Hello from Baltimore

[Vick Vickery]

I've got the long, standard, and bag bellows for my Cambo system, but for architectural work I use the bag bellows and a wide angle lens about 70% of the time, with the standard comming into play on some detail shots with longer lenses. Hardly ever get the long bellows out unless I'm just goofing around with some close work. My lenses range from 65mm to 460mm or so, but the 90mm and the 160mm are by far my most used lenses. Should have answered sooner, but got busy and didn't look back! Sorry!

[Riverman]

Riverman, I've been meaning to come to the meeting. Need to make time and note of it.

Vick, got it. Make sense to me. I'll stick what more experience LF'er say. I'm no where close to miss and match different system. What bellows? :-)

Thanks,

Definitely come along to the next meet. Should be one later in the month I think and if you want to meet up and shoot in Baltimore before then, give me a shout. I like to get up to Baltimore, where I always seem to make more interesting photos than I do in DC.

[nlubis]

Thanks Vic. That's some good information (shows how basic I need to start). Frank also mentioned about starting with a 90 lens.

Riverman I'll check flickr for the next meeting. And yes let me know. I'm usually around town. PM should get to me right?

[Noah A]

Nice to see you here!

For architecture you'll want a flexible system with lots of movements, like the Sinar you mentioned or some other monorail type camera. The good thing is that monorails are relatively abundant on the used market and are available for good prices.

You can't really go wrong with a 90. But it depends...are you doing commercial architecture for a client or personal work, fine art/urban landscape kinds of things? For the latter I prefer a 115 or 120. Combine that with a 210 and you may be set for life.

Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions.

[nlubis]

Noah, great to hear from you too. I'm surprise your using LF. (maybe I just know you more as an RF shooter). Just saw your site again, I kinda see why.
Thanks for the input. It's definitely more for personal work first, maybe after 10,000 hours I'll look for a market for it. :-). For the time being, if the office needs substitute photographer for our projects a DSLR and very wide lens will have to do.

I don't have a kit yet. Have read introductory books, still a bit lost on where to start. September would be my arbitrary date to have a kit.
Thanks guys, an image of a kit has started to formed.

[nlubis]

Hello everybody.
I finally got a LF kit. Toyo Omega View with Rodenstock 210mm, extra bag bellows and lens plate. From a local camera store for $239 in a hardcase. Have been looking for a wider lens, <135 maybe and a really wide (dreaming of a 75).

That aside these are some of my first shot with it;
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...postcount=1403

Comments are welcomed.

[pdmoylan]

With a 75mm on the Omega, since a bag bellows is not generally available for it, you will have some signficant restrictions in using movements with the standard bellows which is epoxied to the standards. The limit of movements for wide angles with these cameras ( I've owned a "D" and "E") and standard bellows I would say is 90mm. Also to avoid having the metal rail in the image with the 75, you will have to move the rail back so that the front and back standard are far forward on the rail and perhaps also incline the rail downward and use use back focus. With the 90mm, in some cases both steps are necessary.

I have found that anything from 120mm -150mm are extremely useful and for many the most use range. I prefer the 150mm so as not to have too wide an effect when closeup work.

Good luck with your decision.

[colotonphoto]

Welcome from Bethesda, MD!

[Proteus617]

Greetings from the West Side. I shoot a good amount of architecture around South Baltimore. Drop me a line (safety in numbers). Check in with Service Photo on falls road. Some locals with LF gear buy supplies there and I occasionally see some mono-rails for sale.