Good morning;
Some of the postings on the Lon Guyland LF Group do seem to be a bit different. I will add to that characteristic.
No, I am not on Lon Guyland. I am out here in Latte Land, but you guys did leave the door open.
For jono, LF is a "different" kind of a camera. Not only is it rather more expensive than any of the smaller format cameras (4 by 5 B&W film runs about $1.00 each sheet of film for me from the stores out here), and larger and heavier (as Vaughn says, "A bad day of LF landscape photography is still a good day for excercise."), it is also humbling. Yes, humbling. Let me explain:
I have been doing things with photography for about 50 years now. About three (3) years ago, I bought my first LF camera; a 4 by 5 SINAR F1 View Camera. It was exactly at this point that I had demonstrated to me quite clearly just how little I actually knew about photography. I am learning photography all over again. But this time, I am learning so much more. People who buy a 35mm camera do not have any idea of how much the camera is doing for them. I will not even go into the more modern DSLR cameras where you can put the camera into full automatic mode and it becomes a true "point and shoot" camera. The smaller format film cameras have so many things done for you, and they have the decisions made for you already, and you must work within the limitations those decisions have set for you. The most interestingly adjustable thing that you may have made available to you -- at an extra charge -- is a "tilt/shift" lens. A view camera expects you to know about photography, optics from physics, how to hold a camera still, and how to adjust a camera to take advantage of the full range of capabilities a view camera does possess. When you have a camera that is fully adjustable, it expects you to know how, and by how much, to make those adjustments. Boy, did I have a lot to learn. I am still learning.
The chief advantage to the smaller format cameras seems to be the ability to quickly take a photograph. Work within the limitations of the camera, and you can get a photograph right now. A large format view camera is a longer duration process. Not necessarily any less hectic, but there is a lot more to be done. You will be busy for a few minutes; setting up the tripod, mounting the camera, fitting the lens board and shade to it, dropping the dark cloth over it to see what is on the ground glass and making those adjustments to get on the ground glass what you want to see and record, and then finally putting in the film holder and depressing the cable release. OK. Now that you are done, basically reverse the process to dismantle and put away the camera back into a transport configuration to move to the next location. Yes, a large format camera does take more time. And then also there are the people who come up to you asking questions about the camera and what you are doing.
So why do we put ourselves through all of this? When you see what there can be on a print made from a well exposed large format negative, then you begin to understand. There is so much recorded in that silver-bromide layer in the sheet of film. It will be years away, and much more money, before digital sensors are developed to replace what we can get from a sheet of 4 by 5 film. As a point of comparison, just a digital sensor for the back of a medium format film camera right now is about the price for a new car.
jono, I hope that you and Ron had a nice weekend, and that you were properly introduced to Large Format. What you can do with it can only be appreciated when you are actually working with it and you see the results. Now, if you will please excuse me, my camera is telling me that it is coming close to the time for today's lesson for me. We have another one of our "cloudy bright" days out here where the illumination is nice and even with no harsh shadows.
Enjoy;
Ralph
Latte Land, Washington
