sheldonnalos Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Okay, this is one of those "Isn't life great!" posts, with no real question, so you can skip the rest if you're not interested. I just wanted to share about my first experience with shooting large format film, and about how utterly amazed I am at how cheap this can be! I'm primarily a 35mm Canon shooter, both digital and B&W film with way too much gear. When I saw this used monorail camera at the local shop, I had to give it a spin. They sold me a Cambo SC 4x5 monorail (pretty good condition) with case, 4 film holders, changing bag, cable release, focusing dark cloth, and a lens board for $120. I asked if they had any lenses I could get started with, and they threw in a Graphex Optar 135mm f/4.7 lens with shutter for free! It didn't fit the lens board, so I had to make my own board from scrap material I had on hand, then I painted it black to match the camera (it looks great). I went out and exposed a few frames of Tri-X yesterday and started looking into how to develop the film. I had originally thought I'd buy a Yankee tank, but they didn't seem very popular and they used a lot of chemicals. I found the article on how to make your own single sheet daylight tank from 1 1/2" plastic ABS pipe - really a clever design. I was able to build 2 of them for around $20 in materials from Home Depot - a heck of a lot cheaper than $300 for a Jobo! It was actually surprisingly easy to do, and my first negative looks beautiful, no streaking or uneven development. The lens looks to be reasonably sharp (at f/22), no complaints considering it was free! Anyhow, I'm now into this for less than $200 even after factoring the cost of 50 sheets of Tri-X into the equation. I don't even own a lens for my Canon that is that cheap, and this system produces better results! Anyhow, thanks for listening! Sheldon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. salty Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Congrats, but for some of us collecting LF gear becomes addictive. You're happy with the results with the 135mm lens, but what would the results be with a modern multicoated lens, perhaps a longer focal length...........? Welcome to the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_menesdorfer Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 J S! Let the guy alone don't let him burn his money! :) He need it for an enlarger and some other stuff! Good luck Sheldon and welcome to your new upside down world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_ellis16 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 That's a great story and so true. While yours is an extreme case in terms of money almost anyone can get into LF for under $500. Compare that to the cost of a decent digital SLR and the related equipment! Not knocking digital SLRs, I have one and it serves a purpose, but comparing the cost of it and the lenses that I bought for it with even the cost of my relatively high-end LF outfit makes the LF outfit cheap by comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonnalos Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 Thanks guys! I'm already starting to think about other lenses - but I'm trying to fight the urge. I thought I'd share a photo of my new baby for you all to enjoy.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trw Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 When I saw the price, I had to check the date again to make sure it wasn't posted on April 1. I paid ~$400CDN for my press camera (with very similar lens) and 2 graphmatic backs (plus a bunch of useless broken junk that was part of the package). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. salty Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 pssst... Frank., don't mention to Sheldon that if he were to get into 8x10 format he could do razor sharp contact prints and might not need an enlarger at all....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mag_miksch Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Nice baby, if your budget allows, look for a compendium to shade the lens. Have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn_thoreson Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Congrats! You did very, very well on your camera purchase. Large format is not hard to get into on the cheap. I have something like eighteen large format cameras of various types. I have purchased some as cheap as 39 dollars, with lens, and built a very lightweight monorail for twenty dollars. All are nice looking, perfectly functional cameras. Have fun wiith your new baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason_curole Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Hi Sheldon, What a great deal. I recently picked up a Toyo View G, but did not nearly get so good a deal. These cameras are amazing. I have been developing my sheet film (Tri-X) in 4x5 trays in my (carpeted) bedroom closet. Could you direct me to the instructions on making the daylight tank? I would much prefer to do this in my kitchen sink if I can. Thanks, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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