rich long

It's not comprehensive, but there's a pretty impressive table of lens specs at www.largeformatphotography.info It's mostly modern lenses.

So Klaus, it looks to me like you're bashing the Kirk heads, but you've only used the Arca and the Studioball? Surely not.

 

If true, that would make you (in your own words) one of the "ignoramuses who can't refrain from contributing to threads even though they've never used the gear in question".

 

But perhaps I've somehow misread your post.

I don't know anything more about the change, but I've heard that the ranch has been enforcing their private property rights lately. Some who have climbed the fence and made the short hike to the near-famous viewpoint have been greeted by the sheriff when they returned to their cars.

Just to clarify, as you raise the front standard, apply slight pressure to the top of the standard, pushing foward. This will allow the bottom of the standard to slip out of the rear of the track. With the bottom out of the track, you can now let the standard slide back down. This should all be very easy and smooth, with no force required.

 

My camera (and presumably the manual) was made in 1997, so I don't know if yours is different or not. You should be able to find the year of manufacture written on one of the wood pieces. Mine appears to be hand written on the wood and then varnished over. As I recall, if you turn the focus knob to extend the bellows an inch or two and slide the rear standard forward, the serial number (two digit year then a dash then a number) should be visible when looking down at the bottom rear of the camera.

 

I have the manual scanned into a pdf file, but photo.net doesn't seem to be giving me your email address. If you'd like it, send an email to me at richlongphoto(AT)earthlink.net Replace the (AT) with you know what (I hate spam, don't you?).

On mine, here's how it works:

 

Slide the rear all the way back. Loosen the knobs for front rise/fall. Raise the front standard all the way, applying slight pressure forward as you do. The bottom of the front standard will slip out of the track as it reaches the top. Now loosen the front tilt knobs, and push the brackets toward the rear standard. You should end up with the front standard and the brackets lying flat (or nearly flat) on the camera bed. Lastly, loosen the knobs for rear tilt and fold the rear standard down.

 

I think I have the Tachihara 'owners manual' right here in my desk, so I can scan it and email if you'd like. It's just two pages telling how to open and close the camera.

Yes, Kodak T-Max 100 is what's indicated for this code in Steve Simmons' book "Using the View Camera".

I think you have to ride a shuttle bus out to Maroon Lake, so try to get the details on that (timing, cost, access point) before you make the drive.

 

Drive carefully on Independence Pass, there are a few stretches where the road needs 100% of your attention. After you drive it once, you'll understand why it's closed every winter.

 

There's good scenery pretty much all along your route, but I can't pick any single "can't miss" spot. Perhaps others can...??

Yep, like they said. ^^^^

 

Ouray is a beautiful area, but so are many areas much closer. Like the Park itself. Or the Indian Peaks Wilderness area (just south of RMNP). If you're looking for reflections from ponds, stick with those two areas. You'll find plenty to work with. If you try to drive between several locations, you'll probably go home with a bunch of mediocre snapshots. If you concentrate on a single area, you'll probably get a few real stunners.

 

Here's a couple of links that may or may not be helpful:

 

http://colorado.naturephotographers.net/hotspots/rmnp1/rmnp1.shtml

 

http://members.listsitepro.com/colorado/

 

http://www.explore-rocky.com/

 

http://forums.naturephotographers.net/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=8306088241&f=25110141&m=44210894&r=48610894#48610894

Well, it is certainly a gradual change. That's the point - "Soft Step" means that there is no defining line.

 

I'm sure you know to stop down and use DOF preview when positioning the filter. What works for me is to move the filter up and down as you're looking through the viewfinder with DOF preview. You won't see a line, but you will see which area is dark and which is unaffected.

 

If you get really desparate, I've read that some folks will use a rubber band to attach a business card (or similar) to the filter. Position the bottom of the card at the center of the gradation, then look through the viewfinder to position the filter. Don't forget to remove the card and rubber band before tripping the shutter...

 

Hang with it. You'll probably find that the 2-stop soft-step is one of the most useful NDs you can get. And Singh-Ray's are the best.

If you're planning to hike at all, be aware of the altitude issues (unless your home is somewhere around 5,000 ft or higher). If you step off the plane, drive up to 10 or 12,000 feet and try to hike, you probably won't be a happy camper. Drink LOTS of water, minimize alcohol consumption for a day or so before your visit, and if possible, give yourself some time in Denver or Boulder to acclimate before hitting the high trails.

 

It's hard to concentrate on photographic composition when your head is pounding and you can't catch your breath.

There's some good info here: www.explore-rocky.com

 

Jesse will probably email specific suggestions if ask him.

I'm also struggling with the Tachi/Shen conundrum.

 

One thing I can't quite figure out with all the reading I've done - how closely will each focus a 300mm lens (non-tele)? I'd like to add a Nikkor 300 f/9 after I solve the conundrum, but don't know how usable it will be. I've seen conflicting reports on max bellows extension for both cameras. Or should I say max "usable" bellows extension?

 

Anyone using a 300mm non-telephoto on either camera?

Kirk, you're not old and slow until you get as advanced in years as I am.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm 42.

The 5-degree works pretty well for me, but a 1-degree would be better. Sometimes the 5-degree circle includes a little bit of a tone that I don't want to meter. But it's easy enough to make a slight compensation for that. I don't think I've ever missed an exposure because I was metering 5-degrees and not 1 degree. I've missed a few, but not due to the meter as far as I know.

 

Someday I may buy a 1-degree spotmeter, but it's pretty low on my priority list. I think I paid $45 for used 5-degree adapter. With my very small photography budget, it's likely that I'll keep using this for quite a while. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for my needs.

Not exactly an answer to your question, but since no one else has chimed in yet....

 

I've been using a 5-degree spot attachment on my Minolta Flashmeter IV F. It seems to work fine for me. I'm shooting mostly Velvia 4x5s.

I think that a 90mm lens is a 90mm lens. In large format (4x5in), 90mm is a fairly wide angle. On medium format (6x6cm, say) it's about normal or just slightly wider. On 35mm, a 90mm lens is a short telephoto. All that the film back is doing is cropping the image circle from the large format lens. Or to look at it the other way, a normal lens on a 35mm camera is 50mm. A normal lens on a medium format is about 90 to 105mm, and a normal lens on a 4x5 is in the neighborhood of 150mm.

 

Or maybe I misunderstand your question. Here, read this while I get some sleep. http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lenses-primer/

Yes, the world has all been photographed from every possible angle in all possible lighting conditions. The last few original images were just made this morning. Nothing else will ever be original again. Quit now, and send all of your gear to my house.

You might ask over at naturephotographers.net. I've seen a couple of people from New Mexico posting over there on occasion.

http://www.toddcaudle.com/panoramic.htm

On the other hand...

 

If your primary purpose is hiking and photography is just something you do when you hike, stay with your plan. I enjoy hiking, but for me, it's a way to get photographs. So I don't mind sacrificing some hiking comfort for better photos. Your priorities may be different.

I guess I'm not playing by the rules, but...

 

I would carry the tripod and use slide film in 50 and 100 speeds. If this is a trip you're really looking forward to, you owe it to yourself to do everything you can to make some excellent images while you're there.

 

Several years ago, I tried your approach on a 4-day trip through the Grand Canyon - rafting from Lee's Ferry to the Phantom Ranch, then hiking out. I don't have a single memorable photograph from that once-in-a-lifetime trip. Had I carried the tripod, I would have sweated a little more but I could have used saturated, fine grain film and a GND filter. Not to mention slow, careful composition and better depth of field. Without the tripod, I ended up with a bunch of disposable snapshots. In my opinion, the extra effort is well worth the pain.

Yep; what Darren said.

More than you'll ever need to know:

 

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/shutters.html

Just to clarify -

 

Without using tilts, the Badger will extend to 270mm and the Shen Hao will extend to 300mm. But if you use tilts, you can get 305mm on the Badger and 375mm on the Shen Hao.

 

Is that right, Ken?

Not a definitive answer, but perhaps some useful information here:

 

http://forums.naturephotographers.net/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=8306088241&f=25110141&m=15710373