john_kasaian2

Snakes with big sharp teeth. I hate snakes with big sharp teeth.

FWIW, I've had spilled coffee take the little blue lines right off

ordinary binder paper. It was pretty bad coffee though!

Ed:I just got the Kodak Aerial Exposure Computer in the mail, heres

the qoute:"Effective Aerial Film Speeds(not to be confused with

conventonal film speeds which are designed for pictorial photography)

for black and white negative aerial films are based on 3/2H, where H

is the exposure(in lux seconds) at the point on the characteristic

curve where the density is 0.3 above base plus fog density." Jim: The

Gowland camera I'm using has a built in lens cone(well, actuallly the

whole camera is the lens cone!) and will only take a 300 mm lens. I

could try shimming for a 305 G-Claron, but at f/9 I'm afraid I'd be

at the same point I am with the Nikkor M(and besides, if I had a G-

Claron, I'd want it on the 'dorff to take advantage of that nice

image circle!). The 240mm Fuji might fit the 5x7 model of this same

camera---that might be worth looking into. Thanks again for all the

advice!

FWIW, check out the Tiffen websight and click on Ira Tiffen Tech

Talk. A lot of information on this subject. Cheers!

Ally, Self portraits? Super tight budget? 4x5? If you'll be shooting

black and white, I'll got out on a limb and suggest looking for a

127mm Wollensak Velostigmat. $50-60 max in a working shutter,

probably a rapax. A pretty highly regarded (uncoated)speed graphic

lens in its day(1940s) and a good example should do a credible job if

you do your part. Not in the same class as a G-Claron, but do you

really want to pay for eye-popping sharpness in portraiture? OR, you

might want to take a look at books by photographers you find

inspiring and note what focal length lens they used. Its a place to

start! Good Luck!

I shoot just about anything that grabs my attention and dosen't move

(or at least stays still long enough for me to get the shot.) I

enjoy shooting wilderness landscapes, historic, urban, and rural

scenes too. My ongoing project is to bag every 14,000+' peak in

California( dare I hope North America?) with an aerial 8x10 camera

and still keep a roof over my family.

I got my viagra and my minoxodil mixed up and now I can't get my hair

to stay down! If I were enlarging paper they'd have to advertise me

as having been stored in a cool New York basement!

Thanks for the great advice! As I am staring down the barrel at 50

myself, its reassuring to know that most of my LF photography gear is

older than I and still works! Thanks!

Robert, I apologize for my previous post thatsounds like I

trivializing your question. Eqiuiptment costs big bcks and the

experienced opinions of those on this forum are invaluable. What I

meant to convey was that equiptment should not be more important than

your own creative style. All the cameras you and the others have

mentioned have been successfully used for landscapes. Using the camera

(s)you now have will best help you to determin what and if more

specialized equiptment will help you to achieve your vision. If you

wait for the "perfect" camera, you'll probably have a long,long wait!

Good Luck!

Hello! I was reading the "aerial photography" chapter in an old Graphic Graphlex Photoggraphy book and it mentioned that an aero 1 filter is similar to a K-1 filter. The aero 1 might be useful for the aerial shots I'm taking depending on the filter factor involved, but I'm guessing its unavailable or no longer made, at least in the size I need-52mm--so a K-1 might be the closest thing available, but what is it? I'm hoping it is a #2, which is still made and probably has a filter factor my f9 lens can tolerate at 1/250ths. Anyone out there know the answer?

Thank you all for the excellent advise. I'm waiting for a calculator

Kodak is sending me to work out aerial exposures. I'm going to do a

series of exposures without using any filter just to see how they

turn out. My subjects are granite, ice, snow, and clouds againt a

usually clear,very deep blue sky. It would be interesting to see the

diferences between HP-5+ and T-Max 400 in this enviornment. As far

as cutting down aerial film, it is so expensive that it would be

worth getting an old K-17 K-18 or K-19 and shooting it in rolls with

a focalplane shutters and a trimetrogon lens. Of course I'd have to

find a processor for 9 1/2" film( 3 bath tubs?) FWIW, check out

http://pws.prserv.net/varney/20cms/cameras.htm Thanks again!

Thank you all! It was interesting to note that most of the places

listed are also reputable mail order merchants. Its nice to know

that when I order through the mail(because local stores would rather

not be bothered with LF, or at least thats the impression I get) that

I'm supporting the kind of place where LF and tradional photography

is given it's due. I'm surprised that no businesses in New York City

were noted. I hope to discover more LF time-warps this Summer. They

may be few and far between, but it's always a good time. Cheers!

FWIW, I wouldn't loose too much sleep over the issue of format size.

I think the old Cirkut cameras are great. I wish I could afford one.

I think the old Korona 12x20 and 8x20s are great. I wish I could

afford one of those too. I like the Linhoffs and Noblex 617s as

well. Gosh I wish I could afford one of those! Even if I sold my

mule I probably couldn't afford any of those cameras( theres always

the lottery of course. I don't have any elderly rich relatives!) So

I'll muddle along with what I've got. If what YOU'VE got is a 8x10,

5x7 , a Speed Graphic or an old TLR or a Holga, you're still in the

game. IMHO, Its what you DO with your camera that matters most.

Cheers!

Ethan, I've had pretty good results with T-max 400. The reciprocity

tables in the Kodak B&W Data Guide( I think thats what its called)

substantiates this. I really haven't shot enough T-max to comment on

it being finicky to develop but I've heard the same, I think it was

from a Shutterbug article by Roger Hicks. What I don't like about T-

max is having to buy 50 sheets at a time(and all that stubborn pink

stuff!)Good luck!

The filter factor is really the problem. Any filter factor I use

requires a slower shutter speed than 1/225 and the image gets blurred

because of the motion of the aircraft. The weakest filter I've used

is a #8. I can try a weaker filter I suppose. though in Steve

Simmon's book Using The View Camera, no exposure increase is

recommended for the #8 filter(p.28.) Are any developers noted for

increaseing density in thin negatives? That might be worth a try

however experimenting with aerial photography is rather expensive.

At least in the winter I can take a ski lift to altitude---lots

cheaper than renting an airplane.

Does anyone know of a coated 300mm lens f6.3 or faster that can be found in a reliable shutter that can do 1/225 or 1/250 AND cover 8x10 thats sharp all the way out to the edges? My Nikkor M 300mm f/9 in it's copal#1 is an excellent lens for color, but if I use any kind of a filter for B&W my negatives come out too thin. I could push the film---I'm shooting Tri-X @ 320 and T-max @ 400---but I'm paranoid of grain(a 35mm days flashback, I suppose) as I want to enlarge to 40"x50" max for a museum display. Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Hello Jerry! Midwest Photo Exchange usually has Super Speed Graphics

advertised and they do trades.FWIW, the graflex.org website is a

wealth of information on Graflex cameras and you can find out how to

contact Fred Lustig of Reno,NV through them, he probably holds claim

to the title of "High Graflex Guru."

Hello! A recent post got me thinking about camera stores that have a historical commitment to LF. You know, LF "candy shops" with the stuff dripping from the cielings, cluttering the counters and stacked in cardboard boxes on the floor, just like old time hardware stores. Years ago(decades, actually) I visited Adolph Gasser in San Francisco...the Holy of Holies where Ansel Adams supposedly bought stuff. As I recall, Gassers also sold electric toy trains. A wonderful place located in a 1940's time warp part of the City. On a recent trip to SF I learned that there were now two Adolph Gassers and I called to find out which one stocked the LF gear. The adress was, I think, South of Market in a trendy area of new sky high office buildings. I went anyway with fear and trepidation, only to find the new Gassers as cramped , crowded, and musty as the old. A place where you could ask a clerk about hard rubber three gallon tanks and hangers and they'd know what you're talking about. I left with a lensboard for the 'dorff. Another Icon thats recently moved is Freestyle. I've never been to the old Freestyle but a friend had described the place as being "glorius." By the time I got to Hollywood( the purpose of the trip was to take my light meter in for calibration at Quality Light-metric) and Freestyle, they had moved into a new building. While the place didn't have the "smell" and lacked the used merchandise it was certainly seemed like it was on it's way "there." I can't wait to get back to see how the place "aged." I can think of a few other places worth looking around: Pardee's in Sacramento. Camera Club in Santa Cruz(or is it Soquel?) I was wondering what other "shrines" the LF "pilgrim" might want to visit? Is there a camera store you know of that keeps old 8x10 film holders in a cardboard box? Has a showcase shelf full of Wallensaks? Maybe they still stock parts for the D-2 Omega and Bay 1 filters for old Rolleis? Or better still: the Owner can chew a cigar,fire a Speed Graphic and tell you why 120 Kodachrome never caught on ALL AT THE SAME TIME! If you know of such places, please share them. I'd like to pay a call if I find myself in the area.

I agree that Freestyle is an excellent source, especially for Arista

film. If you like Ilford, you'll probably love Arista. There is an

excellent camera store in Sacramento: Pardee's Cameras stocks

chemicals, paper, etc...if you're in the area. Very nice and

knowledgeable people there who understand LF. Calumet often has some

good deals in their flyers and thats one piece of "junk" mail I look

foreward to. I have had very good luck with B & H in New York. very

good prices and no California sales tax but check their website first

as some items are not in stock, and I personally don't like to get

into a "back order" situation. Photographer's Formulary in Montana

is another supplier I've had good experiences with, especially for

the more funky chemicals. Cheers!

FWIW, I have the versalab washer. Good stuff!

Hello! I've been trying out different papers and came across some old Agfa Brovira. I would normally pass on old papers, but I figured this would be my only chance to use Brovira and it was pretty cheap. Has anyone here used Brovira? It isn't made anymore, so I was wondering if Brovira's demise is lamented or not(and why?) Any favorite developers/recommended times? I have no idea how old this stuff is! If it is still usable, how do you think it would it perform as "film" in my ULF pinhole? The Brovira I have is Grade 4, double wieght. Thank you for any thoughts/comments!

Joel, I just took a look at my Deardorff 6x6 lensboards and the

small strips all run vertical. I believe my boards are originals.

My "usual" lens is a 14" Commercial Ektar in a No.5 Universal and

while there are bigger and heavier lenses, my 14" Commercial is, as

they say in Maine:"ample" I have never had any reason to be

concerned about the strength of the lensboard or the 'dorff handleing

it. IMHO,stop worrying and start shooting! Cheers!

Richard, The important thing is: Don't be intimidated! This forum

is probably the best resource going. I think Large Format is very

similar to being Pregnant. No amount of reading or watching others

go through it is really going to prepare you for whats coming---you

just have to get out there and learn by doing---and nothing is every

going to be quite the same afterwards(of course I've never been

pregnant:that would be anatomically redickelwurst, its just an

observation made by an ol' married guy!)

Thanks for all the tips on laquer. On good days I'm borderline as

far as the brain cell matter goes. Maybe a good tung oil finish will

do the trick? Or perhaps shellac?

Hello! My $6.00 Deardorff lens board arrived yesterday, it was one of those late night e-bay affairs. It appears to me to be an original mahogany 6"x6"----not a generic plywood. The reason it went for so cheap is probably because it was painted red(!) with a blue bulls eye (!!) around the opening which incidently is the correct size opening for my "spare" lens, a 14" APO Artar in an old dial set compur, thats why I bid on the thing! About a minutes work with Jasco paint remover and the paint was loose, revealing the original mahogany. Not wanting to leave the paint remover on any longer than neccesary---I was concerned about the glue being softened---I scooped off all the paint and got the remaining paint remover off. Unfortunately much of the original finish came off as well. Does anyone know what type of finish Deardorff used on thier cameras so I can refinish my lensboard correctly? I tried the Deardorff Historical Website which refers to the finish as being lacquer but it dosen't seem to me to be the garden variety laquer I'd get at the hardware store. As always, I'm grateful for your thoughts and opinions