Tripod Repair
Q. I need to replace a shattered knob on my Benbo #1 tripod and can't seem to find a correct contact point. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Randall Kirk
via Internet

A. The US distributor for Benbo tripods is Paterson Photographic Inc. (4680-A Industrial Access Rd., Douglasville, GA 30134; (770) 947-9796; www.patersonphotographic.com). They should be able to assist you in obtaining the part you seek.

Flash For Canon
Q. I have a Canon EOS ELAN 7N camera and I need a flash for it that doesn't cost too much. I found a Sunpak MZ440AF flash; will this flash work on my camera?
Raven Knight
via Internet

A. I checked the website for Sunpak and found that the MZ440AF, PZ4000AF, and PZ5000AF are all available with mounts to use on Canon cameras, so any of these three flash units (with a Canon mount) should work for you. You should be able to simply slide one of them onto your EOS ELAN 7N, switch the flash on, and then everything should operate automatically. The two PZ models are more automatic as they have a power zoom head, which will automatically adjust to the focal length of the lens being used on your EOS. If you have a zoom lens, one of the PZ models would be preferable to the MZ440AF.

Four In One
Q. I'd like to print a set of images for a "family tree." I have four pages taped together and would like to print them on one continuous piece of paper. I would also like to be able to fold it and incorporate it into an 81¼2x11 sheet protector.
Gladys Rose
via Internet

A. I assume you have four photo prints taped together that you want copied onto one page that will fit into your 81¼2x11 protector page. Most larger drugstores and grocery stores today, as well as photo dealers, have a do-it-yourself color photo copy station. You should be able to place the four prints on the copy surface and make one copy containing all four prints. I believe you can reduce or enlarge the final print image size if needed. Alternatively, your local photo dealer should be able to do this for you, or send the prints to somebody who does that type of copy work for them.

Clean Camera, Now Poor AF
Q. I have a Minolta Maxxum 5 (35mm). It was recently cleaned of some persistent and irritating dust, etc., in the viewfinder. Ever since, the autofocus (kit 28-80mm lens) doesn't quite focus the image clearly. Immediately before the cleaning it worked just fine. I can manually focus it without any problem and the autofocus is only slightly out of focus when the camera says it's focused. It just slightly blurs the image in the viewfinder. Do you have any idea what could have been tweaked in the cleaning process that would cause this slight autofocus issue? By the way, your magazine is a great source for tech info and gear reviews. Keep up the good work!
Keith McEvoy
via Internet

A. Sorry, I have never encountered or heard of your particular focusing problem with your Maxxum 5 AF SLR. I can't figure why the manual focusing works OK but the autofocus does not. I have reviewed most Maxxum cameras and have two different models myself that I have used extensively, but never had any focusing problem. Did you clean the dust from the viewfinder yourself or have a dealer do it? If it was done by a dealer I sure would take the camera back and have them make whatever adjustment is needed to get it working correctly again.
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Camera/Picture Collection
Q. My "hobby" is the collection of vintage cameras where there is an historic connection with a particular photographer and/or photograph of note; e.g., Ansel Adams and the Contax camera of the mid/late 1930s or Henri Cartier-Bresson's Leica used for the '33 "Behind the St. Lazare Station." The problem I have is trying to find out the particular model of Contax or Leica used so that I may acquire one. Any thoughts?
P. Bucy
Rancho Mirage, CA

A. I honestly don't have any suggestions where you can obtain this data. If there is a biographical book about the photographer, and I know there are several on both Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier-Bresson, it might give more details about exactly what model camera was used for a specific image. You might want to check your local library, or online using the photographers name to point you in the right direction. Do any readers have a clue on this one?

B&W On Color
Q. How do I print a black and white negative onto color paper? I'm sure you'll ask why I want to do this--my local camera store developed my black and white film recently and printed all the pictures onto 4x6 color paper. I liked the results. When I went into the darkroom I printed one of the better negatives onto Ilford black and white variable contrast paper (Multigrade IV) using a color diffuser enlarger with various filter grades (including no filter). I didn't like the results as much as with the color paper. I would prefer to print this myself on enlarged color paper instead of paying someone to do it, but I have no experience with color paper printing/development. Any suggestions/pointers? Links to articles will help.
Susanne Lomatch
Boise, ID

A. I sent your query to our darkroom expert, Darryl C. Nicholas, and here are some of his comments: "Kodak used to make a printing paper (I presume they still do) that was designed to be chemically processed in a standard RA-4 color chemical process (therefore it was technically a color paper), but it had some altered dye layers in it and was intended to produce a black and white image when printed with either a color negative or a black and white negative. Either way, the paper was designed to work best with a so-called standard color filter pack in the enlarger...the idea being that standard printers/enlargers everywhere could use it without having to make any major changes in the filtration settings that they would otherwise use when making a real color print. The exact filter setting was not critical...it could be varied quite a bit, and you'd still get a very nice black and white print.
"About the same time period, Kodak also dreamed up their chromogenic film...it was basically a color negative film with some altered dye layers so that when processed in a standard C-41 chemical process, it would produce a negative that sort of looked like a black and white negative. This film could be printed onto standard black and white paper or onto the special Kodak color paper that was designed to produce a black and white print from RA-4 chemistry. Again, no special color filter pack was needed."
Also, please check www.kodak.com or call their answer hotline at (800) 242-2424. There are a bunch of Kodak handbooks on all types of photographic subjects that are distributed by Tiffen. You can access their website at www.tiffen.com to learn more about these books.