the process lightly.

I honestly thought this was a wind up but fair play to you Mark. You've found something that cures your issue. You're also a braver man than me, that's for sure
 
No, not brave, had no choice. The back was too sticky to use. If I left it I'd never use the camera again. Something "had" to be done and this seemed like the safest and least destructive option.
Oh, final note, I just checked the back for the first time since the day I made the application. A great deal of the white from the powder has virtually disappeared. Looks like it was eaten up by the rubber over the few days and now the back is it's original color in most places. The black areas where the powder cannot be seen are also not sticky at all. Powder treatment really seems to be the trick for this problem thus far. I expect more applications will become necessary but one application alone has made an incredibly dramatic difference,
 
Headed over to Leeds with my mate to shoot some film and eat some great Thai food. I've been considering a Nikon F4 but hadn't had the opportunity to see/ handle one. I called into West Yorkshire Cameras and the owner kindly allowed me to try out one of their mint boxed examples and was happy to offer some advice. Definitely worth a look if you're near to the Corn Exchange.
 
Headed over to Leeds with my mate to shoot some film and eat some great Thai food. I've been considering a Nikon F4 but hadn't had the opportunity to see/ handle one. I called into West Yorkshire Cameras and the owner kindly allowed me to try out one of their mint boxed examples and was happy to offer some advice. Definitely worth a look if you're near to the Corn Exchange.

Agreed! I got a Pentax LX for nothing there... well, a trade for some lenses and an autofocus camera I didn't want.
 
Walked my Backup 5D.

IMG_5267.jpg
 
Went for a walk looking for a location to get a night shot of local industry, found a place but it's a nightmare to get to, don't fancy trying the climb in the dark to be honest (it was a bit iffy in daylight).
Got a few pictures from the stream on the way up though.

Water%2B2.jpg
 
Yesterday I took mine out into Holyrood Park, but soon discovered that standing in the snow on a 40 degree slope with a horizontal blizzard blasting past you is no kind of fun! Got half a dozen shots I think before I gave up. No idea how they are yet... the joys of film!
 
Took pics of the tree that fell on my mothers house, luckly no real damage to the house.
 
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Walked alongside a frozen canal this morning, took a quick snap. I could not relax, as my dog wanted to run on the frozen water.
 
I took my Rolleicord Va out yesterday afternoon for a walk in the snow with my dog. Managed an uneventful 2 hours until I knelt down at the side of a dam to take a photo. One plop later and I was lifting a very surprised Shug (pug x s***-zhu) out of the icy water.

Today I played it safe and went for Nepalese food in town with my M2 in tow and some HP5+.
 
After catching up on a shot for my 52 I went out and took a couple of shots of the icicles in or around my backyard. The 1st is of the outlet pipe for my porch roof guttering and the second was taken on the lane behind my house
Icicle 1 by Craig Tillotson, on Flickr
Icicle 2 by Craig Tillotson, on Flickr
 
Took the little Fuji out, stuck it on a tripod and pranced around with my dog. All this while camera was in video mode. I have no idea, what the family will think. I am sure they will see it one day, probably after I am long gone. :)
 
Just been trying a very old manual flashgun on my little fuji. Been trying to get photos of both the cat and the dog. They were not having any of it, they have left the room and gone to bed. :(
 
Been playing with my new camera (first one i've ever owned, previously i've had to borrow them), acquainting myself with aperture and shutter priority modes.
 
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