Teen photographer

[jmandell]

Hi all,

I am 16 and I have been shooting digital with a Nikon D700 for a while now. I shoot sports for school, but my real love is landscapes.

I wanting to branch out from my little digital bubble and experience what the photographers did before digital.

I have been looking around for some good deals on cameras (4x5 mostly), but I would like some suggestions.


I look forward to learning and participating in this community.

[Light Guru]

What is your budget? knowing that would help us make suggestions on camera lenses etc?

[C_Remington]

What is your budget? knowing that would help us make suggestions on camera lenses etc?

I'll bet I can guess.

[jmandell]

What is your budget? knowing that would help us make suggestions on camera lenses etc?

Sorry, forgot about that.

I selling off some of my unused lenses right now and I can probably manage ~$500-$600

[Vaughn]

A rail camera (rather than a folding field camera) will be more affordable, as long as you do not want to carry it too far. Though in my youth (anything in the 20's seems youthful to be now!), I carried a rail 4x5 (Calumet) for miles in a heavy case.

The Calumet rail cameras are not expensive on the used market. Graphic Views are older but very usable. I would tend to look for a complete kit (camera, lens, a few holders...perhaps a darkcloth...all in some sort of case) can be a good deal.

Lens -- and modern lens in a Copal shutter would be my first choice...150mm to 210mm as a start. Caltars (rebranded German lenses) can be found at a good price...the same as their German branded equivilents.

A solid tripod is needed. All should be doable on your budget.

Good luck and have fun!

Vaughn

[Jim Galli]

Get and read Chavez Ravine; a Los Angeles Story by Don Normark. One of my favorite books. The images were done with a little rollfilm 120 camera that won't fetch $24 on Ebay, and yet I am mesmerized every time I read it.

It was 1949, and Normark wasn't much older than you, a college kid. The camera was a little tin can called a Ciro Flex. (disclaimers etc. just to show what I'm talking about) Everything about it is manual. Like driving a '40's british car with a crash box. You're busy all the time. But it can pay you back handsomely.

Not trying to talk you out of 4X5, just what came to mind when you mentioned 'old school'.

[jmandell]

A rail camera (rather than a folding field camera) will be more affordable, as long as you do not want to carry it too far. Though in my youth (anything in the 20's seems youthful to be now!), I carried a rail 4x5 (Calumet) for miles in a heavy case.

The Calumet rail cameras are not expensive on the used market. Graphic Views are older but very usable. I would tend to look for a complete kit (camera, lens, a few holders...perhaps a darkcloth...all in some sort of case) can be a good deal.

Lens -- and modern lens in a Copal shutter would be my first choice...150mm to 210mm as a start. Caltars (rebranded German lenses) can be found at a good price...the same as their German branded equivilents.

A solid tripod is needed. All should be doable on your budget.

Good luck and have fun!

Vaughn

Thanks for the advice! As for the tripod, I have a Manfrotto 055xprob with a 410 geared head, would this be sturdy enough?

[Bernice Loui]

Very likely yes for the majority of cameras under consideration.


Bernice

Thanks for the advice! As for the tripod, I have a Manfrotto 055xprob with a 410 geared head, would this be sturdy enough?

[Mike Anderson]

Thanks for the advice! As for the tripod, I have a Manfrotto 055xprob with a 410 geared head, would this be sturdy enough?

That would work very well. I use a 055XPROB with a ball head with a fairly heavy monorail. It's plenty strong. The 410 head would be better.

[thomasfallon]

Why stop at 4x5. Those are more popular and more dollars. I saw a Calumet C1 on Ebay for three something. You can lift it.