A Simple Wooden Camera

A wooden field camera, some film, a little understanding and a good

eye.

____________________

 

Some folks are saying these aren't enough anymore. They say I also

need a light meter, digital camera, filters, polarizers, super-long

lenses, film packaged in little envelopes meant to be inserted into

those contraptions from which you must rip it back out again, and

more money than Bill Gates himself for travel and post-processing.

 

I have the camera, the film, the eye, and the sense of humor.

 

I do NOT need a digital camera, I do not need a device to feed me

exposure values, and I do not need a million dollars just to save my

RAW files. They can spend their thousands on the latest, state-of-the-

art gear. And they can spend that much the next year to keep up with

the trends, and they can spend triple that getting to the best

locations.

 

The thing that is only slightly amusing to me is that, after months

of thought on the subject, I have realized that a $10,000 camera can

never replace a good old wooden camera, a little understanding and a

good eye. Funny how the simplest things can give us the greatest

satisfaction, both on the outside *and* the inside.

 

A simple wooden camera is good enough for me indeed.

 

Sorry if this sounds like a rant. Well, it is, and it's not. It's

just a bunch of jumbled feelings coming out. I've been going through

great internal battle and sometimes it helps to just write it out.

Sorry.

Just what have you got against keeping the economy moving? We have to keep consuming to keep our heads above water. I NEED a new 8 mpg SUV every year or so. There are terrible snow drifts and mud slides in my Chicago neighborhood and the family must get to music, dance school, swimming, health spa at all costs.

 

Yea, you are of course correct.

How much does a single shot cost you (film, processing, & proofs)?

Gloria...a fair number of years back, I got interested in photography. The idea of large format intrigued me. I read up on it, and it sounded like fun.

 

Then I started shopping.

 

A "wooden field camera" sounds simple and cheap, but they aren't either. At that time (pre-digital), those suckers were expensive, and I never could afford one. A good lens would have cost as much as all of my 35mm stuff put together. Film is several dollars a pop. If you don't have a light meter, you can started bracketing, at several dollars a pop (and in fact, I do have a light meter, just not a spot meter). I didn't have a darkroom, and just getting stuff developed and/or printed would have been a major expense. Add in the cost of a good tripod and maybe a nice 8x10 enlarger, and you are talking some big bucks.

 

Right now, the cost of a lot of this digital gear is very close to the cost of the large-format cameras, lens, and enlargers from 15 years ago. If you want cheap digital, wait ten years, and all of today's current multi-thousand goodies, you can have for a song.

 

I would even question the cost of "a little understanding". For most photographers "a little understanding" means "learning from the experience of thousands of dollars worth of processing". It isn't cheap.

More power to you! I love my 4x5 Korona and the simplicity of using the basics. You are not the only one who feels that doing what you want the way you want is more important than tests, and figures, and ratings, and reviews. Bigger is not always better, newer is not always better, and doing things the ways someone else say it should be done is not always better.

 

I'm sure that some people will jump in and start counting beans about various aspects of different gear and other miscelaneous things, but I think you are right on the money. Have fun, shoot, and do it the way you want, and if somebody else doesn't like, they can kiss your...

 

- Randy

I prefer a simple metal camera :o) You are right in focusing on the basics--some tools (whichever you prefer), a little understanding and a good eye, and a sense of humor. Put to good use these simple things do tend to brighten one's day.

Why bother adding a lens, shutter and focusing?

 

To keep it simple, a pinhole contraption is the way to go.

 

To avoid printing from a film, a pinhole polaroid could make it even simpler :-)

You are right. When I worked in a camera store on commission we loved the snobby equipment buyers. The pictures they made, when they actually made one, were never any better due to equipment. Spend the money on film, paper and traveling if need be. More often than not it's f/8 and be there. One camera, lens, film, developer and paper. You can skip the meter 90% of the time with the f/16 sunny rule once you KNOW what your combination will do.

One really can keep it simple and cheap. For instance, a Pony Premo 4x5 camera on eBay. Around $100. Get one with some plate holders. Find some 4x5 film sheaths (or be lucky and it already has them), and you are in business.

 

Sure, the lens will probably "just" be Rapid Rectillinear. But at f/11, those are plenty fine lenses.

Ken Rockwell cites a survey done of award-winning photographs. The survey found that 80% were taken using the normal lens.

 

Ken, an award-winning photographer, says its not the equipment!

 

He has a lot to say on a lot of topics; his site is worth a read:

 

kenrockwell.com

You know why you feel like this? Because you are an artist! Dont liten to anybody! just do your own thing!

good luck Frankie!

"Ken, an award-winning photographer, says its not the equipment!"

 

Does he use a pinhole polaroid cam?

I totally agree. Seems all the forums I read are "I just bought this Whatcha-harry with a schnobby 499 lens and blah blah blah.. and I was wondering, When I go on my annual pilgrimage on my yacht around the globe, should I wear my Armani or would shorts be ok for shooting pics of the Queen" And typical responses are.. "Well, it has been my experience that when shooting my Dearsnort with the G-golly 440 during my visits with the Prime Minister that you should never wear tennis shoes with no socks"

Come ON!! Gimme a break. Are these forums for sharing tech advice etc, or a brag-board? They all start their questions and replies with "I just unloaded umpteen bucks on a camera set up (and unsaid is..that I could get just about as good a picture if I had bought a throw-away...)" I have two old beater wood cameras with bottom-feed lenses, tripods that look like WW-I rejects, and you know what? I am as happy with the shots I get as a hot dog is in a cool puddle of mud. I don't give two hoots how much money you spend on the thing. If your imagination is out of focus, the camera never will be. Good rant. Couldn't agree more.

I think it is worth remembering that for some, the technical limitations that can be overcome are a big part of their hobby, and some thoroughly enjoy pushing the envelope of sharpness, contrast, resolution, acutance, etc., and will spend whatever is required to get to the end of that road. It is further worth remembering that the information gained at the expense of these intrepid testers, benefits all who make an effort to understand and assess it. I thank you all for doing the work that I have neither the means, nor temperament to do, and I can forgive you for suggesting that my own equipment and/or techniques are inadequate to my purposes.

 

substandardly yours,

 

 

Jay

That's rich - LF photogs ripping on others for spending too much money on their hobby.

...In fact, if you check out Gloria's bio, you'll see that during her "months of thought", in which she came to the conclusion that a "simple wooden camera" was enough for her, she apparently had the luxury of chewing through a pretty expensive Nikon system and then a Canon system before settling on her frugal Large Format system - and trips to Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, New Jersey, Louisiana. Gee, I wish I could afford to be so practical.

I am at a loss here. If the view camera offers all the movements, what is so simple about it? Is there a lens involved? Does it have a shutter or a hat is used?

 

Is there anything like "frugal"photography?

How many dollars does one need to make a shot on a 4x5 tranny?

 

Some may use their massive brains instead of a "frugal" Gossen light meter, that is their choice. Most others are handicapped and do not have that luxury.

<I>How much does a single shot cost you (film, processing, & proofs)?</I><P>

If that were really important, nobody would be shooting large format. Quality and control of the photographic process are important, as is the zen of photography which can best be reached while composing an inverted image on a piece of ground glass. Cost is a lower priority.

Alan - I agree with you. But, much of Gloria's original post was about how stupid it is to spend a lot of money on photography when a "simple wooden camera" will do just fine. Simple wooden cameras cost a lot of money - both up front and on the back-end.

A "simple wooden camera" doesn't have to be expensive. I paid less than $100 for a nice old 5x7" "Reisekamera" with limited movements (front rise/fall and shift, rear tilt and swing). It's got a universal lens mount, the isris type, which often sells for more than the price of the whole thing. Oh yes - and six wooden plate holders with film inserts. Complete that with a $30 lens (about what I paid for a 180mm Xenar), and nobody could call that "expensive". Yet it's capable of very good quality pictures; the main limitation is the photographer.

I shoot 4x5 and I love it! The gear was not cheap but carefully selected equipment and lenses, I have four lenses now and I do not need any more, have lasted me five years now and probably will last another ten years. Thats about how long I think film is going to be around ..at least. I know guys that three years ago bought an expensive 6 meg slr from canon and two years later bought a seven thousand dollar 10 meg slr and now they have to think about getting that 16 meg mortgage your house special. I am becoming more and more thankful for just sticking with my 4x5 gear.

Ian

"A "simple wooden camera" doesn't have to be expensive."

 

In years past, I did see some old monorail and flat-bed (not sure of the terminology) cameras for $200 or so. Those generally did not look very easily portable.

 

But note that she specifies "field camera". Those seemed a little scarcer. The best I've seen there were the Crown Graphics and various press cameras that normally went for $300-$400 or so if in good shape. The only all-wood cameras I've seen were the Bender kits or the pinhole cameras. But, meanwhile, 15 years later, I'm still shooting with my K1000 that cost me $130 new. "A Simple Plastic & Metal Camera". Life is good. : )

The other day I bought a <a href="http://www.apug.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17170">B&J 5X7</a> on feebay for $56. With a 5X7 B&L Tessar and a packard shutter inside. I have long rolls of 5" Kodak Panatomic X in the freezer. So each shot on my 5X7 costs me about .17? I do have a soft spot for meters though. And simple wooden cameras give such pleasure that I have about 40 at my house. So much for cheap.

My theory on the subject goes as follows:

Industr always produced technical gear (of interest for me computers, cameras, maybe cars) in 3 categories: quality products, consumer products and cheap dirt.

I like to work with quality products or at least with the upper class consumer products. I simply like to use a quality tool as I consider that it is the unique that allows me to do a quality work.

As I could not afford to buy the actual, newest on the market quality gear (yes, wish I could), I prefer to use some older, used but good built tools before buying what I could afford from the new things (aka. cheap, quasi nonusable).

 

Eugen

Good thoughts, Gloria. I spend about 95% of my time shooting and or dealing with digital images because that's the way I make most of my living. The best part comes when I can get out with my 5x7 and shoot and then back in to the darkroom to develop film and think in the quite space only a darkroom can provide. It's great therapy and none you will ever get from a digital image on a computer.

If you find yourself in the middle of Kansas on your journey stop by my gallery and show me some of your work.

Jim Turner<div></div>