Getting max depth of field from 150mm on 4x5 for close-ups.

Being fairly new at this I was wondering if I can get some tips on this as I have a custom made muzzleloading rifle that has exotic wood that I want to photograph. I know some about the "Scheimpflug Rule".

Since I only have the 150 lens (hope to get a 90mm soon), I don't have powerful lighting and will use bounce light which means a wider aperture. Any input from anyone appreciated. I use Tri-X. E-mail me.

Thanks, RED!

Using a larger aperture means you will have to use tilts or swings to

maximize your DOF. Position your subject (rifle) so you can take

maximum advantage of tilts. Are you using strobe? If so, maybe you can

still stop down more and use multiple pops to get your exposure. This

works best in a darkened room with the shutter open (on T or B), so

you dont need to disturb the camera by recocking the shutter. Just

trigger your strobe manually. You can also use a continuous light

source and go for a longer exposure. Since you are using B&W, the

light temperature isnt much of an issue, so you dont need color

compensating filters.

Red,

there is no qick recipe for your problem, you need to read, study and

understand the function of aperture, tilt movements and last but

certanly not the least the distance which you use for shooting. In

other words. Aperture is a way of controlling depth of field, up until

certain values the smaller aperture the better , but, beware of

diffraction.Knowledgeble Tilt movements in conbination with suitable

aperture gives you extreme results, but you have to understand where

the focussing plane actually is and what happens when you close your

diaphragm. Always try to fill your frame can lead to deep

disappointment, sometimes you have to go just a little less close to

your subject (smaller picture) and only later crop for maximum results.

It isn't difficult but takes time to digest all concepts. There are

many books and everyone has its favourites, mine is : Photo Know-how

Sinar editions (Carl Koch and Joost Marchesi).

Have lots of fun!

Andrea Milano w.f.p.a. member

Randall: Why not take the rifle outside where there is plenty of

light and room to constuct a proper background. Open shade should

work well, as will direct sunlight if you can control the

reflections. Bright sunlight under a scrim will certainly work. Also,

I would try different filters, such as orange, yellow or light red to

bring out the grain in what I suspect to be beautiful wood.

<p>

A white bedsheet on a frame would make a great scrim for the shot, or

you can just drape it over a clothesline and raise the corners on

poles. I made some open shade shots of guns at a black powder shoot a

few years ago that looked great.

<p>

Hope this helps,

<p>

Doug.

You are using B&W so why not use the aperature that works best and

then extend your exposure time to give a good exposure. I often

shoot under similar conditions in my home with an ordinary 100 watt

bulb. My exposure time ranges from a minute and a half to an hour

and a half, whatever is needed. Just a thought.

I'm assuming that you will be making detail shots of this subject. If

that's the case, there are a couple of things I'd like to point out.

First, since depth of field is influenced by subject to lens distance,

chances are you will need to use a smaller aperture than you might

think in order to keep even a relatively shallow subject in focus.

Secondly, a time exposure might be called for in order to use the

aperture you require, thus making it necessary to consider three more

things! 1. To eliminate the possibility of blur, a rock steady tripod

will be necessary as well as a long cable release. 2. You will have to

compensate for bellows extension when doing this close-up work,

requiring added exposure time. 3. You will need to increase the

exposure indicated by your meter and then modified for bellows factor

to compensate for the reciprocity departure that film exhibits when

making multi-second exposures. The charts indicating what those

adjustments are for a particular film are available from the

manufacturer. One last thing to keep in mind is that while employing

Scheimpflug's rule in doing your set up, be mindful of any portion of

the subject that seems to get more out of focus as you experiment with

tilts and swings. You don't get something for nothing when adjusting

the focus plane! Oh, and I promise this is all I'll add: One reason

photographers use monorails for tabletop work is to be able to rack the

entire camera forward and backward without changing the distance

between front and rear standards. This enables one to focus by moving

the entire camera closer to or further from the subject. Without this

feature, it's a constant jockying of focus and tripod position to get

the subject size correct on the ground glass. I know of some folks who

have mounted their field cameras on large focusing racks to accomplish

the same thing. I hope this helps you.

And remember to develope for about 15% less time if your exposure is

too much longer than normal for the film you are using. Long exposures

for reciprocity departure is always accompanied by decreases in

development time. James

I do want to disagree with James that "all" long exposures need a

reduction in development. When I first started doing long exposures

I also believed this to be true ( not that James is inexperienced in

this matter). I have found that when photographing small areas

indoors that I often only have an subject brightness range of only 2

or 3 stops. So I might gain a stop or stop and half in contrast with

the long exposure and still give a N+ development. Depends on the

situation. If you are controlling the light and aren't starting with

a high SBR, then I would say that a reduction may not be needed.

Develop for the situation would be my best advise.

Along the lines of what Jeff just posted, one of the reasons I prefer

T-Max emulsions over others is that they seem to be less prone to

building up excessive contrast when shooting long exposures. They are

not totally immune from this problem, but only until you get to

exposures of around 15 minutes, if memory serves me, do they require

some minus development to make the highlights printable without

excessive loss of detail.

Not to dispute anyone but the data sheet for all kodak products say to

decrease development by a certain amount so the densities stay within

bounds. My shots of white epiphylum cactus flowers the other day

indoors with artificial lighting were in the 2-6 minute range, 2.5

stop SBR, TMY and TX sheet film, and when developed to N were dense

and contrasty for my original intent. I decreased the development time

to 4 mins 15 secs 68* D76 1:1 in hangers. They now print with no

manipulation at all. My caution was meant to bring attention the fact

that with long exposures the highlight halides are really what you

need to watch and adjust for in your development scheme. With the

flower set up, the fower petals were a Z7.5 and the deep centers were

Z5 so I could safely pull my development without losing any shadow

detail deep within the flower. Jeff is right in that not all setups

require such vigilance but do beware to use caution and follow the

data sheet with long exposures when they get into the minutes range.

Make backup exposures if you can. James