Examples of Large Format shots that cannot be done with small

[Bryan Lemasters]

The title is Malford aviating in his Peugot. Focal plane shutter effect.

The focal plane shutter effect is alive and doing well, but has apparently become bored with auto racing and has taken up golf instead:
http://www.tutelman.com/golf/measure...Distortion.php

[goamules]

In my opinion, Foveon sensor discussion is on-topic....
Which matters for comparing color film vs. color digital, I guess. But not really for b&w film vs. b&w digital....

Far be it for me to play "Ruler of The Thread." But I didn't ask for a comparison of film to digital! I asked for examples of things that are more easily done in large format, than small format (be it digital DSLR SMALL, or film SMALL). I.E. View Camera vs handheld. It's funny how people automatically switch to the beaten to death Digital vs Film....which is NOT what I was interested in starting in this thread. No worries, I'm glad we are all learning things. The first post:

Like most of you, I shoot a lot of formats and types of cameras...I'd like this thread to be for posted examples of what you "cannot do" or cannot easily do with a 35mm or DSLR handheld camera [that you can with LF]. ...

I'm fine with a little going off tangent, it happens. But not the suggestion of going back and changing the thread title when discussions go off in another direction! I'd say move the new discussion to it's own thread. That way, a person interested in the main question of this thread, doesn't have to skip through pages of discussion of whatever a fovedon is.

Example from cooking forum:

"What are things I can make from eggplant?!"

Answers that aren't really answers:

"I like squash better....here are some recipes for squash!......Ever noticed that squash is kind of like eggplant?.....shhhh, we're talking about squash here!....etc"

[Tin Can]

Sorry Garrett, I feel your pain, whatever that means...

But Galli challenged someone to mimic LF DOF with an iThing, so I did.

I plead Galli influence!

But the rest of this sensor crap is obviously way off your intention.

[goamules]

But I like eggplant!

I've learned a lot in this one, besides meta-cognition, thread project management, how to deal with difficult people, and cooking. The takeaways for me, regarding the question "what can LF do easier than Small Format?" are:

- A different feel and workflow
- The ability to use antique, unique lenses including soft focus and petzvals
- Movements native to the camera, without expensive adapters
- Short depth of field, inexpensively
- No enlarger, scanner, or computer software needed to make large prints
- High resolution
- High dynamic range

[Jim Galli]

I'm fine with a little going off tangent, it happens. But not the suggestion of going back and changing the thread title when discussions go off in another direction!

I was being facetious of course.

[jnantz]

hi garrett

i dont' know if this can be done with any other format but one with a bellows
its a paper negative ( 8x10 one ) glass from the 20s ( or maybe the 30s ? )
and a bellows at work and front and rear standard kind of at work
and that's about it .. maybe it can be done with a lens baby and playing with PS
maybe it can't either way it was kind of fun to make

[goamules]

But of course, paper negatives, like wetplate, cannot "easily" be done in small format.
I figured the title change was a joke, but didn't look at the author to be sure. Now I know!

[jnantz]

hi again garrett,

i've been coating things and sticking them in a pentax k1000 beleive it or not, for a couple of years now ...
silver gelatin tintypes as well as paper negatives, i wish glass plates ( the pressure plate doesn't like glass plates...
i use store bought and home made emulsion.
im guessing not many people do this but it really isn't too hard or crazy, teh main drawback is
only be able shoot 1 tiny exposure at a time ... it really isn't a lot of trouble, just a lot of legwork for a tiny exposure

[Kodachrome25]

It's more along the lines of "Post your Waterfalls." If you have a waterfall, post it. If you have an example of something LF can do better than small format, post it!

And there in lies the problem, web sized posts vs prints in person. I'll see if I can dig up a D810 file that looks like LF, I am sure I have a few somewhere....

[Kodachrome25]

Selective focus with razor thin depth of field? Soft focus with real definition?

I bet if you took a really talented shooter who used both a Canon 5DR / 85L-II and a Leica M240 / Noctilux Asph 50mm .95 and that person gave it real nice black and white or slight sepia treatment and then hung that work next to that made of the same subject matter type but shot with LF and hung it on a gallery wall...folks would be hard pressed to tell the difference sir.

I love shooting LF because I love shooting and printing film. But I don't use it because I think it is better than anything else out there, that goes to MF in my mind...;-)