11x14 pro an cons?

[John Caruso]

I'm a newbe here but maybe I can help since I just went through the same decision process.

I needed to move up from 4x5 to 8x10 for fine art reproduction photography. The lure of the detail from an 11x14 neg. size, the large print sizes I can reach with clean drum scans, and the possibility of archival work for museums pulled me in! After lots of internal debate and several helpful talks with Ron Wisner, I ordered a Wisner 11x14 Technical Field. For now, I’m just buying 4x5 and 8x10 backs. I’ll get the 11x14 back and holders ($$ ouch) when I’m ready for the next step, next spring or summer. I’ll admit some bias here since I fell in love with a Wisner camera the first time I saw one!

The size and weight are somewhat intimidating for me. Most of my work is in a studio, with the possibility of some on-site. However, I wanted a field camera for personal interest photography and can only afford one! I’m a small guy (120 lbs), healthy and strong, but the combined weight of all the gear will be too much for me to carry. After some research, I’m designing a cart based on a double wide jogging stroller. The cart will hold a custom sized compartmented trunk for the camera and gear. I'm not sure yet, but this looks like the solution for me.

Not much concern here on previous delivery problems. Most complaints seem from years past. Many seem to be due to lack of communication. I believe building a rapport and regular communication is important whenever ordering a custom product. (I hold regular update meetings with all of my custom display customers) Hopefully I’m not bugging Ron too much, but I’m learning a lot about lenses and making a friend along the way! Also, if problems arise, I’m willing to wait (within reason) for quality. My camaera is due to be shipped soon, I have all the confidence in the world in the Wisner Co. for a timely delivery of a beautiful camera! Of course all of this is just my humble opinion…

I’m looking forward to a new world of possibilities with lots of fun and photos! Go for it, I wish you all the best!!!

[David Flockhart]

I'm an addicted ULF'er. I shoot 5x7, 8x10, 11x14 and 8x20 and only contact print. The two larger sizes almost always get used and the smaller ones much less so. Why - because in the subjective world of this stuff I like them better. The 5x7 does great when the subject matter can be small and the 8x10 seems more or less boring (a big square). As far as moving the cameras around I do use a cart (or a canoe - I just took a month long photographic trip with all of the above cameras, gear and camping stuff) and it is a commitment to some work. Of course, the work is prelude to reward swith big negs and contact prints. Horses for courses, if you don't mind the inconvenience the benefit of the big cameras is reward enough, and, in fact, I enjoy the process. The camera is just a tool, it all depends on what you want to make and then choose your tool. Good luck.

[neil poulsen]

I thought about 11x14 or 14x17. Instead, I got a light weight 8x10 and an 8x10 enlarger. One has the additional flexibility of enlargements, and from 8x10 to 11x14, I doubt there's that much difference between the two. How do others feel about this?

[Jan Van Hove]

So many great answers !

This discussion is amazing... Do any of you mind if I "mine" through it and use a few of those quotes on the ULF website ? It's getting a major update as we speak by the way, and the new version should be announced here in the next few weeks, with a few surprises... (ok, ok, I'm trying to sep up a LF and ULF-related store directly on the webpage....)

For those who don't know the ULF webpage here's the URL :


http://ulf.janvanhove.com

And on the "Tools of the trade" page, you can see David Flockart's 12x20 setup, as well as the plans to John Gerndt's camera, as well as a round up of current camera manufacturers who offer ULF options...

And now, back to the discussion at hand :

I think that one of the advantages of the Phillips 11x14 camera is the fact that it doesn't have a rotating back, making it almost (almost, I say...) as compact as an "average" 8x10 outfit... the cost of film and holders is something that cannot be avoided, unfortunately, unless you make your own holders... Many have tried and succeeded, but it's a lot of work...

cheers,

PJ VH

[MIke Sherck]

Nice website, Jan. For what it's worth, feel free to use my comments, should you wish to.

Mike

[John Z.]

I moved up from 8X10 to 11X 14 this year and love it. One excellent suggestion made above is to try contact printing with an 8X10 first, since it is so much easier. This is a very important point--the larger format of 11X14 is more work and more expense for sure. On the other hand, the prints of a larger negative are awesome. One other possibilty is to have an 11X14 with an 8X10 reducing back, then you have both formats.

[John Z.]

P.S. I have the Wisner P 11X14, and it is much lighter than the previous Wisner cameras, and is portable in the field. The weight and size are not dramatically bigger than my previous 8X10 Canham. The key is to use lighter weight lenses, like the Fuji 450mm and Fuji 600mm lenses, both great performers for 11X14.

[Ken Lee]

JohnZ - Are any of your 11x14 images available on line ?

I'd love to see them, even though a little JPG doesn't convey the impact of real visual content of an 11x14. I am climbing the LF ladder as we speak, and am interested in the look of the longer lenses on the larger formats. Some of us would be especially interested in any of the images made with the 600mm lens on that format.

[Pete Roody]

Michael,

I am not an 11x14 user, but if I were considering a step up from 8x10, I would consider 10x12 instead. These cameras are not much more in weight and size than an 8x10 (they are usually built of an 8x10 frame). Film availability should be the same (between 10x12 and 11x14). You can cut 20x24 sheets of paper into 4 sheets for printing with no waste. For cameras, Canham makes one and Deardorff made a few.

I bet you would get most of the benefit of the larger contact print (over 8x10) with a lot less hassle (than using an 11x14 camera).