rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>Several years ago I put this camera together for a series of panoramic-style photographs I was working on. I haven't used it much since, but a month ago I dusted it off and took it out into our drought-ridden countryside. Basically, it's a 5''x4''-format Cambo Wide.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>The Cambo is manufactured in Holland, and is about the most portable 5"x4" film camera ever created. I bought just the body, viewfinder and universal back, and searched the planet for a lens and mount to fit, ending up with a very fine 65mm Schneider Super-Angulon f/5.6. While the lens covers the 5x4 format with ease, it requires a Centre-Weighted Neutral Density Filter to even out the hot spot in the middle of the image, and the 67mm Rodenstock filter I have fitted was horrendously expensive. Graduated from perimeter to center, it dulls the centre by somewhere around .5 of a f/stop compared to the edge, and the whole image by 1 f/stop. For normal development I halve the ISO speed of the film, and that seems to be just fine.<br /> <br /> As I wanted to shoot in 6x12cm format I searched again and eventually acquired a Sinar roll film back, a beautifully-engineered object; what was supposed to be a budget entry into wide format was becoming something a little excessive, but I ended up with a fairly unique piece of kit which suited my needs perfectly. The roll film back allows 6 frames on a 120 film, so one ponders deeply before tripping the shutter. I use the outfit mainly for landscape photography, though vertical shots can be interesting, and the Cambo has a reasonable amount of front shift which helps if architecture is involved. With the extreme depth of field provided by the lens I usually just estimate focusing distance, though I have occasionally set the camera up on a tripod and used the ground glass, when framing is critical or for night shots. Handheld, I just use the viewfinder, knowing I have full width and about a 1/3 strip through the middle of the frame for height.<br /> <br /> Anyway, with my surroundings spectacularly dry and monochromatic, I followed a local road over the course of a week, just taking photographs of or from the road, using good old Tri-X rated at 200 ISO and given regular development in D-76. I scanned the negatives on the Epson V700 and, as usual, was impressed by the performance of the superb Schneider glass. I'll post only a selection of large images; anything less would be an insult to the Super-Angulon...</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>No.2</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>No.3</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>No.4</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>No.5</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>No.6</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>No.7</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>No.8</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>No.9</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou_Meluso Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>Neato! I remember your landscapes with it from a few years ago and these are every bit as good. Love the church shot! Great quality! Thanks for posting these.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>No.10</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richterjw Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>Rick, that is some fine work. I have enjoyed this series even more than most of your work.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene m Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>Goddamn spectacular. The church - fence shot is wonderf.......hell, they're ALL wonderful. I just love that frame size. Wonderful work all around Rick.</p> <p>Grumble.....</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amir_aziz Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>Outstanding work Rick, some great shots. I particularly liked numbers 1,2,4,6,9 and 10.Thanks for sharing a great series</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralf_j. Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>Wow, what a photographic feast, the fidelity of these landscapes is sky high. </p> <p>Looking at these I can feel that arid summer air and the smell of drying straw. It is like I am there, Rick, taking these shots, setting the camera up in a nice shade, without having to worry about gloves, and the 600 pockets in search of that misplaced accessory. <br> Such vast landscapes, my eyes feel they have finally found the freedom they have been yearning for, throughout this long and nasty winter (I seriously hope the "Spring" door smacks it in the behind on its way out. Anyway, sorry about rambling.<br> Thank you for this wonderful post.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoryAmmerman Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 <p>You've really outdone yourself this time Rick. They are all superb but, if I had to pick one, I think the first image is the best. Thanks very much for sharing.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Rick, these are absolutely lovely. Love the sharpness and tonal range. I love the 65/5.6 SA, but it is such a bohemeyh that it doesnt work well on my main landscape camera, an old Crown Graphic. I would really find something like your Cambo, useful. I also love the Sinar roll backs, and was lucky to find one cheap at a photog studio closeout sale... about $200 for the Vario version. Are you using a special scanner carrier? The images are amazingly sharp from edge to edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Rick, these are absolutely lovely. Love the sharpness and tonal range. I love the 65/5.6 SA, but it is such a bohemeth that it doesnt work well on my main landscape camera, an old Crown Graphic. I would really find something like your Cambo, useful. I also love the Sinar roll backs, and was lucky to find one cheap at a photog studio closeout sale... about $200 for the Vario version. Are you using a special scanner carrier? The images are amazingly sharp from edge to edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subbarayan_prasanna Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 <p>Great Panoramic shots. A lot of "panache" in your pictures. Thanks, sp.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q.g._de_bakker Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 One small correction: just like you don't live in New-Holland, Cambos are not manufactured in Holland. They are manufactured in Overijssel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 <p>Thanks for the response! The 6x12 format seems to be popular with most viewers, and I suspect wide-screen TV and monitors are making it more commonplace. Thanks, <strong>Louis</strong>, pleased you recalled the previous post. I should use this outfit more often. Great response, <strong>Ralf</strong>; waxing lyrical really makes me feel appreciated! Thanks, <strong>Gene</strong>, high praise indeed.<br /> <br /> Sorry, <strong>QG</strong>, I guess I grew up in an age where "Holland" and "The Netherlands" were synonymous, though I always felt that "The Netherlands" had a Tolkien-ish feel about it. I shall just have to be more purist. <strong> Michael</strong>, your acquisition of the Sinor Vario back was indeed a steal; let's just say I paid considerably more for my 120/220 12x6 copy. Regarding the scanning, I use a very fine film carrier supplied by Doug Fisher from betterscanning.com. complete with ANR glass, essential for MF work, in my opinion. It's much heavier, more stable and with finer adjustments for height than the bundled carriers. And thank you<strong> SP</strong>, <strong>Cory</strong>, <strong>Amir</strong> and <strong>Jeremy</strong> for the appreciative comments.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_shriver Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 <p>I can second Rick's enthusiasm for the betterscanning.com film holders! They make the Epson scanners much better. (But I still don't use them for 35mm.)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_shriver Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 <p>That is, I don't use the Epson V750 scanner for 35mm, I use a Nikon Coolscan V.<br> Nice pictures. Panoramic cameras are tricky to get good compositions with. I have Kodak Panoram No. 1 and No. 3A, those swing-lens ones are even trickier to use, due to bending lines. Sudek mastered the swing lens camera (a Panoram No. 4 in his case), but he was able to devote his life to photography!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony_lockerbie Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 <p>Lovely, lovely...can't beat LF, especially that panorama format. The ability of the Schneider SA's to cover large areas always amaze me.<br> I really like the shed and the church, they really pop. I have a Cambo 10x8 monorail, but I'm getting too old to carry it around!<br> I also didn't realize that you were having a drought, thought that was only something that we did!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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