First time 8x10 stress reduction thread

[goodfood]

Bring some snacks. When I try my first 8X10, I had my breakfast and go out. After carrying camera and film case about 25 lb, three lenses in a bag about 15 lb, tripod with gear head and a two screws stable bar under the camera over 10 lb. After two shoots and some move around I feel very hungery. I have jump back to my car and go for lunch.

 

[John Kasaian]

Think of your outing with an 8x10 as like being on a date with Famke.

 

[pgomena]

And now you have no worries.

Enjoy your 8x10. It is an experience like no other.

And plan your field shoots to be close to your car.

Peter Gomena

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Hmm... 8x10 snacks.....

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Alright, back from the long Easter weekend with 25 shots, and not even a single screwup! I guess knowing how to meter and develop films really pays off!

The resolution from the prints is just INSANE. When you look at the 8x10 from a normal viewing distance, you think "hm, sharp" but when you put your nose to it, you suddenly fall into the print. What's more, the gradations are perfect, and the tonality is puddingly rich. It pushed me to order a pack of Lodima paper to try contact printing on AgCl.

The 300mm lens turned out to be mildly telephoto, so that even at close range there was no bellows factor to worry about. HP5+ was exposed at EI 250 (spot readings), and given a good 15 minutes in HC-110h. Negatives all print beautifully on ILFORD MGIV RC at grade 2, sometimes 1.5. We did landscape (orange Lee filter, behind the lens because the front element of the 300mm Symmar-S is so damn big!), portrait (red filter for the ladies, none for the lads), and still life (a powerfully ugly lamp that caused many focus challenges).

Working with a monorail in the field is rather challenging, since you can't easily put the camera on the ground in a safe position, but by working in a team of two, the travails were supportable.

What's more, I have to repeat the inevitable truism: large format slows you down, and makes you think harder about your pictures. The efforts required prevent you from taking pictures that you find only mildly interesting. You focus more, and are more critical: if a scene does not reach a particular personal threshold of quality, you just forget about it. My Rolleiflex never felt so small, nor so lithe.

I'm also quite pleased by my relative success with intuitive Scheimpflug. Most photos were shot around f/32, but using a bit of tilt did help, and shift also proved quite helpful in adjusting composition.

The bug bit me; remains to see how I will let it eat me over time. I think I would love a (relatively) light 8x10 field camera, a normal-ish lens, and a few holders to do contact prints...

Oh, and I think I will ask Elevator to print me a 16x20 from a neg, too...

 

[Vaughn]

Glad you experience was a good one!

I use a 300mm mostly on my 8x10. I just read a thread over on the LF Forum which asked what lens folks would have if limited to only one lens. The range was primarily 240 to 355mm, with a few at 210 and 480mm, so 300mm seems to be right in the middle -- and I do like it. (I have a 159, 210 and 480mm also -- and a borrowed 600mm that does not get used much).

I have heard that using a filter behind the lens can change your focus, so it was suggested to fine-focus with the filter on -- but at f/32 you may not have seen any difference. But might become a factor with portraits shot wider open.

But again, congrats on your success!

Vaughn

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

I got some pictures of me and my dad in action from my mom:

Here's a closeup of the beast. It's not easy lugging it in the field, but the versatility is great.

I printed my 8x10 negs on Lodima last night, and the photos are flattening between blotters. I'll put some scans later this week.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Whew! scans are now up in the gallery, in order:

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Thanks to all who gave me advice, this was a most successful endeavour, and I hope to repeat it as soon as possible.