Beginner wanting to work with B and White phtography

I am a beginner to the area of Photography and would like some

information from the experts. I want to concentrate on black and

white photography. I am looking for a camera that would capture the

detail that can be captured on Black and white. I want a german

lense and need something affordable. Can you perhaps recommend

several options as far as equipment (camera and lense) and the type

of film? Thanks in advance.

RJ

There's a section on this and the b&w printing forum with several threads discussing common questions from beginners. Take a look through them and see if they answer some of your basic questions.

 

As for a camera, don't become too preoccupied with equipment. It's a distraction from the real purpose which is to make photographs.

 

If you really want something like a Leica, Contax, Rollei or some other camera with a German heritage and it's within your budget, fine. I enjoy using my post-WWII Rolleiflex.

 

But there are many, many less expensive cameras and lenses that will make photographs that are virtually indistinguishable in quality. I'd suggest investing only a moderate part of your budget on camera equipment because you'll need a budget for film processing and, possibly, print processing if you plan to do your own b&w work from start to finish.

Welcome!

 

I second Lex's comments and I'd suggest you get a fully manual camera with one lens and a meter. That way, you will have to learn how shutter speed, aperture, and film work together. Most of this stuff is pretty cheap on eBay these days and includes some really good quality equipment. If you stick with main brands such as Canon or Nikon, you can always find accessories as you need them.

 

I'd also suggest you look at published work and find some B/W photos you like. Try to make some images that have a similar look. This could take a while and during this time, you will learn a lot.

 

Start using just one kind of film and learn all the things you can do with it. You should also think about developing your own negatives as that's part of the creative process as well.

 

Good Luck - you can look forward to a lot of fun, even from the mistakes.

If you are interested in developing and printing, I suggest you find a rollfilm camera. There are many of these, but 120 film is a lot easier to deal with than 35mm film. And easy means a lot more fun.

Hello RJ! Welcome to what may become a life long pursuit. First Lex is right. German lenses & affordable tend not to be used in the sentence. For detail look at medium format. Get a TLR camera and a light meter. Read, Read & Read. There are 1000's of post on these forums that can answer many of your questions as well as 100's of websites that have tons of information. If you are fortunate enough to have a local camera store that deals in used gear ( not Ritz-Wolf etc.) I suggest getting to know them and patronized their store. They can be a wealth of information. Keep in mind that Ansel Adams shot most of his most famous images with either 4x5 or 8x10 Large Format camera.Good Luck -Brad

RJ, everyone has given you good advice. The equipment, beyond a certain point, is secondary.

 

If you want to start with medium format, the Yashica twin lens reflex cameras (such as the D, Yashica-MAT, EM, or LM) can be had for under $150 on that Internet auction site. Look for one that has a Yashinon, as opposed to a Yashikor, taking lens. They all use 120 roll film, and produce 12 images, 6 cm x 6 cm, on each roll. These images are large enough that you can see a fair amount of detail from a contact print.

 

While you're buying, get a light meter (the meters on the old TLRs probably won't work).

 

Film? There are many choices. You might start with an old standard, Kodak Tri-X, which has a "box" speed of 400. Don't have a meter? Use the "sunny sixteen rule:" on a cloudless sunny day, between 10 am and 4 pm, a "normal" negative will result if you set your lens to f16, and your shutter speed to the reciprocal of your film speed. For 400 speed film, set the shutter to 1/400. A hazy sun, but with shadows? Open the lens to f11. Less light, more lens (and a smaller f number). Shoot one roll on a bright sunny day at f16 and 1/400, and another roll on a bright sunny day at f16 and 1/200, and compare the two rolls. What happens? (If you have someone else develop your film, be sure to tell them what speed you used).

 

As quickly as you can, learn to develop film and make contact prints. Look for what photographers call "mid-tones;" the areas of the print that are transitions between pure black and pure white.

 

Search this forum for information on film, developers, lighting, filters, and read, read, read.

 

Good shooting.

 

/s/ David Beal * Memories Preserved Photography, LLC

I'm no expert and dont have much advice to offer that hasn't been mentioned already.

 

I think finding a b&w film that suits your needs, look and the style you'd like to acheive

will be just as important. All b&w films are not equal and have different characteristics.

I'd suggest buying one roll of each (over time if you dont have the funds) to experiment

with. Perhaps you'd want to start with the more "popular" brands. I'll name a few that I

know of, by all means add more to this list; Kodak Tri-x, Kodak Tmax, Ilford HP5, Ilford

Delta, Ilford FP4, Fuji Neopan, Agfa APX ... in no particular order :)

For a beginner you have some interesting prejudices/preconceptions.

BTW, RJ, if you really do want some German heritage in your camera, the most affordable might be a Rolleicord (less expensive) or Rolleiflex (more $$$) TLR (twin lens reflex). Doesn't much matter whether it has a Schneider-Kreuznach or Zeiss lens, tho' some folks regard the Zeiss as more prestigious. That usually just means paying a lot more money for a negligible difference in optical performance.

 

There are also some good buys to be found in Contax SLRs and lenses. Some purists don't regard the recent models like the Aria and lenses to be "true" German heritage Contaxes but they're very well regarded performers and reasonably priced.

RJ, I would recommend getting a Pentax K1000, which you can get in excellent condition, for about $100, with the Takumar 50mm lens. It's all manual, you will have to learn about exposure, you will have a tremendous amount of fun, and the pictures come out great. If you want to spend a bit more, go to http://www.keh.com and look for a used Nikon FE2, or FM/FM2n, and a 50mm lens. These will cost just a bit more, are excellent cameras, and the FE2 has aperture priority for once you learn a bit more about exposures.-Ken

As a lecturer in photography I'd agree with Ken, above. I recommend my students to buy a s/h Pentax (K1000, ME, ME Super, MG) or similar. When your photographic skills are up to the mark, then buy the Rollei or Hasselblad.

As a fellow newbie to B+W, I will just pass on the two camera's I use in Black and white.

 

Canon Elan 7n - its full auto, so the first roll or two you can focus on devleoping and not worry that your way off, as you learn, you can take more control.

 

Yashica-Mat EM - 120 rollfilm camera, fully manual, and a lot of fun.*

 

As for german optics, I not much of a lens snob, as the great limits on my photos is not my equipment, but my skill (or lack thereof) Though a canon 28-105 zoom and the Yashica-mat TRl lens are awfully nice.

 

*Right now putting my first B+W film roll though my Mat....

First off, go buy a copy of Henry Horenstein's book, Black and White Photography. I

cannot stress enough that too few people do any reading any more. You'll get a lot

out of that book, as well as several others that cover the topic well.

Second, like the others said, don't get hung up on equipment. You sound as if you

think you need to buy a Leica to take good b&w photos. No, go buy any SLR with

manual controls, and a good 50mm lens to start. Right off the bat, I'd say skip the

old Pentax gear -- it's getting old. Buy a Nikon FM2N (used) and a Nikkor 1.8 50mm

lens. You will have the nucleus of a good system right there. Another great

equivalent camera would be a Minolta X-700 and the Minolta Rokkor 58 mm 1.4 lens.

Third, pick one of the films usually offered --I'll suggest Ilford HP5+ or Delta 400

films over Tri-X. Use DD-X one-shot developer, a stop bath, and Ilford rapid fixer.

Fourth: Bracket, bracket, bracket your exposures until you are familiar with the kind

of results that you'll get and the ones that appeal to you most.

Fifth: Read and look some more

If you are going to do everything on your own (I mean the processing), sooner or later you'll want to play with medium format, maybe large too. I'd say skip 35mm, but do more reading before you start taking pictures, because few medium format cameras are fool proof, as opposed to many automatic 35mm SLRs. Foolproofness came in handy for me in the beginning, but I guess that's because I was too lazy to think. The thing is, there are cameras like the Mamiya RB67 for prices I just can't believe. It is almost guilt not to buy one. At the same time, I just grew into medium format, and I'm not sure I would have adviced you to skip 35mm a couple of years ago, when I was struggling with my first AF Nikon. If you do skip it, be prepared for difficulties and frustration. In a way, it teaches you to be more patient and handle "catastrophies".

 

Is there any particular reason why you're so obsessed with German glass? I'm just asking because I am by no means an expert, and I just want to know if there is anything so special about them that a beginner who is buying his first camera does not want anything else. Those toys are expensive, you know. I think Japanese glass served me well all this time.

I have to second the notion of getting rid of your obsession with German glass, particularly as a beginner.

 

I'm sure there are millions of living photographers who can take better photos with a toy camera than I can with a Leica.

Hi Yev,

I am feeling like you, six months ago, trying to understand how to start developing and printing in B&W photograph. I need to start telling you something about some decisions I made to get starting on B&W. First of all, I decide to transform a "lavabo" (toillet in sitting room) in a darkroom. The toillet in the last 10 years I used for no more than 5 times. Then I decide to buy an enlarger. I meet the photographer in my city and asked him about that. So, he gave me a very old one (There is no trade mark on that). He also gave me some prepared chemicals and I decided to develop and copy some photos. Results: bad. Noting surprise for me. I live in Brazil, in Minas Gerais state, in a very small town. So I decided to go to Belo Horizonte, the capital and look for the best photographer on B&W to talk to him. He suggested me to buy another enlarger and good quality lens. I could get a Durst M700 + Nikkor 50 mm lens for something around 200 dollars, not to bad. The results became much better. The best thing was concerned with the toillet. In the last 10 years, the toillet was used no more than 5 times. The darkroom has been used daily, in the last 2 months. I take photos as hobbie. I am professor at the University, but I enjoy very much photograph. Reading what all the people told you I was just thinking about everything I did in the last few months and I agree with all of them, concerning the cameras, films, enlargers, etc. But one thing I will tell you. I read something once that I still keep in mind. The most important thing is not the cameras, lens, etc. The most important thing is what is behind the camera and you will be behind that. B&W photograph is facinating. Photograph is facinating. You start seeing the things in different way, not just looking around. You start looking the forms, the colors, the light and you start seeing something you never had seen before. I stimulate you to continuous in B&W. I am not specialist, I am just somebody, who does photograph for fun. I grow orchids and photograph them. I have some photos of orchids on photo.net (Francisco Xavier Ribeiro do Vale) and I would appreciate if you could have a look on them. I will put some B&W photos next week on that site. If you want to talk more about photography, send me a email and I can send you some photos I have taken and doing everything by myself (developing and copying). My email is dovale@ufv.br

I also suggest you something. Go to the internet and look for all sites on B&W photography and see the most photos you can (observe how the photographers make the composition, how they use the lights, etc.). Another thing: read, read, read,... At the same time, take a lot of photos and develop and print by youself and see the results. You will see, every day how you will be improving and the results will be better day after day.