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  #1  
Old 19th September 2009, 08:25 PM
SteveB SteveB is offline
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Default movements on 4x5

I am thinking of building a 4x5 field camera. What are the minimum movements required on a LFC for landscape photography? Basically what do I definately need and what can I get away without having. steve b
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Old 19th September 2009, 09:01 PM
JimW JimW is offline
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Look at models by Wista, Tachihara, etc. See what they have supplied in response to customer demands (i.e.if they didn't supply what the customer wanted..) then go and look at Walker Titan..... See if Bulldog still supply their homebuild kit. Bender used to make a kit. Start with the end result-what do you want to do with the camera, and what might you want to do with the camera. Allow for the possibilities in your (this includes you) project before you actually build one. Having built 2 cameras 10x8 size, I gave it some serious thought. Am happy that I did, as I now have not only what I want, but also what I may want as well.
I realise that I have managed to not answer your question as I feel that it is something only you can answer. Check out the equipment review about the newly arrived 5x4. Some comments there about what people feel they need. All the best.
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Old 19th September 2009, 09:06 PM
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Sandeha Lynch Sandeha Lynch is offline
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For architecture some front rise and front or rear shift can be helpful to get the image in place. For product and table-top work forward and backward front and/or rear tilts help get everything in focus without needing to rely solely on small apertures. Front and rear swings can do the same for an obliquely angled subject, but (together with the tilts) they are also good for limited and selective focusing when shooting wide open.

A suggestion if you are going to design and build ... Make up some front and rear standard supports in stiff card and pin them together to see how they articulate. Then again in ply or some scrap wood - lots of trial runs, in other words, before breaking into the good wood and metal. For the Surveyor I probably made each part three times: once for function, once for fit, and finally for finish as well.

For landscape it definitely depends on how you want to shoot. In the few landscape shots I've taken I think I only ever used a little front forward tilt.
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Old 19th September 2009, 09:18 PM
JimW JimW is offline
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Agreed. Perhaps you could go through all the work you have done already, and see if you can remember what you felt you were missing. Did you feel front rise would have helped? A little shift/cross to eliminate something? Anyway, I wish you every success. There's nothing like using your own camera that you yourself have built. Try googling Jon Grepstad home built large format cameras. Lots of people have taken the plunge-they seem to feel they have done the right thing!
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Old 19th September 2009, 10:58 PM
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For landscape you will probably want front and/or rear tilt as a minimum to get maximum focus from near to far along the ground. Front tilt will require extra lens coverage while rear tilt will not but each gives a somewhat different effect.

Front rise/fall would seem to be relatively easy to arrange and can be useful to get a tall object in the frame without having to tilt the camera back upwards (lens coverage permitting) and hence causing converging verticals. Also, you may want front rise/fall if you tilt from the baseboard as the tilt then tends to move the lens away from the centre of the film plane. It's also a lot easier to add a little rise or fall on the front standard to finalise the composition than to raise or lower the whole camera on the tripod (although a little tilt of the whole camera on the tripod is unlikely to be a problem with landscapes, doing so will require you to redo the tilt and hence change the composition yet again and so on...).

I rarely use swing (might be useful if you have a tree at one side of the composition) or shift except that as with rise & fall, shift can help with the final detailed composing.
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Old 20th September 2009, 09:16 AM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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Steve,
The only movement I seem to use for landscapes is front tilt.

Alan
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Old 20th September 2009, 04:23 PM
SteveB SteveB is offline
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Default movements on 4x5

Thanks for the info folks. Just looked at the ebony rsw45 which Joe Cornish had some input on with Robert White. It has front rise and fall plus tilt and it's all he uses. I think i'll go with that. steve b
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Old 20th September 2009, 04:35 PM
Dave miller Dave miller is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scotland View Post
Thanks for the info folks. Just looked at the ebony rsw45 which Joe Cornish had some input on with Robert White. It has front rise and fall plus tilt and it's all he uses. I think i'll go with that. steve b
That will do you for most landscape shots.
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Old 21st September 2009, 07:02 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Clark View Post
Steve,
The only movement I seem to use for landscapes is front tilt.
I have not used LF as much as I would have liked but I too have only ever used front tilt. You generally don't need much either so if you are designing your own camera, it doesn't need a crazy amount of movements.

This site is a good source for DIY camera makers: http://www.raymentkirbycameras.co.uk/


Steve.
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Old 21st September 2009, 07:53 AM
Dave miller Dave miller is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Smith View Post
I have not used LF as much as I would have liked but I too have only ever used front tilt. You generally don't need much either so if you are designing your own camera, it doesn't need a crazy amount of movements.

This site is a good source for DIY camera makers: http://www.raymentkirbycameras.co.uk/


Steve.
That's an inspirational site Steve, I've added a link to it in our Link Library.
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