New to 5x4

[alexmuir]

I have just acquired a 5x4 monorail camera with a lens and all necessary bits to get started. I have also picked up some HP5+ which is slightly out of date to practice with. I hope to get going this evening, assuming my tripod can handle it! I will no doubt be on by the weekend looking for advice from seasoned LF users.
Alex

[Alan Clark]

Good luck with it Alex. How will you be developing the film?

Alan

[Jakecb]

Have fun with your new camera

[MartyNL]

Enjoy Alex. It's all about practice.

For the long term though, good film holders will be a solid investment together with a reliable and repeatable way of processing.

[Michael]

Alex, I have a surplus of film holders and also film (though it's in the garage kitchen fridge and more easily checked tomorrow). Message me if you need either.

I've done almost no 5x4 lately, as I got rather hooked on 7x5.

[SanMiguel]

Similar to yourself Alex I acquired a cheapish 4x5 monorail (Sinar) to see how I would like it. I put a few sheets through it and was mildly impressed. Then it sat on an old tripod I had for the best part of a year, making me feel guilty every time I passed it. The last few months however I have begun to feel more like using it and have started to lug it out and about again. Never too far from the car, for obvious reasons (it's heavy). But I am beginning to think it will take me in a new direction photographically-speaking, one which I will both learn a great deal from and also enjoy. When you know you are going to take only 2, perhaps 4 shots from an evening's work it really does focus the mind.

Michael

[alexmuir]

Thanks for all the encouraging replies! I haven't decided yet on a processing method. I will start with tray development, but will need to acquire some form of tank. Any suggestions of what to use/avoid would be welcome.
Thanks also for the offer, Michael. I will PM you.
I made a couple of exposures this evening, and I'm certain I messed one up already. I'll try to develop them tomorrow to see how they turn out.
I'm planning on making contact prints initially as I don't have a suitable enlarger. The kit included 6x6 and 6x9 roll film backs which could be useful. I can enlarge those sizes, and it may be useful to practice with 120 film.
The lens is a Symmar 210 f5.6. It seems to be convertible, but I'm not certain how. It looks like you need to remove the rear element, and it becomes a longer focal length.
Alex

[paulc]

Originally Posted by alexmuir

will need to acquire some form of tank. Any suggestions of what to use/avoid would be welcome.

The lens is a Symmar 210 f5.6. It seems to be convertible, but I'm not certain how. It looks like you need to remove the rear element, and it becomes a longer focal length.

The four main options for tanks are:

1. Combiplan
2. Paterson Orbital
3. Jobo 2521 tank plus 2509 spiral or 3010 tank
4. Mod45 in a Paterson tank.

I own and use three of the above - The Combiplan is great for a dip'n'dunk line but gets messy if you use as it was intended, and some people have trouble draining/filling quickly. The Paterson orbital is good when you only want to do one to four sheets with the minimum of chemicals. The Jobo 2521+2509 can be fiddly to load, but works well either with a Jobo processor or as an inversion tank.

The 3010 tank and Mod45 I can't comment on. There are other methods such as the BTZS tubes and slosher trays - Each have their advocates and appear to work.


As for the Symmar lens - If it has a second f/stop scale in green, it is a convertible and you use it by removing the front cell.

[alexmuir]

Thanks Paul. It's useful to know the pros and cons of the different systems. The orbital sounds like it may suit my needs.
Alex

[paulc]

Originally Posted by alexmuir

The orbital sounds like it may suit my needs.

Most people modify the Orbital for film processing. Dave Miller posted an article on the subject back in 2008: http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.or...read.php?t=119

I cut the fins off mine. But rather than using blobs of glue or scoring the base, I use a piece of mesh in the bottom. One thing I didn't mention in the earlier post - Both the Combiplan and Orbitals are no longer manufactured. As a consequence, the prices can get a bit silly on ebay.