Other formats ?

[Calamity Jane]

I was wondering how many of you non-pros shoot formats other than sheet film?

I started with 35mm in 1969 but haven't shot any in over 25 years. My Zeiss Voightlander is a beautiful 35 but is collecting dust.

Around 1980, I got into 120 film, but haven't shot a roll in 15 years. I have a nice Pentax 645 (the first one into Canada) sitting on the shelf and a couple of Rolleis that haven't seen the light of day in years.

With some nice cameras collecting dust and a couple of 4x5s that I will probably never use again, I am wondering if it is time to clean house and pass some hardware on to someone who will use it.

Sooooo, for those of you whos job doesn't REQUIRE smaller formats, how much do you use your 35mm and 120 cameras since getting into LF?

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

I use my Yashica mat alot for B&W and point and shoot type stuff. I took it out at lunch yesterday to shoot some seascapes. I use my 35mm once a year to take pictures of eagles.

[Ernest Purdum]

I am a big advocate of using more than one film format in the same camera. It gives you more use from your expensive lenses. For this reason, I turn my 4X5 into a 120 camera on occasion.

When traveling by air, I carry a little Olympus XA. Many people are willing to put up with the hassle of LF passing through today's airports. I'm not.

I use a 35mm Nikon when taking pictures for eBay.

[Ellen Stoune Duralia]

I keep my husband's Minolta X700 in the car with me at all times for those photo ops that invariably come up. I also used it at the beach to shoot a whole roll of sand patterns - they were so neat!

I have a Mamiya 330f that is fantabulous for macro stuff and I like it as a walk-around camera too. Comfy neck strap is required!

I have a 4x5 Shen that I use for whatever tickles me - from nature stuff to studio work. Have the Horseman LE for studio work too but I haven't found the Shen's movements to be limiting at all so I might sell it. I hate to see it just sitting there.

I have a Canon 20D that is great for the quick stuff - kids, the cats, whatever. I use it for anything else too - just depends on what the situation is.

Getting into LF has opened my eyes to the benefits of all the formats at my disposal - I just try to choose the right tool for the job

[Vick Vickery]

I shoot alot of 35mm for family stuff (Minoltas...old and manual) and some business related use; 2 1/4 square (Rolliecord & Kowa Six) for some commercial use, particularly interior details, etc.; 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 roll and 4x5 sheet on architecural subjects (Super Graphic and Cambo 4x5's)...I am a real estate appraiser and do architectural photography as a sideline since none of the "pros" in this part of the world even know how to use a view camera, much less own one!

[Donald Brewster]

See the recent NY Times article on David Burnett (login may be required): http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/08/technology/circuits/08schiesel.html?incamp=article_popular_4&oref=login

Horses for courses of course. I still use 35mm, 6x6, 6x7, 4x5 and 8x10. Some get used more than others. Most often use the 6x7 and 35mm P&S for travel. They all get used, though some not as often as I'd like.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Coolpix 990--photos for ads on the web and on a copy stand for archiving documents (MUCH quicker than a scanner, and the resolution is more than adequate for my needs).

35mm Canon--mostly for birds and dupes on 35mm slide film

6x6 Bronica--sometimes an SLR is the best tool for some kinds of portraits and it can be handy for travel.

6x6 Voigtlander Perkeo II--My "pocket 'blad" for the briefcase.

6x6 Voigtlander Superb TLR--Just for fun, street shots.

6x7 back on the 4x5" Tech V--usually for rangefinder snapshots, but I also use 4x5" for that sometimes. It's handy to be able to walk around with the Technika with a rollfilm back and one lens over my shoulder, two lenses in a fanny pack, compact meter, and a few rolls of 120 (as opposed to the equivalent number of shots in Grafmatics).

I have a DaYi 6x17 cm back for the Technika that I've only used for 6x17 cm so far, but I could imagine on some extended travel using it for 6x9 or 6x12 as well.

Lately I'm shooting mainly 4x5" and 8x10", though, and occasionally 11x14".

[Bill Hahn]

In the past 2 months I've shot about 6 rolls 35mm black and white, 6 rolls 120 film B&W, and
about 50 sheets 4x5. FWIW.

[Dave Savidge]

While 4x5 is, I suppose, my preferred medium, I find that most of the time I'm out walking I carry a Horseman 6x9 as it gives good quality and is fine for a lazy man to carry. However, I'm in the throws of building a 10x8 which could easily take over from the 4x5 as my favourite.

Having said all that, I couldn't survive without a D70 which I use at work for producing advertising and technical material (as an amateur).

[Tom Westbrook]

I still use my Mamiya 7 (6x7) a fair amount for when things are changing too fast to set up the 4x5 or I'm just too lazy. I do find I'm using it less as I get more experienced with the 4x5, which I've only had since 2002. I recently re-entered the 35mm world after 20 years just to have a smaller camera for street photography and shooting out the car window at weird or interesting people/things.