Greetings from Brisbane, Australia.

Hi everyone...

I have just decided its time to move up to a large format camera or ultra-large format...

I currently shoot the following cameras.

Nikon F6 - Quick landscapes/some portraiture
Nikon D2Xs - Test exposures, wildlife, macro work.
Fotoman 617 - Panoramic Landscapes. This is my primary photographic tool

I want to move to either an 8x10 camera with a 4x10 back (I love my panoramic images) or maybe something as extreme as a 7x17.

I have not yet shot a camera that has movements.. This I very much look forward to.. I am VERY interested to hear peoples thoughts on their cameras, and maybe some ideas on format to choose and best ways to do panoramic images.. I hear you can have an 8x10 camera with a dark plate that only exposes half the film so you can essentially shoot two 4x10 images on one 8x10 sheet of film, not requiring you to cut the film in a dark room first.. This would be ideal.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to being a part of the large format photography community

Alex.

Hi Alex,
welcome to the forum. An 8x10 camera with a 4x10 back would be much lighter than a 7x17 camera and it's easier to get lenses to cover the format. I'm using a Tachihara 8x10 with a Nikkor 300mm and a Nikkor 120mm (only bought recently) and I'm shooting Efke 25. If you can talk to one of the Qld LF members and see if they'll let you try their camera, it could be the way to go.
cheers
Mike

welocme alex.

i spent some time at griffith uni years back......

you can get an extra darkslide and cut out a 4x10 part. then you could inset it and shoot an 8x10 piece of film....well you will be shooting 4x10. then you replace the original darklside. you can then shoot a second image on the other half of teh film. develop and cut it after that.

eddie

Welcome, Alex.

Colour film is not available for 7x17, so you might need to factor that in to your plans.

B&W is, however, quite easy to get sent down here. It just takes a bit of planning in advance.

Feel free to PM me if you want more Aussie 7x17 info!

Hi Alex , Welcome I would look at 8x10 if you shoot colour it is the largest format left to shoot ,Another thing you need to consider is the sheer weight of anything larger, I shoot 8x10 and by the time you pack a camera and say 3 double darks you are carting some weight ,Cutting one double dark back to 4 x10 is something i have considered but not done yet , Have you considered cutting your teeth on a 5x4 first to see if this LF thing is for you some people just cannot get used to upside down back to front images on the GG and the the slow methodical way of shooting is not for all , Good luck with whatever you decide . Regards Gary

Thanks everyone for the welcome messages and I am very appreciative of your input thus far..

Michael : I think I will try to get in contact with some QLD members and see if I can have a look at the format and see how I like it..

Eddie : Yes that would be Ideal.. Two shots per sheet would be good too as I could bracket two images but develop them identically.. I like that a lot..

Lachlan : I will mostly be shooting B/W with the LF camera. This way I can process the film myself... I do however like to shoot colour from time to time, I was thinking I would continue to use my 6x17 MF for colour..

I will definitely be in touch to discuss 7x17, I like this format, yes the size and weight is an issue however I am 26 years old and figure I may as well shoot something big and heavy now while I still can..

Gary : I considered 5x4 for a while however the format is not really a great deal bigger than my 6x17cm medium format, so I wonder what the difference in image quality would be.. I agree it would be a cheaper way to test the waters, however I do have some experience with the style of shooting... My landscape work is very methodical. Shooting the Fotoman 617 takes time, thought and patience. Its not unusual for me to spend 30 minutes setting a shot up... I use GG already for critical focusing of the system and to check composition when using graduated densitiy filters etc.. The upside down back to front image took some time to get used to however now that I'm used to it, it won't be a problem when moving to LF.

Thanks again for your replies everyone.

Regards.
Alex.

found it....by accident!

Hey mate,

Welcome aboard, I'm only a newbie too, brissy local as well! (currently up north for xmas visiting family).

Let me know if you need anything, always keen for split film orders and shoots.

Cheers,
Zach

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eddie

welocme alex.

i spent some time at griffith uni years back......

you can get an extra darkslide and cut out a 4x10 part. then you could inset it and shoot an 8x10 piece of film....well you will be shooting 4x10. then you replace the original darklside. you can then shoot a second image on the other half of teh film. develop and cut it after that.

eddie

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Wow, Eddie! What a great idea! :eek:

Boy, could I mess up some images trying to keep track of what half of the darkslide was used.....