About 20 years, started with 35 mm, but did not like the quality so went straight to 4x5, stuck with that for about 17 years and the last few years I have been using 8x10 and 12x20 exclusively.
About 20 years, started with 35 mm, but did not like the quality so went straight to 4x5, stuck with that for about 17 years and the last few years I have been using 8x10 and 12x20 exclusively.
Well it is nice to see that we have so many friendly LF photographers back on the forum getting to know each other. I am eagerly anticipating learning something new about photography from all of you during this winter session. Hopefully I can find something useful to contribute in return.
Thank you for taking the momment to share and provide a little insightful knowledge about yourself.
A tidbit about myself is that I have just ordered a Pt/Pd kit from Bostick & Sullivan yesterday (a Christmas present from my wife). Quite looking forward to contact printing a few 4x5 negatives over the holidays and see where that leads me to.
Kind Regards,
Moved to Alabama from Southern California. There's a lot more house available here for a lot less money, so finally, I could pursue what I've always loved doing which is photography. I took a class from a local photographer 2 1/2 years ago. The only camera I had then was a 50 year old Zeiss Ikon Contessa. It works great, but the viewfinder is microscopic.
Since then, I built a very nice darkroom in our house and bought a new 35mm camera. A year ago I bought a Super Speed Graphic w/135mm lens. I also bought a 210mm lens. It is almost the only camera I use now, except for school events that my daughter is participating in.
I bought my husband a Minolta Dimage Xi last year. We're very funny looking when we travel since he is taking pictures with his pocket sized camera while I'm out there with a 4x5 camera.
I started LF in 1986 while in college using a well worn university-owned monorail. I believe it was an old Calumet. All I remember is that the camera and it's industrial strength case had roughly the same mass as an average sized neutron star. Despite (or perhaps due to) this initial LF experience, I later acquired a Toyo monorail of my own.
Following a period of relative LF inactivity (most of my work was produced with medium format equipment), I sold the Toyo and purchased a metal Wista technical field camera. Sometimes there is nothing like a new toy to get the creative juices flowing again! The Wista has continued to serve me well for many years. Last year, I picked up a mint Korona 8x10 that was just begging for me to give it a home.
While there are other formats that may be more managable or appropriate for certain jobs, when it comes to whetting my creative appetite, nothing satisfies me more than the view through my ground glass. Long live large format!
Since 1976 when I went to work for my uncle(a photographer) My first experience was with Sinar 8x10s. Nothing like diving in head first! I received my BFA in photography in 1985. Although I have all formats covered. I still enjoy using my 4x5 wista SP with Fuji NPS and making C Prints in my darkroom.
Howdie...
I'm a "relative" newbie when compared with some of the folks on this site. I used 35mm for years before going to a Blad. Then, I went back to 35mm and have used Nikons for the past 15 years.
I'd always been curious about the Sinar 4x5 though and, one day while on Ebay... I got "slightly" carried away and ended up with 2 brand spanking new Sinars. One was an X and the other was an F2. That was two glorious years ago.
The X is the only camera I kept...the F2 was dispatched.
On a separate issue... how would people feel about posting an image of themselves on this site? It seems to me that we see a lot of the same people responding to questions/comments and it would be nice to put a face to the note.
Happy Thanksgiving to all the folks celebrating down in the US of A!
Cheers
Life in the fast lane!
Just before I took a trip to Svalbard midsummer 2001, I bougth a 4x5 Cambo, but needed something smaller for the trip and bought a 6x9 rollfilm Horseman. Did not trust it, and took no good pictures with it, changed it to a 6x6 Minolta.
The Cambo with a 150 Apo-Gerogon took some lovely pictures, landscapes, flower, trees, and later added a 210 and a 90. The Cambo was to heavy for me, so I bought a finished Bender at Ebay. See a example with a 135 Kodak here: http://foto.no/cgi-bin/bildekritikk/vis_bilde.cgi?id=86915 The Cambo is now sold, and I am making large format box cameras 6x12" and 10x12" for lens and pinhole.
I have plans for a 8x10" add on on my Bender, but I will need the bagbellows to make it work. The 210, 305, 360 and 480 will fit both 4x5" and 8x10". I also have plans for a 8 or 12x20" boxcamera to be used with the 360 Apo-gerogon, but still needs to finish the 6x12" with 210mm first. Drawing for this will hopefully end up on my website.
Øyvind
Less than a year for me. I started serious photography three years ago at the tender age of 48, progressing from 35mm to MF then to LF. Early this year, I bought a 4x5 Graflex View. That was it! I was hooked. The view camera seemed wholy intuitive to use. Now I've just gotten an 8x10 Deardorff, which handles like a fine shotgun. In retrospect, I wish I would have started out in LF. I think its the best way to learn instead of the snap, snap, snap of the 35mm.
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