randy_redford

I was in the Tetons in May but stayed in a nice bed and breakfast in Jackson with my wife. Jackson is full of accommodations. The town itself is no more than 25 minutes from the north end of the park and the overlooks along the river. Many of the vistas along the highway leading from Jackson to Yellowstone are much closer. I would highly recommend that you order the shooting guide for the Grand Tetons from www.phototraveler.com. It will give you great directions on where and when to shoot, and good ideas for foregrounds. If you are interested in wildlife, plan on getting up very early as the wildlife (except the bison) are all pretty much back in the trees by just after sunrise. The main road running N/S from Jackson will not have as much wildlife as the other N/S road to the west (the road that Jenny Lake is adjacent to) as the traffic on this road is much lighter than on the main road.

In addition, do a search in this forum for Grand Tetons for some good ideas for shooting locations.

I have the focusing/metering bellows and don't use it. It certainly is not worth the price that BH is charging. It is made out of neoprene with a focusing lens on one side and hooks directly into the same slot as the folding focusing screen. It will not stay in one position, but can easily be moved about to check all areas of the groundglass, but as soon as you let go of it, it will snap back into place with the focusing lens in the center of the groundglass. Just like the folding focusing hood, it will open out to one side for full viewing of the groundglass.

 

I simply found that my darkcloth was easier to use. If you want to pick one up for a slight fraction of the cost of a new one, e-mail me as mine is in perfect shape.

If you are looking for a large format studio camera, check out the

special deals that Robert White has on the Sinar f1 and f2. His

site is at www.robertwhite.co.uk

He is a great dealer to work with and you can get items shipped

in about 3 days via UPS express.

Is your camera a field or monorail? What kind? What type of

shooting do you do, i.e. do you frequently use a lot of bellows

extension?

A few months ago I moved from a Horseman HD to a Linhof TK45S. At

the same time I upgraded my tripod to a Gitzo 1325 carbon fibre and

the G1570M low profile magnesium head. The whole system weighs less

than my old series 2 gitzo and bogan pro pan and tilt head. The

system is rock solid and light! The head weighs just 2.9 pounds and

the legs are 4.5 pounds. I have had the system in the snow and in

Death valley and no problems with the legs.

If you do decide on Gitzo, I would strongly urge you to order them

through Robert White in England. The price is about half of BH price

and you can get them delivered via UPS 3 day. Shipping is just a

hair over US shipping and no sales or VAT tax.

Haven't been there myself, but am planning a trip later in the fall. Check out www.deathvalleyphoto.com for some great shots and very useful information about where and when to shoot.

I just got back from 3 weeks in Italy, shooting 4x5 and with a

Mamiya 7. I was in Rome, the Cinque Terre, Florence and

surrounding countryside and Venice. Before leaving I posted a

question about the problems with using a tripod without having

to pay permits. Thought I would give you an update.

 

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I was never challenged when using a tripod. I never even

attempted to take it into any museums or national areas (i.e.

Roman Forum, inside the Colliseum). No one ever asked me

whether or not I was a professional or even mentioned a permit.

 

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According to the Italian consulate, each person is entitled to

bring into Italy 2 still cameras and 10 rolls of film. I took my

tripod, 2 cameras, 40 rolls of 220 film and 100 sheets of 4x5.

The officials at the Rome airport never even asked to see in my

bags or even look at my passport. A word of advice. Don't expect

to find any 4x5 film in Italy. I found one shop (Bongi, by the Piazza

Repubblica) in Florence that had 8 rolls of 120 slide film (no

220). As far as tripods go, take your own. Don't expect to

purchase one there. Of all the places I was, only Bongi in

Florence had any decent (very lightweight, though) tripods. They

had 3 Manfrottos. Can't say what Milan would have had as that is

where Manfrottos are made.

 

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Thought you would want an update. Haven't seen my film yet. If I

haven't covered any specific questions, just post and I will try and

respond. Great site. It was a major help to me in deciding what

to take on this trip. Thanks.

I am planning a trip to Italy this spring and was hoping to take my

4x5 and tripod along. I am particularly interested in landscape

and the ruins. Have heard that there are severe restrictions in

using a large format camera and tripod in many parts of Italy

without being considered a professional and having to pay a

healthy fee for a permit. Anyone have any experience with this?

Would hate to have to settle for 35mm. Thanks in advance.

I don't know if you can use the folding focusing hood from Wista, but

I believe that you can use the folding focusing hood from Toyo.

Their rubber monocular viewer fits perfectly on my HD and it fits in

the same position as the folding focusing hood.

 

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Good luck.