Making LF Network Truly Large Format

[Robert C. McColloch]

Why not have a category that is strictly "Large Format" (vs. 35mm or other cameras designed for roll film)? I am not suggesting exclusion, rather categories (e.g., Large format, 35mm, etc.). Large format is more than just a larger negative, it is a medium that facilitates more control of individual negatives in the darkroom and during printing (e.g., dodge/burn masks and unsharp masks).

[Graeme Hird]

Robert,

I think your already in the right place. That's why this forum's back and apparently strong already. You won't find many questions about roll film cameras around here (I hope!).

[Jon_2416]

This is from the top of the page:

Large Format Photography Forum Part of the Large Format Photography Home Page

There _aren't_ any other topics except ones related to LF--where did you get that idea?

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yup. I think we're already there, and yes we are talking about "exclusion," or as some may call it "editing" or perhaps "focus." Of course most folks here also shoot other formats, but they can discuss them elsewhere.

[tim atherton]

But you can talk about 6x9 cameras and lenses... :-)

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yes, there is the grey area for rollfilm view cameras and rollfilm backs, but that seems more in the spirit of things than "Canon vs. Nikon" and "What 28-600 zoom should I buy?" or "MTF: CF vs. CFi" and such.

[Dick Roadnight]

Yes - the LF forum is for LF specific questions:

...but should that exclude the use of a 617 rollfilm adaptor on a Sinar - the only LF feature you miss out on is frame-by-frame development.

...and movements are largely LF specific, and I do not know of any forum where non-LF cameras with movements are regularly discussed.

The Sinar p3 is not a large format camera, but it has most of the features of one.

Digital cameras with movements seem to be quite rare - is there a forum anywhere that covers them?

There are a very few professional commercial photographers (doing work with digital that would previously have been done with LF) on ProDig, and the only other option I know of is the Sinar owner's forum - which seems to be mostly about people trying to use LF lenses for digital.

[QT Luong]

Roll-film cameras that have ground-glass viewing and/or movements have always been considered an appropriate topic of discussion in this forum, because although they are technically not "large format", operating them entails much of the discipline associated with large format photography.

[Steven Dusk]

Robert, how small a box do you want to be in? If your definition of LF is 'view cameras' then you will have some rollfilm cameras included. If your definition is for contact printed black and white photography that allows dodging and burning then you will have only 5x7 (at a pinch) and larger. Should the future (digital) be excluded even though it is used by professional veiw camera users.

My feeling is that the LF forum already excludes greater than 99.9 percent of photographers - why take it to 99.999

[tim o'brien]

"But you can talk about 6x9 cameras and lenses... :-)"

And the problem with that is? I shoot 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 sheet film in Speed/Crown Graphics. Is that NOT LF?

Also 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 and 4x5. Where is the demarkation point?

tim

[Dick Roadnight]

The Hasselblad Flexbody is a 66 MF Roll-film camera that uses standard MF lenses (with shutter) but it has ground-glass viewing and some movements, and I have used mine for serious catologue work - of antique silver platters.

[Robert C. McColloch]

You guys have properly informed me and I now stand corrected. The other site was rife with 35mm.

[Lars Åke Vinberg]

The Hasselblad Flexbody must be on the borderline, since it ties so heavily into the Hasselblad system. Most equipment issues regarding the Flexbody would best be covered by a Hasselblad-centric forum, whereas questions regarding technique can be quite appropriate here.

6x9 cm view cameras, on the contrary, have almost exactly the same equipment and technique issues as 4x5" view cameras. 6x9 cameras can be used with sheet film, and 4x5" cameras can be used with rollfilm.

Possibly there should be categories for Film:Sheet, Filmholder:Sheet, Filmholder:Roll? But is that really necessary? we are such a small group here anyway? I shoot 6x9cm and 8x10", color transparency film, and I find that the main differences are weight, DOF, and cost. Everything else is pretty much the same for me.

A better way to keep the noise level down might be to continue to encourage peple write appropriate subject lines.

[Dick Roadnight]

The implication would be that questions relative to movements on a Sinar p3 would also be appropriet here - even if used with a DigiBack.

Hi res 16 shot DigiBacks with mini-monoprails and special digital lenses give a never previously achieved combination of movements and depth of field?