david_rose3

Carlos,

You are right of course, the 5D will work with the adapted lenses in aperture priority mode. I guess what I was trying to say was that you have no camera/lens linkage, so the lens has to be used in stop down mode with manual focusing. As to the adaptors, my first was a Novoflex, which is German, precise and pricy. All of the rest have been Adaorama's $49.95 model, which I actually prefer to the Novoflex because they are easier to remove.

I am an architectural photographer that used to shoot 4x5 the vast majority of the time, with a Nikon system for occasional quicker/faster/cheaper work. The Nikkors that I used heavily for architectural work were the 28 PC, 35 PC, 24mm and 20mm. I got into digital capture with a Canon 5D because I needed full frame and there was no Nikon body or 24mm shift lens. I bought Nikon to Canon adaptors from Adorama for the Nikors that I used the most and the Canon 24mm TS , and I now have a very usable system with three shift lens options. I also bought a Tamron 17-35mm zoom, which is convenient and of decent quality, but I try to stick to prime lenses for hired work due to their sharpness and relative lack of barrel distortion. The only drawback to the Nikkors on the Canon body is that they must be used in manual mode, but I prefer to work that way anyway for architectural work. It would not be a great way to shoot portraits, family photos etc., but it is fine for architecture and should be OK for landscapes.

 

Now that Nikon has a 24mm TS lens, and supposedly more forthcomming full frame body alternatives, I may switch back to Nikon at some point. Ultimately, I just like Nikon lenses and bodies more than Canon.

Check out a Winbook x540. I just bought one for $1500 at MicroCenter. It has a 12" widescreen that is much brighter than my previous HP laptop and large enough to work on images. It has a Centrino 2.00 ghz processor, 512mb RAM with an open slot for another 512, 80mb hard drive, a dual layer dvd+/-rw drive and weighs 4.5 lbs.

I have the 55mm Sekor and have found it to be very sharp and very undistorted (straight lines rendered straight). These are both hallmarks of true wideangle designs, as found in large format view camera wide angles. I don't know if the 55 is a true wide angle design, but the non-moving mirror of a TLR may make that possible. The Flektogon is a retrofocus wide angle, which is a reverse telephoto design. These designs allow clearance for the flipping mirror of an SLR, but generally are much more difficult to correct for distortion.

Another less expensive alternative to Photoshop is Corel Photo Paint. It opens and saves photoshop files, works with 16 bit images, and has a user friendly interface. I bounce back and forth between Photoshop and Photopaint, using each for it's strengths.

How about a Wista VX or SP with a bag bellows? Used on Ebay they are about $1000.

The non-rotating back and non-interchangable bellows are even more limiting.

The classic lens for exterior architecture is a 90mm, followed by a 120mm. The 75mm is a bit wide and has limited movements for general purpose exteriors. It will be essential for interiors however. I suggest that you get a copy of Norman McGrath's book "Photographing Buildings Inside and Out".

Would Calumet Photographic be interested in absorbing Barry's products into their line? I don't care for how they have handled the Zone VI line, but at least some of it is still on the market. They do have an operation in the UK:

 

Calumet UK Administrative Office

Promandis House

Bradbourne Drive

Tilbrook

Milton Keynes

MK7 8AJ

01908 366344 (telephone)

01908 366322 (fax)

Sinar Bron is really good about having spare parts- you should find out what they would charge for the part in question. I was lucky enough to find an F-2 front standard on Ebay, which seems to be a rare occurance. You will find F-1 front standards on Ebay all the time- this would be the cheapest way to get one.

Given the fact that the PC Shift Mutar adaptor has a 1.4X extender built into it to increase the focal length and therefore the image circle of the lenses it is used with- I would say no. Even with the 1.4 factor, the amount of shift available is modest, and that is for the 6x6 cm. format. I am sure that the Blad lenses vary in their coverage, but I would guess that they are designed to project an image circle only slightly large than the 6x6 format- much smaller than 4x5.

Exactly right Tor! The movements are limited when turned to portrait orientation and the camera is not well balanced on the tripod.

I bought a Crown without realizing that the back did not rotate. Since front rise and fall are the most commonly used movements, I found this limitation unacceptable and sold it. I am often suprised when I see recommendations for the Crown without mention of this limitation. If you want something similar with a rotating back, you could try a Super Speed or a Busch Pressman.

If you are looking for sharp photos, put whatever camera you use on a tripod. If you are thinking of hand holding the Graphic I think you would be better off with a medium format or 35mm with fine grain film. Even these roll film cameras will benefit from use on a tripod.

 

Having said that, I think that the Super Graphic is a good choice for a rugged, portable and inexpensive 4x5 to use in an urban environment. Match it to a good tripod and don't worry about a 1/1000th shutter speed- you won't use it at f32/45, which is the aperture you will want to use most of the time for depth of field. I don't think I have ever used a shutter speed higher than 1/125th with a view camera!

I often use tape at the long ends of the neg to hold it flat. Tape one end to the holder, then put tape on the other end of the film and pull it out flat, then tape down to the holder. The main reason I have used this technique is to eliminate glass contact and the resultant Newton's rings- it works!

A local Architectural photographer is using a digital system for all of his work. The final delivered product is a digital file and inkjet proofs. I don't know what system he is using, but the final product is excellent from a technical point of view. I am an architect, and the main use for images of our work is marketing materials that we print in house via inkjet. Getting digital good digital files is the main need for the vast majority of images that we use. When we need a high quality print we can do it in house with our Epson 1280, or with our large format plotter for up to 36" wide. We can also send the file to a local lab if a "traditional print" is needed (we haven't done that yet). I think we may be a bit ahead of the curve in doing our own printing, mainly due to my experience as a photographer, but everyone is catching up quickly. One thing that I think a lot of photographers don't realise about the use of images by an architect is that they are needed almost before the job is completed, they are heavily used for a year or two, used occasionally for another 5 years, then rarely after that. A 50 to 100 year life span for a print doesn't mean much, and digital organization and storage are a great improvement over keeping a bunch of proofs and prints around. Being able to print on demand and with great flexibility as to size and media is also a great advantage. Even when we do get convential photographic images nowdays, the first thing we do is to scan them! After that the original prints end up in a drawer.

 

As to the system used by the local photographer, I only know that it allows full view camera movements and creates a large file. I assume it is a back for a view camera as opposed to a digital SLR. The range of movements and variety of lenses also rules out medium format digital.

Roxio Easy CD Creator has a pretty good slide viewer routine that can be burner to the CD with the images and will run from the CD- no extra software needed!

As mentioned above- check out the Wista SP. I use one with a 75mm on a recessed board, but it can handle the 75 on a flat board as well. I like the recessed board because it allows greater movements and it is well designed. The other advantage of the Wista is it's interchangeable bellows- the bag bellows is almost mandatory if you want to use movements with a 75mm.

 

For what it's worth, I also have a Super Speed and had a Crown. The Super Speed can handle a 65mm by using the rails inside the body, but focusing is not geared, you must slide the standard manually. It does not work for a 75mm because the focus point at infinity places the lens standard between the bed mounted rail and the in-the-body rail. Since you must also drop the bed of the camera there is no way to fix the standard to either rail. The Crown solves this problem because the rail inside the camera body is linked to the focus rail via a flexible connector and can therefore be moved and used for focusing. The problem I had with the Crown is that the back is fixed in the horizontal position, so if you want to shoot a vertically oriented shot, you must tilt the tripod head 90 deg., which is a strain due to the weight of the camera, lens and filmholder.

Steve Simmons published examples of architectural interiors shot with this lens in an early issue of View Camera magazine. The lens barely covers 4x5 when focused at the distances typical for interiors- the published photos exhibited slight vignetting. I would imagine that coverage at infinity would be not quite 4x5.

The best color lab in town- Titan Professional. They are in Troy, phone 248-689-3040. I use them all the time, as do other professional photographers in town. In addition to their general overall quality and personalized service, the thing I like best is the care they take with proof sheets- you will get a very good sense of how the negative will print. Their film processing is meticulous, I have never had a problem.

I have used the Osaka/Congo 120mm f 6.3 on mine- it is very small, sharp and will allow closure without removing the lens. These are imported as "Osaka" lenses by Bromwell Marketing, or you can order them as "Congos" directly from the manufacturer- Yamasaki Optical. I believe Badger also sells them as "Congos".

I have an older discontinued Sinar "swing away" style filter holder

that I got in an Ebay auction. It consists of two basic parts, a gel

filter holder and the circular "swing away" holder with mounting

rod. My question is what attaches the gel holder part to the "swing

away" part. The came to me as seperate pieces and I do not see a way

of connecting them. Am I missing a part?

I have used the 90mm f8 Nikkor on a flat board with the Super Graphic. It works fine without dropping the bed. The maximum amount of rise will be limited by the pleated bellows, which is ultimately why I switched to a Wista SP, but the Super/90 combo is quite usable.

Like you I have a Sinar F for architectural work. I also got tired of lugging it around. My first field camera was a Super Speed Graphic, which I still have and like (cheap/rugged/light). It's main limitation was the inability to change to a bag bellows. It was workable with a 90mm, but not a 75mm or less. To solve this issue, I bought a used Wista SP- not as cheap, not as light but with a bag bellows option. I have been quite happy with it, although I wish it was a bit lighter. The VX model is slightly lighter and might be a better option, although they are harder to find used.

Can you move the tripod mounting block from between the standards to behind them? This will usually allow the standards to move closer together.