Recommendations for 4x5 outdoor gear

Hello,
Delving deeper in the larger formats, I recently acquired an old Calumet CC-400 of circa 1964, pretty much my own age. As far as I can gather, the camera's never been used (or maybe only for a few test shots), and the whole thing, including the bellows, is in immaculate condition. The thing is not very pretty to look at, and the cheerful battleship gray paintjob does not help either. Anyway, it is a very solid instrument, with good movements and easy handling. As for lenses, I have a Fujinon 150/6.3 and a Nikkor 90/8, which seem to fit nicely my chosen subjects, (relatively uncomplicated) architecture and landscape photography. I have previously used view cameras, albeit only for stillleben+detail+texture shots long ago at my alma mater, but during the past fifteen years that I have not been photographing, I've forgotten most everything. Also, stepping outside the comforts of the studio, the rules appear to change. So, my question to all you who know better (no pun intended): Which complement of gear is preferred on the road, here meaning the back of the car? Let's assume that the operation radius is only a few hundred yards. What kind of tripod is the best choice, does it necessarily need to be the forty-pound Linhof (one of which I happen to own; I know it is no picnic to drag that beast along)? Is there really no alternative to the focusing cloth? Which kind of loupe is best for 4x5 focusing? Should I purchase a much bulkier 90/4.5 just to be able to see something indoors, or can the ground glass possibly be replaced?

respectfully yours,
Arto Kallio

Tripod: Carbon fiber Gitzo or Manfrotto. Quick release tripod head (Arca-Swiss, RRS, Kirk, Markins, etc. (Light Weight, will support much heavier cameras than a 4/5, good vibration damping properties, Easy and Convenient to use, EXPENSIVE!)

Ground Glass: Satin Snow (APUG Sponsor)

Loupe: 7 to 10x with vacuum foot (sucking loupe)

Focusing cloth: Black Jacket (APUG Sponsor) is my personal choice.

With my Satin Snow Ground Glass, my Blackjacket and my sucking loupe, I have no problem focusing either my 65mm f8 Super Angulon, or my 90mm f8 Nikkor.

Alternatives to Tom's (pricier) suggestions:
Berlebach model tripods are nice (See Big Camera Workshops-Rob Skeoch, dealer), lightweight and about half what a carbon fiber pod cost. Since you speak of a few hundred yards, weight savings vs. $$ would be foremost to me.

The toyo 4x loupe has worked well for me as well as the schneider 4x loupe.

Satin snows' glass is fine for most purposes and cheap. But They are no longer a sponsor here FWIW.

A plain black sweatshirt works fine though warm in warm weather. I use a Harrison which I like as I don't like sticking my head in a tube (a personal thing). Reflective on one side and water repellant too! Kevin Saitta, another apug sponsor makes a dark cloth as well.

Good luck, good light and welcome to APUG.

I have found that the square based Horizon 4X loupe is an excellent and if you need a longer loupe the Wista 7X Hood Lupe to also be excellent.

Rich

I also shoot a Calumet CC-400 series camera, mine being a late model black one rather than the Feldgrau model like yours. It has a longer rail than the standard model so its great for closeups or shooting the convertible long lengths of my Symmars.

I too use it in the few hundred yards role, rarely farther as I have not found a way to carry it besides the handle! Generally I carry everything in a backpack, camera in one hand, tripod in the other. It is heavy enough I do not find myself shooting it often in this role but the results are excellent when I do.

My field shooting complement:

View Camera
90/8 SA, 150/5.6 Symmar, 210 Symmar lenses mounted on boards with cable releases (Gepe pro)
Heavy Manfrotto tripod and head (not a monster)
Satin Snow screen in camera
Saita dark cloth (look around here on APUG, a class act)
Soligar Digital Spot meter
Gossen Luna Pro F incident meter
Cokin P filters, adapter rings for three lenses, holder, Lee compedium shade
Film holders + film
QuickDisc (free PDF) - for bellows factor when shooting closeups

Note - the 90/8 Super Angulon MC requires a recessed board on my camera. I also bought a short, flexible cable extension for it as the recess is too tight to screw a release in directly. Maybe the regular rail Calumet doesn't need the recessed board but mine does.

Arto

I also do mostly landscape and architectural photography with my 4x5, and being an amateur with a limited budget, I balance cost with what would be ideal and try to hit a decent compromise - below is my setup and my thoughts on some of the pieces:

Camera: Walker Titan SF
I like the camera - solid, rugged, plenty of movements and doesn't mind salt spray and inclement weather (which we have aplenty in Maine). I could be smaller and lighter, but overall, I am very happy with it.

Lenses: Schneider 75mm f5.6 SA, Schneider 90mm f8 SA, Schneider 150mm f5.6 APO. I am pretty happy with my complement of lenses, they do what I want. Sometimes I wish that I had something longer, but these three pack easily and balancing the weight with function is always a struggle.

Darkcloth: I have the BTZS focus hood from the View Camera Store - I like it, but before I had that I used an oversized hooded sweatshirt which I just pulled up over the camera - also worked well when the weather wasn't too hot.

Film Holders: I use traditional film holders, but have dabbled with the Fuji Quickloads. If Ilford offered HP-5 in a quickload format I would use that, but traditional holders give the most versatility at a low cost.

Tripod/ Head: I have a love/hate relationship with my Bogen 3001BPRO with the 3047 head. Solid as a rock, but somewhat heavier than most rocks. I lust after a lightweight CF tripod but can't justify the cost. I do like the new center column that Bogen has for this tripod which allows be to get the camera down closer to the ground. I often like to put the lens down very close to the ground, which is difficult with many support systems.

Loupe: I use the Toyo 4X - it is inexpensive and it works.

Filters: I use the Cokin P series filters of which I have a fairly broad selection. I use them both on my LF and MF cameras. The ones that I usually carry with me are: Red, Yellow, Polarizing, Gradient. I use the red and polarizing filters most in the summer, yellow and polarizing in the winter.

Light Meter: Minolta Autometer IVF with the 5deg spot attachment. Solid, versatile, accurate.

Hat: I almost always wear a hat when shooting, and use it for all sorts of things from a clean place to hold filters and film holders while setting up the camera to a shade to something to keep my head warm or out of the sun.

A minor addendum to my questions: How does the Maxwell Precision Optics' Hi-Lux Brilliant focus screen compare to the aforementioned Satin Snow?

artok said:

A minor addendum to my questions: How does the Maxwell Precision Optics' Hi-Lux Brilliant focus screen compare to the aforementioned Satin Snow?

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Hi Artok,

Others can comment if they have both. But there is a substantial price difference. Dave Parker's Satin Snow Ground glasses generally result in a 1 to 1 1/2 stop brighter GG that is easier to see and focus than the original. But the Satin Snow GG only costs between $10 and $15 for most 4 X 5 cameras plus shipping. The Maxwell screen will run at least several hundred to perhaps $400?? or so.

Rich

artok said:

A minor addendum to my questions: How does the Maxwell Precision Optics' Hi-Lux Brilliant focus screen compare to the aforementioned Satin Snow?

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Ha ha, about 20 x $15 better

Too rich for me though I have Maxwell's in some of my Rollei medium format SLR and TLRs. They are absolutely superb - bright, good focus "pop", fine grain, no visible fresnel patterns.

I also use an old gray CC400; mine came with the 26" rail and I cut 10" off to make it more portable. It's a dandy camera, all things considered. My kit consists of the camera, Fuji 210mm and 150mm lenses, a Kodak 127mm lens, focusing cloth, loupe, meter, filters & filter holder, gray card, multi-tool, notebook & pen, small flashlight, a Bogen aluminum tripod with the legs covered with foam pipe insulation, a spare shutter release cable, a small roll of electrical tape, a few rubber bands, a couple of spring binder clips, and a dozen film holders. Everything but the camera and tripod fit into an insulated collapsable cooler bag such as you would use for a picnic.

I fabricated several dividers for the cooler bag out of semi-rigid foam covered with scrap nylon fabric. It helps to keep things organized and pulls out for cleaning, and each lens has its own padded compartment.

Left in the trunk of the car are a couple of cases containing more film holders, "just in case" (I have 30 for 4x5.) I use old military ammunition boxes, painted white and with my name and the contents clearly labeled (I got the boxes cheap at a garage sale years ago.) Stuffed into the boxes of "spare" film are a spare ground glass, spare loupe, more spare shutter release cables, etc. The car also contains a roll of duct tape and a scout knife, along with my "emergency kit". Hmm... now that I think about it, I probably ought to change out the MREs in the emergency kit. I think they only last 8-10 years or so! Also in the trunk is an inexpensive 11x14 album containing a selection of work prints representative of the kinds of photographs I make, in case the authorities aren't inclined to take the evidence of the camera, lenses, etc. that I'm a photographer. Since most cops are male, the first three or four photos are of pretty female models. Yes, I know it's sexist. So are most authority figures and with my acerbic wit I'm better off not getting into a debate with a cop if I can divert him some other way.

I routinely carry this stuff for a few miles, with the camera screwed onto the tripod over one shoulder and the bag over the other. If I think that I'm going to weigh too much for where I'm going, I'll leave out the 127mm lens and three to six of the film holders. I rarely use the 127mm lens anyway and the shutter's sticky; I really have no idea why I'm carrying it except that it's always been there so...

mjs

Tom Hoskinson said:

Ground Glass: Satin Snow (APUG Sponsor)

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Unfortunately, that's FORMER sponsor.

http://www.satinsnowglass.com/

Tom Hoskinson said:

Loupe: 7 to 10x with vacuum foot (sucking loupe)

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Are you telling me that if I want a good loupe, I want one that sucks?

In all seriousness, I had no idea such things existed.

mjs, regarding your camera "amputation": did you change the bellows in the process? Is it possible to get a replacement bellows, say to use more severe wide-angles?

PhotoJim said:

Are you telling me that if I want a good loupe, I want one that sucks?

In all seriousness, I had no idea such things existed.

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Yes Indeed PhotoJim, my 10X "Peak Sucking Loupe" (from Calumet - made in Japan) attaches itself to my Ground Glass like a plumbers helper.

BTW I have Maxwell screens installed on two of my 6x6 MF cameras. I have Satin Snow Ground Glass installed on my 4x5, my 5x7 my 8x10, my 2.25"x 3.25" and my 3.25" x 4.25". I like my Satin Snow Ground Glass as well or better than my Maxwell screens - and a Satin Snow GG is a fraction of the cost of a Maxwell screen.

I have several MF and LF lenses with maximum apertures of f9 and I frequently focus at very small apertures (f22, f32, f45, etc.). My Black Jackets (LF and MF) are like having a portable darkroom surrounding my Ground Glass.

Thank you all, for your kind suggestions.

Happy shooting.

4x5 Gear modification

artok said:

mjs, regarding your camera "amputation": did you change the bellows in the process? Is it possible to get a replacement bellows, say to use more severe wide-angles?

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No, I left the bellows alone. As old as it is, it's still light-tight and I see no need to mess with something that works all right. I'm not a wide-angle lens user so it doesn't bother me: all I wanted to do was reduce my chance of putting someone's eye out with that long rail sticking out!

Shorter bellows can be had; the cost would probably be in the $150-$250 range, depending on details and who you had make it. There are a number of vendors. Making a bellows isn't all that difficult, especially if you have the old one to use as a pattern. I made a new bellows for my B&J 5x7 and it worked out ok. I suppose that you could also just cut the existing bellows down (make it shorter) if that's what you wanted. Probably simple with a straight bellows; it would take more planning and probably fiddling with a tapered bellows but still should be doable, within reason.

mjs

I did not see it mentioned, but I have found the old army blankets are very handy. I usually have at least 2 in the truck. One to throw down on the ground under your camera and equipment (comes in handy when you drop something). If it is cold, I have one to wrap up in and around the view camera. Jon