eirik berger

I have recently purchased a B+W MRC circular Polarizing filter and I found out on the B&H

website that the filterfactor was 2,3-2,8 (about 1,3 to 1,5 f-stop). After using it for some

time I found out that this was fairly correct, I use 1,5 f-stop today.

I got some rolls of Provia 400x (120-film) last month and I used it for a photography job

done from helicopter (with a Hasselblad 903SW). The results are quite impressive.

Normally I would not need such a fast film for this kind of job, but this job needed to be

done in lower light than "normal". I live so far north that during winter the sun is low on

the horizon even at mid day.

I do not have access to a scanner until early summer, so I cant share the results just yet,

but I must say that on a light table with a good loupe, the grain size and structure is hard

to separate from Provia 100F. Very impressiv. Big salute to Fujifilm, it is by far the best

thing they have done since the introduced Acros :)

I gave up finding 4x5" sheetfilm of the "old" Maco IR 820C, until I got a copple of short dated

boxes from a dealer in the UK. I have been in contact with Wolf Rainer and I hope to try out

the new series of this film soon. The world is smiling :)

I have been using LF for 10 years and have several cameras in both 4x5" and 8x10".

Recently I actually bought a low priced "beginners" camera with restricted movements - a

Toyo 45CF. It has its limitations but it is very light and because of that it always follows

me on hiking trips and long polar expeditions where low weight is crucial. And I really like

the camera even if it has restricted movements. B&H has it priced 810USD, but once you

put it in your shopping cart the price is lowered to 629.95.

To get started you need:

- a camera

- a lens mounted on a lens board (my first lens was a 135mm and is still the one I use

most)

- a few film holders

- a loupe

- a cable release

- a dark kloth

- a tripod

- a light meter

- sheet film of your choice

- some knowledge about camera movements (swing/shift/tilt)

- patience

I agree Marcus. The process of working with LF is great fun, you just cant wait till you see the

results on the light table. digital shooting is fast and (can be) inexpensive - but it is no fun at

all. Rawfile-converting is THE most boring thing to do. :)

I dont think you can compare images made with a LF-camera (with a proper lens) with

images made with a pinhole if your goal is to make large high quality prints. Pinhole

images tend to be rather soft and blury, LF-negatives made with a lens on the other hand

is not. Of course if you use large format film in your pinhole camera grain will not be an

issue even at large prints. The image will still be blury though. <br><br>

I started with pinhole photography after i bought my first LF camera, and I found the

camera to be an excellent pinholecamera. I ordered some thin metal sheets with pre-

drilled holes in different diameters and used one lensboard and made an arrangement so I

could switch these metal sheets quite easily. <br><br>

LF photography is not cheap, even if I think one can do bargains these days when

"everybody" is turning digital. I have done great deals on both cameras, lenses and film on

the big auction site and from dealers worldwide. <br><br>

Good luck

I dont think you have to worry about damaging your gear, as it has been said several times

your shutters may go slow in low temperatures. If so, leave the shutter open and use a hat

or lens cap. It least that is what i prefer, the shutter speeds tend to be quite long until the

sun returns in early march. The other day I was out photographing with my Toyo 45CF in

-32C (about -25F if I am not wrong) and it worked like a charm. <br><br>

The worst problems I experience in the cold are freezing fingers (from focusing and

handling filmholders, filters and adjustments on the lens) and ice on the ground glass

from me breathing on it under the dark cloth. I found a way to avoid it by cutting a 12-15"

piece of tube and put it in my mouth and put the other end out below the dark cloth

allowing my breath to escape without being in contact with the ground glass. <br><br>

If I were you I would have the Mamiya checked, I have used both Mamiya 100S and ProTL

extensively in very low temperatures (-45C or -49F) and it has allways worked fine. I did

not use the winder though, I replaced it with the manual "crank". A golden rule in

photographing in low temperatures is to depend on as few batteries as possible. When

shooting LF I only have to worry about my Sekonic light meter, and it is no hassle to bring

spare batteries for it.<br><br>

Good luck, and rememeber - images taken in freezing cold tend to warm even better when

viewed on a light table through a descent loupe. So just get out there with your Shen

Hao.<br><br>

Best regards,<br>

Eirik Berger<br>

Longyearbyen, Svalbard

I am told that the 645J looks pretty much the same as the 1000S, if so it will not fit. I have

both the 1000S and a ProTL and the finders from these cameras are not compatible. If you

dont succed in selling this on ebay, contact me and maybe we can work something out.

All this week I am out of town and on this computer I cant get access to either ebay or Paypal

because of a d*** firewall.

Roger:

You write that you cannot make the batch function work in OS later than 8.1, I make it run

on OS 9.2.2 with no problems. What SCSI card are you using? I am using Adaptec 2906,

the Adaptec 2930 is as far as I know recommended for batch scanning.

Me too is a bit frustrated over the 16K pixel limit, but some guys in the 1045 Yahoo-

group has been in contact with Lasersoft to develop a version of Silverfast supporting the

1045. That would be neat, but I doubt that it will happen.

Michael:

If you still dont have the software to your 1045ai, mail me at eirik at f45 dot no and we

will work it out.

I am about to sell my AE finder FK 402, and a potential buyer ask me if it fits the 645 super -

and I really dont know. i have used the finder on my ProTL.

Does it fit the Super?

I bougt the 200mm f2,8 APO a year agoThe lens costed a lot but it is probably the best

thing I have done in years. The lens is outstanding! I have never used it wide open bit ut

performs very well at f5,6. I havent tried the 210mm begore, and frankly I dont care

because I am in love with the APO.

I bought the lens to do a job that involved photographing FMX performer Ailo Gaup doing

different stunts on his bike. I have attached a link that shows one of the images from that

job:

http://foto.no/cgi-bin/bildegalleri/vis_bilde.cgi?id=170849

(Mamiya 645 ProTL, 200mm f2,8 APO @ f11, 1/1000 sek, Fuji Provia 400F)

On the original photo you can "feel" the texture on the google-strap and read the

extremely small letters on his helmet. This lens has made it possible for me to use

medium format in action-photography, earlier I used small format or DSLR for purposes

like these.

Good luck!

Eirik Berger

My widest lens for 4x5" is 90mm and I have never needed it to be any wider as long as I am using 4x5". I have a 6x9 roll film holder which I have used a lot recently, and for that it would have been nice with a wider lens. (65-75 mm). If I were to buy a 75 mm I would have to buy a bag bellow too.

So if you ask me, go for the 90 mm as long as you are shooting 4x5".

I have ordered several times from Megaperls, Dirk R�sler is very helpful so just e-mail him with questions. Shipping time from Japan to Norway where I live is 5-7 days, absolutely acceptable.

I just tried Acros 8x10" with Fuji Artdol developer last night, the results were stunning. My Xtol-developed negatives now seems kind of "muddy".

You should try out Maco IR820, it is an excellent IR film. I have tried it ias 120-film, but will order some 4x5" sheets soon.

With an IR filter I rated the film ISO 3-6 and developed it 14 min in Xtol 1:3.

No they dont fit. If there is an adapter I dont know.

For several years I have used a Cambo SCN camera until i bought a Toyo G 4x5 this spring.

I recently purchased a Calumet C-1 8x10, and I hoped my Cambo boards would fith, but no.

Both Toyo and Cambo lens boards appear pretty often at ebay, take a look.

Ryan.

If you still are looking for lens boards for your Cambo/Calumet I can help you .

I own a Cambo SC 4x5" witch use these lens boards. I dont use the camera anymore and the lensboards are collecting dust.

Actually I am looking for 6x6 calumet lens boards for my Calumet C1 8x10, maybe we could do a switch? Mail me at eirik@riddu.com if you are interested.

I have an Omega D3 enlarger (autofokus version of D2), and it is truly a workhorse. It is a heavy and stable beast and it will serve you well even if it is 25-30 years old. Spare parts and help/support is no problem, just go to Harry Taylors website as allready mentioned in an earlier post.

If I could switch my D3 for a D2 I would. I dont like the autofokus system. You need focusing rails and lens cones for each focal length. Until now I have used a 150 mm lens, but I want to try a 135 mm lens, and for that I need a new lens cone. So if someone of you guys has one laying around please mail me.

You says you dont want to make print larger than 8x10". That may be true now, but what if you rneeds change in the future? A 4x5" negative contains so much information, my guess is that one day you want to make bigger enlargments. I often make 16x20" prints from my best (BW landscape) negatives. Looking at them is better than porn.

Hello all..

My challenge: I need to find a way to scan my 4x5 and 8x10

transarencies. Most often I will need to scan 8x10 black/white

negatives for digital printing in large sizes (40x50-80x100 cm)

I have read through this forum to see if I could learn something from

the users of this forum. And I did.

A company here in Norway wants to sell me an Optronics Colorgetter 3

pro (drumscanner) with Colorright Pro software. They want 1600 USD for

the scanner which includes several drums, mounting table and an old

Mac 9600.

My experience with drumscanners is very limited, can someone tell me

if this scanner is right for me or not? What are tho Pros and cons

with this scanner?

Hello all

I am new to this forum, and I have tried to read throuh the posts

regarding my question. I still want to hear your opinion. I have a

Mamiya 645 ProTL with a lot of lenses and accessories. I love the

camera and use it for both commercial studio work and on rock conserts.

I use film, but I wonder if I should look for a digital back for my

camera, I hear that the mamiya ZD back will not fit (damn). I dont

want to cahnge to the Mamiya ZD or the AFD, because my budget dont

allow it. What digital back should I look for? A used one will do for me.

If you share your suggestions and experience with me, I would be very

happy.

Eirik Berger

Vikran; Norway

I am offered a Linhof technika III myself for a nice price, but after reading the links

published in this thread I understand that the Technika III does not have front tilt. Is this

correct?

This is the movement I use most of all. The cameraquest.com website says you can

remedy the problem by swinging it over on its side. This turns the swings into tilts. But I

really dont know if I want to work that way. I think I will wait till I find a newer IV or V

version.

I have used Maco IR820 IR films before, but never as sheet film. Maco says (in their

technical applications at their web site www.mahn.net) that: "120 Roll film and sheet film

must be processed in complete darkness".

I use a CombiPlan developing tank (in daylight) to develop my 4x5" sheet films, do I really

have to develop infrared films in complete darkness using this tank?

Ian, I dont have a lot of experience on this yet but I would be happy if you posted your

experiences as you go on.

When shooting black/white I have used Mag-lites and halogen-lamps (those for industrial

use) to "paint" foreground details of landscape images. This works very well in BW since I

dont have to worry about color temperature.

Most of my images are taken outdoors, and I am tired of carrying my cambo monorail

camera on long trips in mother nature. So a field camera is the next on my list:

I really like the Shen Hao and Tachihara 4x5 cameras. I am living in Norway but I am

planning to import form USA or UK, the cost will anyway be much lower.

First I want to check the market for used field cameras. A guy wants to sell me an "older

Speed Graflex 4x5". I have asked about price, images of the camera and more information

about his camera. It is according to the seller in very good shape. I dont know anything

about this camera or Graflex cameras at all.

Should I consider this? Does anyone of you know this camera? Are there clever questions I

should ask?