Cost of exposure - Start to finish

[Steve_6250]

I have been contemplating LF photography as a hobby. I have been into Digital for a couple of years but the process of LF interests and excites me. However LF looks as if it may be an expensive hobby!

My question is about what will it cost for a 4x5 exposure from film to lab to digital scan?

I appreaciate everyone's input.

[Ron Marshall]

Steve, I will sketch out a budget scenario for you, with used equipment.

There are many used field and monorail cameras on ebay for reasonable prices if you take your time. Also there are a few very good dealers such as Midwest, KEH, Badger and others. For example: right now at Midwest there is a Calumet 400 for $229 and a Nikkor W 150mm f5.6 for $399 ($150 lenses are also possible). You can get a used tripod and head for about $100 and four film holders for about $40. You can make a focussing cloth. A focussing loup is about $20. So for about $800 you have a functional LF system.

B/w film is about $0.85 per sheet developed, if you develop it yourself. The cheapest way is to use trays which are only a few dollars used.

This is just one scenario. You can probably do it for $400 if you watch ebay.

But, it really depends on what you want to do with the camera in deciding what you need.

[paulr]

big difference between color and black and white. i wanted to start working with color last year; i couldn't afford digital (at the quality i wanted) or 4x5. so i borrowed a creaky old hasselblad. but as Ron points out, b+w film and processing is dirt cheap. a fraction per image of color.

[Alan Davenport]

Film cost varies: which film you choose, who you buy it from, etc. If you're shooting for pay, you can't afford to scrimp, but if you're a hobbyist you might be OK with short-dated or even out-dated films (out -of-date film that has been stored cold will still have years of useful life.)

So, assuming you want color transparencies (who doesn't?) you can spend from $1.00 to $3.00 per sheet for the film.

The lab I use charges me $1.50 per sheet for processing (either E-6 or C-41.)

An Epson scanner runs about $400 I think. If you're getting somebody else's bucks for your work, that probably won't be good enough; you'll need drum scans. More $$$...

We'll assume the cost of a 16x20 print to be the same regardless of the original format.

So yes, you'll spend a buncha money on 4x5 that you don't spend on digital. (Actually, if you have a high-end digital camera, you spent the money up front and you're hoping it lives long enough to pay you back.) But with 4x5 and even a garden-variety 2400 DPI scan you'll have over 100MP to play with...

Not to mention people stopping to gawk while you're taking a photo, and asking, "Wow. Is that an antique camera?"

[Brian Sims]

Steve,

Yes, it is a bit expensive, especially as you acquire stuff beyond the basics Ron lays out.

But it's cheaper than: 1. wine (spending your free time in bars) 2. women (don't get me started) 3. song (have you seen the price of high-end speakers?)

It's also cheaper than a massive heart attack that you'll be less likely to have after schlepping heavy view camera gear in and out of the wilderness.

When you get down to it, the most expensive (high cost/no value) thing to do with your life is sit at home in front of the tube. Large format photography is a great inoculation against that threat.

Go for it! and have fun.

[paulr]

Good points, Brian. Also, if you want to stop feeling bad about the expense of any of your bad habits, it helps to make friends with someone with a boat. next time you're out yachting with him, just point to any odd, shiny doodad and casually ask how much it cost.

[Bill_1856]

Figure $15/sheet for B&W, probably $25/sheet for color.

[Ron Marshall]

Steve, I had to rush off and cut my first post short. I forgot the lightmeter. You can substitute a 35mm camera if you have one, otherwise about another $75.

As Alan mentioned an Epson 4990 is about $400, which will give you a scan suitable for up to about a 16x20. I purchased the pro version of the 4990 which came with Photoshop Elements. I have only used the full version, but I imagine that Elements would do all that you need. There are service bureaus that will accept a ready to print digital file by FTP and will print a 16x20 for about $15. That saves buying a printer initially.

[Andrew O'Neill]

I think in the long run, LF photography is cheaper. We keep our gear forever.

[bglick]

Brian, that was freakin hilarious!

I would advise anyone, like myself, with severe OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), to think hard before entering any part of high end photography, LF or otherwise. The money and time you sink in this field can be considered mild insanity by others, such as wives, family, friends, etc. I have never been able to admit to others the dollars put into this passion. The easy cop out is, you can easily lie, whereas a piece of gear cost you $5K, when someone asks, you can say it cost $500, and even then, the average person says, WOW, thats outrageous! If only they knew.....

For others who are not as intense, nature photography is a wonderful escape..... and photography itself is a very rewarding craft that almost anyone can learn, the results last a lifetime, well, assuming you use archival materials, and that is another entire subject matter :-)