Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Locked thread
8th-snype
Aug 28, 2005

My office is in the front room of a run-down 12 megapixel sensor but the rent suits me and the landlord doesn't ask many questions.

Dorkroom Short Fiction Champion 2012


Young Orc
:sweden: The Hasselkrew is severely underrepresented in this thread. Here is an effort post in case any of you scrubs don't know how to load an A12 back.

Start with a nice smooth working surface (completely optional unless you are taking photos of the process).


Grab a roll of your favorite film (:snoop: Tri-X :snoop:).


Remove the film insert from the shell of the back


Make sure to rotate the release catch to retract the presure plate


Hold on to the paper leader


Insert the roll with the backing paper's outer side facing the rollers on the film carrier


Slide the paper underneath the highly technical metal bit that does something important for film flatness (maybe).


Slide the paper into the empty spool and turn the knob until the arrow on the film lines up with the highly technical red triangle on the insert.


Now crank that sucker like it owes you money. The A12 (or 24, don't use an A16 those are scrub tier) is so named because it will automatically stop at frame one.


I did find out the hard way that crank will only stop on frame one. So if you are on frame 6 and jostle it taking the camera out of your bag, whelp. Gaffer tape fixes this and serves as a reminder that you remembered to actually load your camera.


my lens was made in west germany snype


EDIT: fixed spelling errors

8th-snype fucked around with this message at 14:32 on Feb 8, 2013

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

pseudonordic
Aug 31, 2003

The Jack of All Trades
Even though I never shot my perfectly good Mamiya 645 setup when I had it, I want an SQ-Ai or 500cm setup so bad. :(

pseudonordic fucked around with this message at 17:00 on Feb 8, 2013

Count Thrashula
Jun 1, 2003

Death is nothing compared to vindication.
Buglord
:snoop::snoop:SO WHAT'S ALL THIS MEDIUM FORMAT THEN??:snoop::snoop:
Or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the best film format ever created.

So you were walking through Hot Topic, or Gadzooks, or wherever it is the kids buy their hipster stuff nowadays, and you saw a "Holga" camera and thought it looked pretty neat. "Hey," you might have thought, "those pictures look just like my instagram pictures! That seems like an awful lot of work."

Yes, it is! But your medium format photos are not limited to looking like lovely plastic-lens ripoffs of Instagram shittiness!







:siren::siren: WOW!! GREAT CAPTURE!! A++ :siren::siren:

"Great," you decide, "I'm going to start taking medium format pictures and boost my photography career into the realm of Ansel Adams and Diane Arbus!! I'll head to the store right now and buy a Holga!"

Wait a minute there, cowboy! Let's take a minute to weigh our options. Do you want to shoot 645? 6x6? 6x7? 6x9? 6x12?! Let's take a look at the offerings:

645
Pros: Smaller cameras, getting 15 shots per roll, pretty cheap to get into.
Cons: Smaller exposures (6cm x 4.5cm), you look like a loser next to the Hasselkrew and the muscle-bound RB67ers.

645 is a really interesting format. The shape is closer to 35mm, so you've got a really familiar sense of framing if you're coming from 35mm/digital. It's what I cut my teeth on in the medium format world, so I have some sentimentality about it. But really, why not just shoot 6x6/6x7 and crop down to 645 if you want? Again, though, the cheapest MF SLR cameras are 645.

Mamiya 645:


Pentax 645:


Bronica ETRS:


Contax 645:


Fuji GS645:


All of these are great options. The Fuji is a fixed-lens rangefinder, meaning you can't change the lens, but is a great camera. The ETRS has that BALLER grip release, as does the Pentax 645. The Pentax 645N even imprints your EXIF data onto the negative! Wow!

6x6
Pros: God's true chosen format, amazing, wonderful, great, unique, special, loved

Objectively the coolest film format there is. You can crop if you want and still get awesome results, and you have some of the best camera systems money can buy. Also the cheapest! Also... the most expensive. Let's take a look at a few.

Bronica SQ series (SQ-Ai shown):


Hasselblad V-series (500c shown):


Mamiya 6:


TLRs (Rolleiflex & Mamiya C330 shown):



There are countless more examples, but this is just a few. You can get into non-plastic-camera 6x6 for as little as $100 (Yashica or Mamiya TLR) or as much as $1000+ (Hasselblad represent!). Also, Hasselblads were used on the moon. Can any other camera company say that? The Mamiya 6 is like the Fuji GS645 in that it's a fixed-lens rangefinder, but it's still pretty neat.

6x7
Pros: You will get huge biceps and a very strong core
Cons: You will be sore the next day after a field shoot

Okay, so not every 6x7 camera is XBOXHUGE, but it gets the reputation thanks to the Mamiya RB67. Seriously, I owned one and it was the size of a damned toaster oven, and twice as heavy. But it made gorgeous pictures and mechanically it was a dream to operate. I do miss it sometimes.

Bronica GS-1:


Mamiya 7:


Star Destroyer Mamiya RB67:


Pentax 6x7 plus the best camera grip that exists:


Other Stuff

Fuji makes the GW690, which is a 6x9 rangefinder, previously repped in this thread:


The Mamiya Universal Press - you can use 4x5, 120, polaroid, whatever you want on this thing, it's fuckin' weird:



So go forth, young camera user! Go forth and shoot beautiful photos! Check eBay and KEH.com and Adorama.com for good deals on any of these cameras and you'll be happy.

Count Thrashula fucked around with this message at 16:34 on Feb 8, 2013

Count Thrashula
Jun 1, 2003

Death is nothing compared to vindication.
Buglord
How's that?

8th-snype
Aug 28, 2005

My office is in the front room of a run-down 12 megapixel sensor but the rent suits me and the landlord doesn't ask many questions.

Dorkroom Short Fiction Champion 2012


Young Orc

QPZIL posted:

How's that?

What kind of monster desaturates a photo and leaves in the the 400VC border? MY IMMERSION!

Edit: Also the camera in the V series photo doesn't have mirror lock up so it has to be a 500c not a 500c/m.

8th-snype fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Feb 8, 2013

Count Thrashula
Jun 1, 2003

Death is nothing compared to vindication.
Buglord

8th-samurai posted:

What kind of monster desaturates a photo and leaves in the the 400VC border? MY IMMERSION!

Edit: Also the camera in the V series photo doesn't have mirror lock up so it has to be a 500c not a 500c/m.

None of those photos are mine :colbert:

Fixed the 500c thing, thanks for the heads up there.

8th-snype
Aug 28, 2005

My office is in the front room of a run-down 12 megapixel sensor but the rent suits me and the landlord doesn't ask many questions.

Dorkroom Short Fiction Champion 2012


Young Orc
I'm glad that it isn't your photo. Everytime I look at it I see something else that infuriates me. Dutch angle, B&W with C41 border, fork for no reason, gooniest hat this side of fedoraville, fork for no reason, fleece? I bet that man is also wearing jorts (the photographer too probably).

I mean, it's a good example photo. "Start shooting medium format or some fuckwit will use all the film to make things like this."-->

squidflakes
Aug 27, 2009


SHORTBUS
Apparently you're supposed to graduate from 35mm to MF to LF, I guess to ensure that you have the proper skills before you start burning up sheet film.

If you're like me, dumb, and you jumped right in to a big fancy rear end camera, here are some tips:

1.) Buy cheap film.
4X5 sheets aren't all that expensive, but they aren't pocket change either. You can get a 25 sheet box of Ilford B&W for about $40, give or take. Yup, that's two bucks a sheet. That's two bucks every time you open the dark slide. Keep that in the back of your mind.

2.) Get to know your local camera stores.
This one is tricky in small towns and rural areas, but do what you can. Expired 4X5 isn't in nearly the demand as other formats, mostly because the Lomo folks don't make use of it. Alternately, you'll never be able to find any because your camera store orders it a few boxes at a time.

3.) Shoot black and white, and learn to develop it.
Yes, its a bit of work. No, it doesn't require a dark room. You can get a 4X5 daylight developing tank off Amazon for under $100. Your first batch of chemicals (I use Kodak D-76 and will until I can't get anymore, along with Kodak fixer) will be around $30 and the accessories you need like jugs and holders and such will be another $30. Holy poo poo! This is so expensive! Yes, but my first stack of 10 sheets that I took to get developed and scanned cost me $126 and most of them were blurry messes because of various mistakes I had made. Buying your own chemicals, you can develop an entire 25 sheet box for $30.

4.) Get a good scanner.
Save up, they are worth it. I saved up and bought a V700 for about $700. That's a dollar a V. I figure it like this. My first stack of 25 sheets cost me $12.65 per sheet to have developed and scanned. My second stack of 25 cost me $33.20 per sheet to develop and scan myself. My third stack cost me $17.20 per sheet. The fourth stack I'm working on will cost me $11.86 per sheet. The stack after that is $9.20. After that it's $7.60.

5.) Prepare to gently caress it all up all the time.
My first fifty sheets were just a god awful mess. I'm to the point now where most of my sheets are alright, and a few are good enough, but I'm still working at it. My small format shooting has improved, I've become more efficient, and learned to pay much better attention to detail. It has been somewhat frustrating, but when you can show people a negative that's larger than most photos they've ever held, well that just feels pretty cool.

6.) Buy and learn to love a light meter and a range finder
The light meter should be self explanatory and the range finder is there to help you focus. The problem with using 60 year old cameras is that all the parts don't always work right.

Here are some examples of my lovely lovely 4X5 work.





This is what its like when it all goes wrong. Please note that the adorable old people pictured here in all of their blurry glory are the voice actors for GlaDOS and the Sniper for TF2.

squidflakes fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Feb 8, 2013

atomicthumbs
Dec 26, 2010


We're in the business of extending man's senses.

QPZIL posted:

Mamiya 645:


You chose the wrong (i.e. plastic) Mamiya.


IMG_0010 by atomicthumbs, on Flickr


IMG_0012 by atomicthumbs, on Flickr

burzum karaoke
May 30, 2003

The Kowa Six is a great cheaper option to a Hasselblad if you're looking for optical quality. It isn't without its drawbacks though; the Kowa Six does not have a removable back and there aren't a lot of them out there, which can make service pretty difficult if you run into problems.

bobmarleysghost
Mar 7, 2006



8th-samurai posted:

I did find out the hard way that crank will only stop on frame one. So if you are on frame 6 and jostle it taking the camera out of your bag, whelp. Gaffer tape fixes this and serves as a reminder that you remembered to actually load your camera.



What's up with the A12 back, I see some have the "Made by" text and some don't?

Spedman
Mar 12, 2010

Kangaroos hate Hasselblads

squidflakes posted:

1.) Buy cheap film.
4X5 sheets aren't all that expensive, but they aren't pocket change either. You can get a 25 sheet box of Ilford B&W for about $40, give or take. Yup, that's two bucks a sheet. That's two bucks every time you open the dark slide. Keep that in the back of your mind.

3.) Shoot black and white, and learn to develop it.
Yes, its a bit of work. No, it doesn't require a dark room. You can get a 4X5 daylight developing tank off Amazon for under $100. Your first batch of chemicals (I use Kodak D-76 and will until I can't get anymore, along with Kodak fixer) will be around $30 and the accessories you need like jugs and holders and such will be another $30. Holy poo poo! This is so expensive! Yes, but my first stack of 10 sheets that I took to get developed and scanned cost me $126 and most of them were blurry messes because of various mistakes I had made. Buying your own chemicals, you can develop an entire 25 sheet box for $30.

If you want to go cheapest with decent results, go Foma 4x5 film with Rodinal, film and development for about $1 a sheet.

moonduck
Apr 1, 2005
a tour de force

8th-samurai posted:

Edit: Also the camera in the V series photo doesn't have mirror lock up so it has to be a 500c not a 500c/m.

My 500c has mirror lock-up.

QPZIL posted:

The Mamiya 6 is like the Fuji GS645 in that it's a fixed-lens rangefinder, but it's still pretty neat.

The Mamiya 6 (and 7) are both interchangeable lens cameras.

Fragrag
Aug 3, 2007
The Worst Admin Ever bashes You in the head with his banhammer. It is smashed into the body, an unrecognizable mass! You have been struck down.

atomicthumbs posted:

You chose the wrong (i.e. plastic) Mamiya.


IMG_0010 by atomicthumbs, on Flickr


IMG_0012 by atomicthumbs, on Flickr

I think I like you.

So what kind of scan resolutions are feasible? Whenever I scan at school on our V700, I usually just stick to roughly a 10x enlargement, ie a medium format picture will get scanned at 60cm the long side. But how far can you push it?

guidoanselmi
Feb 6, 2008

I thought my ideas were so clear. I wanted to make an honest post. No lies whatsoever.

Fuji also makes the GS680, which is an absurdly large and surprisingly electronic camera for (generally) landscape & architectural use.



I almost bought it - but then decided it was too large to be practical.

I then bought an RZ67 (and resold it back to KEH a year later).

guidoanselmi fucked around with this message at 19:12 on Feb 9, 2013

Randuin
Dec 26, 2003

O-Overdrive~

guidoanselmi posted:

Fuji also makes the GS680, which is an absurdly large and surprisingly electronic camera for (generally) studio use.



I almost bought it - but then decided it was too large to be practical.

I then bought an RZ67 (and resold it back to KEH a year later).

What kind of prices does keh give you?

SoundMonkey
Apr 22, 2006

I just push buttons.


I capitalized your thread title.

What's up now?

guidoanselmi
Feb 6, 2008

I thought my ideas were so clear. I wanted to make an honest post. No lies whatsoever.

i broke even on a body, 2 lenses, and 2 backs though i sold one lens on the forums.

the funny thing is i ruined the camera. i was shooting here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/pfeiffer-beach-big-sur , and it was so windy that the inside of my fuji and RZ turned into the saharah as my face was sandblasted. both cameras stopped functioning. i was able to repair the fuji myself and the RZ was shot. it worked briefly after a diagnostic cleaning but then failed shortly thereafter.

i went to a KEH buy-back night and told them it was non-operable, but the camera decided to work again right then and i got paid well.

of course my pentax K7 kept working without a hitch :smug:

8th-snype
Aug 28, 2005

My office is in the front room of a run-down 12 megapixel sensor but the rent suits me and the landlord doesn't ask many questions.

Dorkroom Short Fiction Champion 2012


Young Orc

moonduck posted:

My 500c has mirror lock-up.



Some 500c cameras have mirror lock up, especially later ones. All 500c/m have lock up though so that not having it makes it a c model.

Paul MaudDib
May 3, 2006

TEAM NVIDIA:
FORUM POLICE

moonduck posted:

The Mamiya 6 (and 7) are both interchangeable lens cameras.

There is actually a non-interchangable-lens Mamiya 6/Six.


Mamiya Six IV (1) by rebollo_fr, on Flickr

Paul MaudDib
May 3, 2006

TEAM NVIDIA:
FORUM POLICE

Randuin posted:

What kind of prices does keh give you?

KEH is really bad about keeping GX680 stuff in stock. They usually do OK on the more common lenses but good luck getting bodies from them, I don't think I've ever seen one in stock.

Primo Itch
Nov 4, 2006
I confessed a horrible secret for this account!

QPZIL posted:

ALL THE CAMERAS!

This post came in quite a good time for me.

big scary monsters posted:

If you're going to be in Germany or can order from German eBay you should look into the Pentacon Six, which the Kiev 60 is essentially a less well made rip off of. It's a pretty sweet camera with a great range of lenses including a bunch made by Zeiss' East German division, Zeiss Jena. Germany is still pretty big on film photography and there are plenty of these things kicking about in good condition and often at good prices.

You could also look at the Exact 66, a similar design with some more modern features like TTL metering. I think you can get an adapter so it'll fit P6 lenses and vice versa.

Way more information than you could ever want on Pentacons, Exaktas and Kievs from this awesome website: http://www.pentaconsix.com.

Wow, looks interesting. There's some for nice prices on eBay, and there's some interesting variations and lots of lenses quite on the cheap side. The exacka 66 is west german made and more modern, but i can't find any on german ebay. Definitely some new possibilities. Thanks!


ExecuDork posted:

Slightly off-topic (still about film, but 35mm) - Primo Itch, nobody in South America has said they want to participate in my Camera Around the World goon-project. /showthread.php?threadid=3499036[/url]

You mean the "Camera-around-the-northwest-USA" project? :haw: Yeah, i'd definitely do it, but there's always to consider the fact that any kind of reasonably priced shipping is going to take a lot of time to and from here, so if I were to join in it would take around 2 to 3 months (4-6 weeks shipping time each way) for just my participation...

Dr. Despair
Nov 4, 2009


39 perfect posts with each roll.

Primo Itch posted:

This post came in quite a good time for me.


Wow, looks interesting. There's some for nice prices on eBay, and there's some interesting variations and lots of lenses quite on the cheap side. The exacka 66 is west german made and more modern, but i can't find any on german ebay. Definitely some new possibilities. Thanks!


You mean the "Camera-around-the-northwest-USA" project? :haw: Yeah, i'd definitely do it, but there's always to consider the fact that any kind of reasonably priced shipping is going to take a lot of time to and from here, so if I were to join in it would take around 2 to 3 months (4-6 weeks shipping time each way) for just my participation...

Hey, the camera is currently floundering in the center of the US now. :colbert:

Genderfluid
Jun 18, 2009

my mom is a slut

guidoanselmi posted:

Fuji also makes the GS680, which is an absurdly large and surprisingly electronic camera for (generally) studio use.



I almost bought it - but then decided it was too large to be practical.

I then bought an RZ67 (and resold it back to KEH a year later).

It's more for landscape and architecture since it has the movements

Jellyko
Mar 3, 2010
But wait--there's more! If you are a poor photographer like me (rim shot!), you might like to shoot bigger film but want to spend smaller amounts of money. Well, believe it or not, it's possible! Allow me to introduce the Konica Rapid-Omega:


P2080192 by bdstickney, on Flickr

Press rangefinder, 6x7 format, interchangeable lenses, and choice of fancy pro (Koni-Omega M, Rapid M, and Rapid Omega 200) or vanilla bodies (Koni-Omega Rapid and Rapid Omega 100). Descended from the Simmon Omega 120, doubtless one of the world's ugliest-ever cameras, but makes up for it by being awesome if somewhat obscure.

What's awesome about it, you ask?
-Generally cost only $100-$200 with a lens and a back
-Pro versions have interchangeable backs.
-Pump-action film advance (ka-CHUNK!)
-Film path is straight (like the Pentax 6x7) for better film flatness. When film is advanced and shutter cocked, the pressure plate smooshes the film right against the gate for even more flatness. Flat flatty flat flat flat.
-Accessory shoes out the rear end (three of them)
-Not as heavy as the P6x7
-Built-in darkslide holder
-Lenses are wicked sharp Konica Hexanons (until the Rapid Omegas, which + lenses were made by Mamiya, but still wicked sharp). A choice of wide angles (a Konica 60mm/5.6 or a Mamiya 58mm/5.6), a 90/3.5 standard lens, and 135mm and 180mm long lenses. Breech-lock mount, and all are rangefinder-coupled.


P2080193 by bdstickney, on Flickr

Observe that the 60mm f/5.6 Hexanon offered RED RING SUPER IMAGE QUALITY way before another Japanese camera mfgr. applied the secret of the red ring to its own premium price point lenses. Observe also that lenses offer a mix of Easy Mode features (handy instructions on how to operate a lens hood) and Pro Tier features (depth of field calculator).

This camera takes pictures:


2010.20.07 by bdstickney, on Flickr


2010.23.06 by bdstickney, on Flickr

As a bonus, if you do not like rangefinders, you could pursue the Koni-Omegaflex, a 6x7 TLR with the same lenses and a lot of the other badass features of the Rapid Omega. If that's not a big enough reflex camera, I'm afraid you'll have to go Gowland...

While the Rapid Omega is (by virtue of being less famous) an eminently affordable entry to the world of professional-quality medium format, folding cameras and TLRs offer even cheaper options. One TLR in particular is worthy of mention: the good old all-American Ciro-Flex.


IMG_5570 by bdstickney, on Flickr

See those screws on the front? They tell you all you need to know about this camera: It's simple and easy as hell to tinker with. With only a slotted screwdriver, you can get to the shutter innards, mirror, and ground glass. The flash synch wiring and focusing cam are accessible through the open back without taking anything apart. It is the Model T of cameras, and with enough Yankee ingenuity you could probably turn it into a sawmill or a tractor as well. :911:


2011.27.07 by bdstickney, on Flickr

Because is it old and simple, it is cheap - $100 or less except when sold on Ebay by people who are clearly smoking something. But it is no slouch as an image-producer. Because medium format does not need to be enlarged as much as 35mm, older lenses are not pushed to their very limits. The Wollensak triplets are decent performers, and are cleverly of a slightly long focal length for 6x6 (85mm f/3.5) which improves corner sharpness without added cost. These Ciros came with ever-set Alpahx shutters with a 1/200 top speed, but there were higher-spec models with a 1/400 cock-and-fire Rapax shutter and a fast Tessar-type lens. They are far less elegant than their German contemporaries (or eventual Japanese competitors), and lack niceties like frame counters and ratchet film advances, but as far as I know they are among the most affordable MF cameras that offer decent lenses and ground-glass focusing.

The same forgiveness that lets cheap cameras like the Ciro-flex deliver respectable image quality where comparable 35mm cameras would struggle also makes medium and large format suitable for the tinkerer and the experimenter. Unsharp pinhole images that might look like a dog's breakfast when squeezed onto 35mm film have greater clarity on larger formats while preserving the "look."


2011.16.01 by bdstickney, on Flickr

Old lenses and 'alt glass' also show better on larger formats (if they have the coverage), because aberrations on the edges of the images are preserved (the "character" of the lens) while the film size evens out tonality and obscures the worst characteristics of a simpler lens. A 35mm-size crop from the center of a 162mm magnifying glass would be too soft for useful detail work, but not sufficiently interesting to give a unique effect. It would simply be a junk lens. But on a 3x4 packfilm sheet (stand-in for 4x5 film), the particular character of the lens is revealed, and it's possible to see that with a somewhat smaller aperture a humble magnifying glass could be neat for portraits:


2011.32.03 by bdstickney, on Flickr

The ability of MF/LF cameras to shoot instant packfilm also gives a leg up over smaller formats (or digital, even). Need a quick gift for a friend's birthday? Bring a camera with a packfilm back with you to the party and you're all set:


2011.22.08 by bdstickney, on Flickr

Finally--old MF/LF cameras are big and made of workable materials like wood and aluminum which makes them less fiddly to alter than small, plastic 35mm cameras, and lens boards are an easier way than adapting a proprietary bayonet mount to use whatever optics you prefer. For instance, all I need to do is cut some plywood and I can try any of these lenses on the Speed Graphic:


P2080201 by bdstickney, on Flickr

...and a bit more complex construction (have to build a back) will give me a 6x6 camera for which I can do the same:


P2080196 by bdstickney, on Flickr

I doubt most people in this thread need even this much convincing that MF/LF is great (it is!), but look what it offers: A shitload of cool cameras of all different types, not all of which cost an arm and a leg; the ability to mess around with weird optics and unholy mis-uses of lenses; respectable image quality even with mediocre equipment (the reason 120 was a preferred consumer film format into the 1950s); and a cost per square centimeter per frame exposed that is even lower than 35mm.* How frugal!

*8x10 Tri-X is the best deal around in terms of cost/area, last I checked. 120 film was also better than 35mm.

ExecuDork
Feb 25, 2007

We might be fucked, sir.
Fallen Rib

Primo Itch posted:

You mean the "Camera-around-the-northwest-USA" project? :haw: Yeah, i'd definitely do it, but there's always to consider the fact that any kind of reasonably priced shipping is going to take a lot of time to and from here, so if I were to join in it would take around 2 to 3 months (4-6 weeks shipping time each way) for just my participation...
Hey, it spent 3 months in one city - at least if it was stuck in a container on a guano freighter off the coast of Venezuela we could blame nameless, faceless, shadowy international figures instead of you! Everyone wins! Seriously, I said in the OP of that thread that I'm advocating "International Economy" as a shipping method, which is (in my opinion) about one step up from slapping a label on it and tossing it in the sea.

Jellyko, because of you and your excellent post, I now really want a Konica Rapid-Omega. Konica is like the forgotten uncle of the camera world, nobody remembers them for what they did in the 1970's and 80's, which was make some pretty cool cameras and lenses. I've been pondering an interchangeable-lens rangefinder, now I think I've settled on what I want. Thanks!

Spedman
Mar 12, 2010

Kangaroos hate Hasselblads


Just did a TinType workshop today (that is me above), have to say I'm going to put the Chamonix on hold and get into wet plate for while. Its so much fun, I couldn't recommend it enough. This was shot with my Speed Graphic using the monster f/2.9 lens, all the extra light and shallow depth of field really and the lack of coatings makes this lens really work for tin type.

8th-snype
Aug 28, 2005

My office is in the front room of a run-down 12 megapixel sensor but the rent suits me and the landlord doesn't ask many questions.

Dorkroom Short Fiction Champion 2012


Young Orc

Spedman posted:



Just did a TinType workshop today (that is me above), have to say I'm going to put the Chamonix on hold and get into wet plate for while. Its so much fun, I couldn't recommend it enough. This was shot with my Speed Graphic using the monster f/2.9 lens, all the extra light and shallow depth of field really and the lack of coatings makes this lens really work for tin type.

That photo owns.I'm just gonna leave this here, http://www.chamonixviewcamera.com/wetplateholders.html

Spedman
Mar 12, 2010

Kangaroos hate Hasselblads

8th-samurai posted:

That photo owns.I'm just gonna leave this here, http://www.chamonixviewcamera.com/wetplateholders.html

Cheers man, I might post the first go at the self portrait later, LOTS of interesting defects.

The lady teaching the workshop showed us how to use unmodified film holders for wet plate. All you do is cut the metal a touch thinner and you can use the pressure on the holder from the graflok back to keep the metal flush in the holder. I'm basically gonna use the cash from the monorail I just sold to get set up with chemicals and build a little portable darkroom. I haven't been this excited about photography in a long time :toot:

8th-snype
Aug 28, 2005

My office is in the front room of a run-down 12 megapixel sensor but the rent suits me and the landlord doesn't ask many questions.

Dorkroom Short Fiction Champion 2012


Young Orc
I look forward to seeing the results. I want to get into tintypes some time in the next year or two.

Captain Postal
Sep 16, 2007

QPZIL posted:

6x6
Pros: God's true chosen format, amazing, wonderful, great, unique, special, loved

Objectively the coolest film format there is. You can crop if you want and still get awesome results, and you have some of the best camera systems money can buy. Also the cheapest! Also... the most expensive. Let's take a look at a few.

Hasselblad V-series (500c shown):


I know everyone is going to want their pet camera mentioned, but where is the 200 series? And you should hang your head in shame for not giving it some love. Fully compatible with and has all the features of the 500 series with some awesome party tricks like a focal plane shutter giving higher speeds, impossible to lock, multi-exposure as standard, choice of either 500 series or 200 series lenses (200 series don't have a shutter so are slightly less error prone and often cheaper)... I don't know why anyone would choose a 500 over a 200.
Just don't get a 1000 or 1600 - they are the progenitors of the 200 and feature a foil shutter that breaks whenever you look at it wrong, and the camera is a write-off. 200's have silk shutters that are very tough.

edit: good write-up. I vote that your post be put into dorkasaurus' reserved 2nd post. I got into MF because of the OP of the last thread and your write-up is too good to be on page 2

Captain Postal fucked around with this message at 11:31 on Feb 9, 2013

8th-snype
Aug 28, 2005

My office is in the front room of a run-down 12 megapixel sensor but the rent suits me and the landlord doesn't ask many questions.

Dorkroom Short Fiction Champion 2012


Young Orc

Captain Postal posted:

I don't know why anyone would choose a 500 over a 200.

Leaf shutters own, that's why. :colbert:

Captain Postal
Sep 16, 2007
the 200 has both leaf and focal plane. 2 shutters. By your logic it owns and then some. :colbert:

evil_bunnY posted:

They just tend to be more expensive (at least they were last time I looked).
I don't think this is the thread to worry about price. Mine is pristine condition and was ~$900 with a 150/2.8, wlf and one A12 back

Captain Postal fucked around with this message at 13:26 on Feb 9, 2013

evil_bunnY
Apr 2, 2003

Captain Postal posted:

the 200 has both leaf and focal plane. 2 shutters. By your logic it owns and then some. :colbert:
They just tend to be more expensive (at least they were last time I looked).

ExecuDork
Feb 25, 2007

We might be fucked, sir.
Fallen Rib
This is why you should shoot LF
http://www.petapixel.com/2013/02/08/david-burnetts-speed-graphic-photos-of-the-london-2012-olympics/

Fragrag
Aug 3, 2007
The Worst Admin Ever bashes You in the head with his banhammer. It is smashed into the body, an unrecognizable mass! You have been struck down.

I just have to throw this series in as well. Though to be honest, Simon Roberts shot this with a digital MF camera, but only because he didn't get the permission to use his LF camera.

http://simoncroberts.com/work/xxx-olympiad/#PHOTO_0

burzum karaoke
May 30, 2003


That fuckin' shot of the tennis match. :aaa:

I didn't think Speed Graphics had that much tilt control... or that you could use a prism viewfinder instead of (or with) the rangefinder. I need to start buying things.

bobmarleysghost
Mar 7, 2006



Captain Postal posted:

I don't think this is the thread to worry about price. Mine is pristine condition and was ~$900 with a 150/2.8, wlf and one A12 back

Then you are lucky as hell. The 202FA body by itself goes for $1500 on Keh.

nielsm
Jun 1, 2009



These were posted near the end of the old thread, and are worth repeating:
http://www.toyoview.com/LargeFrmtTech/lgformat.html
http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/camera%20movements.html

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

burzum karaoke
May 30, 2003

How feasible is it to unload a partially shot roll of 120 and reload it later? I have a single exposure used on a roll of Velvia 50 that's been keeping me from shooting what I want to.

If I have to, I'll just ditch the roll, but it seems like a waste.

  • Locked thread