Brisbane LF meetup thread.

[Dwarak Calayampundi]

Hello guys I am from Brisbane too very new to LF have not yet purchased a LF yet I am thinking about the charmonix 4x5 or a dedicated panorama camera like the horseman 6x17 and then inch my way into LF just want to know your thoughts on this.

[Ian David]

Greetings Dwarak. Welcome to the fold!
My personal feeling is that a dedicated panoramic camera is great... if you know you only want to do panoramas. A 4x5 plus a roll-film back will give you more versatility while you work out what suits you best. The Chamonix seems pretty popular - Boinzo here uses one.
I started out with a used Horseman monorail and then eventually moved to a 4x5 field camera when I found the monorail too big and bulky to take to the places I wanted to use it.

What part of town are you in?
Ian

[Dwarak Calayampundi]

Ian I live in carseldine north brisbane.

[Boinzo]

Hi Dwarak. I agree with Ian concerning 617 - they are great cameras but can also limit you to seeing the world just one way. The lack of movements is also something to be aware of. I like my Chamonix - it is a great little camera and very portable. Mine gets treated pretty rough with plenty of hiking and so on and is still in great shape.
Perhaps it's time we organised another little get-together - I can bring the Chamonix along and you can take a look.
Ian - how's things?? Been getting much shooting done? Be good to catch up!

[Dwarak Calayampundi]

Thanks Boinzo I will be very keen to catch up with you guys I will bring my camera as well. It will be interesting I guess for me it's ease of use as well just fear that I will not be able to setup the camera quick enough I guess I will have to see it and learn how to and also calibrating it is another concern of mine and will need help at the moment I am on a low budget and can still afford the charmonix 4x5 I already have an old schnider 135 5.6 lens which I will use.

[Ian David]

Perhaps it's time we organised another little get-together - I can bring the Chamonix along and you can take a look.
Ian - how's things?? Been getting much shooting done? Be good to catch up!

Things are pretty good thanks, Stef. Shooting?? Not too much LF lately. Child-wrangling seems to occupy quite a lot of my spare time these days, so 35mm is mostly the first thing I reach for... Very keen to catch up for a beer though. Name a time and let's make it happen! Interested to hear about your recent travels too.
Ian

[alexn]

Dwarak Calayampundi - Hey mate, I'm the other end of the spectrum.. I start with a 4x5 (monolithic, heavy metal beast) and eventually moved to a roll film back, then sold that in favour of a 6x17 panoramic camera... I tend to lean towards (and love) panoramic imaging. As the guys have said so far, a camera like this does limit your options and your potential in many situations as you don't have movements and you're frame is so skinny that a lot of the time you find yourself wishing you had a wider lens to fit more in vertically, then wishing that you didn't have so much extra stuff on the edges of your frame...

For me - Panoramics are perfect.. Having said that, its not for everyone and I reckon starting with a 4x5 is the key... I see myself buying a 4x5 again in the future to accompany my 617...

[alexn]

It will be interesting I guess for me it's ease of use as well just fear that I will not be able to setup the camera quick enough I guess I will have to see it and learn how to and also calibrating it is another concern of mine and will need help at the moment I am on a low budget and can still afford the charmonix 4x5 I already have an old schnider 135 5.6 lens which I will use.

A note on this... I approached large format in a similar fashion.. I quickly learnt with the assistance of Boinzo, the word 'Quick' has no place in a large format (or medium format) shooters vocabulary. There are so many things to do in a precise order to produce a useful, let alone meaningful image. The real key to this sort of thing is to slow down. Take your time, do everything in a very methodical way and try to drum a routine into your head. See your scene, set up the camera, rough focus, carefully compose, apply movements, fine focus, double check that your movements have not adversely changed your composition, stop down lens, close shutter,insert film holder, meter scene/determine exposure, cock shutter, remove dark slide, expose, replace dark slide and pack it all up...

That is not something that can be done quick...

With 617, it's not as involved, however you have to be extra careful with composition, remember to wind film on etc... I find 617 much easier to shoot, and as Boinzo (Stef) said, it does train you to only see in one way... For me I spent the past 4~6 years shooting dslr's and cropping my images 617, I had already learnt to see in that format, and so for me, shooting it seems natural..

4x5 is more of a beast to tame, but the quality is worth the extra effort. The images produced by a 4x5 in the right hands are second to none.

[Dwarak Calayampundi]

Well I might just buy both and learn to use them both when I can afford it at the moment leaning towards the 4x5 as it seems like the cheaper option but I guess learning to shoot with a 4x5 camera will be more challenging and probably with time will see the benefits in terms if focussing. I am very new to film as well I don't process my own film I have been shooting transperancies and some colour negatives only 120 film and 35mm.

Thanks for the advice Alex like yourself I love the panorama images especially the 6x17 I guess I cannot know the benefits of the view camera until I experience it for myself to me I need to use both.

[Dwarak Calayampundi]

Hey guys just decided on the charmonix 4x5 and will use my 135mm Schneider lens still have to wait for some funds to come through should have it in couple of months time one question about the shutter release cable I will be using a copal shutter 0 with the lens can someone suggest a compatible shutter release cable l know that B and H stock some but have no idea about which one to buy.