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Anyone shooting large format?

george-brooks

george-brooks

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 31, 2011
732
16
Brooklyn, NY
I am attending the first day of my Large Format photo class later today and I was wondering if any of all you Apple fans out there are still doing any large format work (or any analog work for that matter). Anyone still using beautiful 20"² sheets of lovely lovely silver, or has the convenience of the 20MP DSLR finally convinced you that the extra quality just isn't worth the extra $ and effort?
 
20''X20''? That's ultra large format...

I have a 4x5 camera that hasn't gotten nearly enough use as well as a 6x7 SLR. I'm not a very good photographer but I was looking through my old slides and they're definitely much nicer than my digital stuff. Mostly it's just because you have to meter and compose so carefully, but velvia and portra have really beautiful colors and black and white film has amazing tonality.

On the printing side, at least for slides, digital is better. Though C41 and black and white can give amazing prints. If I had the money I would love to take a class in large format black and white. Amazing format. Very jealous.
 
You might consider starting out with a combination of analogue and digital. Take the shot and develop the film yourself, and then scan, manipulate and print digitally.

I eventually settled on this for 4x5 B&W.
 
OreoCookie said:
Strictly speaking 4 inch x 5 inch = 20 inch^2 (only inch is squared), so I guess the OP is using 4x5 inch^2 just like the other handful of people on planet earth doing large format photography :)
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Makes sense. Although there are plenty of other popular sizes out there: 8x10, 5x7, in some cases 7x17, 4x10, 20x20, etc. I met someone who was an avid 7x17 shooter.

I really wish I were a better photographer or were taking a class that forced me to shoot more. Large format looks amazing but it's difficult to justify wasting so much in terms of money and resources. And when you go back to digital you really wish all your lenses were t/s lenses.
 
I still shoot film exclusively, but I've settled on medium format just for the convenience. I still get the 4x5 out sometimes, but it's a bit too large to take anywhere. ;)

Good luck! Large format is still the best format out there in my opinion.
 
I love shooting large format. I've got a couple 4x5 cameras and a few boxes of film. Unfortunately my current classes and projects aren't good fits for film, but next quarter I should have time to use it.
 
My primary camera is a 4x5. Subject is mostly landscape.

I have a freezer full of Quickloads (to last at least two years) and my own drum scanner.

However, I was saddened when I discovered that A&I (in Los Angeles) stopped processing E6 last December. Fortunately, there is another lab nearby (Icon) that continues to process E6 (but for how long?).

The only competitor to 4x5 in digital are the 60 - 80 MPixel medium format backs on a technical camera. Currently, that is an investment of $35K - $50K to get started. I can shoot and process a lot of 4x5 sheets for that price.
 
chmilar said:
My primary camera is a 4x5. Subject is mostly landscape.

I have a freezer full of Quickloads (to last at least two years) and my own drum scanner.

However, I was saddened when I discovered that A&I (in Los Angeles) stopped processing E6 last December. Fortunately, there is another lab nearby (Icon) that continues to process E6 (but for how long?).

The only competitor to 4x5 in digital are the 60 - 80 MPixel medium format backs on a technical camera. Currently, that is an investment of $35K - $50K to get started. I can shoot and process a lot of 4x5 sheets for that price.
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I shot and processed my own 4x5 and 5x7 for years, and unless you need Scheimpflug, the only thing you need to do with digital is shoot multiple frames for most LF-friendly images. I can get 80MP in three shots from my DSLR. Autopano Pro stitches them fine, no need for expensive pano heads either- so if it's just resolution, digital replaces LF quite well, it's tilts and shifts that are the real barrier to entry, but these days, focus stacking can work to get similar results-- in which case it's just a question of time.

Doing your own E6 isn't that difficult either with a Jobo or an aquarium heater and Rubbermaid container. I don't know if the Kodak 6-bath kits are still available though, or how long they'll be available if they are. Badger Photographic used to sell Velvia in 5x7 in the US. That was sweet.

Paul
 
I did for a bit but getting rid of the chemicals were so liberating for me! No more mixing and storing in jugs! Now, the only thing I have to figure out is how to spend less time behind the computer. I'm slowly working the latter out!
 
Policar said:
Makes sense. Although there are plenty of other popular sizes out there: 8x10, 5x7, in some cases 7x17, 4x10, 20x20, etc. I met someone who was an avid 7x17 shooter.

I really wish I were a better photographer or were taking a class that forced me to shoot more. Large format looks amazing but it's difficult to justify wasting so much in terms of money and resources. And when you go back to digital you really wish all your lenses were t/s lenses.
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One of my professors has a 16x20 and a 20x24. I would love to shoot with it sometime, if only Ilford and Kodak didn't require you to make special bulk orders for anything larger than 8x10. I have been doing a bit of 8x10 recently as well but find it prohibitively expensive and hard to work with in post. Image quality is out of this world but generally not worth the expense.
 
Hasselblad Analogue

I'm still shooting medium format analogue, not often though now and when I do I generally scan in the negs to manipulate.

I've used the Hasselblad H series digital medium format cameras and digital backs on the Hasselblad CM bodies and while its good I'm increasingly just using my DSLR. I moved to a D800 from a D90 and that has closed the gap significantly

Greg
 
shaunymac said:
I did for a bit but getting rid of the chemicals were so liberating for me! No more mixing and storing in jugs! Now, the only thing I have to figure out is how to spend less time behind the computer. I'm slowly working the latter out!
Click to expand...

That's funny, one of the reasons I still mess around with the chemicals is precisely that: to spend less time in front of the computer (you'll find that's more productive than sitting behind it!). I have to do that all day at work, and I have other digital projects to work on, so for me, photography is (in part) a refuge from that (as is the time I spend in the kitchen).

I've got a Speed Graphic and a Shen-Hao field camera for 4x5, though practically these days I'm getting a lot more use out of my RB67; it is easier to take on the bike. I do need to use up my quickoads and the 400 sheets of FP4+ I've got in the freezer.

chmilar: I'm going to assume you're familiar with Freestyle? They usually have whatever is available for E6 processing. For myself, I don't do enough color to worry about it (I'm partially color blind, so printing is an issue). When I do, I usually send to Praus is Rochester.
 
After shooting digital professionally for nearly 20 years, I am just about done with it. I use it for about 8 weeks a year for some ad and corporate work with a D800 / D4. The main thrust of my work now is black and white fine art printed by hand in a real darkroom. I use 6x6, a 6x12 back on a Chamonix 45N-2 and 4x5 with the same camera, the resulting prints simply blow away anything I see from a computer print. The camera, 5 lenses, 12 film holders, a host of filters, step up rings all fit into a Lowe Pro Flipside Sport 15L AW and with a full camelbak and a carbon fiber tripod, it tips the scales at just over 21 pounds.

Scaling back digital in favor of film for fine art is the best career move I have ever made, I am doing really well in terms of income and could not be happier shooting large format film and not sitting in front of a darn computer.

So yeah, you could say I use large format...:)
 
Macshroomer said:
After shooting digital professionally for nearly 20 years, I am just about done with it. I use it for about 8 weeks a year for some ad and corporate work with a D800 / D4. The main thrust of my work now is black and white fine art printed by hand in a real darkroom. I use 6x6, a 6x12 back on a Chamonix 45N-2 and 4x5 with the same camera, the resulting prints simply blow away anything I see from a computer print. The camera, 5 lenses, 12 film holders, a host of filters, step up rings all fit into a Lowe Pro Flipside Sport 15L AW and with a full camelbak and a carbon fiber tripod, it tips the scales at just over 21 pounds.

Scaling back digital in favor of film for fine art is the best career move I have ever made, I am doing really well in terms of income and could not be happier shooting large format film and not sitting in front of a darn computer.

So yeah, you could say I use large format...:)
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Nothing beats a silver print! Well... except maybe Platinum
 
Macshroomer said:
I use 6x6, a 6x12 back on a Chamonix 45N-2 and 4x5 with the same camera, the resulting prints simply blow away anything I see from a computer print. The camera, 5 lenses, 12 film holders, a host of filters, step up rings all fit into a Lowe Pro Flipside Sport 15L AW and with a full camelbak and a carbon fiber tripod, it tips the scales at just over 21 pounds.
Click to expand...

What do you think of the Chamonix? I almost ordered one, but ended up getting a good deal on a lightly-used Shen-Hao. I've got a photobackpacker case for it so I can carry it in my bike's pannier.

It's funny how when you're out in public with a big camera, it becomes a conversation-starter with random strangers.
 
I still shoot 6X6 or 6X7 with holga's but I never got round to buying a 6X7 proper camera (I was craving an RB67 or a RZ67) and I never acquired a 5X4 camera, but used loads...... tbh, I still have access to that stuff from work when I do use it, so I dont really need to buy one.....

I want to give my aunts 10X8 a go though

And yeah im still shooting black and white analogue as I can process and print for free at work..... When I went to iceland I used a hasselblad xpan..... wicked camera :)
 
sim667 said:
I still shoot 6X6 or 6X7 with holga's but I never got round to buying a 6X7 proper camera (I was craving an RB67 or a RZ67)
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RB67's can be had for not very much money these days. The Mamiya lenses are excellent and cheap. You can get a pretty complete kit for less than the cost of an average digitoy, and the RB67 can be used to crush them into little piles of rubble, too.
 
I shoot exclusively film. Mostly 120, and some 35. But I do shoot on a Calumet 4x5 every once in a while. I am the assistant for a photographer that only shoots 4x5 portraits. There are a LOT of people out there still shooting film. Even large format film.
 
MacCruiskeen said:
RB67's can be had for not very much money these days. The Mamiya lenses are excellent and cheap. You can get a pretty complete kit for less than the cost of an average digitoy, and the RB67 can be used to crush them into little piles of rubble, too.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know, about £300....

and to think I nearly paid about £2000 for one 8 years ago.

I still dont have £300 though :D
 
My 4" x 5" camera sits in a box. Way too much work.

Same as my German medium format camera.
 
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