Help me spend my money too

[michelle_frankfurter1]

Hi,

 

I have been working with a Speed Graphic for a number of years. I am mostly interested in

making LF (4x5) portraits, outdoors with natural light. I need something that is light

weight and easy to set up/break down. I admit, I am a sucker for beauty: I saw a Wista

Rosewood 4x5 with brass fittings and a leather bellows. I nearly fell over. I don't need

something with a lot of movements. Would this be a good pick? What would be a good

portrait lens? One that would give the subject room to breath so the camera isn't right up

in their face?

 

Thanks!

Michelle

[tim_curry]

I use a Shen Hao and am happy with it, good value, plenty of movements and well made. For a lens, take a look at the 180mm soft focus fujinon. It gives a nice effect for portraits and allows for some variation due to the diffusion discs.

 

You may want to go to a longer lens to get a bit more room.

[lkv]

Yes, the wista is good. (You do not "need" the rosewood though ;-)<br>

As for the lens, I do not know what you are used to. A "normal" 150mm is good for me,

but then, it is really a question of taste and habits...<br>

Lenny<br>

<a href="http://afimage.com">AFimage.com</a>

[per_volquartz1]

There are a lot of large format camera choices today!

 

Whatever you purchase make sure the bellows are long enough - for close up work - or future long lenses.

 

If you are looking for a portrait lens - that may also be used with great success for other types of photography too - a lens with a unique look and tactile feel in the images, there is only one to consider: The Cooke 229mm PS945. Its a 4.5 lens - in a #3 shutter - stops down to f128. It has a unique soft focus look at 4.5 to around f11. As you stop further down the lens becomes very sharp - but still maintains a unique look.

 

Drawback = price. At $2995.00 its a chunk of money. However, you may base all your work around this one lens and generate a unique look that may become your "trademark"...

[donald_miller1]

I'd opt for a longer lens for head and shoulders portraiture. Probably something in the 240 mm to 300 mm length. Then the question that arises is how much bellows extension your proposed 4X5 camera has. I would want a camera with a minimum of 15 inches bellows extension...18 inches would be nicer still.

[jay_de_fehr]

Hi Michelle. I too make LF portraits outdoors with natural light, and started off with a Crown Graphic with its 135mm Xenar, and rangefinder focussing. I added a 270mm Rotelar, which is mercilessly sharp, and precludes the use of the rangefinder. Since then I bought a Deardorff 8x10 with a 4x5 reducing back, which allows me to use lenses that would strain the bellows and standards of most 4x5 cameras, but at a cost of the freedom of movement and direct viewing of my RB67. I'm intrigued by the potential of the Graflex SLRs for this type of work, as they seem to offer the best of both worlds; the direct viewing and portability of a handheld SLR, and the large negative of a 4x5 field camera. Thanks to their focal plane shutters, like the Speed Graphic, any number of barrel lenses can be fitted, including the excellent 9" Wollensak Verito. I like my Turner/Reich Triple Convertible for portraits as well. The 12" combined focal length makes an excellent head and shoulders lens for 4x5, and if you ever move up in format, you have additional focal lengths with plenty of coverage. The Super D is the most sought after, for its autodiaphragm feature, and can be found in excellent condition for $1500 or less, depending on accessories. I really want one (can you tell?), and I'm willing to settle for a 3x4, which are much cheaper, but more difficult to get film for. Good luck.<div></div>

[chad_jarvis1]

If you're mainly interested in portraits, you don't need a new camera. Invest in a good quality lens or two. You don't need to spend 3K, though.

[william_whitaker1]

I can't help but comment on this one because my first view camera was a Wista 45DX rosewood. I, too, thought it was a beautiful camera (and still do). I still sometimes regret selling it as it was certainly very capable. But at the time I wanted an 8x10 and I couldn't keep everything.<P>

 

Movements on the Wista are adequate for most anything you want to do and certainly more than adequate for portraiture. The major limitation is the 12" bellows. With a 240mm lens the closest you'll be able to get to your subject is about 5 feet. With a 210mm lens you can get as close as about 2 feet. Either should work for most portraiture. A camera with a slightly longer bellows would give you a little more versatility.<P>

 

If your work is primarily portraiture, you might consider an older tail board-style portrait camera such as the Burke & James Rembrandt. Both 5x7 and 4x5 backs were available for it. It has a fixed front standard, so the movements are very limited (rear only). But portraiture usually doesn't require more. The good thing is that they're often available for very reasonable prices. They use a 6" square board which is better for vintage soft focus lenses if you're so inclined. And a Packard shutter can be fitted internally for barrel lenses. But they're certainly not as pretty as the Wista!<P>

 

Best,<BR>

Will

[Sandeha Lynch]

If you've already been with a Speed I can understand how the wooden beauties might seem tempting. But ... I'd say you need to research the lens first.

[bruce_barlow]

I use a Wista with a 210mm lens for portraits. Lovely combination that keeps you close enough to the subject to be intimate and establish a conncetion with the person.

 

If you really want fun, do portraits with Type 72 Polaroid -- one-of-a-kind, and lovely film. I mount them with linen tape in 8x10 window mats and do them as fundraisers for local charities. 85 in a day will get you real familiar with how to do it. And I have never had as much fun photographing!

 

Bruce

[ronald_moravec1]

If you have enough $, look into the new Wisner 4x5 slr. Nothing much moves around as well a a speed graphic tho. Horseman makes a very compact field camera, but you always seem to run into the portability vs short bellows issue.

 

I settled on a Zone 6, added the bag bellows and am reasonably happy. I don`t know what could be better for me.

[brian_ellis3]

The only drawback with the Wista is its relatively short maximum bellows extension, which I believe is 12 inches. This will limit you to using a normal lens of not more than about 240mm, which may be fine for portraits but you mention not having the camera right up in the subject's face so you might want to use say a 300mm lens (roughly equivalent to a 100mm lens in 35mm format, which is a common portrait lens for that format) and I don't think you could use a 300mm lens with the Wista and focus closer than infinity unless it was a telephoto. However, if you're comfortable having about 240mm as your maximum focal length in a normal lens, or using a longer telephoto lens, the Wista should be a good choice.

[User_503771]

All of the above are good answers!

 

But I'm not sure about something you wrote, so I'll chime in too.

 

First, what lens(es) are you using on your Speed Graphic? And are you using it for portraits?

 

To reiterate -- and emphasize! -- yes, you really must find out what lens(es) you're comfortable with when making portraits. You can do this using your Speed Graphic. You could rent different lenses and try them out, or borrow from a friend, or buy cheap barrel lenses on eBay and try those out using the focal plane shutter. Even if the shutter isn't working so well (vibration, etc.) you could get a good idea of framing. You could even use enlarger lenses for this.

 

Another strategy is to shoot with 35mm and then figure out the rough equivalents for 4x5.

 

BUT, you MUST find out how much bellows extension you'll need for your work, before you buy another camera! AND since you'll be shooting at closer-than-infinity-focus distances, you've got to factor that in. Get a camera with longer bellows extension than you think you'll need, preferably by at least one order of magnitude.

 

The chances are very good that, for the time being, your Speed Graphic has all the bellows draw and other features that you could need for portraiture. (If it doesn't have a long enough bellows, then the Wista certainly won't!) So you can run your tests, gather your data, and save a ton of trouble later on by using your present camera for this research.

 

Yes, I know how it is -- I'm also a sucker for aesthetics! And the Wista IS a BEAUTIFUL camera! BUT you might be very disappointed with its performance if you don't do your lens research first!

 

There are also similar cameras out there with longer bellows and every bit as beautiful, so don't be too fast to settle on the Wista for its charms. From experience, I can tell you that there is little worse than getting a newly-beloved piece of equipment and finding that it won't do at all what you need it to! (Oh, the heartbreak!!!) (I know, it's happened to me....)

 

Good luck! Keep looking! Let us know what happens!

[dave_s]

What Chad said. A Speed's light, and a Crown's lighter, and there's nothing easier to set up and break down than a Graphic. Put quick releases on the bottom and on the side, and you can set up as fast as any camera made.

 

For a lens, buy a 300 or a 360 Tele-Xenar or (more expensive) Tele-Arton, or Nikon/Fuji tele on everybody's favorite auction site. If you don't like the focal length, sell it and get back what you paid for it. Buy film, processing, and travel with what you save by not getting the Wista. It's only a camera, dammit, not jewellery.