All set for my Large Format adventure.. I think.

MrDrizz

MrDrizz

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I think I'm set for my large format adventure.

3 lenses, 135mm, 150mm and a 210mm (eBay finds)
Dusty old Cables releases found in a cupboard
Some filters (Yellow, Red, Orange)
Old Towel for a dark cloth (Santa has a new one apparently)
4 Film holders (eBay finds)

Already had the dev kit, just needed fresh chemicals (Ilfosol 3, Stop and Rapid Fixer)
Film, old Fomapan 400 and some new HP5 and FP4

Patients, well we'll see how that goes,
 
The one thing I found most challenging when faced for the first time with the ground glass screen was the upside down image. I seriously doubted I would come to terms with it after seeing it for the first time in the dealer's premises, and thought long and hard overnight before biting the bullet. It didn't take long to get used to it...
 
Upside down and reversed, IIRC! It does have the advantage of looking sufficiently unfamiliar, it allows you to look at the image a bit more analytically. I remember one photo bigwig suggesting that when you're selecting prints fro a pool of candidates, you should turn them all upside down, for the same reason.

Anyway, good luck, Mark.

One issue I found, trying to use my Chroma in a local well-walked woodland, was that I had to keep a sharp lookout for passing dogs, who sometimes wanted to, um, mark my camera bag as their territory!
 
sirch said:
Biggest issue for me was getting over myself in terms of being in public with a "victorian" (as my daughter calls it) camera
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Yes but at least they should know what you're doing right.
 
Do you have a loupe?

If not, you can bodge one by using a regular 50mm lens from a 35mm SLR the long way round. It's not ideal, but will still magnify the image sufficiently to check focus - that's what I used at first for shots such as this one.

The results can be wonderful, but you do have to work for them (or at least I do! :) ). I think my number one piece of advice would be to take your time and make sure everything is correct before firing the shutter. It's very easy to miss something in the excitement to get that lifetime's best shot you've just spotted. :D

Otherwise, good luck and enjoy yourself! :)
 
FishyFish said:
Do you have a loupe?

If not, you can bodge one by using a regular 50mm lens from a 35mm SLR the long way round. It's not ideal, but will still magnify the image sufficiently to check focus - that's what I used at first for shots such as this one.

The results can be wonderful, but you do have to work for them (or at least I do! :) ). I think my number one piece of advice would be to take your time and make sure everything is correct before firing the shutter. It's very easy to miss something in the excitement to get that lifetime's best shot you've just spotted. :D

Otherwise, good luck and enjoy yourself! :)
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I do have a loupe. Only a cheap thing but it'll get me going.
 
Be extra careful once the DDS is inserted. Always remember to remove the dark slide AFTER the shutter is closed! And always remember to put the dark slide back!

It's stressful but rewarding. I failed to get over the high commitment level; I was always looking for those magic frames that would make it all "worth it". Although I bought the gear to try to make myself slow down, I learned eventually that it was so much the opposite of my usual hunt and click approach, that I could never think of a subject that would make all the faff and considerable risk of failure worth it.

But, everyone's different. If you are the kind of photographer that's comfortable setting up tripod for a composition, you'll be in a MUCH better place than I was. Above all, have fun.
 
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MrDrizz said:
I think I'm set for my large format adventure.

3 lenses, 135mm, 150mm and a 210mm (eBay finds)
Dusty old Cables releases found in a cupboard
Some filters (Yellow, Red, Orange)
Old Towel for a dark cloth (Santa has a new one apparently)
4 Film holders (eBay finds)

Already had the dev kit, just needed fresh chemicals (Ilfosol 3, Stop and Rapid Fixer)
Film, old Fomapan 400 and some new HP5 and FP4

Patients, well we'll see how that goes,
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Do you have the right amount of crazy though?
 
MrDrizz said:
I do have a loupe. Only a cheap thing but it'll get me going.
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Might be useful as Poundland are selling up to +3.5 dioptres specs....3 for £3 and have bought quite a few from +2 to + 3.5......when I had new laser lenses put into my eyes (for distance ) the guy who inspected my eyes after said:- all you would need is Poundland specs for reading etc until you have your next eye checkup in a year's time......of course if your eyes are different optically this info isn't much use.
 
I can't be the only one thinking that today (Sunday) is several days later and we still don't know if the camera arrived or even which camera arrived.
Is it a mono rail or a more portable baseboard or folding camera?
And how are you getting on with finding your way around it / practising all the new skills needed?
 
I thought I’d add some thoughts about film choice. When I started LF I purchased a box of 50 TMax 100. It is a very good film, and even though I got it for a relatively good price, it was far too expensive to use at the beginning when I was making very many mistakes. I recommend starting with a box of 50 Fomapan ( to be shot at half the rated ISO) and don’t move on to FP4 or HP5 until the box of Fomapan is finished. By that time the number of mistakes will have declined (it hasn’t gone away completely for me) and you will be getting frustrated with the limitations of Fomapan - namely the tendency to scratch the emulsion and the reciprocity failure.
 
StephenM said:
The one thing I found most challenging when faced for the first time with the ground glass screen was the upside down image. I seriously doubted I would come to terms with it after seeing it for the first time in the dealer's premises, and thought long and hard overnight before biting the bullet. It didn't take long to get used to it...
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Stephen, I have the same concerns whenever I consider LF. May I ask - how did you get used to it? I can see how I could perhaps 'interpret' the composition upside down when it's about an architectural scene, or perhaps a woodland scene, but how do people interpret the scene and 'decide' on when to click the shutter if it's -say- portraits we're talking about?

I'm not sure I'd be able to decide if what I'm seeing is a nice facial expression, eyes pointing out in the right direction, right smile/lack of smile etc , when I've got a barely visible upside down face in front of me.
 
At the very great risk of gross oversimplification...

Many years ago, there was a TV program that illustrated the effect of seeing the world upside down continually. The test subject was fitted with a pair of goggles that inverted the view; after a week, he was riding a bicycle confidently. We do in fact naturally see the world upside down - that's the way the lenses in our eyes project the image, after all - so it's not really a great departure.

I tend to regard composition as a matter of selecting and arranging, a process that works just as well either way up, and in fact, because we see on the ground glass an arrangement of shapes, it provides a very helpful abstraction to prevent us seeing what we think is there - the unusual orientation makes the e.g. lamposts growing out of heads easier to spot - because we pay more attention to the whole. As a specific answer, less than a week saw me happy with the new view of the world.

On portraits: well, the camera is on a tripod, so you can concentrate on the subject. Unless you're using a large format TLR (yes, they were made, up to 10x8) or one with a viewfinder/rangefinder (when the upside down effect isn't present) you won't be able to see an image on the ground glass just before exposure anyway, because the film holder is in. So, you watch the subject while holding the cable release...
 
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I agree with @StephenM - it doesn't take long to become accustomed to the inverted image on the ground glass, in much the same way that you quickly become accustomed to the left/right inversion on a waist-level finder on a TLR.

What's more, once you become accustomed to it, you seem to maintain the ability. I often go many weeks or months between large format outings and the inverted image just feels normal each time I use it - I don't have to re-learn the skill. I guess it's a little like swimming or riding a bike in that regard.
 
Thank you both. I guess I was being extremely thick. It makes sense of course that a large format photographer attempting to take a portrait would perhaps set everything up and then step aside whilst holding a cable release and decide on the 'decisive moment' by looking at the subject directly, and not through the camera+ground glass.
 
trypdal said:
Thank you both. I guess I was being extremely thick. It makes sense of course that a large format photographer attempting to take a portrait would perhaps set everything up and then step aside whilst holding a cable release and decide on the 'decisive moment' by looking at the subject directly, and not through the camera+ground glass.
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You wouldn't be able to see the decisive moment through the ground glass anyway - if you're ready to take the picture, then the film holder would be inserted, preventing any light reaching the ground glass. Likewise, you would have closed the shutter after setting up the shot until you fire it. (y)
 
MrDrizz said:
I know some complain about the Intrepid build quality but I'm pretty pleased with it.
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I have been impressed my Intrepid, I think it's well built for the price. Just a shame I've hardly used it (was purchased from @Asha) ... I think may need to put it on the for sale thread.
 
One thing that makes it easier is the longer focal length lenses you use; that means less depth of field, so easier to see when the image us sharp.

As far as build quality goes, I'm happy with my two Intrepids, particularly the light weight. As long as front and rear are rigid, the ground glass is in the correct position and the camera is light tight, that's all that matters for picture taking.

Edit to add an afterthought. "There's no such thing as the perfect camera" (Denys Davies). All cameras compromise somewhere. I suppose the perfect LF camera would allow you to use all sheet film sizes up to 20x16 ("just in case") with interchangeable backs; would have infinitely adjustment movements front and rear; lock down to be perfectly rigid.

On the other hand, to achieve this "perfection" it would be too large to carry by hand, too heavy to carry, require more than one tripod to use, and cost as much as a family car (look up how much one of Keith Canham's 20x16 cameras would cost!). Not quite such a perfect camera after all....
 
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Depending where in the world you are, I'm sure there would be other LF users that would be happy to meet up and share experience
 
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