What Camera/format do you use?

[Hugo Zhang]

10x20 and 8x20 with reducing film holders.

 

[jimgalli]

Not sure why I didn't throw in back in April? Missed it somehow.

7X17 Folmer in beautiful condition but only one original viable film holder. I have 3 S&S holders for it too but lots of light leak troubles.

8X20 Korona. A nice original camera with 2 original holders and 2 newer ones that I don't know who made. All 4 work fine.

11X14 Seneca that is torn down getting restored. It's a bit tired perhaps but I think it will be OK if I'm careful with it. The brass front standard supports are a weak spot on these.

12X20 Folmer & Schwing with 2 Hoffman holders. A beauty.

14X17 Wisner that's not quite in my posession yet. It's made this list twice. Once as WFW's and now as mine.

Century 8 studio 11X14. A gorgeous camera if you need 48" bellows for that head and shoulders shot with a 22" Petzval.

I think each of the formats has strengths and weaknesses. Ask me again in 20 years and perhaps one or 2 of the sizes will have risen like cream to the top.

 

[MAGNAchrom]

Here's a recent 7x17 image that utilizes the format in a fairly non-traditional manner: Dead Link Removed

Yes very nice image, but please explain to us why you photographed that yummy chocolate bundt cake with your 7x17???

 

[jgjbowen]

Richard Ritter's 7x17 camera. I had the opportunity to take his prototype for a test drive at a Fine Focus Workshop in May. This camera will shoot both horizontals and verticals without having to tilt the tripod head 90 degrees. It can also be updated to a different format by purchasing a different back and bellows.

Almost all of my 8x10 lenses will cover 7x17. From the newsgroups it seems Kodak was pleasantly surprised by the amount of 7x17 TMY film ordered thru JandC this spring, so the availability of film seems more certain than other ULF sizes. 7x17 film holders are available, both used and new.

7x17 just seems like the ideal format to me.

John

 

[doughowk]

I hope to be using a 7X17 Korona - have almost completed its refurbishing. Also use an 8X10 B&J monorail in my studio and 4X5 Shen-Hao in the field.

 

[scootermm]

I posted in this thread months ago. all the info still holds true.

but this really made me think about something, I see a few people in here mentioned the lens or lenses the shooting with.

Ive found that the longer I shoot with the larger formats the more and more I shoot with usually only one lens in each format. I have a few lenses that cover 7x17: a 355mm G Claron, a 270mm WA G Claron, a Hexanon 300mm, and an old velostigmat 10" lens that covers for some interior and more detail shooting. One of the things Ive noticed more and more is my tendency to never shoot with the other lenses. Ive found literally 99% of my shooting in 7x17 is with one lens, the 355 G Claron. It even holds true in my 8x10 shooting, I have a few lenses that cover but only use the 300mm Nikkor 5.6 for a majority of my shooting. For the longest time I hauled all these lenses around when I went out with my 7x17 but over the last month Ive not even bothered to haul any of them around aside from the 355mm G Claron thats mounted on the camera. Granted it makes my pack lighter, but thats not the sole reason for the skimming of glass.
Maybe Im thinking too much about it. But there seems to be something to it, at least in my mind, the concept of acclimatizing yourself and your vision to a certain lens and its field of view. Things always seem to just look "wrong" or off when I mount another lens to the camera. Too much in the frame, too wide, or it makes me move the camera around more than Id usually move it, never quite looking right.
I find this "rule" to be interesting for me. Anyone else find it to be true?

 

[naturephoto1]

I do not shoot ULF. But, my largest format at present is my Linhof Technikardan 45S.

Rich

 

[jovo]

Anyone else find it to be true?

Yes, very much so. Though I have several lenses for the P67, I only used to use the 200 for most work. Now that I've added a fourth, a 135, I like it so much that I now use it almost exclusively. I only had two lenses for my 4x5, but of the two I almost always choose the 210. But I just bought a Fujinon 250 f6.3 and I think that's likely to become my one and only favorite. And the reason, in both cases, is that those choices seem most in tune with the way I usually 'see' images.

It's a far cry from the days when I used a 35mm camera and went whizzing through the various possibilities with a zoom. I could never photograph that way again.

 

[Zebra]

7 x 17 and several months ago added 20 x 24 to the mix. Am enjoying both but when the energy level is up nothing beats the 20 x 24. Did my first head and shoulder shots of my four year old son and six year old daughter a week or so ago. Wild to see them bigger than life but still with some innocence in the eyes. Now if I could just figure out how to get them into the proper file size I might even post them in the gallery. I take the 7 x 17 with me on my business trips as it will still fit in the overhead and gives me a great outlet instead of CNN in the hotel!

Both are great.

Monty

 

[Brickbird]

Still have 2 SL66 bodies with 40 Distagon and up, then went to a new 8x10 Deardorff in 1976 and still have it then a BJ 11x14 but rapidly sold it so as to get a 11x14 Deardorff with revolving 8x10 reducer. Finally after a workshop with Arentz 2 years ago was fortunate to buy Keriks 12x20 Lotus and have acquired 7 holders and use mainly a 355 G but also several others. I am designing a backpack frame to hold the camera and holders for the 12x20. Don't enjoy shooting from the road. I really love the Lotus. Have to go now and pump iron.

Tav

 

[Brickbird]

Hey Monty,
Let me know if you want me to design a backpack for your 20x24 and 2 holders. Knee replacements are cheap these days................Tav

 

[Zebra]

I didn't realize that a weight belt would become a photo accessory but since getting the 20 x 24 I don't leave home without it. It helps on that one man set up! I'll get back to you about that backpack, me thinks it might ought to look eerily similar to a llama!

Monty

 

[Scott Peters]

I use a 7 x 17 phillips and an 8 x 10 wehman. Mostly the 7 x 17 phillips. Dagors and artars for lenses.

 

[*Scammer* Pyreclick]

Hi

 

[*Scammer* Pyreclick]

 

[*Scammer* Pyreclick]

 

[*Scammer* Pyreclick]

hi

 

[FotoD]

Hi @Pyreclick. What formats did you say you are using?

No ULF for me yet. But 14x17 X-ray is tempting.

 

[gorbas]

Pyreclick is here to collect clicks and ??
He just ofer me a good deal.
Be aware!

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

5x12 on the small end, and 14x17 on the big end. The 14x17 doesn't get used all that often as it is super expensive to use and to print from (I mostly print palladium, but for 14x17 I might start doing salt or other alternative processes). I have an 11x14 but it is mostly a museum-grade camera (long story) so it doesn't get used.

 

[jimgalli]

Not sure why I didn't throw in back in April? Missed it somehow.

7X17 Folmer in beautiful condition but only one original viable film holder. I have 3 S&S holders for it too but lots of light leak troubles.

8X20 Korona. A nice original camera with 2 original holders and 2 newer ones that I don't know who made. All 4 work fine.

11X14 Seneca that is torn down getting restored. It's a bit tired perhaps but I think it will be OK if I'm careful with it. The brass front standard supports are a weak spot on these.

12X20 Folmer & Schwing with 2 Hoffman holders. A beauty.

14X17 Wisner that's not quite in my posession yet. It's made this list twice. Once as WFW's and now as mine.

Century 8 studio 11X14. A gorgeous camera if you need 48" bellows for that head and shoulders shot with a 22" Petzval.

I think each of the formats has strengths and weaknesses. Ask me again in 20 years and perhaps one or 2 of the sizes will have risen like cream to the top.

Interesting to go back and read a "historic" thread. My answer (as almost all were) was 16 years ago. Of that eclectic list the single remaining camera is the giant Century 8a Studio. Probably because it's as big as a Volkswagen and shipping it would be ludicrous at this point. In fact a couple of years ago I upgraded it with a matching Semi Centennial 2 stand made for the size. These days ULF is covered by a V11 Deardorff, and a custom 9.5X20 camera designed around Aerial Recon long roll film which is 9.5 wide by U-Cut. In fact it's the camera that Hugo mentions above as 10X20 and 8X20. My other ULF cameras are a half a dozen Cirkut Cameras, all working. I use the aerial film in those also. 9.5X46 is the usual these days.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

35, 120, 4x5, 8x10, 14x17.

 

[Sirius Glass]

35mm including panoramic and half frame, 120, 4"x5"

 

[Martin Frank]

Mostly 8x10 (Tachihara) and 7x17 (Korona), less 4x5 recently + have been trying to warm up to 5x7 (CanhamDLC w/4x5 reducing back).

 

[Jay Schrotenboer]

I love how a completely random (scammer?) post brings a long dead thread back to life, and people just keep posting on it!