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Lost art - Hand held LF


richard_boulware

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With all due respect to Tim and Chad....in todays world (two days

ago) it looks like this: Some clown with hip waders on, levis and a

light parka, with his hard hat turned around backwards. The Technika

V set on vertical, a small pack with film holders and grafmatics in

it and a Spectra Combi-500 on his belt,...while wadeing out in a

stream to get a shot of a ten ton shovel bucket picking up boulders.

Oh, and Yes....I could use that Deardorff duct tape. My waders sprung

a leak and I nearly froze my left leg. The Cat operator busted his

butt to get the bucket positioned just where I wanted it. He is

impressed with large 4X5 cameras, hand held, I think. Superb

cooperation, frozen left leg, sitting in a hot tub with a cigar and a

class of very cold Vouvray, looking at my contract and smiling.

THANKS,..Linhof and Marflex....this clown is smiling and happy. Life

is good. Screw New Orleans. Been there, done that. Nice place, but

the $$$$ are in Colorado...I think. Be well. RB (:-)

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I hope I didn't come off as a "naysayer" up there. I certainly like

the idea.

 

<p>

 

I think before I look at a press camera though, I would probably make

some sort of handheld bracket for my 8x10" Gowland PocketView (to see

what this looks like, go to http://www.petergowland.com/camera/. Mine

is older and somewhat lighter than the current version). The

standards attach to the rail clamps with ordinary 1/4"-20 screws. I

could replace the whole rail arrangement with a fixed focus flat bar

and attach a bracket crosswise to that with two handles, arial camera

style. I could even dispense with the standards or maybe just the

rear standard, since the front and rear frames also attach to the

standards with ordinary 1/4" screws. Add a door peephole finder, and

I could probably keep it under 6 lbs (about the weight of my Canon

F-1N with motor drive and a 300mm or 400mm lens) with film holder and

120mm lens that way. Hmmm.... maybe this isn't such an unreasonable

proposition after all.

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I've been doing this on and off with my Crown Graphic for the last

couple years. Most interesting looks were from the tourists on the

observation deck of the Empire State Bldg when I whipped it out of a

bag and started snapping shots of the NY skyline . . .

 

<p>

 

I like the effect of handheld lf, but in terms of outright quality, I

would think a well handled mf camera (handheld) would out-do the

quality of the somewhat awkward Crown with the relatively soft 127mm

Ektar.

 

<p>

 

As for film speed, outdoors in sunlight with T-Max 400 you can

usually get a decent exposure. With slower film it was just too much

trouble to get anything useful.

 

<p>

 

When I can afford it I'll probably look into a better rangefinder 4x5.

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Y'know, I think I have to agree with Pete on this one. I used to have

a permanent red mark on the back of my left hand, from the strap of a

Speed Graphic. The mark has long since gone away and I have never

felt the need to return to that insanity....Even from a quality

standpoint, the best hand held work I have ever done, with the

exception of various aerial cameras, has been with a Pentax 6x7.

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A couple of years ago I built my own 4 x 5 point & shoot camera. You

can see it here: http://job.webstar.nl/newcampg.html

I didn't work to any plans so it is no use asking me for them.

It works well but I haven't used it much lately. I use film rated at

800 ISO and a gray day soon brings the shutter speed down to below

1/30th sec. with the lens wide open at f8. Handheld I prefer to use

it at 1/125th sec.

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Although I'm the first to admit that the sharpness, etc. of the image

is probably comparable to a good mf image, the images from handheld

lf are definately not the same as mf. It's about getting a certain

look from the photos, not about being heroic by carrying an outdated

hunk'o'wood. Not sure I can be more specific than that, it's just

different.

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Very interesting topic. Thanks, Richard for getting it started. I just

wonder where are the users of that other classic handheld LF

camera, the Graflex SLR? In college in the 80's I had a D-series

4x5 and a bag-mag. I did portaits and some other stuff.

Unfortunately I sold it when I needed cash and my work

changed. But talk about an interesting and rather unique look,

and a lot of fun to work with, your sitters really feel like they are in

on something special when they see you using one of those!

Someone must be using them (I hope, or is it just collectors?)

the prices for Super-D's keep going up and up. Someday I'll get

back to that, I think.

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Adapting my 8x10" Gowland for handheld use turned out to be quite an

easy project--an evening's work. I made a simple short flat rail out

of cherry wood that replaces the whole monorail and focusing system.

I have a spare tripod socket from a defunct Bronica S2 body I bought

for parts, which is inset into the rail and held with four small wood

screws. The front and rear standards attach with 1/4"-20 screws and

wing nuts. I've got one hole, so it's permanently focused at infinity

with the 120mm lens. I may add another hole for a second focus zone,

since I've got a bit of spare rail space. The whole thing can sit

comfortably on a relatively lightweight tripod like my Tiltall or can

be easily supported with a pistol grip that has a cable release

trigger, like the handheld Sinar wideangle camera.

 

<p>

 

Now I need to make a viewfinder and I should be set.

 

<p>

 

Thanks for the inspiration!

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Richard, you're hardly out of vogue! Based on the number of other

people I've seen handholding LF the last few years, I'd say you're a

trendsetter.

 

<p>

 

I'm an amateur and have used LF of various sizes off and on for fun

for years. But the one aspect of LF I have stuck with is using a

Crown Graphic handheld with rangefinder for "environmental

portraits" of my kids (I had to use quotes because it seemed like a

fancy term for taking their pictures as they ice skate, play golf,

swing on the swingset, build their Legos, or do whatever they like

to do at the moment).

 

<p>

 

Yes, I have several medium format cameras. I use them more often

than anything else. But I love heading out with the Crown. It's

pure fun. And it gives you a look you can't get out of a smaller

format (but you knew that).

 

<p>

 

It doesn't bother me if the naysayers say nay. I won't have any less

fun. I have a blast with handheld LF. In fact, I'm planning to pick

up a Fuji Quickchange holder system (the modern Grafmatic) so that I

can burn off 8 shots even more quickly!

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