Archiving Artwork, Best lens to use with Toyo 45F?

[M.S.Bizzle]

Paul,

A box inside a box camera - can you please describe this in a bit more detail? It sounds interesting. Thanks.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Hi there,

The cheapest solution is a box camera, it is exactly what it sounds like. A 4X5 Graflok back is 6 1/4 X 6 1/4" so a 3/8 - 10mm birch hobby store plywood box 6 1/2" X 6 1/2" X 8" (for a 210mm lens) with another box, 8 1/2 - 9", that fits snugly inside. Cut a rebate near the front / inside of the outer box and rear/ outside of the innner box 3/8 X 1/8 for two strips of felt as a light traps and to apply enough drag to make focusing easier. A piece of metal with a slot cut down the middle (an aluminium ruler), a small carriage bolt and wing nut to lock the focus. Two 1/4 X20 tee-nuts thru the outer box as tripod lugs to rotate from horz. to vert. or just set it up on a bench. Final fine focus by moving the camera or art work. Everything should be perfectly square and level, there are no movements front or rear. Rustoleum BBQ paint is ultra flat black but takes 2-3 days to dry well.

The easiest solution for flat copy work would be a Burke & James Rembrant portrait camera or a Agfa/Ansco Studio Portrait camera. Both were 5X7 and could have 4X5 reducing backs. The front standard has no movements, it's built solid at 90* and the focus is with the rear with slight swing & tilt. They both have large, square bellows and can take a Packard shutter easily. You could use halogen lamps on an enlarger timer instead of strobes BUT the burn-down from the lamps would throw the color balance out the window.

I will have either as parts shells after the holidays. If you're still working it out contact me off-line, this is not the place to sell.

Happy holidays

[Paul Moshay]

Since I have been doing this work for 12 years now I can offer some advise to ease the way. First, don't get into the camera building business, fun as it can be, because you want to make your paintings and photograph them. The GClaron 150mm lens is perfect for the job, I use all the available focal lengths from 150 to 305. Dim as the ƒ9 aperture is they are designed for that work and don't cost too much. Lighting is very important to be even and constant in color balance, flash works well if you can control the reflections on the artwork. You should use Kodak EPN film stock because it is the only film that is accurate in color balance and has the longest tonal scale and scans very well. Buy enough film to do at least one years work and get all the same lot number or your color balance will be all over the map, and find a Kodak Q-Lab to process the film for the same reason. Since the main reason to do 4x5 transparencies is for reproduction, do not mess with other films that have more contrast and brighter colors, save them for your vacation photographs. The Toyo camera line is fine and the one I use for 4x5 and 8x10. The accessories are very available and not too expensive. If you can get that model 45F it will make the job easier because of the geared movements, and you will want them. Also get a grided ground glass to make sure everything is square on the film. If you want anything more, contact me offline.

Paul Moshay

[Stephen Hall]

Just make sure you use a standard to long focal length - wide angle will introduce distortion.
Since you are photographing flat field subject matter a process lens around 210 mm for 5x4 is perfect. Process or copy lenses are very sharp over a very flat field and are designed to be colour corrected and distortion free. Rodenstock makes excellent lenses that also double as long focal length camera lenses. Or pull one off an old process camera.
In regards to lighting polarising gels over the flash heads and a polarising filter over the lens will remove the majority of flare and reflection from uneven painted surfaces.
Beware of using flouro lighting or tungsten globes as the spectral output of the lights is different to 5400K daylight and the response of many painting/graphic mediums will introduce uncorrectable colour casts.
Stephen