4x5 field camera for some architecture work with a roll back. MPP?

[suchar]

Hello,

I'm looking for a 4x5 field camera as I want to start portraying detached houses (which means not very high) in the suburbs. For that I need movements, especially front rise (correct me if I'm wrong), which pushes me into large format. Monorails are rather heavy and bulky, when light weight is preferable, and would probably require a new tripod so I decided to seek for a field camera. To be able to photograph in colour I need a roll film back (6x7 but a panoramic option is also tempting), as otherwise, costs of 4x5 colour sheets would rather ruin me At last, a wide angle lens would be nice to have. Now I have a kind question to you: which camera would you suggest? I have an opportunity to purchase a MPP VII camera with a Rodenstock 90/8 (yet on 6x7 this is a standard focal lenght) in, as it seems, a very good condition. Would it fit my needs? Down to which focal length on 6x7 will this camera work?

Kind regards,
Chris

[Kirk Gittings]

A 90 on roll film will not be wide enough in most cases. The rule of thumb amongst professional architectural photographers is with 4x5 is that 90% of your images will be done with a 90mm lens. This very roughly translates to a 65mm on 6x9 or a 47mm on 6x7. So you need a camera with very wide lens capabilities, preferably on flat lens boards. I don't know which field cameras will handle this.

[Jim Jones]

One possibility is a 2x3 Century or Speed Graphic or similar 2x3 press camera. The sports finder on a Century or Speed Graphic may have to be removed to provide clearance for reasonable front rise with a suitable wide angle lens. A lens with enough coverage is necessary to use the front rise. Since 4x5 is far more popular for such work, finding an adequate 2x3 camera and lens may be relatively difficult. Unless film is an absolute requirement, this is one instance when a decent digital camera and proper postprocessing may be more practical.

[Steve Barber]

I am not familiar with your camera, however it seems close enough to a Crown Graphic that I would be comfortable with satisfying the following considerations:

1. How close can the lens board be to the film plane? Is the bellows fully compacted before the lens board is close enough to the film plane to allow focusing the image, at least at infinity? In other words, can you use the standard bellows or do you need a bag bellows to get the lens board close enough to the film plane to focus the lens and/or to allow for any movements when it is close enough?

2. When focused, at infinity, do the camera rails appear in the image? If so, how can you configure the camera so that the rails do not appear in your image? Can you drop the bed to lower the rails and get them out of sight? And, if so, does that leave you with enough front rise to accommodate perspective requirements?

3. Last, is the lens board large enough to accommodate the shutter and, with the lens on the lens board, can the lens be placed in the front standard without any interference between the lens elements, front or rear, and the parts of the camera such as the bellows and the front rails?

As to using a 90mm with a 6x7 roll film back, I think the 90mm is to long and you would be better off with a maximum of 65mm or 72mm. Specifically, one I would look at first would be a Rodenstock 65mm f4.5 Grandagon-N. Also, the shorter lenses, because the smaller format will allow them to have movements where, on a 4x5, they would be pushed to cover the entire frame.

Also, you need to be aware that on a camera such as the one you are considering, like the Crown Graphic, there is a joint that can be a problem when you have a lens that has the front standard sitting on it and you need to drop the bed to get the rails out of the image.

[Joseph Dickerson]

Chris,

You don't mention why you are photographing the homes. Historic architecture? Real estate sales? Internet virtual tours.

The actual use of the images will dictate what camera/format you should use.

If the images are going to be used on the web, it makes much more sense to shoot digital and use a Tilt/Shift or Perspective control lens. If you're going to shoot film, especially roll film, it might be easier to shoot with a roll film camera and use a PC lens. Both the Pentax 6x7 and Mamiya 6x7 systems offer wide angle PC lenses.

If you let us know what your final usage will be we will be able to give you much more useful advice.

JD

[Ivan J. Eberle]

I don't know of any MPP cameras that will have much provision for rise with short lenses because (very much like my Meridian), the case obstructs more than a small amount of rise. Linhof Master Technikas do feature an articulated flap that allows more rise with short lenses. All but the recent MT 2000 and 3000 models will require expensive focusing accessories for use with very short lenses.
A monorail with a bag bellows may indeed be bulkier, but I'd strongly recommend one instead of any of the folding metal box field cameras if your interest is architecture. They're also relatively cheap, and high quality. You might buy that MPP and whole monorail set up, for considerably less than an MT 3000.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

portraying detached houses (which means not very high) in the suburbs.

Hello from France !
Without interfering with the choice of your equipement, this work by Daniel Bouzard in the Île-de-France area (Paris and suburbs) seems to correspond to something close to your project.
http://www.galerie-photo.com/daniel-bouzard.html
The text is in French but the images speak for themselves.
In his project Daniel Bouzard has decided to ask the owners to be portrayed in front of their home. Many accepted, some refused.
But eventually following this route, Daniel had no problem of image rights with houses & owners, since he only took pictures with people who had given their consent.
My understanding is that people who accepted were probably proud and happy to be portayed "seriously" in front of their home with a view camera on tripod, i.e. exactly the opposite attitude of a stolen image.
All technical details are mentioned at the end of the article, as a summary, Daniel uses a 4x5" monorail, a Schneider 110 Xl lens, and prints on traditional sliver-gelatin + (selenium + viradon) toner.
The equivalent in 6x7 (56x70 - 56x72 mm) of the 110 mm for 4x5" (94x120 mm) is a focal length of about 65 mm as mentioned by Kirk.
a 90 mm in 4x5" would translate as a 55 mm in 6x7. Focusing a 55 at infinity may be difficult on some wooden field cameras.
A 65 mm is probably easier to focus on a wide range of very affordable 4x5" cameras.

[RichardSperry]

With your requirements I would get a Fuji GX680xxx.

To at least try out. You can get the whole camera kit and lens for the price of a good used 65mm LF lens.

[sully75]

For color on the cheap I suggest: shoot with a digital camera on a tripod, correct in photoshop.

[Jim Jones]

For many uses, you need neither a PC lens nor perspective correction in Photoshop. Use a wide enough lens to include all of the house in portrait orientation of the camera. If the back of the camera is in a vertical plane, the perspective will be correct. The foreground can be cropped off. You won't be using the full pixel count or film potential of the camera, which doesn't matter for images posted online or for small prints.