I've been shooting 4x5 for a couple of years now, and for the most part enjoy it. However, there are some shortcomings I'd like to solve if possible and am wondering if a 6x7 SLR is the answer.
I started shooting DSLRs 8 years ago. After being bummed out on the lack of resolution on larger prints and not being able to create the near/far tilt shots I'd seen over the years I switched to a Canon full frame body to use their tilt shift lenses. Shortly after that I tried 4x5 and have been with it since.
One major shortcoming I run into is the length of time it takes to setup a shot. There are times when I'll miss a shot because by the time I'm ready to expose the lighting has changed. I'm thinking it may be possible to speed up the process by going to a MF SLR style camera. While I mess around with B/W sometimes, I'm really a color photographer, so I can live with the loss of individual sheet development control. Also, I'd be fine with maxing out print sizes around 30x24", and thankfully my drum scanning bill would go down.
Specifically, I think that if I can find a camera with the following I'd like to try it:
- At least a couple of tilt shift options. I can make do with whatever they are. Really all I need is a WA tilt shift and a standard shift. I typically don't use movements with tele lenses.
- Shutter controlled by body. I figure I can pick up a bunch of speed here. No need to swap shutter cables between lenses. No need to pull dark slides (or forget to). No need to shut and cock the shutter before shooting.
From what I can tell my only option is an RZ67 due to the tilt-shift requirement.
A coupe of questions:
- Are there other 6x7 cameras with tilt/shift options I'm not aware of?
- Is my expectation of gaining some speed realistic?
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