vnc1

Some possible areas where little information is available on the web

include studio lighting and setup techniques used in still life

photography, ultra large format, alt processes.

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I like the idea of photographer's profile, photo essay etc.

I had just the same problem on my recently accquired Ektar lens with

an ILEX No.5 Universal Synchro Shutter. I bought a Saunders Cable

Network brand cable (available from B&H) with an adjustable throw and

it now works just fine. I believe that HP Marketing also sells an

adjustable throw cable that should work with these shutters.

Just for the benefit of the archives, I found that the Saunders Cable

Network brand cable with adjustable throw works fine with this lens.

Yes. Everything is compatible with the F line. It is an excellent

value with great quality and can be customized to your needs at a

later date. Swings, tilts, shifts and rise are all independently

controlled by separate knobs. A 210 is very usable in the standard

configuration for everything from table top to landscapes.

Retro can be hip too! If you play electric guitar, notice the

proliferation of boutique tube amp manufaturers and custom guitars.

After a brief demise of the guitar in the 80s to digital keyboards,

guitarists have more choices today than folks who played with the

vintage tube amps and guitars in the 50s and 60s. Today, I see the

same trend with many fine vendors supplying a variety of large format

cameras, alt processes chemicals, speciality film etc. to this niche

market.

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One of the fascinating things about using view camera is the

stability and transparency of the user interface allowing one to deal

with the artistic and creative processes of photography.

Bernard:

I find that I use the movements quite extensively for table top work.

The movement I use the least is swing. Once you have used a view

camera you find it quite difficult to go back to using small or

medium format cameras for this kind of work.

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The main reasons are the ability to fine tune your composition with

exacting precision and view the scene with both eyes on the ground

glass. May I suggest examining a copy of Steve Simmons or Kodak's

book on large format to see the effect of various movements. Better

yet try to get hold of a camera for a few days and play with it.

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Monorail cameras from Arca-Swiss and Sinar will make your life

pleasant for this kind of work although many great still life photos

have been made with field cameras. A 180mm or 210mm lens would be a

good starting point for the 4x5 format.

Can't say enough good things about the Kelty Redwing. The Kelty

Redwing (large) is a superb panel loading technical pack that is wide

and large enough to hold a 4x5 kit. It is available from REI for

about $100. I use this with my 4x5 Arca and find its suspension

system makes my load feel amazingly light.

The cost of color materials and an enlarger in 8x10 is so high that

most people consider it to be a contact print format for doing silver

and platinum prints. Add to that the bulk, weight and slower

operation of the camera. Personally, 4x5 is the ideal format for

color work. In a recent interview, Cole Weston indicates that he is

using his 4x5 Deardorff rather than his 8x10 Calumet these days and

seems to be happy with his large Lightjet prints.

Thanks to the net sites such as this promote the use of large format.

Sooner or later serious 35 mm shooters tend to investigate large

format photography and some of them make the leap. The rewards are

many for those who use large format cameras.

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One of the biggest problems I had was having to compose a scene while

squinting through a 35 mm viewfinder. The other was I was taking the

shot gun approach to photographing a scene with 35 mm. Use of the

larger cameras has largely eliminated these issues and let me

concentrate intensely on the image and nothing else. The precise

controls available are of great value to my still life work.

FWIW, the serial number starts with ES. So it was made in 1947. The

first year they called it Commerical Ektar so I gather.

Well, I checked carefully and nothing seems to be broken. There is

only one lever which when pulled trips the shutter in addition to

cable release socket, the flash sync socket and flash setting.

Shutter speeds are from 1 to 1/50. It is marked No 5 Universal

Synchro on the lower part with Illex on the top.

I just got an Ektar Commercial 14" lens. A bit different in its interface from my Rodenstock 210.

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1) There does not seem to be a lever to open the lens for focussing. How do I focus? Set it on T?

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2) Three settings: Off, X, and M. What are they for?

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3) Standard cable release does not seem to trip the shutter although it work fine when I manually trip it.

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Thanks, Vinod

Just got into the 8x10 format with one of these beasts and a 14" Ektar Commercial. What a joy this format is looking through such a large ground glass!

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It's crashingly obvious that I need some kind of solid support. Mostly doing still life indoors (long time exposures!) with occasional outdoor stuff. Wondering if any of the Bogen legsets rated for 26 pounds would be suitable. I'm hoping to get a geared head like a Majestic to sit on top.

Thanks, Vinod

Dean:

Unless you wanted your photos to stink... Sorry, couldn't resist.

For the benefit of the archives, here's what Richard Knoppow's

reponse was to my question via private e-mail.

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Agfa/Ansco made several models but there are only two of real

interest.

They are the "Universal View" and "Commercial View". They were built

from about 1926 until sometime in the mid 1950's, I don't have exact

dates.

The two are similar except the Commercial View has more bellows

draw. Both have a built-in bed extension which pulls out from the

back of the regular bed. The Commercial model has, in addition, an

attachable extension similar to those for the Kodak 2D and Burke and

James cameras. Maximum extension for the Universal model is 26-1/2",

for the Commercial model it is 36". Both have the same movements.

The back has swing and tilt. The front varied with the time of

manufacture. Older cameras move sideways and

rise, with limited lowering. Later cameras have front tilt,

introduced about 1940 as near as I can tell from advertising

literature.

Both models have both front and back focusing.

Up till the beginning of WW-2 the lens boards were 7-1/2" square.

At some point later they became 6x6", probably to meet a government

spec for the Kodak 2D. I don't know if the larger boards were

available for later cameras.

The design of the bracing for the front standard also changed with

time. Early cameras, without the tilt feature, have a single straight

brass strip across the top. Cameras with the tilt feature have a

brace with a step in it to prevent interference with the lens. War-

time and later cameras have an arrangement of interlocked "L"

brackets at the sides of the uprights which brace it laterally and do

away with the top cross-brace altogether. 8X10 Agfa/Ansco's have a

sliding tripod block which allows balancing the camera on the stand

and adjusting its position. The camera can be used without it for

somewhat greater rigidity. The blocks are often missing.

Some very late cameras don't have the grove on the base needed for

the block.

The name Agfa was used until early 1944 when it was dropped in

favor of Ansco but I suspect the old labels were used until

exhausted.

After the war the design of the camera was changed. The rear was

changed from center tilt to a base tilt with side braces. The knobs

were changed from machined brass to Bakelite.

The cameras were offered in two finishes. The standard finish was

polished Cherry and Bronze-Gilt metalwork. The "Deluxe" finish is

aluminum-gray with bright nickel plated metalwork and red bellows.

Post war cameras seem to have a darker wood finish than earlier ones.

Agfa and Ansco made some cheaper models, there is a "portrait"

camera with a fixed front and shorter bellows extension. I see them

occasionally at shows.

There was also a large studio camera called the Number 5 Studio

Outfit. This consists of a large stand camera with two section

bellows and total bellows extension of around 42 inches. It comes on

a heavy twin-post crank-up studio stand. These turn up for sale

occasionally. While it would work well for table top work (it was

intended for that) it is large and heavy and not at all suitable for

field work. They have very large lens boards, 9" square, which can be

mounted in the center section as well as on the front.

Kodak made a similar camera under the Eastman-Century name which I

think had even longer bellows.

Agfa/Ansco cameras were definitely deluxe cameras, they were about

the highest priced cameras of the type on the market other than

Deardorf.

I can't think of anything else. If you have any questions please e-

mail

me again.

----

Richard Knoppow

Los Angeles,Ca.

dickburk@ix.netcom.com

Thanks Sean! If it's not a major hassle I would like those jpegs. I

am also considering Calumet C1s. While having very good movements,

they look quite hideous and heavy to me.

Just wondering if anyone out there could give me some specs on Agfa Ansco wooden 8x10 cameras. More specifically, what are the movements? I'm primarily interested in table top work.

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Thanks, Vinod

As mentioned above, extreme backward tilt of the camera back.

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You can refer to The Photographer's Studio Manual (pg. 170) by

Michael Freeman for an example.

I do mostly available light still life. So I end up with long

exposures with Velvia. I've done exposures upto 4 minutes with no

problems.

Intersting people work with an 8x10 includes Nicholas Nixon, Sally

Mann, Jock Sturges. 4x5/8x10: Arnold Newman.

With my 4x5 and a 210 lens, f/16 will barely keep the human face in

focus at close ranges of around 3-5 feet! Typical exposures indoors

are between 1/8 and 1 second.

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With the 8x10 start thinking in terms of f/32 or f/45 resulting in

substantial challenges if you are using low available light. 8x10

photographers like Yousuf Karsh used strobes. Off course, you are

going to need a lot of strobe power...

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As mentioned earlier Ektars are a popular choice for portraiture. A

modern Fuji 450mm might also be a good choice. You may want to look

into a wood field camera such as a Deardorff or Kodak.

With the Kelty Redwing pack it is very easy to transport these

cameras.

3-way panheads are a much better choice. Bogen 3047 or one of their

geared heads will work and are reasonably priced.

Did you try some Polaroid shots? I use Velvia @ 50 for still life

using natural light and exposures are in the 2 - 4 min range. They

come out just fine after I test exposure with Type 52 Polaroid. I use

the reciprocity corrections from Simmons' book.

In case you missed this article by Michael Smith,

http://www.michaelandpaula.com/azoamidol2.html

gives the info you need.

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Vinod