Been pouring through a book of landscapes and I notice that 90% of these photographers are using large format cameras. I know nothing about camera larger than 35mm. Is there a good online resource for this stuff?
Fot this I would ahve to say just google.....or go to a few of the mfg'er sites (linhoff, Wista etc etc).......an ex-coworker of mine actually put to gether a work fild camer in the 4x5 size....a cherry wood kit, I think you can still find ads for them in shutter bug and there is a mag dedicated to large format photography......some people will never leave film until you just can't buy it any more.....think they are called purest:D..........
For landscapes I can see the attraction of large format. In photography, bigger really is better. Consider that an 8x10 print from a 35mm camera is approximately going from 24mmx36mm to 203mmx254mm, or a 7x-8x enlargement; 645 MF is approximately 45mmx60mm or approximately 4x enlargement (larger format 120 rollfilm MF cameras are even better off), while that 8x10 LF camera is 1x enlargement (i.e., contact print). Now, which one is going to be the best quality print? What happens when you want a 60" wide print? There's good reason LF cameras and sheet film is still going strong for art photography. I've looked at prices and considered it myself.
Large format film photography still has a place in large "printed" projects. A major advantage of large format is that because the image is sooo much larger, the resolution of lenses and film doesn't have to be so great. The major advantage of this is that the designers of large format lenses and film can concentrate their efforts on other attributes instead.
Lenses can be better corrected for color aberration and contrast, and color accuracy (or at least color quality) can be more highly tuned.
Large format cameras tend to use bellows (or bag) systems to couple the lens to the body, allowing for tilt and swing mechanisms which are important to certain optical corrections.
Wide angle lenses are more practical to implement on a large format system since there is no mirror or shutter in the way, so you don't need the optical relay elements of the smaller formats.
Because there is no automation in large format photography, each image tends to be more planned and deliberate. This forces more total thought into each image, and the cost of each image encourages careful focus and exposure.
For more Internet resources, do what Art suggested and Google for:
"large format photography"
f32
f64
+"Ansel Adams" +equipment
I've been doing 35 digital for several years now and recently took up Medium format (Hasselblad 503CW 6x6cm) and just last week Large format (Toyo Field 4x5in), and I think I'm going to sell my MF body/lenses. Just renting a MF hasselblad and 35mm equiv lens for one weekend had a huge impact on how I photographed after that. One reason was because I was using Velvia Slide Film which only has 3 fstops of range which means you have to setup your composition then wait for all the light to be juuuuust right, really made you think more. Overall it was a very enriching experience and only cost about $35 for the weekend even if you don't buy your own rig. Large format 4x5 is all that x5 the level of patience, setup, and creative options. And man, polaroid transfers is a whole other world of magic, as well as alternative processing in general.
Photo.net is a great resource (and AFAIK the oldest running photo hangout on the net).
What Sizam mentioned is a lot of what I love about my MF rig (Mamiya 645Pro). The lack of automation and knowing you are consuming film really slows things down; you think more about the image. The nice side effect is that more deliberate thought process bleeds back over to the digital. While digital is nice in it's "cost-free shooting" and instant feedback, it does have the effect of encouraging machine-gunning or shotgunning a subject--like the WTD T-shirt says: "shoot like hell & hope one sticks" which is a bad habit.
Now that I'm thinking of it, you should grab Ansel Adams' 3-book series and give it a read (The Camera, The Negative, The Print). They are still very good reads, and if you are taking up LF, even more of the information is useful. thumb
I have been piecing together a 4x5 system over the last year or so, and I am getting hooked on the amount of information recorded. Here is a shot from earlier this week, with the second image showing an almost full size crop of the lower right plaque scanned at 6400 dpi. The entire film scanned at this resolution would give over 600 megapixels...
Comments
http://www.apug.org/forums/forum44/ (just remember that "digital" is a dirty word here
http://www.f32.net/
There's probably more.
For landscapes I can see the attraction of large format. In photography, bigger really is better. Consider that an 8x10 print from a 35mm camera is approximately going from 24mmx36mm to 203mmx254mm, or a 7x-8x enlargement; 645 MF is approximately 45mmx60mm or approximately 4x enlargement (larger format 120 rollfilm MF cameras are even better off), while that 8x10 LF camera is 1x enlargement (i.e., contact print). Now, which one is going to be the best quality print? What happens when you want a 60" wide print? There's good reason LF cameras and sheet film is still going strong for art photography. I've looked at prices and considered it myself.
http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/
Lenses can be better corrected for color aberration and contrast, and color accuracy (or at least color quality) can be more highly tuned.
Large format cameras tend to use bellows (or bag) systems to couple the lens to the body, allowing for tilt and swing mechanisms which are important to certain optical corrections.
Wide angle lenses are more practical to implement on a large format system since there is no mirror or shutter in the way, so you don't need the optical relay elements of the smaller formats.
Because there is no automation in large format photography, each image tends to be more planned and deliberate. This forces more total thought into each image, and the cost of each image encourages careful focus and exposure.
For more Internet resources, do what Art suggested and Google for:
"large format photography"
f32
f64
+"Ansel Adams" +equipment
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
I way encourage you to go try it out!
What Sizam mentioned is a lot of what I love about my MF rig (Mamiya 645Pro). The lack of automation and knowing you are consuming film really slows things down; you think more about the image. The nice side effect is that more deliberate thought process bleeds back over to the digital. While digital is nice in it's "cost-free shooting" and instant feedback, it does have the effect of encouraging machine-gunning or shotgunning a subject--like the WTD T-shirt says: "shoot like hell & hope one sticks" which is a bad habit.
Now that I'm thinking of it, you should grab Ansel Adams' 3-book series and give it a read (The Camera, The Negative, The Print). They are still very good reads, and if you are taking up LF, even more of the information is useful.
http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/
One of my favorite large format photographers is Rodney Lough. He even offers some amazing teaching excursions. I hope to go on one sometime.
One of my favorite images.
GreyLeaf PhotoGraphy
Wow. That is beautiful. I think I'm in love with the Toyo 4X5, now!
www.motorpo-po.smugmug.com