Matt York said:2)If you could have only 3 lenses, which focal lengths (& manufacturers) would you choose?
... and lens types, manufacturers, coating, shutters, film holders, dark cloths, ground glasses...seadrive said:BTW, as Mongo mentioned, there really aren't any holy wars over cameras. Film and developers, now that's a whole different story!
Ole said:#1: Anything. If it were me, I'd consider 5x7" too - a great size for contact prints without being as big, heavy and expensive as 8x10".
#2: For 4x5": 90mm, 150mm, 210mm. Just about any make, mine happen to be mostly Schneider.
For 5x7" I'd choose the same three focal lengths, or swap the 150 with a 165 Angulon and the 210mm with a 240 Symmar.
#3: 360mm, 120mm. Same here - same FL for 4x5" and 5x7".
Looking at this it looks as if I use the extra size of 5x7" to get a wider look, and that is essentially correct! With 4x5" I rarely run out of coverage, but I often run out of film area. 5x7" (and 13x18cm) is my favorite size. The 90mm f:8 Super Angulon is perhaps my most used lens.
df cardwell said:As I crawl into my asbestos suit, let me offer some advice:
Until you can make a perfect 11x14 from 35mm, you have no business being seduced by LF. After you can get all the quality inherent in 35, you will likely have no need for LF.
Shoot the 35, learn the craft.
David A. Goldfarb said:Having moved up from 35mm through MF, LF, and ULF I would put it the other way. Shoot 4x5", learn the craft, and then you'll see what the rather specialized 35mm tool can really do well and what it can't.
df cardwell said:As I crawl into my asbestos suit, let me offer some advice:
Until you can make a perfect 11x14 from 35mm, you have no business being seduced by LF. After you can get all the quality inherent in 35, you will likely have no need for LF.
Shoot the 35, learn the craft. Someday you may want 4x5, and you'll have enough experience to determine what you want. And need.
I agree that it is very easy to succumb to "the grass is always greener" syndrome. However, I also believe that the practice of doing 4X5, if you dedicate yourself to it, will make you a better photographer. Not the camera, but the practice of slowing down, visualizing your image, and placing value in each exposure you make. 35mm photography, and to some extent medium format, is too easy for people to really take the appropriate amount of time to experience each image that they take fully.df cardwell said:Too much energy is consumed, and has always been, by 'metaphysical doubt' and 'existential anguish'. A different camera ( film, paper, developer... ) doesn't make you a better photographer. Any true craft is about the transformation of the craftsman. If anything, this is the fact which established photography's right to be considered equal to music or painting: the work IS made by the craftsman, and not the equipment.
But we resist the process of transformation. This largely explains the closet of cameras and lenses behind me.
df cardwell said:DAVID: what's this I hear about The Second Avenue Deli closing ?
Horrible ! What's a midwesterner to do ?
Mongo said:I would strongly recommend a field camera rather than a monorail due to the ease of carrying the camera into the field and setting it up. You can use a monorail in the field, but it's not nearly as convenient as using a camera designed for ease of transportation and setup.
David A. Goldfarb said:Man, first it was the Kiev, and now this. Who knows. Maybe he can work it out with the landlord who wants to raise the rent from around $22,000 to over $32,000. The owner of the deli needs to renovate to comply with health regulations, but can't afford to do it if the rent is going to increase by that much. I like Katz's and the Carnegie, but the 2nd Ave. Deli is the only one of the three that is really kosher--not that I keep kosher, but it would be a real loss not to have one real old style kosher deli. A digital corned beef sandwich just doesn't cut the mustard.
David A. Goldfarb said:Having moved up from 35mm through MF, LF, and ULF I would put it the other way. Shoot 4x5", learn the craft, and then you'll see what the rather specialized 35mm tool can really do well and what it can't.
I think so.wilhelm said:It's exactly the same, in my mind, as driving a manual transmission car offers at least a glimpse of just what's going on inside that car, which we retain even when driving an automatic. Or programming in an assembly language allows us to see what's going on inside that silicon chip that's running our computer, even when we're using, for instance, the php in which this site is written.
Am I making any sense here?
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