Invest in 4x5 equipment?

If your photo opportunity only lasts 10 seconds, you're obviously not going to capture it on a large format camera that you haven't set up yet. There are many great shots that had a very narrow time window for the photographer to A) realize there was a picture there worth taking and B) quickly execute on their equipment.

So? There's no rule that says you have to shoot only one kind of camera.

loccdor said:

If your photo opportunity only lasts 10 seconds, you're obviously not going to capture it on a large format camera that you haven't set up yet. There are many great shots that had a very narrow time window for the photographer to A) realize there was a picture there worth taking and B) quickly execute on their equipment.

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Kind of an absurd proposition. If your lens cap is on, or your camera is in a case, bag or pocket, you’re going to miss that 10 second opportunity, no matter er the format.

DREW WILEY said:

So? There's no rule that says you have to shoot only one kind of camera.

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Right! I love to carry 2 very different sized cameras.

Pieter12 said:

Kind of an absurd proposition. If your lens cap is on, or your camera is in a case, bag or pocket, you’re going to miss that 10 second opportunity, no matter er the format.

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There are cameras that go from pocket to shot in 2 or 3 seconds. I use filters and/or hoods to eliminate the lens cap delay. Hanging your camera from a strap or having it in your hand works sometimes too.

All this to say, the equipment does have an impact on the type of photos you can take. It isn't all driven by the artist's vision.

loccdor said:

There are cameras that go from pocket to shot in 2 or 3 seconds. I use filters and/or hoods to eliminate the lens cap delay. Hanging your camera from a strap or having it in your hand works sometimes too.

All this to say, the equipment does have an impact on the type of photos you can take. It isn't all driven by the artist's vision.

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Sure there are such cameras. Should everyone carry one? Cameras at the ready are great for street and photojournalism. Not much advantage for portraits, landscape or architectural work.

I would propose that the artist's vision would be the factor in what kind of equipment is carried and used rather than the camera dictating the type of photos the photographer takes.

Specific craft and specific tools have always gone together. But you never know what it will be actually like until you are married. A person doesn't just use his gear - he gets moulded to it. It's just like that when taking a significant step into equipment you aren't familiar with already. There's a learning curve before you really understand the capabilities. And in my case, lest I get rusty, I make sure to periodically switch things up, and reacquaint myself with cameras and lenses which I might not have used for awhile. And that is also a great way to get the creative juices going again if some former approach has temporarily lost its spark.

Travel logistics, cost of use, commercial applications, etc are a somewhat different topic. But having a diverse arsenal to choose from is helpful. But I don't like to have too much in use at one time - that just gets complicated.

Old age logistics are one more element. I just loaded up my 8x10 gear in the pack. How come it feels heavier than last year?
But with Spring warmth arriving, there will be less risk of shoulder bursitis. If that starts acting up, it's back to 4x5 for awhile.

I like Drew’s point above about not thinking in terms of ‘investment’. Film gear may or may not increase in value over time but unless you’re a professional camera collector, it’s not a good way of ‘investing’. Put your money in a fund or buy bonds etc.

Relatively speaking Large Format gear is cheap. A friend who has been shooting an RB67 for decades just inherited a cambo 4x5 and asked my advice on lenses for table-top work. Even compared to his existing RB67 rig, large format optics are a bargain. I told him any 210mm lens from the big four made in the last 40 years is good enough for anything he needs, provided it’s in good condition. $200 later he had a fantastic Fuji lens from Japan that he’ll never need to replace.

Sure you can buy ‘the best’ and pay the premium, but gear that was top grade pro gear 20 or 30 years ago is for nothing relatively speaking. And as someone who bought my first lens - an apo-Sironar S 150mm nearly 30 years ago and still love using it today, what’s the cost benefit on that?

Sironar s's are great