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GWalls

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Feb 10, 2009
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63
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North Carolina
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4x5 Format
Well, I am off and running. First step into large format. Bought one of the new Chamonix 455F-2.. Looking for film holders which I posted to the WTB list. Now need a lens, lens board and a bunch of odds and ends. Starting from scratch.

Any suggestions for a lens that I should look for. I have in mind something like the 180 Nikon 5.6. Anything better that someone can suggest.

Thanks
George
 

BrianShaw

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Sounds like fun. Brings back some very old memories for me. Enjoy.
 
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GWalls

GWalls

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63
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North Carolina
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4x5 Format
Thanks Brian. It's been a long time coming.
 

BrianShaw

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It might be easier and more affordable to get a 150 or 210 since they were wildly popular. But the 180 is a great focal length.
 

BrianShaw

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Plan some money and time to have the shutter serviced. Often I find it quite worthwhile to have a recently serviced shutter to increase dependability.
 

jimjm

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San Diego CA
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Can't do much better than Chamonix and Nikkor. A faster lens like a 5.6 does make it easier to compose and focus. Testing the shutter at different speeds will quickly tell you if it needs servicing. If so, I highly recommend Carol at Flutot's Camera. 180 is in the longer "normal" range for 4x5, but it's excellent for portraits. For landscapes and architectural stuff I like the 90mm focal length. There are TONS of great used LF lenses for sale on the forums and eBay. If you're patient, you can get some great deals. LF is a whole other world from the smaller formats, but the results are worth it. Have Fun!
 

Alan Gales

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Oct 16, 2009
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St. Louis, M
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Large Format
A 180mm or 150mm lens would be perfect to start out with. After you accumulate more lenses then the 180mm or 150mm may still be your most used focal length. My most used lens is a 14" Kodak Commercial Ektar on 8x10. It is equal in focal length to a 180mm on 4x5. A Nikon f/5.6 is a real nice lens. Modern Rodenstock, Schneider and Fuji's are just as good.

Welcome to shooting large format. You are in for some fun!
 

Max lisch

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Jun 18, 2017
Messages
22
Location
Californian
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8x10 Format
It really depends on what you are going to be shooting. For 4x5 I have always enjoyed wider angle lenses for my landscape work (I use a 75 and 90) and slightly longer lens for portraiture (I use a 250). For longer lenses you need to make sure your camera has enough bellows draw to allow for the given focal length and for shorter lenses enough bellows compression. However, I don't think you'll have a problem with a 250 or a 75 with your chamonix. My complete lens kit for 4x5 is 75, 90, 150, 250. I would have a longer lens, maybe a 300 or 450 if my camera had enough bellows draw.

One thing to consider is if you are going stick with the 4x5 format exclusively, or if at some point you are thinking of moving to 5x7 or 8x10. I set up a nice simple 4x5 settup a couple years ago but now I've moved on to shooting mostly 8x10s. The lenses you choose for 4x5 most likely won't cover 8x10. Each lens has an image circle that is projected onto the ground glass. The image circle for a 4x5 lens is large enough to cover 4x5 film usually with some lens movements. Before you purchase lenses it's good to research and find out some basic information, including image circle. My fujinon W 250 f6.7 that I use for portraiture on my 4x5 also nicely covers 8x10 with some generous movements (on 8x10 it's a moderate wide angle). However my 75 and 90 won't even cover 5x7.

I wouldn't worry too much about the brightness of the ground glass on your chamonix. Especially with a normal or long lens I don't think you will have a problem with light falloff but that's just my personal opinion assuming you pick an f8-5.6 lens. If the ground glass is too dark you can always invest in a fesnel lens (assuming the chamonix does not come with one already installed)
 
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GWalls

GWalls

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Joined
Feb 10, 2009
Messages
63
Location
North Carolina
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4x5 Format
Haven't been able to find the lens that I had planned. I did find one that I would end buying anyway, a Nikon 90 mm 4.5 so that will get me off to a good start. Will keep looking for the 180 got the lens board ordered as well. Should all be here Wed. Camera won't be here till next week anyway. Went looking for Velvia 50 film but no luck there. Found the 100 but no 50. Anyone know the differences between the two? Now for changing bag and a loupe and I might be ready to go..

What's good B&W for 4x5? Been using a lot of F4 in my Hass 501 CM

I can see my Hassy and RB67 getting a lot less use.

My dad used to do tray development of B&W in our kitchen, but where can I find info on this tube processing for B&W...

A million question.

THanks folks.
George
 
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Rick A

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Mar 31, 2009
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Laurel Highlands
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My "go to" film has always been Arista EDU 100, there's also 200 and 400, rebadged Fomapan, it's inexpensive. Steerman Press sells he SP-445 daylight tank, there's also the Mod 54 from Paterson.
 

BrianShaw

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My go-to film has been Ilfofe FP-4 but after recently shooting a bunch of Arista 100 in 35mm and 120 I'm convinced that it's a good option.
 

Max lisch

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2017
Messages
22
Location
Californian
Format
8x10 Format
I personally like ilford films. I shoot landscapes with FP4+ more often than not; however, their delta films are also really nice. Grain is much less of a problem with large format films, so most common film stock will work wonders (if there is a film you like why not keep using it for large format). But if you are on a tight budget then Arista films are a total bargain.

I use the sp-445 tank that rick mentioned. I have almost never had a problem with developing in it. Plus it uses much less chemistry compared to other tanks and is easy to load in the dark bag. I tray or rotary tube process my 8x10s. I wouldn't recommend tray processing more than one negative at a time, sometimes the corner of a negative will scrape off emulsion on another negative which is a total bummer. Rotary processing is great for larger formats, but at least for me, it's less practical for 4x5. You can find out about BTZS tubes at the view camera store online I'm sure if you called them they would be happy to explain.

Velvia 50 has higher saturation and more brilliant colores compared to velvia 100. You can special order Velvia 50 from Japan but it is fairly expensive. You could shoot some velvia 50 and 100 in your hassy before purchasing 4x5 film. It might give you a sense for which one you like more.
 

tim48v

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Joined
Jul 6, 2015
Messages
301
Location
Erie, Colorado
Format
Large Format
Just a minor comment: it's "Stearman Press"; we're located on Stearman Court at the Erie Municipal Airport (Colorado, not PA). Named after a biplane, nothing to do with cattle.

My "go to" film has always been Arista EDU 100, there's also 200 and 400, rebadged Fomapan, it's inexpensive. Steerman Press sells he SP-445 daylight tank, there's also the Mod 54 from Paterson.
 

Mark_S

Subscriber
Joined
Oct 20, 2004
Messages
563
Location
Portland, OR
Format
4x5 Format
Choice of lens will depend on what type of photography you like to do. My first lens for a 4x5 was a 90mm (Schneider S.A.) and I still probably use that lens more than any other. Faster is nice to help with focusing, but I almost always expose at a much smaller aperture, so the speed is not as important as for your 35mm camera where you are shooting hand-held more often, and a faster shutter speed has a big advantage.
I'd stick with one film/developer and paper/developer combination until you get comfortable and have consistent results. My personal favourites are Ilford HP5 and HC-110, for film, and I like the Ilford WT Multigrade with Dektol for developer. Those choices come from a combination of how they perform and ease of purchasing them.
To start developing sheet film, I had good luck with BTZS tubes, and currently use a Jobo processor.
 
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