doug_paramore2

Howard, I have done much the same thing with the Vivitar 283

flash. I really don't know if and how well a Canon dedicated flash

would work. I mounted an old flash mount from a junker 35mm on the

top of my LF and used it with a 283. You can set the 283 for closeups

and dial in an ASA/ISO speed one or two speeds higher than the film

you are using and it works pretty well for flash fill. I also taped a

white card onto the flashhead and tilted it forward with the flash

head tilted up. You could also make a diffuser to shoot through out

of a white cloth. There isn't much to be done to adapt it to your

lens. Just plug in the cord to the X sync of your shutter. Hope this

helps.

How many photographs have you screwed up or missed because you didn't

have a 72mm? If you get the 72, are you gonna need an 80mm or a 65mm?

If you start buying lenses to fit every set of conditions you will be

bankrupt long before you run out of lens focal lengths. What's wrong

with moving the tripod a little? You will never have the precise

focal length you need if you set the tripod up and then try and match

an exact lens to it. Until someone makes a zoom lens for 4x5 stick

with what you got. Wouldn't a 40-100 mm zoom with plenty of extra

coverage for 4x5 be great? It would probably weigh about 60 pounds

and cost about as much as a moon rocket.

You might try this if the leaks are at the corners or where the sides

join the bottom: Go back to your fiberglass supplier and pick up some

of the resin. Mix it with a filler as per instructions. Sandpaper the

area of the corners and bottom joints and build up a little cove of

resin at each joint. Use a plastic lid or cut a curve in a piece of

plastic to use as a kind of squeegee to form the fillets. Once that

is dry, your leak problem should be solved. This is the way they

waterproof boat joints. The curved corners will also be much easier

to clean. I would suggest putting a clear epoxy coating of the same

epoxy you used to make the fillet over the fillet once it starts to

harden. Just paint it on with a throw-away paint brush. Hope this

helps.

David: As you may have already noticed, there is a contact for the

BOSS screen in the current Q&As. I have the MPP MK7 and have plenty

of brightness with my screen. Have you taken yours off and washed it?

They do get dirty over the years. I washed mine with mild dish

detergent, rinsed it in hot water and let it dry. Also, my camera has

the Fresnel screen. That helps a lot. I probably don't get as much

brightness with my screen as with a super screen, but I have plenty

of light to focus my 90mm f8 lens even in low light.

Mario: You mentioned being afraid of the "upside down image" on the

ground glass. Fear not. After a very short learning curve, you will

find that the upside down image actually improves composition. LF is

for studied work, where you take your time making the image. After a

while, you may, as I have, arrive at the point where an upright image

looks strange. Don't worry about lens quality. You will be using the

center part of the len's image, which is the sharpest. Even the older

LF lenses are blazenly sharp in the center.

In answer to the "do's and don'ts", my recommendation is "DON'T".

Large format is just too much of a hassle if you and the staff aren't

trained to work in that size. It is great for contemplative work, but

not for the daily grind of publication. Why do you think the

publications all changed to 35mm and 120 format just as quickly as

possible when equipment and film reached the point where the quality

was acceptable? It was to speed things up and make photography less

of a hassle. When we changed from a Speed Graphic to a Rollieflex I

thought I had gone to Heaven. I use 4x5 exclusively now for my art

photography, but I would hate to use it again for publication work.

The 6x7 or 6x6 format will give you the quality you want without the

hassle. Good shooting.

Andre: Assuming that your equipment is properly set up and the ground

glass and film plane are the same, I can offer the following tips

from the days when I used to shoot portraits on 5x7 film. First, with

the longer lenses, you need to stop down as much as possible as the

depth of field is very shallow. That means you needs lots of light.

That was the reason the old photographers used 1,000 to 5,000 watt

lights. Try focusing on the eyes or the tip of the nose and let the

depth of field carry the rest of the focus depth. Set up the portrait

and then ask the subject to stay still while you insert the film

holder and make the shot. Keep an eye on the subject to make sure the

position is not changed. You need to focus carefully with a loupe,

and re-focus between shots. With the longer lenses, it is possible to

get the eyes in focus and the ears out of focus. That is o.k., but

you may get the ears in focus and the eyes and nose out of focus,

which ain't so good. My suggestion is to use lot of light close up.

If you are shooting electronic flash, move the lights close enough to

be able to stop down to f11 or f16. For groups, use the back tilt to

keep the rows of people in focus. It really isn't too difficult once

you get used to shooting LF portraits. Hope this helps.

John, don't use regular T-Max with sheet film unless you like

negatives with a scummy-looking coating on them. The coating is very

difficult to remove. T-Max RS is a different developer from regular T-

Max.

Bob, It also has front shift and lens tilt, and if memeory serves

correctly, it had a revolving back.

Steve, glad you got the old B&J up and running. You can make some

nice images with that camera. You said you took your Fresnel lens

out...did you mean completely? If you want to use it, put it behind

the ground glass with the smooth side toward the film holder. The

Fresnel lens helps brighten up the corners, but not everyone likes

them because of the pattern engraved on them. Your call on whether

you like it or not. Good luck with your entry into large format. stay

with it and you will make some great images for the wall or gallery.

Peter, that should read screws into the FILTER ring of the 35mm lens.

Sorry about the typo. Doug.

Peter: You can get the same effect with a single element meniscus

lens. It isn't complicated. A close-up attachment lens designed for

35mm cameras works well. This is the plus lens that screws into the

finlter ring of the 35mm lens. Mount it in front of a shutter and you

are in business. You will have to figure out the f-stops. Good

shooting.

Dan: The first 4x5 press camera I ever bought was a Burke and James,

and I used it for several years without complaint. It is an all metal

camera and quite sturdy. Mine never gave any trouble at all. I wish I

stil had it. Many of the old photographers preferred it over the

Graphic. It never gained the popularity of the Graphic, but it was

not for the lack of quality. The Graphic was Nikon of its day, so a

lot of photographers felt they should use the Graphic because

everybody else used one. The Graphic got the jump on every other

manufacturer in building a press camera and they held on to their

reputation. I think you would be well pleased with the camera. It

will do everything you want to do until you decide to move into a

full view camera. Good shooting, Doug.

Martin, I thought you might find the seal source listed there. Try

contacting HP Marketing. Bob Soloman wrote awhile back that the

material for making seals for Linhof backs was available there from

the service dept. The seals shouldn't be all that different. Also, I

have found seal material at Lowe's Homecenter that ought to work.

Note to Dave: You're right about the nightmares with cameras. When I

was just starting out in LF (about the time the earth began to

solidify and cool) I bought a Calumet view camera of dubious vintage.

Someone had added a Fresnel lens in front of the ground glass and

also turned the ground glass around so it faced the back. It wasn't

possible for the film plane and ground glass to line up. Talk about a

major disappointment. A kindly old studio photographer took one look

at the back and in five minutes with a screwdriver I had sharp

pictures. I wish I could thank again all the old photographers who

helped me when I was first learning....there were no web sites like

this one back then where one could get help and opinions.

Unfortunately, those old guys have gone to that great darkroom in the

sky where I am sure they are still making great photographs with

their Graphics and Linhofs. Good shooting.

Thomas: I would visit or call professional photographers in your

area, expecially commercial photographers who do a lot of

transparency work. You might have to call photographers in Portland

if your town does not have any. Most pros are helpful if you can

catch them when they aren't too busy. Also, when you get suggestions

on a good lab, visit them and talk to the people there and explain

what you want. Good communication with your lab is very important.

You can't ask for them to read your mind about what you want when you

send your stuff in.

Steve: Sounds like to me the ground glass and film plane are not in

the same plane of focus. Try the following:

1. Make sure the ground glass holder is tight against the back with

no play. Make sure the ground glass holder is not warped or the

springs too weak.

2. Make sure the ground side of the glass is toward the lens.

Sometimes folks take the back apart and put the glass in wrong.

3. Take off the lens and measure carefully from the edge of the lens

opening to the ground glass (through the bellows).

4. Put the Poloroid back in place with a sheet of film in place.

Measure from the same spot on the lens opening to the surface of the

film. The two measurements should be the same. If they aren't, you

may need to shim the ground glass. Someone could have removed, or

added, a Frenel lens which could throw the focus off.

The distance from the lens to the glass and lens to the film surface

must be the same within a couple of thousandth of an inch for the

focus to be correct.

The 150mm Xenar lens is a good lens and is quite sharp.

Jonny: You did make a mistake...It was going into the camera store

and talking to that idiot. 35mm has a place in photography, but that

place is not in making large, high quality prints. The modern 35mm

lenses are sharp as a tack, sharper in most cases than lenses for

4x5, but sharpness is not the criteria. Grain has some bearing on

larger prints, but the great advantage to 4x5 or larger negs is the

room on the negative to get the smoothness of tones and the great

detail. There simply is not room on the 35mm neg for all the tones

and fine lines to be recorded. Camera movements are very important in

controlling shape of objects, zone of focus, etc. You are on the

right track to making some of the best images you will ever make with

4x5. Learn to use it and you will be happy for most of your

photographic career. As for large format being dead, BS.

I use both the Pentax spot (analog) and the Sekonic incident meters.

I grab the Sekonic 95% of the time. It is quick, easy and accurate.

The main problem for scenics is if you are forced to stand under a

shaded area while shooting a sunlit area. Otherwise, it is great. A

bit of experience observing the overall scene will let you know if

you need to adjust exposures. The Pentax is accurate, fast, reliable

and a pain in the ass to use.

Kevin: I haven't used Plus-X in a while, but unless the emulsion has

changed be sure to use a pre-soak. Plus-X was bad about getting air

bubbles without a pre-soak, which show up as black spots on the

prints. Overall, it's not a bad film.

Stephen: 30 feet to 2400 feet is almost all at the infinity setting

of most lenses. It wouldn't help you at the closer depth of field

ranges. There used to be, and maybe still is, rangefinders built

specifically for photography that were hand-held. You brought the

rangefinder into alignment and read the feet on a scale. You may

still be able to get them new or used. A better method with a view

camera is to mark the distance at five feet on the camera bed and

again at infinity. See how much distance the lens moves to focus on

each distance. You can also mark it for 10, 15, and 25 feet. Use tape

if you don't want to mark on the rail or bed of the camera. This is

much faster. The other option is to get familiar with those distances

and what they look like. Hope this helps.

Wil: I used one of these for awhile on an 8x10 and found it to be

sharp at all distances. I assume the lens you are talking about is

the big monster...that is what I had. If you can get it cheap, it

will probably be o.k., but big for the Crown Graphic. There are

better choices. I have the feeling that, in general, regular taking

lenses are better closeup than process lenses are at infinity. My

opinion, which you can put with a dollar and get a cup of coffee.

Good Shooting,

Dan: I agree. Keep cameras and lenses out of the darkroom. I would

keep cameras and camera lenses away from darkrooms and kitchens. A

bedroom closet or maybe a box under the bed would be a lot safer.

Even in plastic bags, there is too much risk of fumes or the

chemicals themselves getting into shutters and rusting springs or

steel parts. Some of the fixers on the market can even erode

stainless steel. As for film and papers, I store opened 25 sheet

boxes of sheet film in the darkroom with no apparent ill effects. For

opened boxes of 100 sheets, I keep the unopened packets in the

freezer and place the opened packets in a film box and keep it in the

darkroom. May not be the very best idea, but I have not had any

problems. Paper I leave in the darkroom. Good shooting.

Martin: Go down to the bottom of this discussion group to the threads

and look under camera problems. There are several suggestions there

that might help you.

Doug.