You May Say that I'm a Dreamer HOLY GRAIL found VANCAM continues NIKORR APO 1800MM

[Vaughn]

You need a huge cannon when shooting in the Grand Tetons.

Congrats, Mr. Frost! And I wish you the best on the next steps of your project! About 6 feet to how many feet of bellows, or whatever, will be used? Are you going to do close-ups? Kinda joking, but 4x4 macro-photography would be interesting. Technically it sounds a bit like a nightmare - I have been assuming 4feet x 4feet. Over-kill for 4"x4", and 4meters x 4meters would be very ambious indeed! A little shy on depth of field, let alone the lens-to-film distance needed! Still interesting.

But whatever you endeavor, good luck!

[StoneNYC]

You need a huge cannon when shooting in the Grand Tetons.

Congrats, Mr. Frost! And I wish you the best on the next steps of your project! About 6 feet to how many feet of bellows, or whatever, will be used? Are you going to do close-ups? Kinda joking, but 4x4 macro-photography would be interesting. Technically it sounds a bit like a nightmare - I have been assuming 4feet x 4feet. Over-kill for 4"x4", and 4meters x 4meters would be very ambious indeed! A little shy on depth of field, let alone the lens-to-film distance needed! Still interesting.

But whatever you endeavor, good luck!

Well at least 6 feet of bellows I think? Right?

Very amazing find! Want to take my portrait?

[Ari]

Yes, but will it fit on a Technika board?

It has a Board already attached to it.

I guess if I have to explain a joke, it wasn't funny in the first place.

Congratulations on finding your mega-lens.

[Vaughn]

Well at least 6 feet of bellows I think? Right?

Very amazing find! Want to take my portrait?

Yes. About 6 feet for infinity -- and more for portraits, of course. And I guessing that 1800mm (71") is normal to slightly long for 4'x4' (based on the diagonal of about 60" with 4'x4'), so not so big noses. With this lens, we're talking about the possibility of a van+ sized camera...one of the larger Sprinters or some such thing. Back up to the scene, open the back doors, and you're ready to go!

[Cletus]

So I guess 4x4 would be considered UBER-ULTRA-STUPENDOUS-large-FORMAT?

And this might be a naive question, but probably the only possibility here is wet plate? Surely you don't have some source for film in this format??

[Steve Smith]

I will continue to design and build my 4x4 camera.

4x4? Is that feet?


Steve.

[jb7]

Thank you to everyone that doubted me and supported me in finding this lens. I will continue to design and build my 4x4 camera.

-the impossible leads to more fulfilling accomplishments-

David Frost

Attachment 110333

I may have come across as a doubter in the earlier thread, however, that really wasn't the case. When you asked about coverage for such a large format, you didn't give any indication of what you intended to photograph, still haven't, really- Shooting at infinity might require a much longer lens than shooting portraits at life size, for example- although both might require similar bellows draw. Everyone who answered seemed to assume you would be shooting at infinity, for some reason.

I'm also assuming now that you're planning on shooting at infinity, which will be a really, really long way away, using that lens...

The Vancam gives a little hint at what you might be doing, and I'm sure your plans are already far advanced, given your commitment to finding the lens. If I might make a suggestion for the film holder, perhaps all it would take would be a drafting table, something like this- to be moved around the interior for focus and shift and swing, (and rise/fall) and which would allow some tilt, although forward tilt might require modification. I can imagine a gimballed lens mount on a cone which could be mounted outside the van, projecting through what could only be described as removable body caps... I can also imagine that table ending up as the world's biggest roll film holder, although I'm sure someone will point me to a larger one...

Good luck with the camera... What do you plan to photograph with it?

[jp]

With a table for a film holder, you could unroll about 15 rolls of 120 film and tape them one above the other for a massive stitch, or do a triptych with 3x 14x36 xray film.

[StoneNYC]

4x4? Is that feet?


Steve.

Who knows maybe it's in meters

[pasiasty]

So I guess 4x4 would be considered UBER-ULTRA-STUPENDOUS-large-FORMAT?

And this might be a naive question, but probably the only possibility here is wet plate? Surely you don't have some source for film in this format??

I guess something like 4' is width of film before it is cut. Foma will be happy selling the whole uncut rolls (they even offer custom cut films if you buy whole role, about 50m, 55yd). Another issue is how to develop such a roll-film