robert_lawrence

Quit while you're ahead ... before they charge you for the advertising space you are taking on their walls. You might ask them to put a ticket alongside saying 'For Sale in the gift shop'. Most outlets calculate the value of their advertising wall space like shelf space in $ per square foot. Count yourself blessed.

Bob, E-bay Germany normally lists quite a lot of 9 x 12 holders.

Click here <A HREF="http://listings.ebay.de/aw/plistings/list/category8277/index.html?from=R4"> Ebay Germany Large Format Listings </A>. If you don't have any German than Babelfish on alta-vista is quite useful (and sometimes hilarious!)

Hmmmmm. There is one thing worse than this, giving away one of your masterpieces to be greeted with 'That's brilliant.... you must have a really good camera'!!

Andy,

 

I have a *lot* of experience in this arena. Part of being professional is selection of gear and equipment relative to the job on hand.

 

Unless for some bizarre reason the client feels they need (and in which case I would persuade them otherwise) a large format neg or tranny, it is almost certainly the wrong kit for this job (unless you are *very* lucky with lighting levels).

 

Medium Format (6x7) with Fuji 400 iso NPH (or LF with a Roll Film Holder, if you need movements) will give you a decent exposure speed, depth of field at a reasonable aperture and the lighting requirements are much reduced (even to the level of one off camera battery flash)and any mixed lighting will be nicely handled.

 

If you ask them, they probably want it on a CD to use no bigger then a page or double page spread, in any case. They'll probably be surprised that your still using film. Decently scanned 6x7 or 6x9 will easily exceed anything they are likely to use this shot for.

 

Don't set your own bear-traps ... the job is hard enough anyhow. In my experience the client only wants a stunning photo, they rely on you to make the right selection of equipment and technique to make it happen.

 

If you have *any* doubt as to your ability to deliver this image, go safe and sub-contract it, it's easier to lose quality clients than keep them.

 

Best wishes

Loch-an-Eilean nr Aviemore with Cairngorm mountains behind.<div></div>

Frank, thanks for the compliment. It's only the upscale clients (in this case shop-fitters) who choose to afford the job to be done properly, fortunately they are the smart ones who realise that good quality images are an investment and lead to more (and better) jobs. I agree 100% that we should embrace whatever tools are available to get the job done. But with more tools and flexibility it takes much more knowledge and experience to know which to use and when!

Cheers, Robert.

Frank, not a rock or tree in sight! :) I try and get everything as color temperature correct in camera as I can, I find on balance that it's actually quicker than sitting in front of the computer, but admittedly takes some thinking about pre-exposure. Nothing quite like showing the client a proper tranny.

 

Cheers, Robert<div></div>

Where does the Zone System specify anything about metering grey cards in a scene that you are photographing? Nowhere.

 

If this is Roger Hicks's concept of what Zone System practitioners do then it's *not* the same system that I and most people on this list call the Zone System.

 

It *does* involve metering grey cards to establish an Exposure Index (EI) for a datum reference to give a specific negative densities and tests to determine development times ie. a basic sensiometric approach. But that's the last time one has any use for a grey card :)

 

Having thus determined this 'personal', 'real-world' EI and the SBR of your scene ... you meter and expose for the shadows and develop to accommodate the SBR based on a reading of the highlight.

 

Having trawled through the posts in this thread we seem to be arguing over semantics, as far as I can tell Roger is proposing the exact same thing apart from using the manufacturers numbers and contrast curves rather than a personal 'real-world' datum established for one's own equipment and methods.

 

If Roger's definition of a 'Zonie' is someone who meters grey cards in the field then I'm with Roger - it's a futile exercise ... and actually has absolutely nothing to do with the Zone System as I understand it.

 

My definition of a 'Zonie' is someone who is practising sensiometry and trying to get the optimum out of his set-up and get maximum control yet using Zones as an algebra to understand EI and SBR.

 

I thought I was a Zonie ... but maybe I am a 'Hicksie' and never knew it :)

 

All I *do* know is what ever I am doing it works for me and I get repeatable and consistent results.

 

'A rose by any other name will smell just as sweet ...'

Having done some more research I see where Roger's question has come from and it's from this thread :-

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=006W9S

 

The opportunity to debate some of these issues helps everybody's growth and understanding. The chance to debate that with someone of Roger's pre-eminence is a total privilege of the internet and these forums, let's take the responsibility that that freedom allows and behave in a tolerant and 'professional' manner.

 

I respect Roger's willingness to participate here and the previous thread referred to above hopefully puts this thread now in context.

If you follow some of Roger's previous postings on Photonet you will find that he has in the past offered advice in the form of 'read my book ....' which indeed turn out to be Hicks/Schultz published by David and Charles.

 

I think that establishes that we have the real Roger, unless someone is deliberately 'passing-off'.

 

My esteem for RH was seriously dented by his AP musings on Large Format, but everyone is entitled to their view.

 

So the question remains, why the question?

Not quite. I think that if you check the relevant lens specs you will find that the Sinar Sinaron 'S' is a Rodenstock Sironar 'N'?

If you are only getting this effect in bright sunlight then I would suspect pinholes in the bellows.

Mark,

 

Send it back to Polaroid UK direct and they will replace it. Whenever I've had a problem (including this 'V' issue) they have just sent me a replacement box with no quibble whatsoever. It may be that Silverprint genuinely don't know about the problem because any one with an issue goes straight to Polaroid.

 

 

Best wishes

There is a Sinar panel that has a standard Nikon mount which enables you to mount a Nikon 35mm camera on the back of a Sinar view camera.

 

I use this quite regularly commercially to take 35mm slides of very small and intricate engravings for the artist for slide show and insurance purposes. The picture shows a Nikon f90X (N90x USA) and my Sinar f2 with 90mm lens and bag bellows (shutter is in the camera!).

 

Calumet are also currently advertising an EOS1Ds digital camera on a view camera platform.<div></div>

Darick,

 

The tripod in the picture is a Manfrotto (Bogen in the US) Carbon One 443 tripod (I prefer the lever locking mechanism to the Gitzo knurled knobs) and a Gitzo light low profile 'Rationalle' head. Ultra-light and ultra stable it is a perfect (if somewhat expensive!) match for the RW45.

Jeremy,

 

On the basis that a picture is worth a thousand words.<div></div>

Or email Clive.Warren@f32.net with the question.

 

Clive runs f32.net a Large Format community based in the UK with quite a comprehensive website.

AFAIK the Jobo can only heat up using it's heater to maintain the water jacket at the process temperature ie. there is no way of cooling at all other than by waiting for the water temperature to cool down by itself. When the first dev reaches the process temperature (in an upwards direction) it starts processing.

 

There is a warning in the manual that if the first dev temp is greater than the process temp it will start anyway (ATL1000/1500).

 

I guess you will need an accumulator of water to feed the Jobo that has a cooler/heat exchanger incorporated, or uprate the dev temperature and adjust development accordingly (time and/or dilution).

The 1000/1500 does have an internal heater to heat the bath and the chemistry but it brings in it's wash water from an external supply, if this is not tempered to the process temperature then you are asking for problems, particularly on 6 bath E6, colour shift and emulsion reticulation being the main ones -- although there are processes that don't have an intermediate wash stage (2 bath c41). There is a 'mobile' kit available which pumps in the wash water from an accumulator that contains a water heater, but it's much more convenient to plumb it in - you DEFINITELY do need a tempered wash supply.

 

There is also a rechargeable battery available that will keep your process going if the mains fails.

 

Best wishes.

Expert drums don't fit in the ATL-1500. But I have had very even processing with both 12 and 6 sheets of 4x5 in the 2509N reels.

 

It's an excellent processor, mine is fitted with the Jobo supplied hot water boiler supplying a tempered supply.

 

Robert Lawrence

The spigot on the rear of the DB mount has to 'mate' with the one that moves on the auto-shutter, just check that you don't have the lens panel upside down.

 

The idea with the DB mounted lenses is that the flash sync is on the autoshutter and depending on the age (last two digits of serial number is the year of manufacture) it will have either a pc lead hanging off it (sounds like yours doesn't otherwise it would be obvious) or a two pin plug end pc lead that plugs into the shutter (on the right hand edge at the bottom as you look towards the front of the shutter. I have both types of autoshutter and can post you a digi-pic of both if you need further help (email me off list).

 

Best wishes, Robert Lawrence.

Harvey,

 

To clarify the UK situation. Since the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act the copyright explicitly belongs to the photographer unless assigned in writing to another party - irrespective of who commissioned and who paid for it - and the copyright is valid for 70 years after decease. The exception to this is an employed photographer, in which case his/her employer owns the copyright.

 

Robert Lawrence,

Member of the Association of Photographers (UK)

You can get exactly this effect if processing in a Jobo 2509N reel by loading the film emulsion outwards instead of in, the plastic retaining clip then restricts developer action where the clip is in contact with the sheet and produces a uniform strip just like your pic. I don't think this can be happening in camera, the transition is too abrupt.

P, (or P2 if you can find one), without hesitation.

 

I have a P2, F2 and F1. For studio use the P2 is very much quicker to use, much more solid, it's geared, yaw free and has asymmetric two point focussing - without question a rolls-royce among studio cameras.

 

You will almost certainly need a sturdy studio stand though :)

 

I use the F2 on location for architecture and interiors where the movements are not quite so demanding and weight is a significant factor.

 

If you are in the market for a (non-scanning) digital back I would probably go for a P3, Rollei X-Act2 or Linhof M679 where the micrometer precision of the gearing and controls is more in line with the size of the chip. Calumet have just introduced a 35 mm digital view system based on the Canon EOS 1DS.

 

HTH

 

Robert

Peter Norquist used to have a useful reference called "The Zone System in Color Transparency Photography" but all the google links I tried were dead.

 

It is however worth checking out Charles Campbells site at

http://www.photonaturalist.com/chromozone/index.asp