Search:

For what it's worth, 40x50 (from 4x5) is not 10x. 64x80 would only be 5x. In addition to what others have said, just be aware that at some point, light falloff becomes an issue when making very...

I've got one, I think I've made one or two exposures with it. Bought it more out of curiosity than anything else. Turns out it's a lot easier and a lot more fun to use my medium format gear in the...

I got my new camera today (a Speed Graphic), and I'm having trouble focusing the darn thing. I set the camera up on a tripod, figured out how to open the front (took half an hour on graflex.org to...

You'll need to move the easel up towards the lens, and as you do that, chances are you'll run out of bellows draw. Back in the day, Omega made an auxiliary bellows called the "close up attachment"...

It sounds like you're staying in Longmont. Most people going from Longmont to RMNP, or "the park" would head up U.S. 36 to Estes Park, take U.S. 34 through the park to Grand Lake, turn around there...

The freeware program IrfanView can do everything you want.

I bought a draftsman's chair a few years ago when I broke my leg, and standing for long periods of time wasn't an option. It's still in the darkroom, but now it's the repository for darkroom towels.

Here's what I do: a Bronica ETR compendium, and a bunch of step up rings. With everyone dumping their medium format gear, these things are relatively inexpensive (a quick search shows KEH has a...

Try it. You have nothing to lose. And contrary to the conventional wisdom, many enlarging lenses work just fine at infinity. Chances are your friends won't be able to tell the difference between a...

Stay away from the Schnieder 75mm f 8 SA. They're cheap, but it's a stretch to say they cover 4x5. As far as all of the other lenses in this category, they're all really so good you'll be hard...

Please note that the Omega DII and the Omega D2 are not the same. The DII is an older model with a wimpy column and lacking an elevator crank. The D2 is stronger, has the elevator crank, and is...

As said above, go for the one on the left (I have the one on the right).

Have Peter put a focusing block on both ends, and give you two slotted rails. There are situations where you'll prefer...

D5's are great, and the 500H head is fantastic, but the price seems high. Given that replacement parts for the Ilford head aren't readily available, I'd be reluctant to pay more than a few hundred...

Keep the 545 in case you want to use Fuji Quickloads. I don't know anything about Fuji's instant films, but their 4x5 Quickloads work great in the Polaroid 545 holder.

I do as Frank suggests, just leave the camera on the tripod and balance it on my shoulder. You'll want to switch shoulders from time to time, but I've done hikes of five miles or so, on steep...

I've pretty much given up on ebay, both as a buyer and a seller. Everything I've ever sold on ebay had to be re-listed at least once, due to a nonpaying bidder. And as a buyer, ebay has turned from...

Can coating really minimize Newton's rings? I thought anti-Newton glass was etched rather than coated. At any rate, I use plain window glass and have had no problems thus far.

The Super Graphic. Terrible camera; excellent doorstop. It lacks the simple elegance and Art Deco beauty of its fore bearers.

It's kind of amazing that given how simple view cameras are, it's...

Soft focus, flat light, a subject with smooth skin, careful dodging of areas that do show texture.

Yes and no.

I bought a 12" Dagor for 8x10 because it was cheap at the time, and I just couldn't justify the cost of a more modern lens. But I subsequently decided that 12" on 8x10 wasn't right...

I'm not generally a big fan of Kodak, but in their defense, silver prices have been trending upward for at least the last five years (though significantly down over the past month). Likewise,...

This lens is the same as the graflex optar; it's a nice, sharp little lens that allows some movements when stopped down. It's probably in a rapax shutter, these are amazingly robust little units. ...

There is no reason you need two enlargers, but at times it can be handy. I have three (OK, I actually have seven, but the other four are in storage and are backups / spare parts). One is set up...

Just treat them as you normally would. With such slow emulsions, I doubt there will be any (noticeable) additional fog. If you were shooting HP5 or Tri-X, and they had sat 10 years or more, there...

It certainly isn't cheating. None of us truly works solo. I may take the photos, develop the film and make the prints, but I didn't make the film, the camera and lens, the developer, etc. And if...

First, don't be afraid to buy from KEH. In my considerable experience dealing both with KEH and ebay, KEH is always your better bet. I've bought at least half a dozen items from KEH that were rated...

I know the right answer is that the glass should be perfectly flat, optical glass (and probably multi-coated. But I have a confession to make: the glass in the carrier for my 10x10 enlarger is plain...

I bought a Turner-Reich a few years ago, and I never use the thing - I can't figure out how to get the top down.

Seriously, I don't use it much. It gives me a nice selection of longer focal...

It's possible your lens came from a TLR, hence no preview lever; however I would still expect it to have a "T" setting. I'm guessing the shutter is a Rapax or a Graphex (they're identical) if not,...

One of Bradford Washburn's cameras will be going on a shuttle mission this fall. No word as to whether it will actually get used (I doubt it).

It's hard to add to what Bob said above, but the late S.K. Grimes told me that it was better to have my Compurs replaced with Copals than to get them CLA'd.

I've used the Nikkor tank, the Yankee, the FR, the Jobo 2500 series, and Unicolor-type drums. I haven't had serious problems with any of them; in particular, I've never had any problems with uneven...

Sounds expensive (running a freezer for ten years).

Here's what I think: Film shouldn't be an issue, I've seen C-41 films last 20+ years without refrigeration. C-41 chemistry should also last...

It's been decades since I've done this, but I always had good luck using a 35mm SLR with a remote flash above the water. These days with most decent cameras providing TTL flash exposure things...

The best place in Boulder is Jones Pharmacy. They generally have a small selection of 4x5, I don't recall any 8x10. Mike's camera may or may not have large format film, at one time they had 4x5,...

Leadville, and the the Collegiate Peaks south of Leadville (also the Independence Pass area) is one of my favorites; it's a reasonable side trip off of I-80 in Colorado.

When you're in Boulder, be...

Back in the days when I was printing several times a week, I didn't need no stinking enlarging meter. A quick look at the negative projected on my focus sheet, and I could nail the exposure and...

While it's sad to see our large format film options diminished, only a blind man wouldn't have seen this (or Polaroid's demise) coming. Kodak has gone from being a photography company to being a...

I'm generally neutral about such things, but for me, the ground glass is if anything, a hindrance. I do the bulk of my composition before crawling under the dark cloth, although obviously focus,...

Sometimes private property isn't private property. In the western U.S., where there is a lot of public land, it isn't uncommon for private land owners whose land borders public land to put their "no...