Anyone know anything about large format cameras?

[scottmandue]

And now for something completely different!

Yes, I have been watching too many late night documentaries on the art channel about famous photographers.

I have always love photography... I have a couple of Cannon 35mm bodies... a bag full of lens... an old Fugica 120... and a Nikon digital pocket camera...

So what I need is...

A LARGE FORMAT CAMERA of course!

Anyone play with these things? What should I look for? What should I avoid?

Where do I buy film? Where do you get it developed? Develop it yourself?
(Kicked around the idea of setting up a darkroom for years)

I am thinking of buying used and would like to keep it down to $1000 or less.
I presume at that price I am limited to 4 X 5 (would like to go 8 X10 but also presume that is out of my price range).

I know there are some pro and semi pro photographer hanging out here so please help me out!

Thanks in advance,
Scott

[stevepaa]

never got to large, why not start with medium

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/intro2mf.htm

[pwd72s]

I just passed on a link to a guy who may be in contact with you...a very skilled photog who mentioned in an email that he was thinking of putting some of his large format stuff on ebay...(edit) A brief cut & paste from his email: "two old Rolleis, a Speed Graphic outfit, "...

[fbarrett]

Hmmm, that would be me, I guess. The best way to get your feet wet in 4x5 is with an old Crown or Speed Graphic. Not expensive, so not nearly the $$ commitment that a newer camera requires. Yes, you can still get film; depending on where you live, you may have to develop it yourself, but that's fun.

Yes, I just happen to have a Speed Graphic outfit for sale, well within your budget; if you're interested, give me a call at 303/235-0116 (days, Mountain Time) or e-mail me at fbarrett@aol.com.

[island911]

Just screw'n around at my desk..



The image plane w/ a not so steady hand... (yeah, that's your post)


The Horseman LX http://www.horsemanusa.com/pd_vc.html is really nice to use, IMO.

[vash]

it is all about the lens..

fun stuff. first time i got in there, i got really disoriented with the view.

[gassy]

Scott, I have a ton of Deardorff 8x10 cameras and lenses--I run a commercial photo studio which is all digital now--pm me with any requests.
christian.

[911pcars]

I've got a 4x5 Omega D view camera, with std. and wide angle bag bellows, Symmar 180mm and 65mm WA lense mounted on lens boards, extra film holders, dark cloth, in a hard shell fiber case. Also, misc. film development racks. All in excellent condition.

Let me know if you or anyone is interested.

Sherwood

[kstar]

I'd like one of these:


Tachihara 4x5 Cherrywood Field Camera

The Tachihara Field camera is the most advanced wooden view camera approved by the many first class photographers in the world. The material used is the best Cherry wood selected in order to have the best technical cameras.

The Field 4x5 is designed to match professional photographer's use and amateurs, provided with precision, durability and high mechanical devices.

The Field camera is one of the artistic works, the wooden surfaces are finished very carefully. The camera back is equipped with a Fresnel glass for easy focusing

http://www.adorama.com/VW45FC.html

Best,

Kurt

[island911]

Kurt, what makes that camera a good choice in your opinion? (a straight Q ...no inference implied or intended ...just want to know what features drive your choice.)

Scott, there's a Horseman LX on ebay at $500 Item number: 250237052117

[kstar]

Originally Posted by island911

Kurt, what makes that camera a good choice in your opinion? (a straight Q ...no inference implied or intended ...just want to know what features drive your choice.)

Scott, there's a Horseman LX on ebay at $500 Item number: 250237052117

I am a medium/large format neophyte, but have read that many great photographers, including Ansel Adams, used this extremely reasonably priced camera! These two facts, famous photographer users and low price, are attractive to me. Beyond that, I am uneducated . . . oh, and I like the wood and brass.

Here is a good write-up: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/tachihara.html

That short article sells me on the Tachihara as a great camera I can use to learn and grow into.

edit/addition: One thing I did already now is that this type of camera is excellent at great depth of field shots - landscapes and cityscapes and such. I also have always wanted to build a pinhole camera for the same purpose.

FWIW.

Best,

Kurt

[911pcars]

The heart of a view camera is its lens. Good ones exceed the cost of the view camera which is basically adjustable frames to hold film and lens. The very best made view cameras (Sinar) are machined works of art, but you don't need one to take a great photo; just like most cameras.

A big factor is the photographer; the subject he chooses, how it's composed and exposed on film. If black and white, there are several books describing the process (Zone system) developed by Ansel Adams and practiced by many others.

Point and shoot it's not.

There are some diehard photographers using view cameras but with hi-res digital backs. Look on the web.

Sherwood

[steve185]

Most of what you need can be bought dirt cheap as people have put aside their film cameras for digital. There are tons of terrific used B and W books out there as well.
Very little is actualy needed to develop the film, the developer, stop and the fix. Once the film is developed you can switch to the digital world and use a film scanner. I have spooled 120 film onto 620 reels and had great success, check out this website www.inficad.com
Here is a web site for the crown graphic camera www.graflex.org
The film is still available and as long as it's frozen it will last forever.
Steve

[steve185]

Try this one for the respool, it actually works great. www.inficad.com/~gstewart/respool.htm

[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by steve185

Once the film is developed you can switch to the digital world and use a film scanner.

Geeze I never even thought of that. I have a Minolta 635 (120 film) that I completely stopped using because the the developping was so expensive. Processing the film only and then moving to digital is a great idea. Have you done that with color, or just B&W?

[steve185]

I do it all the time, either with a flat bed scanner or a Nikon scanner which will also scanslides. Most of my photography is work related and we stopped using B and W film only about a year ago when Kodak tecpan went out of production. I haven't developed any B and W film in about a year. I have not done it with color as most photo labs still do one hour color film development and also give you a DVD with it.

[scottmandue]

Whoo hoo!

I posted this as I was leaving work last night and wondered if it would fall off the map overnight.

Thanks for all the great links!

I'm off to check my aol email to see if anyone made me some offers.

And yes I looked at ebay but though I better check around before I buy myself a piece of junk and drive myself crazy trying to get it to work.

Is there an online store that sells the large format (4 X 5 or 8 X 10) film?

Kurt, there is one of those on ebay but it has some issues.

fbarrett, Sherwood, Christian,I will email or PM you with questions what you have for sale.

[vash]

Originally Posted by steve185

I do it all the time, either with a flat bed scanner or a Nikon scanner which will also scanslides. Most of my photography is work related and we stopped using B and W film only about a year ago when Kodak tecpan went out of production. I haven't developed any B and W film in about a year. I have not done it with color as most photo labs still do one hour color film development and also give you a DVD with it.

hey! i have a hasselblad, i mothballed for the same reason. the convience factor went out the window. i still have all the canisters, and stuff to develope the film. so if i want to stay with B/W..the scanner will still work?

[scottmandue]

BTW I have been a big fan of Ansel Adams since high school.

Yeah, definitely NOT point and shoot... kind of the polar opposite of digital.

I like both ideas, digital=take a bazillion pictures, Large format=spend a lot of time setting up one perfect picture.

Not that one is better than the other just two different styles.

I saw the digital backs on ebay but they were $$$$, if I had that kind of money I would buy a nice old 911 (or at least fix up my 944)

[stevepaa]

I mothballed my 35 mm darkroom when everything went digital. I may start using it again.

good hunting, scott.