michael_m_hoffman

First, I would like to thank all of you that made your contribution to this thread. The information shared was very valuable and today, I made the plunge and picked up a Crown Graphic for my introduction to LF. This way, I can explore and decide if LF is for me and if not, still get most of my $ back. Many thanks again to all.. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to share my work.

Cheers,

MH

Landscapes? Wide open spaces? Broad vistas? Ultra-wide angle lens, like a 65 on 4x5? Shots that are all foreground with tiny objects in the distance. Don't often turn out well. 65 mm on 4x5 sees the same horizontal angle of view as a 23 mm lens on 24x36.

 

In addition, a lens wider than ~ 90 mm used on 4x5 requires a center filter unless the image's edges don't matter. With a 65 centered on 4x5, the corners will be ~ 2.4 stops darker than the center. With shift or rise, darker still. More $$.

 

There's a law of nature to the effect that a new user's first LF camera is always the wrong camera for the user. Cheap out, get a Crown Graphic with a normal lens (150 mm), learn the process of shooting sheet film with a completely manual camera, and find out what you do and don't like about the Crown. If you don't like it much, sell it and buy something that you can be reasonably confident will please you better.

Dan,

Thank you. Never really considered a Crown and your suggestion is spot on.

Thank you kindly for your reply. I have experience with manual cameras is years past and am reacquainting myself with the zone system.

Its a learning process I am looking forward to. Thx again..MH

Sorry, to continue with my reply, I too have a MF set up a Hassy 500c/m with a 50mm and 80mm lens. Transition to LF will take some but thats fine. Thanks again for acknowledging my choices of equipment are worthy of the investment. I process my own B/W and color reversal film which will help offset the costs.

Thanks for the lens suggestions and I will continue to search the use market .. MH

Thank you kindly for your reply. I have experience with manual cameras is years past and am reacquainting myself with the zone system.

Its a learning process I am looking forward to. Thx again..MH

If you are a 'newbie' at LF, I would recommend you get an LF on loan to try out. The process requires the patience of a hindu cow, and the movements/symmetry etc do not necessarily come naturally to beginners. The camera you mentioned is superb and full-featured, but it will require time to set up and adjust. The one problem I have noticed with the Wista is discolouration of the brass fittings and arms (like rust); it is not a camera that takes kindly to use at the beach or high humidity, and definitely not in visible salt spray or rain.

 

The 90mm lens would be a useful "all-rounder", while a 65mm would give you a very, very wide view with a corresponding requirement to have a strong foreground "principal anchor/lead-in" rather than a swathe of nothingness. And a light meter will also be required, either for textbook readings of the scene or go int the deep end and become a Zonista! And lots...and lots of holders: nothing is more infuriating that having a beautiful scene in front of you and the last holder with the last sheet of film is all that is available when you just know that you want more.

 

My own LF is a [Honduran mahogany] Ebony SV45TI with 90 and 65 lenses and 10 holders (currently with a member of staff interstate). This is quite enough to cart around, even on light walks. For spontaneity (something that will quickly prove to be absent with LF!) though I prefer the Pentax 67 or Hassie 503CXI. A thorough grasp of lighting, exposure and compositional metrics would I think be a requirement, with foundation in MF and manual metering (handheld metering). How far you go in building it up depends on how badly the bug has bitten you! LF lenses are no longer made by Schneider-K or Nikon, so the used market is a good place to start. No shortage of films to choose from in B&W or colour, but if you do not process colour yourself, individual sheets of LF film often turn out to be the same cost in processing as a roll of 120 film! That is certainly the case where I am ($8.70 per roll of 120 film vs $11 per sheet of 4x5 — E6).

I am looking to get my first 4x5 camera. My main focus will be landscape from hiking in the mountains to that special spot. I am looking in the used market and always have resale value in mind. I have been considering a Wista Field 45DX in Cherry or Rosewood and a Linhof Master Technika classic. I am a newbie at LF so thoughts and recommendations are welcome. Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.

Mike Hoffman