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Thread: Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

  1. #1

    Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

    Hi,

    I am posting this I guess after coming out of a 10 year absence from my hobby, I trust my questions might be very basic, but I appreciate your patience.

    I am a B&W enthusiast, I own several cameras but my pride and joy is my 4x5 Linhof Technica. I own the basic 150, along with a 210 and a 90 lens. My incentive to get back to my camera is simply put, I now have the time.

    At the time I left the hobby I was building a darkroom, I had the plumbing and all the cabinetry installed but I came short on time and funds, and time slipped by, 10 years.

    Going back to the marker by the road where I left , I find that my notes had me looking at a set up that involved a 4x5 enlarger (perhaps a Saunders or a Beseler), and setting up a system that would allow me to process film and paper prints (not RC).

    I have in the last month made my rounds to a variety of photo supply retailers, some were helpful, some of my trusted places are now out of business.

    One thing became painfully clear, there is a serious lack of support now out there for my B&W appetite, some retailers have dropped all semblance to it completely. I am still determined to make fine prints but with the huge amount of conflicting information out there I am confused.

    I would like to ask in basic terms, for a hobbyist my self, what is the current state of affairs in the B&W 4x5 Hobbyist world. I am focused on making traditional silver based prints on quality paper, using traditional chemical tray processes for paper and film, using traditional darkroom methods.

    With patience I appreciate your informed responses and advice, I feel like I may have to learn to walk again if much has changed.

    Take care,
    Jim Shaver
    Oakville, Ont

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
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    Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

    Never been better.

    Used equipment of high quality is almost free for the taking. A fairly wide choice of materials is available if you don't mind mail order.

    Oakville?

    Staying with in Canada:

    http://www.photococan.com/catalog.htm

    http://www.jdphotochem.com/

    http://www.harrysproshop.com/Used_Large_Format/used_large_format.html

    http://www.khbphotografix.com/

    Leaving Canada:

    http://www.jandcphoto.com/

    http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_main.php

    Plus B&H and Adorama.

  3. #3
    Moderator Ralph Barker's Avatar
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    Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

    I think you'll find that ordering online, rather than at a well-stocked local retailer, is pretty much the current state of affairs. Aside from the shift in sources, everything else remains pretty much the same. Some products have disappeared (as they did in past decades), others have been replaced with "new and improved" versions.

  4. #4

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    Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

    Welcome back Jim;

    There are still plenty of us hobbyists/ artists around. Yep a lot has changed in the past ten years, some for the worse, but also some good things too. The main difference is that many many photographers have switched to digital.

    Yes there are far fewer retailers who carry equipment and supplies and offer knowledgeable information. On the bright side, there are several very good web sites where you can buy what you need at a reasonable price.

    My favorite aspect of today's situation is that the prices on used gear have dropped like a rock. If you're patient you can find great deals on the auction site and at used equipment dealers.

    There is far more information available now on the web. The problem is that the ratio of good info to bad hasn't changed much. You still have to figure out a lot on your own.

    One more bright note; the more photographers there are using digital, the more unique your work will be.

  5. #5
    Whatever David A. Goldfarb's Avatar
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    Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

    Also, since a lot of people are using mail order, they have access to a much greater variety of materials.

    I wouldn't have thought of mixing my own developer formulas, for instance, fifteen years ago, because I wouldn't really know where to get the supplies. Now I can just order from three or four suppliers specializing in photographic chemical components off the net, and if I want, I can check out the prices at general chemical supply houses.

  6. #6

    Join Date
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    Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

    Also try Calumet Photographic: http;//www.calumetphotographic.com

    Calumet has extensive & knowledgable support for large format black & white and color photography.

  7. #7

    Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

    Hi Jim -

    Well, nothing has changed, and everything has changed! Whatever potential existed in the traditional darkroom is still there, and there's plenty of good materials available. On there other hand, you're going to have to get used to explaining to digi-cam users why you're still using film :-)

    There's no real reason to be a Luddite, but you can have a fulfilling artistic experience without ever touching a computer. Buy a bunch a film and paper and have a good time.

    As for suppliers, B&H and Freestyle get most of my business, but there other good ones.

    Good luck!

  8. #8

    Join Date
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    Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

    If you haven't done so yet, go to eBay and browse through the large format and film sections. Even if you have no intention of buying there, or of buying used, it gives a great snapshot of what is going on in the marketplace.

    Did ReadyLoads and QuickLoads exist 10 years ago? Maybe not. If you don't mind paying the premium price, they represent a great improvement in terms of cleanliness, ease of use, compactness and light weight. No, you can't get Tri-X in a ReadyLoad, but for me the mechanical advantages are overwhelming, so I get by with T-Max. Why load filmholders if you don't have to?

    This may not be news, but many cameras and chemicals are manufactured at cottage industry scale, with companies such as Wehman and Walker cranking out cameras, while Photographer's Formulary and Bostick & Sullivan produce chemicals, in a small enough quantities that they can thrive in the limited LF market. And you will find that most LF companies are very friendly and helpful: there are people behind the websites, who will gladly discuss your needs and concerns over the phone, or through email.

    Film and paper seem like the weak links, but there are even some products out there from places other than US/Germany/Japan: Bergrruen in France, Efke in Eastern Europe somewhere, Seagull in China, etc.

    One more online store of import is www.badgergraphic.com.

  9. #9
    Jim Ewins
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    Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

    Jim, after some 50 years I got started again. Its an adventure. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with RCs as such. Some are better than others. Some are easier to bleach & tone than others. RC is easier to mount.

  10. #10

    Myths, I Need Some Updated Advice Please

    Do some reading! There are several excellent books available that will be a big help in deciding what you want to do and what equipment you will want. Post Exposure by Ctein I have found most useful, along with Stroebel's book on view cameras. Dr. Richard Henry's book "Controls in Black and White photography has a lot of information. The more you know the better your decisions will be.

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