My first LF camera. Excited! Can use some advice.

[madNbad]

Look for a bag that attaches to the legs of your tripod. When you’re setting up, you can add stones or extra gear to add weight and help stabilize the tripod.

 

[Roger Cole]

The issue of where the film notches should be in relation to the film holder threw me when I was starting out. If you're reading loading directions given by a photographer who loads from the top of the film holder, they'll say the notches go in the upper right. A photographer who loads from the bottom will say the lower left. That's confusing!
What you want is to have the notches where you can identify the type of film when you pull back the dark slide just enough to open the flap and have a feel.
Just in case you've forgotten what's in there.

I've never heard of loading film holders from the bottom. That gets my hands confused just thinking about it, though I suppose it's possible.

But think about it like this: with the film holder held with the dark slide opening at the top (and the film toward you, of course) the notches go in the upper right. Even if you want to then turn it upside down to load it, that'll still keep it clear.

It literally never occurred to me that this could be confusing. I read it once when I started and thought, "ok, got it" and never thought about it again. Not knocking anyone of course, just saying that it's an odd thing how something can seem obvious to one person and confusing to another. No doubt some things that confuse or have confused me seem blindingly obvious to many others. In fact I know this is the case because I've had my share of weird conversations as we tried to sort out things like that.

I have all of my film holders marked by number, and carry a little notebook recording what film is in which holder. As I shoot I also use the notebook to jot down notes about the subject, metering, filtering used, exposure etc.

 

[Roger Cole]

Just a footnote: I don't want to diminish peoples problems with Foma, but just say that I have used Foma200 in 35mm and 4x5 (exposed as 100) and have not seen manufacturing issues. I have not used 120.
The challenges I see amounts to soft and easy scratched emulsion as well as difficulty to attain details in the deep shadows - all things you can work with when you are aware.
At €40 for 50 sheets it is hard to complain. Ilford is much easier to work with but at 3 times the cost - and always my choice if I can't redo a session.

I haven't shot the 200 though I have some now-expired in the fridge, cold stored since I bought it back maybe 10 years ago, just haven't tried it yet. But I shot a fair amount of the 400. I never had any problems either.

If one has problems with shadow detail then exposure was too little. Most films benefit from more exposure than box speed would indicate. Traditionally small format, particularly 35mm, shooters have tried to avoid more exposure than necessary because of increased graininess but this is rarely if ever an issue with 4x5 (or larger.) There was also concern with not putting highlights into the shoulder of the film curve where they would block up, which is also not much of a concern with most modern films but Foma 100 and 400 are more older style films, the 200 rather different from what I have read. I shot Foma 400 at 200 with generally good results. Another reason one might get loss of shadow detail is that the Foma films have rather awful reciprocity failure characteristics. People often call this just "reciprocity" but it's really "reciprocity failure" as the film fails to follow the normal laws of reciprocity as exposures lengthen. This leads to an increase in contrast because the highlights, being brighter with more light falling on the film, fail less. Again, it amounts to underexposed shadows and requires more exposure, but no one would suggest Foma as the best film for really long exposures. For that, suck up the price and shoot TMX.

 

[Besk]

There is a large amount of good information on the website: www.largeformatphotography.info
And it also has a forum.

 

[GKC]

I've never heard of loading film holders from the bottom. That gets my hands confused just thinking about it, though I suppose it's possible.

But think about it like this: with the film holder held with the dark slide opening at the top (and the film toward you, of course) the notches go in the upper right. Even if you want to then turn it upside down to load it, that'll still keep it clear.

It literally never occurred to me that this could be confusing. I read it once when I started and thought, "ok, got it" and never thought about it again. Not knocking anyone of course, just saying that it's an odd thing how something can seem obvious to one person and confusing to another. No doubt some things that confuse or have confused me seem blindingly obvious to many others. In fact I know this is the case because I've had my share of weird conversations as we tried to sort out things like that.

I have all of my film holders marked by number, and carry a little notebook recording what film is in which holder. As I shoot I also use the notebook to jot down notes about the subject, metering, filtering used, exposure etc.

I think we may be saying the same thing Roger, but
I'm a Lefty, so most everything confuses me.
I also started out shooting 8x10 format so for me, it makes sense to insert the film up into the film holder as it is simpler to support the film from the non-emulsion side with my right hand.
Also most of my holders are old and many of the hinge tapes have been replaced with Gaffer's tape which is pretty stiff. I can hold the flap flat with my left hand and guide the film under the rails with my right.
I use the same technique with 5x7.
What I've seen on Youtubes is fellows who start with the opening for the dark slide on the bottom and the loading flap on the top. The film is then inserted down into the film holder from the top

 

[Roger Cole]

Huh. I never watched anyone do it, just played with holders and film with the light on and always loaded my 4x5 from the top notch up. Maybe I’ll have to change for 8x10 when I get there.

No matter, whatever works!

 

[btaylor]

I leaned a nifty trick if you have any question about which side the emulsion is on in the dark: moisten a fingertip and touch it to the rebate area of the film- if it sticky, that’s the emulsion side. The base side will remain slick.

 

[Steven Lee]

Reading your discussion made me curious: does sheet film have a rebate, i.e. unexposed frame? In other words is there a safe, albeit small, area to touch the emulsion side when working with film holders or loading sheets into a tank?

 

[grat]

Not really. There is a small amount of unexposed film under the rails/flap all the way around, but it's much smaller than your fingers. I use a nitrile glove on one hand, so I can feel the notches and guide the film into the holder without leaving oils/sweat on the film.

 

[GKC]

What about x-ray film? No notches and emulsion on both sides! Ay-yi-yi!

 

[Rick A]

Reading your discussion made me curious: does sheet film have a rebate, i.e. unexposed frame? In other words is there a safe, albeit small, area to touch the emulsion side when working with film holders or loading sheets into a tank?

Handling film should only be done with clean hands. Wash thoroughly with hot soapy water and rinse, dry with a clean lint free towel. No need for gloves if you are careful. You'll be able to feel the film slide under the rails in the dark. PM me and I'll mail you a couple of practice sheets of film so you can get the hang of loading.

 

[Donald Qualls]

What about x-ray film? No notches and emulsion on both sides! Ay-yi-yi!

X-ray can be handled under red safelight, though, so (assuming it isn't double sided, in which case load it either way) you can look for the reflection of the safelight; it'll be sharper and cleaner on the non-emulsion side.

 

[Savage]

This thread has tons of great advice. As you can see there are a lot of ways to one thing. Practicing will help you figure out which way works best for YOU! I learned notches go top right but then found someone that explained if I put the notches on the bottom (bottom left) I could open the dark slide just enough to check if there was film or what kind of film was there.

I agree with finding someone locally because as someone said, seeing it done in person helps greatly.

Organization is huge. Remember what has been exposed and how I exposed it caused me a lot of problems early. Numbering or lettering holders, iphone notes, a small notebook or something else you may think of can greatly help you keep things in order.

Try to develop a routine. When I first started I was notorious for pulling the slide while the shutter was still open. Excitement will do that to you. I started to do things in order to help mitigate that.

Have fun

 

[Donald Qualls]

pulling the slide while the shutter was still open.

Yep. Done that -- but only twice, that I recall.

Matt Marrash (Large Format Friday on YouTube) calls the whole process "the dance" -- open shutter, focus/frame, set movements as needed, refocus (if your tilts aren't balanced), stop down to check DOF (if you can still see an f/32 to f/64 image in the ground glass), reopen aperture to verify you haven't moved anything; insert film holder, close shutter, stop down aperture, set shutter speed and test fire to be sure it's working now (even if you know it was working before you left home), pull dark slide, make sure the light hasn't changed (or wait for the cloud to move out of the way), expose, reinsert dark slide (other way around -- black side out means exposed for most I've seen and read), remove/stow film holder, and repeat for a backup frame or exposure bracket if you feel the need, then time to break down to haul it all to the next setup...

If you're hiking with a view camera, doing this four five times is likely to be all you'll be good for in a day...

 

[Steven Lee]

As I am doing my research into 4x5 scanning options, another question popped up: how flat can I expect developed sheets to be? Do they curl naturally? Is it realistic to expect to place them on a flat surface (ANR glass) and expect gravity to keep them flat?

If helpful, majority of time I'll be working with HP5+ with Fomapan 400 being the distant second.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

As I am doing my research into 4x5 scanning options, another question popped up: how flat can I expect developed sheets to be? Do they curl naturally? Is it realistic to expect to place them on a flat surface (ANR glass) and expect gravity to keep them flat?

If helpful, majority of time I'll be working with HP5+ with Fomapan 400 being the distant second.

Most sheet film will lay naturally flat, or with minimal curve. But it does help to have a sheet of ANR glass to put on top to keep them completely flat, especially if you are scanning your negatives. Most modern sheet films have a thick enough base that it isn't curly like roll film.

 

[Steven Lee]

@TheFlyingCamera thank you

 

[Savage]

Matt Marrash (Large Format Friday on YouTube) calls the whole process "the dance" -- open shutter, focus/frame, set movements as needed, refocus (if your tilts aren't balanced), stop down to check DOF (if you can still see an f/32 to f/64 image in the ground glass), reopen aperture to verify you haven't moved anything; insert film holder, close shutter, stop down aperture, set shutter speed and test fire to be sure it's working now (even if you know it was working before you left home), pull dark slide, make sure the light hasn't changed (or wait for the cloud to move out of the way), expose

This is it- I’ve never heard it called that, but it’s absolutely a dance!! I’m adopting “the dance”.

 

[MTGseattle]

I sold the OP a few odd and ends to help get him rolling. Steven, I never checked the film holders I sent you; you may have practice sheets included. I also realize you stated in this post a Chamonix F-2, which is a bit different from the N-2 which is what I have.
As mentioned above, the LFF stuff on youtube is all really good.
For me, tripod load capacity has always been back burner when held against camera height "without" center column raised. I used a Bogen 3221 for a lot of years and then stumbled upon a used Gitzo carbon for a really good price one day. The Gitzo is a few inches taller which was awesome for me. The Chamonix will be pretty light, so your main concern out in the field will be wind.

 

[Steven Lee]

For me, tripod load capacity has always been back burner when held against camera height "without" center column raised. I used a Bogen 3221 for a lot of years and then stumbled upon a used Gitzo carbon for a really good price one day. The Gitzo is a few inches taller which was awesome for me. The Chamonix will be pretty light, so your main concern out in the field will be wind.

@MTGseattle it already is. My current heaviest camera is the Bronica GS-1 which is about 1,200g without the lens, fairly close to the Chamonix at 1,600g. It works really well on the Peak Design tripod but when it gets windy I'm in trouble. I am just assuming that LF photography can't be done under those conditions because a LF camera is basically a sail.

Getting a heavier tripod... will it really help? I am not a tripod aficionado but I suspect that my setup is already on the edge of diminishing returns: the trade-off between tripod weight and wind resistance seems nonlinear, i.e. doubling the tripod weight will make a marginal improvement to stability. I am not weight-constrained at all (squats & deadlifts 3 times per week + bicycle commute), but I care about having a smart setup, i.e. not having to carry extra weight for no reason. I could always use that for more water.

 

[Craig]

I suspect your tripod is fine. Try it and see before deciding one way or another. As you say, LF in windy conditions is always a challenge.

 

[Roger Cole]

Some people will rig up some way to hang their camera bag or some other kind of bag from the tripod and add weight, even picking up stones around them to put in a bag for the purpose, to add some stability.

 

[Chuck1]

if you have a gitzo 3-5 old type with the flat plate you can join it to the safety plate(forget what its called or who makes it)with an eybolt and nut from the hardware store then you have a place to hang a bag of rocks from.
if it's really windy don't take pics, just enjoy the scenery

 

[Bob AZ]

Shoot a bunch before you worry about buying or upgrading too many things. I found that the more I used what I had, the more I was able to figure out what I really needed vs. what sounded good, and was helpful in prioritizing purchases

 

[Steven Lee]

@Bob AZ so true. I just received my first batch of film holders and TADA! I learned that each holder is good for two shots, not one. Suddenly I have twice as many. Thank you @MTGseattle ! Definitely not buying anything else for a year or so. I decided on HP5+ to start with, it's a film I shoot most of the time and know it well, one less variable to distract me from what's new.

Thank you everyone!