david_kressler

<p>Well, that bites. It's the end of yet another era. As disturbing as it is, for me what is most troubling is that the next in line are the actual films - with only two color emulsions in 4x5 remaining, and only one that I like. The funny thing is that I actually kind of feel like selling the Fuji-roid that I have left and putting the money into film (or gas).<br>

Strangely though, I'm not too worried about 4x5 gear becoming completely obsolete. I'm sure there will be b&w emulsions for quite some time. I've already built up my doomsday kit to switch completely to b&w when the color runs out or the labs shut down. I will likely hold on to my 4x5 gear no matter how bleak it starts to look. I believe that someone will eventually come up with an affordable capture back that will give new life to all the view cameras lurking out there. It's possible that the technology will improve so much that all the limitations of the current digital backs that make film lenses and cameras not ideal, will become useable again. Or not. Maybe after Fuji, Kodak, and the other long time film companies have given up on film, a new smaller, leaner, more dedicated company will be able to start up. Or maybe all the diehards will start having to coat their own film. Or maybe I'll just put tracing paper on the gg and use pencils.<br>

The ironic thing is I sold all my Hasselblad gear around 1999 because at that point I was shooting commercial work mainly and all the bodies I owned couldn't be used with the digital backs that were coming out. The digital backs have now become so simplified that you can put most backs on a 500c even. I was missing 6x6 more and more, so last year I replaced the main kit and have been shooting a lot of b&w with it. I probably wouldn't have done it if film was the only option for it, but using digital with it is definitely a last resort for me. I have no problem with digital per se, I just think it's still incredibly limited, especially considering the cost of even coming close to film.</p>

<p>Did I miss something? Is FP-100C45 really gone? I knew the B45 was discontinued a while ago, but is there nothing besides the 3000 for 4x5 now? B&H is listing it as discontinued, but Fuji's site still lists it. I tried emailing Kayce at Fuji who I have spoken with on occasion, and it looks like i'm being blocked by her spam filter.<br>

I'm down to my last 14 packs of 100C45 and 3 packs of 100B45. Just finished my last box of Polaroid 54 in January.</p>

<p>i've only been shooting with hasselblads since 1986, so you have a few years on me :) - but that's why i'm asking!<br>

that's a good point about the paper backing, i never really considered that. i primarily shoot tmx or portra these days, with a bit of ilford once in a while. i suppose that's still a variable. i never thought much about the centering until i had a problem getting full frame with my scanner mask and i really started looking for it.<br>

are your frames centered on the film always? when i look back at film from other backs i had in the 90's i see the same thing only not as much. a perfectly centered frame looks to have 3mm on either side. i'm getting 3.5mm - 2.5mm sometimes and on the latest back for a few frames even a little less than 2.5mm. i know we're only talking a .5mm, but any more than that and it doesn't match up to the cutout in my scanner mask and still sit between the rails on the carrier. i was thinking that maybe too much play on the rollers could cause it? this back has a bit more roller loosness than i am used too, but apparently from what i have read compared to others from the same time period, it's normal.</p>

<p>does anyone know if it is possible to adjust where the film tracks horizontally? not the spacing, but how well centered the frame is on the film side to side. many of the A12's i have owned as i look back at my files tend to track a bit to one side or the other, usually more so in the middle of the roll and less at the start and end. the latest back i picked up is a bit more than usual, sometimes to the point of touching the edge numbers/imprinting. the main reason i would like to adjust it is that my CS8000 holder mask doesn't allow for that much variance. i'm wondering if anyone has tried to adjust this themselves or had it done. i'm assuming that it has to do with the chrome guides that hold the spools and how much play there is for the spool to move side to side. any experience on this? thanks!</p>

<p>i *love* my oem wrist strap. i believe it was originally sold as an accessory for the SWC. i had one on an ELM and CM that i used 20 years ago, and when i recently re-purchased a 500C/M kit it was the first accessory i added. i have largish hands, and it fits perfectly and is rarely in the way. it may fit a bit loose if you have smaller hands. it's leather and the used ones can vary a lot. mine was off ePrey and was in the original packing - still it needed some mink oil and a little breaking in. the body i bought came with the long neck strap which i've never really liked. this one was peeling and flaky, so i cut off the hardware and attached a plain black nikon strap for the odd occasion that i want a longer strap or need both hands free. to each his own.<br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dangobot/sets/72157628826960619/</p>

<p>Dan, i think you misread the IP statement. The 8x10 and 20x24 would be peel-apart films. AFAIK there was never a large format integral film made by polaroid. The IP has acquired the original equipment and is trying to resurrect selected films - not invent new ones.<br>

<em>...But as we are also deeply in love with the legendary, large peel-apart film formats, and as so many artists are asking for this film type in order to continue their professional and unique work, we are eager to raise all our power and knowledge to make the impossible possible.</em></p>

<p>chuk - speaking for myself, my biggest reason for shooting instant film on 4x5 is testing - not so much for exposure, but to check composition especially at the corners of the frames that are sometimes hard to see on the gg on wide lenses. shooting on the medium format size doesn't really do me much good.</p>

<p>me too.</p>

<p>FYI - just heard that Kodak will have Ektar 100 available in 4x5 & 8x10 10sh boxes starting in March 2010. it's nice to see some additions to the film world. hopefully it will be popular enough that they sell it in 50 sheet boxes as well. thanks Kodak!</p>

<p>got it. thanks.</p>

<p>for some reason it seems to be the one line that Profoto doesn't have pdf's for on their site. they have all the way back to the ProPack but skips over the pro-6. strange. if anyone has a pdf they could send or point me towards i would be extremely grateful.<br>

thanks, david</p>

 

btw, the model I mentioned connects to a flash shoe which works well on my linhof technikardan, but may be less useful

depending on your camera.

After searching everywhere for something like that i just got a "granview flarebuster" from B&H #GRAFB15 It's available with or without the

gobo's, and it's fairly light and compact.

wow 35mm on 4x5 film IS wide.

 

Last year I bought a Linhof Technikardan 45s for shooting architecture and travel and I sometimes throw it in a

backpack. I found a super clean one used for just under $3000 at B&H. At the time, KEH had a TK45 (not TK45s) for

around $1500. The Technikardan may be slightly heavier than a wood field camera, but I think it is much more useful for

architecture and may give you more flexibility in the future should you ever want to use a digital back with it. For 90mm

with moderate movements or with even wider lenses you will need the bag bellows. The bag bellows is much harder to

find used and a new one is about $700. Not a cheap system at all, but if you are using it for jobs it's well worth the

investment. Since I got it I haven't used my Sinar or Wista once.

Another vote for the Harrison. The only thing that bothers me about mine is that the poles are so stiff that the stitching

on the corners looks like it going to eventually give way. I gently over-flexed the poles a bit to give them a little more curve to

ease the tension. Other than that the Harrison is super well made and I think worth the extra money.

 

Robbie-

I had the same thing happen to a Chimera Super Pro bank, one day the inside looked like it had been freshly painted

with white sticky paint and it had been stored indoors and used very little. It was over 9 years old and Chimera sold me

a new one at cost because it was out of warranty. Chimera had no explanation to offer either. The new bank has a completely different

lining inside. I guess it's in the nature of plastics to be a bit fugitive. I had a few jackets and a couple Tenba bags made in that timeframe

that had their linings self destruct as well. Years before that the foam in some Halliburton cases spontaneously lost it at about 8 or so

years - not nice to open the case one day and find your Hasselblads starting to fuse to sticky gooey foam. I think the half-life of

certain plastics back then were quite short. Hopefully it's been solved or at least improved, but for some plasticized

fabric products I just expect they won't last forever - but 20 years would be nice. Some of my Sinar bellows are probably

18+ and in great shape still.

A few weeks ago, I was testing a lens on the sidewalk in front of my apartment building in Brooklyn. It just so happens

that there is a school across the street, but I was shooting (with a 24mm) the building on the next block over. A

crossing guard came over and asked me casually what I was doing, and I told her I was shooting the adjacent building.

She came back after a few minutes and asked again, adding that the kids would be out soon and would I be finished? I

didn't even realize what was going on. I thought she was asking for my benefit. A few minutes later after I had moved

around the corner about to go back into my building, two NYPD cruisers rolled up from different directions as you would

expect for a robbery in progress. a cop from each car jumped out and one asked me "hey buddy, whaatya doing?" I told

them, "just testing a lens, I live in this building". They asked for my ID but having just popped out to do a quick test, I

didn't bring it, but told them my doorman would vouch for me. They declined and said "have a nice day" and started to

leave. I asked if the crossing guard called and he said "a bunch of people called about you - these days you never

know."

 

As a photographer, I used to think I was the one doing most of the watching. These days a lot of people are watching you

back.