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Thread: shall i move ?

  1. #11

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    Jul 2016
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    Re: shall i move ?

    Quote Originally Posted by sabamosiashvili View Post
    thank you guys, i think about 4x5 now. maybe LF is not what i really want and 4x5 must be easy and cheap way to experience.
    have you shoot with X-ray? what can you say? is it good?
    Here you have +4000 posts about xray film: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...highlight=xray

    Regarding tonality, a common situation is that x-ray is very green sensitive, way less blue sensitive and not red sensitive. In general special development has to be made to lower the contrast.

    You can obtain similar tonality with proper filtering and common pictorial film, or taking a DSLR color image, zeroing red channel and lowering blue a lot.

    We can consider x-ray film a defective pictorial film, but an artist can take advantage of those shortcomings in the creative way to obtain awesome results.

  2. #12
    Jim Graves Jim Graves's Avatar
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    Jul 2007
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    Sacramento, Calif., USA
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    904

    Re: shall i move ?

    Unless you are doing contact prints, it is crazy to start with 8x10. I shoot only 8x10 ... but only because I do carbon printing (contact printing.)

    I started in large format with 4x5 ... if you want to do color, cropping, larger prints, or just lots of shooting and printing ... 4x5 is the only way to go. You have enormaous flexibility in lenses, films, and printing that you will not have in 8x10.

    My photography has become severely limited since I moved to 8x10.

  3. #13

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    Dec 2001
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    Re: shall i move ?

    Quote Originally Posted by sabamosiashvili View Post
    thank you guys, i think about 4x5 now. maybe LF is not what i really want and 4x5 must be easy and cheap way to experience.
    have you shoot with X-ray? what can you say? is it good?
    The cheapest and easiest way to experience LF is with a home made pin hole camera with photo paper, some trays, chemicals, and a safe light.
    I recommend 5x7 or the metric equivalent for your pin hole.
    If that brings a smile to your face, a 4x5 camera could be your next step.
    And so it goes.
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  4. #14

    Join Date
    May 2010
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    St. Louis, Mo.
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    3,064

    Re: shall i move ?

    Do not sell your Hasselblad to buy a large format camera. Get into large format cheaply and see if you like it. Most of us don't keep our first large format camera. We learn what we like and don't like and then buy a camera that works best for us. Also, some people find that they don't care for sheet film. You have to load it in the dark, be careful of dust, carry film holders, etcetera.

    I don't see anything wrong with starting out with 8x10 if that is what you truly want to do. If you are not sure then you are better off starting with 4x5. You will make a lot of mistakes at first. We all did. As you have found, 4x5 film is cheaper than 8x10 film so those mistakes will be less costly on 4x5.

    Shoot with a large format camera for several months or a year even and then you will know if you want to keep or sell the Hasselblad. You may find medium and large format both have a place for you!

  5. #15

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    Aug 2015
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    Iowa
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    Re: shall i move ?

    I bought the toyo GX 4x5 many year because you could upgrade it by buyng the 8x10 back.

  6. #16

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    Jan 2006
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    Tucson AZ
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    Re: shall i move ?

    Or start with 5 x 7 and have the best of both worlds???

  7. #17
    Charles S
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    Jan 2017
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    Zurich, Switzerland
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    Re: shall i move ?

    Saba,

    Like you, I shot with a Blad before going to 8x10.
    Started off with a camera made out of plywood and a cheap lens. A bit like this one: https://carynorton.com/blogarchive/2...-bucks-sort-of
    I shot on paper to try it out. Once I decided I liked it, I bought a cheap 8x10 on eBay, a convertible Symmar lens and started shooting on Foma 400. The imperfections are part of the charm.
    I choose 8x10 over 4x5 so that I could use Impossible film and in case I would shoot regular film, I could make contact prints. Th eImpossible bit, I have given up on. The regular film bit is giving me a lot of enjoyment.

    The Blad still sees the same amount of use as before.

  8. #18

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    Jul 2013
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    Queensland, Australia
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    Re: shall i move ?

    Saba, I started out with a 10x12 vageeswari camera, and xray film. I quickly bought a second hand horseman FA45 and was happy with the loss of luggage I needed to carry. 4x5 lenses are a few kilo's lighter than that needed for 10x12. I now use a Shen Hao 4x5 and leave the big cameras in the studio where they belong. I have never shot proper sheet film in the three years I have taken up large format and still love my xray film. I buy a box of 8x10 xray film, about $60 for a box of 100, then use a paper cutter in the darkroom to cut each sheet into four 4x5. Cheap as chips, and it is a lot cheaper in developer too. I would warn you though xray is delicate to handle and scratches very easily

  9. #19

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    75

    Re: shall i move ?

    Fomapan 100 ! 50 sheets 4X5 30 € ! 8X10 50 sheets 120 € ! Super Film with Rodinal 1:50

  10. #20

    Join Date
    Dec 2001
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    San Joaquin Valley, California
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    Re: shall i move ?

    What subjects do you like to shoot?
    If an 8x10 won't hold you back on account of the cost, weight and size, you might consider an 8x10 camera with a second back in 4x5 or 5x7 for enlargements/color. You can even find 8x10s with sliders for panoramas.
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

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