Hello from Erie, PA. Jumping in with both feet.

Hi, all! :)

Just got a Cambo 4x5 monorail. Just the basic model. (SC, I believe.)
I've been spending some time reading up and studying. Practiced dry-firing the camera a few times. As soon as I get a chance, I'll start shooting with it. When the weather clears up in the spring, maybe I'll take it out and shoot outdoors.

I feel pretty confident with the process of shooting large format. At this point, I think I've studied as much as I can. All I've got to do now is go shoot it... and make lots of mistakes. ;)

I shoot 35mm and 120 format and I develop my own film. Although I don't have a processor or a 4x5 film tank, I feel confident that I can do basic developing with the equipment I've got. (From what I read, it would be called the "Taco Method.") As I progress, I can buy or trade for more of the things I need but, for now, I'll stay frugal until I get some experience.

I have an Omega D-II enlarger with all the film holders and lenses I need. Again, but for the idiosyncrasies of 4x5, I'm confident that I can do it. As I am planning, right now, I think the results of my first few outings will be contact printed until I get over the first hill of the learning curve.

I guess I only have two questions before I jump in with both feet:

What is a good film to start out with? Is choosing a 4x5 film similar to choosing 35mm and 120? (My favorite films, so far, are Fuji Neopan and Tri-X. Developed in D-76 or XTOL.)

What kinds of pitfalls should I be on the lookout for? I expect to make mistakes but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to avoid them if I can. Right?

Looking forward to learning a lot and hoping that the knowledge gained will filter back to my shooting with smaller formats, too.

Welcome aboard from you neighbor to the north. It sounds like you have about everything that you need to start except film. When I started shooting 4x5 I used the cheapest film I could find which was some re-branded Freestyle film which turned out to be pretty good film. The reason that I went cheap is that starting out you will make a lot of mistakes and it is better to burn cheap film than the higher priced film. I now use either Ilford HP-5 or Tmax for B&W and Kodak Portra 400 for color.

Do yourself a favor and get as many film holders as you can afford, at least 10-15 to start that way you can go out for a reasonable days shoot without have to re-load film holders in the field. I have probably 30-35 good usable holders and a half dozen Grafmatics which I use exclusively for color film.

You should be able to print your 4x5 negs with your D-II.

I think that you will find this forum and it's members very helpful in your journey, so don't hesitate to ask any questions that you have and do check out the LF home page.

Good luck and good light,
Robert

Welcome from a little SE of Pittsburgh!
I also have a Cambo monorail. If you ever want to meet up at McConnell's Mills State Park, let me know. That's probably close to halfway between us.
When I got my 4x5 three years ago, I started out with some Fuji instant film. It made it a little easier to get quick feedback on whether I was focusing and moving things well.

Hey! Thanks, Bethe! :)
I was looking at all the farms and barns with silos, south of here, along I-79, down through Mercer and Grove City. Fingers crossed, when the weather breaks in spring, maybe a weekend photo safari would be in order.

I've got five film holders with the Cambo and a couple more of them came with the Graflex I've got packed away. That's seven all together. When my budget permits, I will certainly think about getting more. I've got several metal ammo boxes that 4x5 film holders will fit into, nicely. They're waterproof, dust proof and light tight. I figure, if I clean them out really well, I can use one for film at-the-ready and one for exposed.

I have been trying to plan out how I would handle film in the field if I ever needed to load more film. A changing tent, empty film boxes and Tyvek dividers, I suppose. I'm thinking those ammo boxes might come in handy, too.

If you've got a dozen exposed films in a box, how do you keep track of them all? Make detailed notes in a notebook, I suppose. But how do you keep track of all those chits lying loose in a box and keep them from getting mixed up? If you keep them in film holders, you can mark them but you can't take loose film out and look at it, lest you spoil it.

I've got several Nikkor stainless steel tanks. For now, I can use those to develop film but I'd like to make tubes or get a drum processor. I've looked at Lowe's and Home Depot for 2" black plastic pipe. They don't have any. Only white but that isn't light proof. Well, for now, it's taco method. It's probably best to stay frugal until I learn how to play this game.

For film, it's going to be black and white for the time being. My darkroom is all outfitted for black and white. While I can do color, I've only done it a couple of times. Later, I can do color but, for now, I'm sticking with what I'm familiar.

I've been window shopping for film. Freestyle doesn't have any house brand film listed on their site. It's probably going to be Fuji Neopan for me. I use that film for 35mm and 120, now. I'm familiar with how it behaves.

Does sheet film behave the same way other formats behave?
Neopan in 120 behaves the way it does in 35 about 95% of the time. Can I expect the same thing when it comes to chits?

As it stands, all I need to do is place my order at Freestyle then go burn some film. I think I've studied as much as I can before I go get hands-on. One can only learn so much unless he goes out and actually uses the camera. Right?

Thanks for all your advice, so far!

It might not be, technically, any more difficult than the photography I have already learned but I know this is a detail-oriented pursuit. I think that's right up my alley!

I don't think staying frugal is the right approach. I say use the right tools for the right job. This goes for anything. If you try to use a wrench to pound a nail because you already have one you can get the job done. But, it's going to take longer, you'll make mistakes and you'll get frustrated. And, you may not get the results you want.

Not to mention, getting the right tools to develop 4x5 film is can be done for less than $20.

Your point is taken. By "frugal" I meant only for the first couple of tries. I really do intend to get the right stuff.

I do have the right size trays. I just didn't want to do my first batch in the dark unless I have to.

I looked for black plastic pipe at Home Depot and at Lowe's but neither place had any.

If I find a drum unit at a price I can afford, I'll be all over it but, given that I have to buy film, chemistry and incidentals, I can't afford both right now.

I understand about doing a job the right way instead of the cheap way but this is something I'm just going to have to work up to. I think I have the patience and I'm not afraid to make mistakes.

I should tell you about the time when I was just learning how to shoot a muzzle loading, black powder rifle. The flintlock kind, not the sissy, percussion cap kind.
I rammed a ball down the barrel before I poured in the powder. When I realized what I had done, I thought "Oh, SH*T!" I was afraid I had just screwed up a rare and expensive gun! Luckily, an older guy came along and showed me how to trickle powder through the touch hole in order to get the ball out. I thought I was going to have to use a puller. He laughed and said, "Everybody does it at least once. Then you learn not to do it again."

The experience of learning how to shoot chit film is probably going to be a lot like learning how to shoot a musket. I know that going in.