LF Newbie - Exploring Options

[blackbug]

Hello everyone,

I would love to get my hands into large format photography as I am intrigued by the images and the process to make the images. I like the idea of slowing down in this digital age to create an image rather than just keep snapping. I have been researching from the forums here and A large format photography home page on how to get started but still have a few questions. I hope that some "sifu' can give some advise for a start, I am interested to explore 4x5 format, probably a field camera for portability.

Camera - I guess for a newbie, it would be advisable to start cheap like a Speed or Crown Graphic. I will like to have some movements for some portrait options. I have searched on ebay, any advise on what to look out for? I saw that there are also options for China made like Shenhao. However the price are higher.

Lenses - Any advise for a cheap and good portrait lens? Is ebay the best place? What should I look out for when choosing the lens, e.g. scratches, defects?

Film and Holders - where can I get this? Is ebay still the best option?

Other accessories - Lupe, cable release, meter. I guess all accessories have to be sources individually too. Am I still missing something for a complete setup to get started?

Sometimes it seems that after sourcing for all the items, something may not be compatible. Then again, it is a very greenhorn question from me.

Any advise will be greatly appreciated! Many thanks in advance!

Sean

 

[zguy]

join us this sat at botanic gardens? --> http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/medi...f-shoot-botanic-gardens-sat-19-may-730am.html
there will be quite a few different kinds of LF setup you will see based on the list of people who will be attending.

 

[sfoto100]

hi

i am using rodenstock 4x loupe. it is good. some cheap loupe make u giddy.

can't answer the rest of your questions as my current focus is monorail on landscape and architecture.. i'm sure the rest will help you

but we do hope to have more people playing color slides so that we can share the cost of the processing chemicals..

big warm welcome

 

[Shadowleong]

Hi! I was just like you not too long agi, for starters, if you're plan on using it for portraits best get a more flexible camera, I use a speed graphic and it has only a front rise. For selective focus, you will need tilt, swings, which are available on any higher end field cameras, the crown graphics can only do rise and some back tilt but can be modified to do front tilt but at the expense of back tilt (you just mount the front standard backwards)

You can look at the toyo field camera in terms of value for money, build quality, condition and availability of accessories

A bare minimum setup would be body, lens, tripod, meter(iphone) holder, black cloth and film, the rest can slowly build up

 

[lkkang]

warm welcome Sean,

You will never know how to be a father until you be one.
The simplest way to get started, is to get something like a complete set from someone..... or go see some LF camera in operation before you decide weather to step in.

cheers ,
Billy

 

[blackbug]

Thanks all for your kind reply
I will love to join you guys this sat at Botanical Gardens. I look forward to meet you guys and see you guys in action!

Thanks again for the invitation. See ya

Best regards,
Sean

 

[Shadowleong]

This is my version of the same question, abit long but I still think there's useful information there (Other than the chit chat)

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/medium-format/921612-larger-format-photography.html

 

[losheng]

有人要中毒咯！

Welcome to the gang. My Australian friend said if you keep circling around a hole, sooner or later you are going to fall into it.

It's ok, you'll find us inside.

 

[zguy]

hope you have a better idea on what to get after last saturday outing.
time to stake out at largeformatphotography.info, ebay and keh.com to look for good deals.

 

[Shadowleong]

Too bad you didn't join us for the kopi sesson, thats where most of the sharing is done

 

[Shadowleong]

FS Calumet Wide Field 4x5 Camera

 

[sfoto100]

FS Calumet Wide Field 4x5 Camera

kirk, who is moderator in the LF forum, and also a pro architecture photog, uses this camera.. he said it is cheap and good.. fantastic for wide angle lenses ..

 

[blackbug]

Thanks guys
I will take a look at this. BTW, will Wide Field camera work well with long lens as well? say for portraits?

 

[sfoto100]

Thanks guys
I will take a look at this. BTW, will Wide Field camera work well with long lens as well? say for portraits?

Calumet Wide Field 4x5 Camera is design for wide angle lenses so that u don't need to use recessed lensboards... so it may not be good for long lenses.. i did quite some research on it, bcos i am interested to get it, but somehow none was to be found that time

so here are some notes i google n saved:

I primarily use a 50 year old Calumet Widefield, because it will handle from a 47 to a 210 on flat lens boards and the stock bellows with full movements. The last one I bought (three years ago)was for $150 at Universal in Chicago. Nothing fancy and not pretty or slick, but with a few adaptions solid as a rock and a near perfect Arch. camera. I use the best lenses. I probably have $8,000 in lenses (and a $150 VC!!). Most of my students walk in with a "better" VC than I have.

I say if you needlessly complicate things is when you make mistakes. Keep it simple. The biggest problem students have is how to see architecture. They have no sense of composition or what light does to form.

After the current book project settles down I hope to update an earlier text that I wrote a lifetime ago for the National Trust. I'm sure that it will not include a discusion of DOF scales on VC's. I think it is an unnecessary distraction. Nor will it include the tent.
__________________
Thanks,
Kirk



PS: my name is not Kirk by the way ;p

 

[Shadowleong]

The camera's ability to take "x" mm lenses is dependent on the amount of bellows draw, for example you need 210mm of bellow to focus at infinity with a 210mm lens. Portrait distance you need more bellows example 250mm depending on how close you wanna get

 

[lualua]

Unless you're using tele design lenses, which requires considerably less bellows draw than the focal length.

The camera's ability to take "x" mm lenses is dependent on the amount of bellows draw, for example you need 210mm of bellow to focus at infinity with a 210mm lens. Portrait distance you need more bellows example 250mm depending on how close you wanna get

 

[Shadowleong]

Ohh that I did not know.

So how do you tell which is which?

 

[lualua]

The names of the lenses are suggestive of the telephoto design. Schneider calls them tele-something, Nikon calls them T lenses and Fujinon calls them TS(i think). actually this telephoto concept is not new. Its being used in all formats. Another tell tale sign would be the image circle - they're exceptionally small for their focal length, usually just enough for slight movements in the 4x5 format.

 

[Nikkornos]

I clear off the old book shelf (moving house soon) and found some interesting old pictures from 1962.

I will try to digitize the pictures and show which lens took which pictures. Its amazing some old lens how good it is on portraits.

The same evergreen camera is still none other than the Rolleiflex 3.5 Tessar.

 

[blackbug]

another novice question: the mentioned FS Calumet Wide Field 4x5 Camera looks like a spring back, is that compatible with polaroids or roll film? Is it necessary to get a graflok back camera to be more compatible with most formats?