New to 4x5 photography, just bought Wisner camera, advice appreciated

[Larry Kellogg]

Hello,
A friend of mine just sold me his Wisner 4x5 Technical Field Camera, pictures attached. He threw in a couple of lenses, an ancient 6.5 inch Goerz Dagor and an 6.5 inch Wollansak extreme WA. I just bought a Fujinon 240mm f/9 lens on eBay so that is my whole kit. Oh, I also bought a Gitzo 1228 tripod on eBay an I have to get a tripod head(GH2750?), film holders (Toyo?), and a changing tent (Harrison?), oh, and some film, plus a backpack, LOL. I have been shooting medium format for a few years and have come to dig Portra 400 for its wide latitude, but I will definitely want to shoot T-Max.

I live in New York City so I will rely on Sunshine Labs on 31st street for processing, although I have signed up for a B+W film/darkroom course at the International Center for Photography.

I have both the Simmons book and the Stroebel book. I'm looking forward to getting into slow photography! I would be happy to hear from other NYC Large Format photographers. I hope I won't be hassled for a tripod permit in Central Park. As far as I can tell, those regulations have been thrown out.

All advice is welcome! I really need an empty film box so I can take my first shots to the lab for processing. I would gladly PayPal somebody to send me an empty box.

Best,

Larry Kellogg

[Roger Thoms]

Nice camera, looks like your off to a good start.

Roger

[John Kasaian]

It sounds like you've got a first class kit--congratulations! Your lab should be able to supply you with an empty 3 piece box. Have fun!

[Steven Tribe]

Harrison's are unfortunately expensive and bulky, and need an enormous table area (the legs stick out). If you are running out of funds, you can easily make do with a large changing bag.

I regularly use one of these for 8x10 work (folding book-type plate holders!, developing tubes, fresh film boxes and exposed film boxes).

[kgm]

Regarding the tripod head, I would suggest that you avoid a ball head for large format. They seem to be all that anyone uses for smaller formats now, but I think that it's harder to get the camera precisely leveled.
The camera looks great. I sold my 8x10 Wisner a couple of years ago. I had no complaints with the camera, but wanted to get back to 4x5. I think that you'll find that the older lenses can provide great quality. You may have to be careful about shading the front of the lens to keep flare controlled. I've got some older, cheaper lenses that serve me well if I'm careful with them.
When I got my first 4x5 over 25 years ago, I taught myself with the Stroebel book, and added the Simmons one sometime later. They've got pretty much everything that you need to know. The Ansel Adams books, The Camera and The Negative are also great introductions to the basics, although they cover more than just large format work.

[john borrelli]

Welcome, I am not sure how far along you are, so if some of these suggestions are too basic for you, perhaps they may be helpful to the next new LFer. My Wisner has the original groundglass and the view is a bit dark, darker than other cameras I have used.

Some Wisners have a fresnel which makes them a bit brighter, you could ask the person you bought the camera from about whether it is the original or whether it's been modified. The Fuji lens you bought is one of the best but at f9.0 instead of f5.6 as your typical 135, 150, 180 or 210 plasmat, your view through the camera will be slightly darker, therefore I would suggest a good darkcloth either one of the many on the market($25.00 to a $100.00) or one you make yourself, and a good loupe (which start for around 15.00 dollars for a good plastic one). These may be important items because you need to practice to learn how the camera movements work and to understand how they are working you will need to be able to differentiate the sharp from the unsharp areas on your groundglass. These differences at first might seem subtle. With your loupe, dark cloth and camera, go out on a bright afternoon and practice.

Also, be careful opening and closing the camera, Most woodfields are a little difficult to open and close and it's easy to damage a bellows by closing the camera on it or damage the camera by trying to close the camera with one of the standards not loosened enough, or thinking you are closing the camera properly but the camera is not exactly zeroed out. I have two pages of instructions to open and close my camera, though I have a Wisner Pocket Expedition which I believe to be the most difficult of all woodfields in this regard. Mistakes like these are often made at the beginning, there is a good Youtube video on opening and closing a Wisner.

Lastly, although I am just an amateur here, this site is an amazing source of information and support. You could ask a question on this forum and receive an answer from one of the best LF photographers working today. All the best, John

[Larry Kellogg]

Thanks for all the comments. Perhaps I'll just get a changing bag for the time being instead of that Harrison tent, thanks for that suggestion. My wife is already not happy about the addition of yet another camera, so I should try to keep the other gear to a minimum. I was struck by how small and portable the WIsner is, I had envisioned it to be much larger.

I was thinking about getting a leveling head, as recommended by Ken Lee, who is on here and has put together a wonderful site. If I don't get a ballhead, what would be a recommended head?

I have learned how to open and close the Wisner without damaging it. I know it's important to extend the front standard before pulling it up, in order not to damage the bellows. I love all the knobs.

I am wondering how much I can rely on the image snapping into place on the ground glass versus checking it all over.I am used to shooting a Rolleiflex but this is a whole different animal. I have a loupe but need to get a darkcloth. I am still wondering about calculating bellows extension and reciprocity failure. I think I'm going to get the iPhone app for the later. I am using ViewFinder Pro on my iPhone in order to pre-visualize shots in 4x5 format.

My lab guys are going to set me up with some empty boxes. Thanks for the offer, though.

I am thinking about doing some kind of Spring photography project in Central Park. It seems like color would be the way to go. Any thoughts on that idea?

Regards,

Larry

[David Schaller]

You can load and unload holders in a dark bathroom or closet. Don't worry too much about changing bags or dark tents. Practice a bit with exposed film. The Wisner is a great camera. I've had mine for 12 years. A basic Manfrotto three way tripod head is fine with the Wisner. If you feel flush, the Manfrotto 410 geared tripod head is great. I use it for 8x10 too.
Dave

[Roger Thoms]

I've loaded my share of film in a changing bag, that said I bought a Harrison tent about two years age and am very pleased. I certainly would not want to go back to the changing bag. The Harrison's are pricey, so I wouldn't necessarily run right out and buy one but if you stick with large format I would consider one in the future. The recommendation about blacking out a closet or bathroom is a good one. I have a black out cloth that I hang over the inside of my closet door and inside I have a small work table. The table is 24" square and initially I was in a 42" wide x 28" deep closet, it was a little cramped but doable. Recently my girlfriend made room for my setup in the bigger closet, yahoo!!! I load film holders with film and BTZS tubes with film and developer in the closet. The Harrison is used primarily in the field.

Roger

Btw good to hear your lab has boxes. If for any reason they don't come through my offer still stands.

[biedron]

I would second Roger's comments about the Harrison tent - well worth it when you have the funds, especially if you travel. Yes, you can manage with tape/towels in a closet or bathroom, but the Harrison makes it so much easier. They occasionally appear for sale used.

Bob