Larger Format Photography
- Thread starter Shadowleong
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The crown/speed graphics i saw on ebay typically go for about 100-300 odd usd but the shipping for these heavy equipment is going to be a bomb man! Roughy how much would i expect to spend before its too much including shipping? Im pretty intrested in the Shen-Hao HZX4x5-II or the 4x5 camera from http://www.chamonixviewcamera.com/ looks nice and basic but those are 1st hand therefore very expensive =( If im not wrong those dont come with lenses so i have to blow another few hundred on lenses as well? along with stuff like bellows etc? I noticed a meetup in the E6 thread! Will try to take off from work to attend! Anyone else going?
There are more than just camera and lens you need, especially if you are going field camera.
Just a few example:
You will need film holder and quite a few if you are shooting sheet films.
You will need some equipment to meter light, a SLR, DSLR or light meter will do.
You LF is petty heavy and suggest getting a bigger and heavier tripod with strong head.
Your developing need...
The list can goes on like if you are using a field camera and wide angle lens, it is recommended to get a wide angle bellow since your front and rear will be near.
Ya, regarding the outing, I am still waiting for reply, got a few on board now, just hope not too many or too little people.
The cheapest thing about LF photography is the camera itself. Everything else is expensive
That said, using a LF camera is a whole different experience from other formats. Good luck!
Bo lea... Linhof arn't cheap from my POV, else I won't be lugging my sinar when shooting
The thing about LF photography is that it is heavy. The bigger the format, the more control you want, the heavier it gets.
Another thing is most of the lens near the 150mm range aren't expensive, (if you are lucky, you can get a second hand lens with shutter for less than SGD200) yet the detail and sharpness they produce can easily win a $6000 Leica lens. (Provided you knows what you are doing ;p)
Bo lea... Linhof arn't cheap from my POV, else I won't be lugging my sinar when shooting
The thing about LF photography is that it is heavy. The bigger the format, the more control you want, the heavier it gets.
Another thing is most of the lens near the 150mm range aren't expensive, (if you are lucky, you can get a second hand lens with shutter for less than SGD200) yet the detail and sharpness they produce can easily win a $6000 Leica lens. (Provided you knows what you are doing ;p)
Haha not everybody wants a Linhof ma. A Cambo is equally good too.
My point was the films and developing can cost a little, at least to me. It's good to have a group of LF photographers around, so usually we share equipments, etc to share the cost.
Haha not everybody wants a Linhof ma. A Cambo is equally good too.
My point was the films and developing can cost a little, at least to me. It's good to have a group of LF photographers around, so usually we share equipments, etc to share the cost.
Actually the expensive one are films and chemical for sheet slides and negative shooters. As such, another reason for the outing is that we can share sources for getting the material and maybe organize a MO for such chemical and films once in a while. Bulk shipment should be cheaper then how I get my resource (Maybe someone in the outing know people in shipment company that can help ;p)
With ur budget of $500 is kinda hard to even start LF. Can I ask which film scanner you have at the moment?
1. LF film scanner.
2. 4x5 Camera + standard lens.
3. film holder 2-3 to start is ok? More is alway good. 6pcs b&w and 6pcs color.
4. You do need a tripod if you like to do landscapes and indoor portraits. Just find the cheapest
Do not need heavy duty type unless you have plan to do 8x10 or more?
4x5 field camera with standard lens is not that heavy like what other say.
5. Please buy a small light meter for long ran. If iPhone light meter work for you that's fine or even small compact camera.
It will be a bit too much to bring your SLR or DSLR just to do metering!:sweat:
6. Polaroid back (FP100) Very useful.:thumbsup:
7. Film. start with cheap film first.
8. Developer. E-6 , C-41 ? Start with b&w first.
You should learn step by step not all in a goal. Fire should burn slowly. Not for that one moment. :devil:
All the best.
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Woah where is my drink?
Busy lei. ha ha ha. Not you bro free like a bird every weekend. :bsmilie:
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For that budget, look out for a speed graphic or crown graphic. I suggest start with 4x5 as the resources for 4x5 is easier to hunt than an 8x10. The camera comes usually with the Ektar 127mm lens. Film backs, typically you wont need more than 5. About 3 pieces will do. That will give you 6 exposures, which typically is enough for a shoot. Yes, 6 exposures is enough.
To do contact prints the cheapo way. Do it at night, make your room dark enough so that there are minimal light leaks. Put the negative on the paper and use a glass plate and press on it. Use a dim torch light and illuminate the paper evenly by having a tracing paper below the light source. Experiment with the exposure timing and develop as normal.
Singscott made a very good point that a decent LF system is even cheaper than a MF system. Image quality from LF is unsurpassed by any other systems. :thumbsup:
Hey bro! Standard lens for 4x5 speed graphic or crown graphic is Ektar 135mm f4.7.
Large Format outing soon?
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eamesboy said:Hey bro! Standard lens for 4x5 speed graphic or crown graphic is Ektar 135mm f4.7.
Large Format outing soon?
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Yo... pai seh... when I got my camera it comes with 127mm and quite a bit of ppl use it for 4x5.
Guess I did not do my job diligently as I was poisoned in the world of RF lately.
by the way, I read the thread that wootsk is organizing a LF outing this Sunday at queens town, details are here. www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/759853-E-6-Process/page11
I should be able to go... come along?
Yo... pai seh... when I got my camera it comes with 127mm and quite a bit of ppl use it for 4x5.
Guess I did not do my job diligently as I was poisoned in the world of RF lately.
by the way, I read the thread that wootsk is organizing a LF outing this Sunday at queens town, details are here. www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/759853-E-6-Process/page11
I should be able to go... come along?
Yup, more come more better.
Btw, when bro eamesboy mention cheap B&W films, you can try shanghai 100. I gotten petty good result with those. But I second bro eamesboy in the tripod. If you mean a press camera, they are petty much lighter due to lighter material used to make the camera, a field camera is really heavier and if you adjust both the front and back, weight distribution will be petty uneven. My friend ball head slowly drop down when camera mount on it. Bear in mind that I am not suggesting high end tripod, but tripod able to support the weight. Also regarding light meter, actually from my POV, I don't feel much different between light meter except spot meter. (Unless you want to bring a telephoto lens for accurate spot metering.)
Lastly developing equipment is left out in the list.
Hey bro! Standard lens for 4x5 speed graphic or crown graphic is Ektar 135mm f4.7.
Large Format outing soon?
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Tried asking uncle Roger and David to outing, but David is on his 21th anniversary and uncle Roger will be back in SG by evening time only
Thanks eamesboy for the great info, current have no scanner still saving up for a v700, was actually planning for a espon v600 but i think it doesnt take 4x5 btu is it possible to get it scanned at photo labs? totally agree with you on the tripod, cause i kopped my friend's free canon tripod when he got his DSLR. film backs are not an isuss cause i think those can be slowly brought, i just need a basic kit to start. even one holder would be enough for me. Just a quick question, polaroid backs are hard to find right? The size is slightly smaller so does it still fit any 4x5 camera, or do i have to search for specfic models, currently im aiming a cheap wista RF on ebay thats around 50USD but shipping would be another 50 usd i think?
Wow...i'm also rather interested..
anyone does their architectural/interior photography with LF? My 2-3 yr plan down the road was to go fullframe+tilt shift..until I got reminded that there's LF. Having said that, I know nuts about LF and its operation.
Would love to pop by the outing!
ps. 25ish here...young-one too?
anyone does their architectural/interior photography with LF? My 2-3 yr plan down the road was to go fullframe+tilt shift..until I got reminded that there's LF. Having said that, I know nuts about LF and its operation.
Would love to pop by the outing!
ps. 25ish here...young-one too?
I guess you are a bit too late.
Anyway I guess my shooting timing is a bit early (If I ever have chance to organize another, I will put into consideration of setting it at a later timing), hope those interested in LF gets to learn something. It is quite wasted since those old blocks staircase has been locked and as I said, the food centre is barricaded.
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Oh...it didn't occur to me to outing was this sunday at the time of posting.. it's okay i guess :bsmilie: next time if there's a chance!
Hopefully by then i would get a LF LOL!! Gonna do somemore reading up. Thanks sweat100 and wootsk for showing me around LF today!
It's actually fairly easy to process 4x5 b/w sheet films yourself, and it's very economical too. I've bought a few rollers and drums from ebay and they are not that expensive.
I'm so happy to find that there are so many 4x5 shooters in Singapore still! I'm hoping to start shooting some trans, and I understand that there's no one in Singapore that processes 4x5 trans anymore. So, two things in mind:
1. Anyone one here interested to share a carton of Velvia with me? If there are sufficient interests, we can indent a carton (I think that's the minimum order).
2. I'm thinking of starting a local 4x5 processing service by bringing in a set of Phototherm. The desktop set is small enough to process in small batches, and doesn't require me to sell my kidney. I don't plan to make a living out of this, but hope to cost recover the investment by doing large format processing (C41 or E6. It can do b/w too, but most b/w shooters really want to process their own film anyway) for the local large format community. Do you guys think that its viable?
And back to the original question - large format isn't that expensive, considering how well they retain their value compared to the digital stuffs. A major consideration is choosing between the monorails or field camera. The latter is more compact but offers less movement. I bought a pristine Toyo 45A from ebay for under a grand, and it comes with a 135mm lens, a Gossen spot meter, Minolta Flashmeter IVf, loupe, backs, and a bag. If you are willing to pick up a monorail, you can find used entry level models are a fraction of the cost. If you don't like what you got, you can sell the whole setup off with a small loss, or even a gain if you are lucky.
I'm so happy to find that there are so many 4x5 shooters in Singapore still! I'm hoping to start shooting some trans, and I understand that there's no one in Singapore that processes 4x5 trans anymore. So, two things in mind:
1. Anyone one here interested to share a carton of Velvia with me? If there are sufficient interests, we can indent a carton (I think that's the minimum order).
2. I'm thinking of starting a local 4x5 processing service by bringing in a set of Phototherm. The desktop set is small enough to process in small batches, and doesn't require me to sell my kidney. I don't plan to make a living out of this, but hope to cost recover the investment by doing large format processing (C41 or E6. It can do b/w too, but most b/w shooters really want to process their own film anyway) for the local large format community. Do you guys think that its viable?
And back to the original question - large format isn't that expensive, considering how well they retain their value compared to the digital stuffs. A major consideration is choosing between the monorails or field camera. The latter is more compact but offers less movement. I bought a pristine Toyo 45A from ebay for under a grand, and it comes with a 135mm lens, a Gossen spot meter, Minolta Flashmeter IVf, loupe, backs, and a bag. If you are willing to pick up a monorail, you can find used entry level models are a fraction of the cost. If you don't like what you got, you can sell the whole setup off with a small loss, or even a gain if you are lucky.
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