4x5 help

I am a photography student at SUNY Plattsburgh, NY. I am interested in studying alternative processes and traditional methods. I am currently shooting a Rolleicord VB type 2 and a Mamiya RB67. I have experience working with medium format and I think I'm ready to step up to large format. I want to experiment with 4x5.

I have several books which talk about view cameras and such but none that list everything you need (lensboard, lens, body, ground glass, etc.). Any information regarding this would be very helpful.

I have gone through KEH(dot)com for all the cameras i have bought. I have looked at their lens selection for Large Format cameras and it's a little overwhelming. What lens goes with what body? There are a lot of choices -- some guidance would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Matthew

Good Evening, Matthew,

There's a lot here on APUG. Just do searches under appropriate words such as "view camera, Cambo, Calumet, Sinar, Deardorff, Wista," or any other brand names you can think of. There's also a very good tutorial on the LargeFormat. info site. Your library may have helpful books; look for Simmons and Stroebel.

Konical

You'll need the camera, lensboards, lenses, cable release, darkcloth, film holders, a focusing loupe, and a good tripod.
Any camera you buy will have the ground glass back (it will if it's complete, anyway). Any lens that covers 4x5 will work. You just need to mount it on the proper lensboard.
For starting out, a view (as opposed to field) will give you more opportunity to learn about movements. The Calumet/Cambo can be a good value. Generally reasonably priced, and a lot of boards readily available. A 150, or 210, lens is also a good place to start. Decent ones, in shutters, can be found at good prices. You'll need to know which shutter the lens is in, as you'll need a board that matches.
I would think one of your photo professors should have experience. Do some research, then seek some guidance from a professor.

You will need to following at a minimum:
1) Camera (should include a ground glass)
2) Lens mounted on lensboard
3) Film holders
4) Light meter
You may not need the next items if you buy a press camera, but I still recommend them
5) Tripod
6) Focusing cloth (a dark sweat shirt can work for this, or search for options)

Things that are very helpful, and I consider almost essential:
1) Camera bag
2) Focusing loupe
3) Filters
4) Cable release

You will also need a dark area to load and unload film. Empty film boxes are also helpful to store exposed shots before developing.

You can use most lenses with most bodies. They will need to be mounted on a lensboard. Each camera takes one type of lensboards, and that varies by camera make. So pick the camera and then buy lensboards. Each lens is usually mounted in a shutter, and these come in standard sizes. The lensboard you buy will need a hole that's the correct size for the shutter and lens you plan to mount. You will need one lensboard per lens.

See this for a complete list with more discussion: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/matos-begin.html

Hi Matthew,

Generally speaking, in the large format world, any lens works with any body, subject to some qualifications:

First and foremost is the diameter of the Image Circle (IC) thrown by the lens. It must be at least as large
as the diagonal of the film format in use. A larger IC will permit camera movements such as rise/fall, swing,
and tilt, which are considered fundamental in large format work.

If the IC is smaller than the diagonal of the format, the corners of the negative will be dark. This is
called "vignetting", and is generally to be avoided. The IC diameter is given on the data sheet for all modern
lenses. It may be difficult to find this information for older lenses. KEH conveniently lists the maximum format
for each of their LF lenses in parenthesis in the description, e.g. (4x5) or (8x10).

The second very important consideration is the Flange Focal Length (FFL) of the lens. This parameter is
given on the data sheets for all modern lenses. Finding the value for older lenses may be a challenge.

The FFL is the distance from the front of the lensboard (the back of the shutter body) to the front of the
film when the camera is focused at infinity. The FFL is not the same as the optical focal length of the lens.
For short FL lenses the FFL is usually longer than the optical FL, which for long lenses the FFL is usually shorter.

The FFL relates directly to the bellows of your camera. The maximum bellows extension determines the longest
lens that can be used at infinity. Since the lens moves away from the film as you focus on closer subjects, the
maximum extension also limits the close focus of all lenses.

The shortest LF lens that can be used is determined by how flat the bellows can be compressed. Even if this distance
is less than the FFL of the lens, your movements may be very restricted because of physical interference. This is why
cameras with interchangeable bellows offer bag bellows. These permit use of short FL lenses while retaining a wide
range of movements.

Welcome Mathew,

Large Format isn't like MF in that you can mix and match and cobble together some really oddball things to take pictures with.

Here's a link that should help. http://www.largeformatphotography.info All kinds of good reading there.

Konical is also right, do searches here.

LF is one of those things that makes more sense when you see it so if you have the opportunity to rent or borrow a kit for a day or to hang with somebody that is out shooting take it.

Thank you, everyone, for all your suggestions. Very much appreciated. I think my professor has a bunch of broken LF cameras in storage -- I will ask and see what happens.

Konical said:

Your library may have helpful books; look for Simmons and Stroebel.

Click to expand...

I have Stroebel's View Camera Technique sitting next to me right now.

Graflex.org is also a fun place to spend a few hours. There are so many old Speeds and Crowns around prices are very low for great cameras.

View cameras come designed for different usage. There are monorail cameras that are designed primarily for studio use. Some of them are quite the precision instruments. These can be used in the field, but they are usually less compact, less suitable. Field cameras, usually have flat beds and generally are lighter and fold down flatter for more portability. They tend to be a bit less ''fussy'' in there settings, although because they are frequently made of wood, they do have to be handled carefully. Field cameras can also be used in the studio of course. When buying an LF camera, it is a good idea to think about what you intend to photograph. If you are going to use long focus portrait lenses or if you intend to do close focusing work, you want to make sure you have plenty of bellows draw. In other words long bellows. I have an old calumet camera that is designed to be used with wide angle lenses and the bellows only extend to about 10 inches. If I put a 180 mm or or a 210 mm focal length portrait lens on there, I'm lucky if I can focus across the street. But it works beautifully with a 60 mm or 90 mm lens.

As someone said earlier, you can pretty much use any large format lens with any camera body, as long as the coverage is sufficient. They pretty much all cover 4x5, so generally you should be good to go. Lensboards are simply boards with holes in them. The inner hole fits the lens (usually a standard Copal # for modern lenses) and the lens locks on with a flange at the back, and the outer dimensions of the board fit your camera. If you can't find a lensboard to fit your camera, you can make them with matboard or foamcore.

I have a couple of lenses made for my Crown Graphic, and I cut foamcore lensboards to adapt them for my Calumet 540 monorail. They work like a charm. If the lensboards you have don't fit your camera, sometimes on eBay you can find adapter boards that simply make smaller lensboards bigger.

And instead of buying a dedicated darkcloth, I've found that a light jacket/windbreaker, or zippered hoodie, works quite well for 4x5.

I just bought a LF camera and lens from KEH. I find them to be an incredible company with the very best gear for a decent price. You can call them and ask advice. My favorite salesman is Ken. He is a LF photographer and extremely helpful. He will give you great advice. I got a Rodenstock 180 lens listed as a "Bargain" lens and I can't find any flaws except for minor cosmetic wear on the barrel.

Alexis

There has to be a photo professor there who can help you out. If not find a good camera store and go talk to an OLD guy.

Reading will get you only so far. You really need some face to face time. Maybe you will find some one who will let you play with a camera.