Help with view camera movements!

leodavut · Feb 19, 2016

I've been shooting 5x4 on a Linhof Technikardan and am struggling to master the movements.

Setting up and focussing is fine, but I can't seem to deepen the depth of field when shooting.

When using the swing on the front standard the depth of field remains very shallow, even when shooting at F16.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thank you!

Theo Sulphate · Feb 19, 2016

f/16 on 5x4 doesn't provide all that much depth of field as you'd see on 35mm format, especially on close subjects. Have you tried f/32 or f/64?

How close is your subject and how much DOF do you need?

I'm assuming your subject is at an oblique angle and you're using swing to get the near and far points into focus. Is that correct?

Richard Man · Feb 19, 2016

I hate to ask the obvious, but do you understand how view camera movement affect the apparent DoF? i.e. the Scheimpflug Principle?

250swb · Feb 19, 2016

You need to get your head around the Scheimpflug Principle and DOF generally. f/16 is nothing in terms of large format 4x5, a 'standard' 150mm lens focused at 20' has a DOF of 14' to 34', but in 35mm a standard 50mm lens at f/16 focused at 20' has a DOF of 9' to infinity. So not only do you have a Principle to worry about, but it sounds like you need to use a much smaller aperture anyway.

RobC · Feb 19, 2016

you need to get a good book on the subject of Focussing a LF camera and using movements.

There are some useful hints here: http://www.trenholm.org/hmmerk/

Doremus Scudder · Feb 19, 2016

leodavut said:
I've been shooting 5x4 on a Linhof Technikardan and am struggling to master the movements.

Setting up and focusing is fine, but I can't seem to deepen the depth of field when shooting.

When using the swing on the front standard the depth of field remains very shallow, even when shooting at F16.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thank you!

The first thing you need to know is that camera movements do not increase the depth of field; that's a function of the aperture and the distance.

Rise, fall and shift movements allow you to position your image in the desired portion of the image circle projected by the lens. That's it, period.

Swings and tilts move the plane of sharp focus around relative to the film plane. By using these movements you can place that plane of focus so that both very near and very far subjects are in focus; they just have to be in the same plane. This is what most beginners confuse with increasing the depth of field.

The whole subject of movements and what they do has been covered extensively. I suggest you find a good text and dig in. The LF-Forum home page http://www.largeformatphotography.info/ is a great place to start.

FWIW, I don't think I've ever exposed a 4x5 negative at f/16; always f/22 or smaller (f/32 is probably my most used aperture).

Have fun,

Doremus

mitrajoon · Feb 22, 2016

Doremus said "Swings and tilts move the plane of sharp focus around relative to the film plane. By using these movements you can place that plane of focus so that both very near and very far subjects are in focus; they just have to be in the same plane. This is what most beginners confuse with increasing the depth of field."

Understanding this is key, doing it is difficult (for me).

Mainecoonmaniac · Feb 22, 2016

For me, I was lucky enough to have Polaroid film. But the key is a lot of practice and take good notes. Here's a book that I like on the subject.

http://www.amazon.com/View-Camera-T..._14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=02373BYPBYBWV3W4ZNY0

RobC · Feb 22, 2016

Mainecoonmaniac said:
For me, I was lucky enough to have Polaroid film. But the key is a lot of practice and take good notes. Here's a book that I like on the subject.

http://www.amazon.com/View-Camera-T..._14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=02373BYPBYBWV3W4ZNY0

Yes I read this book too although my copy is the second edition which is pretty old. It gives a basic introduction in lens movements and a lot of other stuff about lenses too.

Also extremely useful is one of these:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/155145-REG/Rodenstock_260700_Depth_of_Field_Calculator.html

ic-racer · Feb 22, 2016

leodavut said:
I've been shooting 5x4 on a Linhof Technikardan and am struggling to master the movements.

Setting up and focussing is fine, but I can't seem to deepen the depth of field when shooting.

When using the swing on the front standard the depth of field remains very shallow, even when shooting at F16.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thank you!

Yes, any movement beyond parallel will make the depth of field more shallow. You can increase the depth of field by stopping the lens down.

Cary Lee · Mar 8, 2016

If you contact Fred Newman from the viewcamerastore.com....and email him, he will send you a pdf of how to use your camera...it was a great help for me when I first started.

Sirius Glass · Mar 8, 2016

Welcome to APUG

Thank you for the video posting.

timparkin · Mar 8, 2016

leodavut said:
I've been shooting 5x4 on a Linhof Technikardan and am struggling to master the movements.

Setting up and focussing is fine, but I can't seem to deepen the depth of field when shooting.

When using the swing on the front standard the depth of field remains very shallow, even when shooting at F16.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thank you!

Have a play with this

http://static.timparkin.co.uk/static/focus/

Help with view camera movements!

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