New to the movements of view cameras

[dikaiosune01]

So I got my camera. Shen Hao TZIIB + 180mm f/5.6.

I've been reading some books and articles on focusing.
These books have good explainations, but I find many lack practical understandable examples.

I wish to start this thread to be a collection of "assignments" people can do to get familiar with large format photography. I am a new beginner itself, my camera is about a week old now; so I will need your help too.

Assignment 1:
objective: control the perspective of the building
Task:
- read standard parrallel with the building lines.
- front standard adjusted to hearts content.

Assignment 2:
objective: control the plane of focus
Task:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR4m7...E7C5D&index=25

Assignment 3:
objective: control the plane of focus part 2
task:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLJyB...eature=related
(at 1 minute 16 seconds)
- when you have a row of bottles or subjects.
- rear subject in focus
- front subject in focus
- everything in focus

[mat4226]

Wow, this is a great idea! I'm relatively new to this myself, only about two months into it. Once I get the some acceptable scans, I plan on contributing to these assignments.

As for everybody else here, it seems like there are plenty of people here that have more than enough skill to control all conceivable camera movements. Maybe they too could post some assignments for the newbies?

[ki6mf]

Good ideas! Keep in mind that if you are doing perspective control on a building and you have vertical objects in the foreground they will stick up through the plain of focus and the upper part of the object will be out of focus. In this situation its best to have no vertical objects in the foreground. When I first experimented with learning this technique I shot a building and tree from 100 feet/33Meters and the top of my tree was out of focus! The lesson on the box in the studio shows the step by step process to fix this problem.

[GPS]

So I got my camera. Shen Hao TZIIB + 180mm f/5.6.

I've been reading some books and articles on focusing.
These books have good explainations, but I find many lack practical understandable examples.
...

Absolute nonsense!
Buy Steve Simmons "Using view camera" book and you will see a plenty of illustrated examples on all camera movements...

[Bob Kerner]

The second video is not helpful at all. Indeed I wouldn't be surprised if it's a Canon marketing piece. DSLR TS lenses do not work the same way as a view camera's movements. As I recall, for example, you cannot tilt and shift at the same time.

I'm a novice as well. It takes a lot of practice sitting in the living room manipulating the various movements. I haven't found the web, You Tube in particular, very helpful for my learning curve. Half of the posts don't demonstrate anything and about a quarter of the rest are wrong or confusing.

Simmon's book is good. I had it years ago but will be buying the "booklet" on camera movements listed on the ViewCamera website to help me along. Toward the bottom, under "Now Available"

http://www.viewcamera.com/

Also consider a workshop. Some people learn best by actually doing the thing with a coach. You can read and do exercises until the cows come home but seeing another person do it in person solidifies it in memory.

Just realize that making up assignments may prove to be More frustrating in the beginning, particularly if relying on web-based content demonstrating sloppy technique.

[Mark Stahlke]

Buy Steve Simmons "Using view camera" book and you will see a plenty of illustrated examples on all camera movements.

I'll second this. If you want an "assignment" reproduce the illustrations in chapter 5 of that book.

[mat4226]

The second video is not helpful at all. Indeed I wouldn't be surprised if it's a Canon marketing piece. DSLR TS lenses do not work the same way as a view camera's movements. As I recall, for example, you cannot tilt and shift at the same time.

The newest generation of the Canon TS-E lenses are now capable of tilting and shifting, but only in the same direction. And prior to my getting my own view camera, I thought they had some good perspective control...boy was I wrong.

[mandoman7]

Its all there on the groundglass. Point the camera at a subject with a variety of planes and move the standards while viewing the image. It will all start to make sense. Books are good, and there probably are even some you-tube videos. But I believe the strongest lessons will happen behind the camera, when addressing an objective.
That's how most of the masters who's work we admire learned their craft, as most of the suggested books hadn't been written yet.

[Brian Ellis]

The newest generation of the Canon TS-E lenses are now capable of tilting and shifting, but only in the same direction. And prior to my getting my own view camera, I thought they had some good perspective control...boy was I wrong.

In what way were they lacking? I ask because I've been considering buying one of the Canon TS lenses and the latest have generally received rave reviews. Of course that's usually from people who haven't used a view camera. So I'd be interested in knowing what they were lacking.

If it's just the ability to tilt and shift at the same time that doesn't bother me, I almost never use shift anyhow. I much prefer to move the tripod and keep the lens centered on the film rather than using shift and using part of the edges of the lens to make the photograph. I've always thought shift was mostly for people too lazy to move the camera.

[Scotty230358]

One thing to bear in mind when using tilts with your Shen Hao. Like mine it has base tilts. Every time you apply tilt you will probably have to re-focus the image. Its a bit of a pain but you get used to it.