Fast shooting with 4x5 and 5x7...help me decide.

[Gene McCluney]

I use a Super Graphic for 4x5 and a Toyo metal field half-plate size with 5x7 back for 5x7. They both use the same size lensboard, so I have quite a few lenses mounted up on the Graphic type lens boards...from 65mm to 400mm. I often shoot 4x5 and 5x7 of the same location shot. I am always changing lenses to get the view I want. The thing that slows me down is installing the cable release on the lens I want to use. I have thought of buying cheap cable releases for each lens, and just leaving them on, but this gets to be a kinda cluttered storage problem for the lenses. I then thought about the little cable release "L" adaptors which would make the attaching of the cable release easier for me, and then I thought about the short cable release extensions. I think I am leaning towards the cable release extensions, leaving them on the lenses, then quickly attaching my favorite cable release to this?

My buddy, who I go out shooting with, uses a digital SLR, so he is quick. I am quick also, except for the darned cable release installation for each shot. Got quick-release plates on each camera bottom, so getting the camera up on the tripod to shoot is fairly quick. Composing, focusing and metering (when I meter) is quick. the bottleneck is getting the darned cable release on with some of the lenses I use, where the cable release socket is so close to the lensboard my big fingers have a hard time turning the release to screw it in.

Opinions, anyone?

[Sheldon N]

I use the cheap generic cable releases, and have one for each lens which stays attached. I wrap the excess release around the rear element a couple times to keep it out of the way.

It's a big time saver.

[Ed Richards]

I put a cable release on each lens, and I keep them 1 foot or less so they do not get tanged up. Even 6 inches is fine, as long as you do not want to get in the picture. Use a little locktite (the kind you can get off) and they will not fall off.

[JavaDuke]

I have cable releases permanently (almost attached to all my lenses, saves me some time in the field. But IMHO being quick with large format is not the best thing. One of the advantages of large format is that you have some time to study the scene while you set up your camera. Yes, I can be very quick with dSLR and zoom lenses - but the downside is that I keep maybe one shot out of fifteen...

[Bob Gentile]

A few years back, I read an article in View Camera by Kerry Thalmann where he suggested a short (6 to 10-inch) cable release on each shutter. I thought, "DUH!"

There's no storage problem.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I like the short Gepe flexible release extensions.

I've tried separate cable releases for each lens, but I don't really like them flopping around, winding them around the lens in the case, or the potential hazard to the cable release socket that comes with having a release attached all the time that could get jarred or caught on something.

[Gene McCluney]

I have cable releases permanently (almost attached to all my lenses, saves me some time in the field. But IMHO being quick with large format is not the best thing. One of the advantages of large format is that you have some time to study the scene while you set up your camera. Yes, I can be very quick with dSLR and zoom lenses - but the downside is that I keep maybe one shot out of fifteen...

Well, I don't know about you, but I can't think about angle, composition, etc., when I am futzing around trying to attach a cable release, so the "slow down" thing doesn't relate to quality time with me in my situation. For example: On thursday I went out with my buddy and shot 28 sheets 5x7 and 40 sheets 4x5 in about 8 hours. We were shooting antique bridges, our hobby. I would rather spend the time thinking about the shots rather than futzing with cable release attachment. I can't say about my buddies keeper ratio, but all my shots are keepers. I shot 2 sheets on each view, so I have 20 4x5 views and 14 5x7 views as keepers. The double sheet concept is so I have backup if a processing flaw or dust issue comes up.

[Bill_1856]

The Super Graphic has a built-in push-button electric shutter release solenoid. If yours is broken, get it fixed and you won't need seperate cable releases. The batteries are available from Radio Shack.

[Richard Kelham]

Schlepping around two cameras, of different formats, plus maybe half a dozen lenses *and* trying to compete with a buddy banging away on a DSLR does seem like masochism – even without hassles with cable releases.

Why not just take one camera with a couple of lenses, both with cable releases already attached. That way you can be up and running in no time at all. Relatively speaking.



Richard

[Gene McCluney]

The Super Graphic has a built-in push-button electric shutter release solenoid. If yours is broken, get it fixed and you won't need seperate cable releases. The batteries are available from Radio Shack.

While in theory this is true, in practice you need special lensboards which are hard to find that have an actuator built-in, and this actuator will only trigger certain design lenses, not all the types of lenses I like to use, and this doesn't address the issue of shooting the Toyo half-plate w/5x7 back, which uses the same size lensboards but does not have any electric trigger capability. I think I am going with the Gepe cable release extensions for each lens.