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Thread: Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

  1. #1

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    Sep 2003
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    Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

    Should I sell my other LF cameras just to help me concentrate on 5x7 work ?

    I love 5x7 contact prints ...

    I did get my 8x10 gear before I fell in love with 5x7 ... I suppose I could keep the 8x10 because my Canham 5x7 front standard is too small for the Sinar mounted Kodak 305mm Portrait lens I have and I do have a 5x7 reducing back, hmmmm ...

  2. #2

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    Re: Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

    Why not use a reduction back for the 5x7 if you already have the gear? That way you have plenty of bellows draw and more versatility when you change your mind again.

  3. #3
    Eric Woodbury
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    Dec 2003
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    Re: Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

    I use 45, 57, MF, 35mm, and I have tried 8x10 twice. I love the 5x7. I use it whenever I can, but I hike some and then I carry the 4x5 because it is lighter and I'm weaker. I don't contact print though. Mostly I print on 8x10 paper. So I don't really know for you. If you are strong and carry this stuff everywhere, I'd sell the 8x10 and keep the 4x5 or just get a 4x5 back for the 5x7. Many lenses will work for either. But that is me and your situation is surely different.
    my picture blog
    ejwoodbury.blogspot.com

  4. #4

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    Re: Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

    Based on my own experience, no. I like the 5x7 aspect ratio and so when I decided to concentrate on contact printing for a while I bought a 5x7 camera. I quickly found that for me it was too small a size for many of my photographs and since I didn't have a 5x7 enlarger I was stuck with a size that I didn't think worked well very often (this was pre-digital, today I'd just scan and enlarge).

    Your situation might be different, I don't know, but you asked. My own favorite format just for the sheer pleasure of making photographs with the camera is 8x10 but I do like the 5x7 aspect ratio better.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  5. #5
    Claudio Santambrogio
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    Re: Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Bose View Post
    Should I sell my other LF cameras just to help me concentrate on 5x7 work ?
    It really depends on what your needs are. I started with 4x5, and then moved up step-wise: 5x7 first, 8x10 next. I love contact printing, and 5x7 was the first format it consistently "made sense" - but then 5x7 contact prints are small, and it doesn't always work. I find 8x10 to be the minimum format for prints to "always" make sense. I love the 5x7 format, and I have a very light camera, so there would be no advantage of taking my 4x5 with me when hiking - taking the 8x10 around is out of question. So currently my solution is to take 5x7 with me when there is a lot of gear carrying involved (hiking, or some such), and 8x10 when I can get closer to the shooting location on wheels (car, or dragging around of some trolley). I really love the 5x7 format (have I mentioned that already?), but it won't completely replace my 8x10. (Oh, and I still have some Type 55 Polaroids, so the 4x5 is of use, too…)

    So the question for you would be: is there a reason why you could not use the 8x10 with a reduction back? If weight matters, then getting a 5x7 is a good idea, if it doesn't, just get a reduction back. If you choose the 5x7 well, you won't need a 4x5, and maybe just a reduction back for those few odd "small" shots.

    Hope it helps to get some food for thought…
    Merry Christmas,
    c

  6. #6

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    Re: Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

    I love 5x7 but believe that if Kodak wants to cut down on sheet films, 5x7 will be the first to go because it is less used than the other sizes. So I think you should keep at least one other camera.

  7. #7

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    Re: Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

    8x10 and a pair of scissors.

    Cheers, Steve

  8. #8

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    Re: Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

    Which camera do you work best with??..Evan Clarke

  9. #9

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    Re: Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

    Dear Ron,

    Periodically I must crop an 8X10 negative to fit a format that seems to be just as natural, if not more natural than the 5X7 format, and I crop to a 5X8 format. There are times when certain segments of a negative do not add any value to an image, so logic might dictate that any excess should be removed to improve the image's balance. Although I must qualify that process by indicating that I do not introduce the "da Vinci or Golden Ratio" format to any vertical image.

    That might be a solution for you to consider...

    jim k

  10. #10

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    Re: Sell my 8x10 and 4x5 to concentrate on 5x7 ?

    Keep them all. It's great to fiddle around with different ones and see what... develops. Kinda like composing music for different instruments: it keeps your seeing fresh.

    Every now and then I take out my 6x6 folding camera, or digital point&shoot - and try to make some nice images. It's fun.

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