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#11
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So, I'm guessing you started by floating the idea of a Corvette, and when that got instantly nuked there was a quiet mumble "How about a little wee Mustang?". Finally agreed on a nice quiet 8x10. Is that how it went?
Ha, not likely. The missus is the one with a need for speed, we call her 'Lead foot'. It actually came about when I realized I was the same age as Ansel Adams was when he made the Moonrise picture. I tried on 5x7 one evening but the humidity coupled with an air conditioned camera led to all surfaces fogging up, by the time it cleared clouds had moved in front of the moon meaning a fail. For some reason I felt compelled to shoot 8x10, there was no way I could afford a camera at the time as we had just bought a house and had a newborn. I decided to build one, it's just a box right? A few cheap holders, lens, and film and I was away. |
#12
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So the sports car in the garage has your wife's name on it . Good one. Sounds like she drives like my wife, who treats our Tundra like a sports car and our sedan like a rally car. Frequent tire and brake service needed here
Best of luck with the new camera. Must be a joy to use such a thing. There are lots a LF shooters here (I'm not one of them...yet...) so plenty of help here should you ever need it. Cheers, Svend |
#13
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Hi Andy and welcome to Fadu
Richard
__________________
jerseyinblackandwhite.blogspot.com |
#14
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Thanks Richard!
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#15
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Quote:
What formats do you shoot and do you have a darkroom? |
#16
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Hi Andy,
I have slowly been building up a darkroom kit over the winter, and am now pretty much done and ready to start printing. Just need to order a few chemicals, seal up the workshop windows and I'm ready to rumble. It's been over 20 years since I did this, and I'm really looking forward to getting into it again. I shoot mostly MF -- I have some nice TLRs, as well as three folders in 6x6 and 6x9 which are wonderful street and hiking/biking cameras. I still use my 35mm gear, and some of my best photos are from a little Rollei pocket travel camera (a 35SE). As the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you at The Moment. I'm still amazed at the quality and size of enlargements I can get from that little Rollei -- first class optics and sharp fine grain film can do wonders in 35mm. I am a bit reluctant to get into large format, partly because of schlepping the heavy gear around -- my transport to most of my rural and nature shooting spots is via hiking or on the saddle of my road and mountain bikes...a bit of a pain in the rear (literally) with view camera kit 'n kaboodle in tow. But more so it's the film handling that makes me hesitate. Loading the holders, unloading and developing....it all seems extremely inconvenient. Not wishing to start a debate on roll film vs. LF -- I'm aware of all the pros and cons of each -- but for now I'm OK with the compromises inherent in MF. That said, if I really start taking landscapes seriously (urban or rural or real wilderness) and REALLY want that front to back DOF, then I might just take a good long look at a nice 4x5 field camera. I recently discovered the existence of the MOD54 holders for Patterson tanks, which really made me sit back and rethink the film handling thing. Hmmm...how hard can this be...? Creeping closer to being under the dark cloth, it seems. Cheers, Svend |
#17
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Svend, sounds like your already to go with the darkroom. I still get a buzz when I take film out the developing tank or watching a print appear in the developer.
Sounds like you have some nice camera's to use and agree about the quality you can get from 35 mm with a good lens and care in development. I have a couple of Nikon slrs nothing fancy but they do the job. I would like to get a medium format system, I have an ugly Mamiya press camera that was dropped on its head sometime in the past. I really need to get a new roll back for it as the one I have is a pain to use. With regard to the handling of sheet film, loading 120 onto a reel is harder! As to processing I have used all methods, trays, deep tanks and sloshers. I now use Unicolor print drums that hold four 4x5 sheets, load them in the dark and process in the light. Place them on a roller base, I use a Unicolor 352 base, and use it like a regular developing tank. Nice consistent negatives, Without any fumbling in the dark. Andy |
#18
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Hmmm...interesting comments on sheet film handling vs. roll. I do admit that loading 120 film onto a Patterson reel can be aggravating and I've been known to clear the room when a roll jams in the changing bag and the stream of cussing starts. But there are some tricks to make it easy. Using films with a thicker base is a start -- Kodak TMY2 for instance, is a breeze to load. In any case, it's good to hear that sheet film handling is perhaps much easier than I had thought. That clears one mental obstacle out of the way .
Re. your Nikons, as I'm sure you know, it's the lens that takes the picture, and most Nikkor optics are top notch. The body is just the film and lens holder, so who cares if it ain't a pro model? I have a couple of 11x14s on the wall taken by the Sonnar in my little pocket Rollei, shot on basic FP4 in Perceptol and TMY in D76 (so nothing exotic), and you'd be hard pressed to tell they weren't from a medium format camera unless you stood with your nose to the print. Good optics are essential to get results in 35mm. The leaf shutter in that cameras helps a lot too . If you're looking at MF systems, there are a lot of good used kits on the market now. One of the big issues is service though. Try getting a Bronica fixed anywhere in the world, and that's a hassle you don't want. I have a Mamiya C330 system, recently acquired, and I love it. It has it's drawbacks and is far from perfect, but the pluses outweigh the minuses in my mind. I'm not sure I'm sold on the lenses yet -- they're very sharp, but are lacking some crispness and snap. Admittedly I have been spoiled in this regard, as I also have two Rolleiflex TLRs -- a 3.5F Planar and a 3.5C Xenotar, two of the sharpest lenses ever made, or so I've read. They are unbelievably sharp, and their 1960s glass gives the prints a wonderful tonality to boot. Final verdict on the Mamiya lenses decided once I start printing in the darkroom. The other TLR I have is a Minolta Autocord (you can tell I like TLRs, eh? No great huge mirror whacking around) which I haven't used much as I just bought it recently. But the first rolls were wonderful. The images have creamy tonality that is unique -- they really glow. And the lens is sharp too. Killer combo. It's a keeper! Have fun in the hunt, and let me know if you want to bat some ideas around re. MF cameras and their pros and cons. Cheers, Svend Last edited by Svend; 15th March 2017 at 12:55 PM. |
#19
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Svend, thanks for the info and the offer of help regarding MF. I remember a photo instructor I had who had Rollieflex Tlr and she mentioned it was one with the Planar and how sharp it was. I have a thing for sharpness I'm afraid, that's why I have three 180mm lenses for large format at the moment.
When I was at college, I really liked the Mamiya 645 camera, not sure of the model, 1000s I think, they worked for the most part given the abuse they got from students. I found the standard lenses excellent at the optimum aperture. I wasn't too keen on the Hasselblads,or the Pentax 6x7, the Fuji 6x9 was ok. I'm glad you brought up the servicing of the Bronica, didn't think about that. I guess I shall do some research. My funds are depleted at the moment as I just purchased an extractor fan for the darkroom. |
#20
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Re. sharpness, have a look at this:
http://www.hevanet.com/cperez/MF_testing.html Take it for what it's worth -- I have no idea of the credibility of the testing technique, etc.., but it does fit more or less with similar tests that I have seen. In particular, note the results for the Mamiya RZ and rangefinder lenses, and esp. the Rolleiflex series Planar and Xenotar -- off the chart, they are. If a Rolleiflex would suit your work style, then the Xenotar models are far more reasonably priced these days. All the collectors go for the Planar and jack the prices up. But as you can see, the Xenotar is no second-fiddle -- it's a 6-element Schneider. Actual users report the same. I just bought a 3.5C Xenotar, and one day soon I will do a side-by-side test to compare to the Planar, just for fun. If you sold one of your 180's you could buy a Rolleiflex Xenotar The Mamiya 645 is apparently a great camera. A real workhorse. Very good lenses, apparently, too. I've always wanted to own one, and may actually get one at some point if I can't get want I want out of my Mamiya TLR -- it's a great camera, but I'm really not convinced about the lenses yet...very nice tonality, but seem to lack that crisp bite that I like. We'll see... Cheers, Svend |
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