jason l.

Sugi

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If you want to check out the Zig Align system, you can go to

www.gassers.com

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They have several different systems and one may work with your

enlarger.

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Regards.

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Jason.

I'm thinking about this Rodenstock 90mm f/4.5 Grandagon-N with a 236mm image circle. It'll have plenty of room for camera movements, unlike my Schneider 90mm lens.

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Anyone work with this lens? And, Does anybody have another lens they think I should look at? My primary field is B/W landscapes. I usually use a yellow filter so chromatic aberration is not my primary concern.

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Thanks in advance for any input.

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Jason

Hi All,

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Looks like we've had some nasties visiting the site. They'll go play elsewhere, I'm sure.

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I've just got back from two weeks of photography/hiking/camping in Switzerland with my 4x5 and I thought I'd share some things I learned in case anyone else care to go there.

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First, it seems that June through the middle of July is a rainy season so August may be a better time to go.

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Second, I anticipated that I would have to do quite a bit of hiking to get to where I wanted to go. This is true but not to the extent that I thought it would be. You can get to just about any town or village by train, bus, or cablecar.

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Third, there is a big downside to the above comment. Because the Swiss have created such an extensive tourist transport infrastructure, it is difficult to do landscape photography of some of the most majestic mountains without including the towers and cablecars. That's a problem for me, but some folks may not mind it a bit.

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Fourth, if you do go to Switzerland, get a Swiss Rail FlexPass from your local EuRail vendor. You may want to stay in one location for several days before getting back on the train. The FlexPass lets you have a certian number of days on the trains but they need not be consecutive. Also, join Youth Hosteling International

($25.00 approx.). Switzerland has fantastic youth hostels that give a great break between showerless days in your tent.

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Fifth, go to see the area around Piz Roseg and the area around Grindelwald no matter where else you go. You will not be disappointed. Near Grindelwald, go up to First, then hike up to the big lake [the name escapes me at the moment, starts with a 'B'].

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Anyway, Switzerland is a remarkably beautiful country and I can't wait to go back. Next time, I will bring the 8x10!

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Regards,

Jason

Short of printing in a class 1 cleanroom, about the best you can do

is buy one of the wall mounted dust filtration devices. Honeywell

makes a nice one for about $165.00; available at Wall-Mart. There

are other manufacturers as well. You might want to buy two. One to

mount near the enlarger and one close to the door to your darkroom.

You probably will not be able to eliminate every spec of dust, but

these devices will help get rid of the big stuff.

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Regards,

<p>

Jason.

Dan,

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Pay no attention to sean.... every house has its pests...

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The device you are looking for is not necessary, that is why not many

places stock any kind.

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If you are "shooting" with shutter speeds in seconds, then a watch

with a second hand [or an LCD that reads seconds] is more than good

enough. Yes, your reaction delay in opening and closing the shutter

will effect the exposure; but not enough to make any perceptible

difference in the densities. The error is certainly not worth the

purchase of the timer.

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Regards,

<p>

Jason

As for other options, you may want to try PERMAWASH [if you have not

already done so]. I guess the drawback to it is that it is another

chemical that you will have to dispose of at some point. On the plus

side, you can get archival washing with much less water.

<p>

Jason.

For the Orbit view camera, if you have the funds, you might want to

check out the f/64 backpack.

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Wisner sells them www.wisner.com

Someone may have posted this page already, though, I have not seen it

in any of the answers on the film flatness question. So I thought

I'd toss it out. It may be of some use.

<p>

www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/flat.html

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Regards.

<p>

Jason

Mirinda,

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What format? 35mm? 120? 4x5? THe equipment will depend on your

format.

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Jason.

Hi,

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My old Deardorff has no detents to indicate parallelism between the planes of the front and rear standards.

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I can guess at the positions real good, but I'd also like to put some marks on the camera that indicate "0" positions.

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I have heard of some kind of mirror set-up that can be attached to a view camera and used to determine the parallel locations of the planes.

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I was wondering if anyone has used the device and can offer suggestions concerning where to buy one.

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Thanks.

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Jason

I disagree.

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When you enlarge a negative you are 1) magnifying the grain size and

2) introducing another optical element, namely the enlarger�s lens,

between the subject and the final image.

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I have never been able to obtain the sharpness in, say, an 8 x 10

print, with an enlargement that I can get with a contact print from

my Deardorff. This is independent of film/developer combinations.

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This may be due to some inefficiency on my part in small/medium

format processing. But, the physics intuitively tells me that

actuance and resolution have an inverse relationship with enlargement.

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Yes, shooting Techpan at ASA 25 and developing in a fine-grain

developer is going to get very acceptable results on an 8x10 print

with regard to sharpness. But, everything has a price. I can get as

good or probably better results of the same subject with the

Deardorff and I can do it with ASA 200 or even ASA 400. So I can

stop down to f/45 and get great DOF and still not blur the clouds

with a 20-second exposure. Plus, with lens tilt, I won't have to

stop down to f/45. I can shoot at f/22.

<p>

Of course, the question has to be asked..."Who is going to be happier

climbing out of the Grand Canyon, the guy with the 2 1/4 camera or

the guy with the 8x10?" And the natural answer is: "The guy with the

8x10. He brought a mule."

<p>

Everything has a price.

<p>

Jason.

Anyone out there ever use the Arista film available from FreeStyle Photo? I have it on good word that this stuff is manufactured by Ilford and is actually FP4 under a differend brand name.

<p>

I'm considering taking some with me to Europe this summer and I'd like to get as many opinions as possible before I buy it.

<p>

Thanks for any info. you care to send.

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Jason

I put this question under "Larger Formats (8x10 & up)" only because I did not see a category for anything on "Tips On Location Shooting". And I will be shooting with my 8x10 Deardorff.

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Anyway, I am going to Switzerland for two weeks of shooting in the Alps with the above-mentioned camera. I am doing extensive web research on the country and I have ordered several travel books that claim they can direct a traveler "off the beaten path".

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My request is this: If you have traveled in Switzerland and gone off the tourist paths, I would appreciate very much any suggestions you wish to give on getting out into the Alps to where the grand vistas are and where the people are not.

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Thanks.

<p>

Jason Kefover

Angela;

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First, I would like to agree with Mr. Brewster. There is simply no

substitute for doing your own homework. And, he suggested the best

texts on the subject.

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That being said; yes, there is a great deal of geometry involved.

You do not want to get into the mathematics of the Scheimpflug Rule

or the Hinge Rule just yet.

<p>

On a very basic level, what swing/tilt movements do is this: for a

given film plane, the front swing/tilt movements rotate the plane of

sharp focus about a line called the Scheimpflug Line. Remember that

two or more planes intersect at a line, not a point.

<p>

If I have not worded this explanation correctly, I invite

corrections. I am just now learning the theory myself.

<p>

Jason Kefover

I am looking for photographers who are currently using or have reciently used the convertable Plasmat lenses by Wisner Classic Mfg. Co.; in particular the 8X10 set.

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I would like to ask your opinions of the performance of the lenses. Are they sharp? Is it a problem to have to use the yellow filter?

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Thanks in advance for you input.

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Jason Kefover