Enlarger

[Colin Robertson]

Hi Stanley. Sorry, been off-line a couple of days. So, you have shot MF in a Yashicamat 124? Lovely camera, had a couple, they do become limiting for portraiture as you're stuck with 80mm only and can't get closer than a yard (which you wouldn't want to anyway with an 80). Although this IS the LF forum I'll be bad and ask why you need large format. If I wanted to shoot mostly portraits I'd seriously look at 6x7, Pentax or Mamiya.
For years I shot 6x6 in a C330S. For landscape and still-life I shot PanF, used a tripod and got beautiful quality. When I moved to 5x4 I was actualy disappointed in how little gain I achieved. With hindsight I'd have been far better going straight to 10x8. BUT- you want to shoot portraits. 6x7 would give you instant reflex viewing, 10 shots to roll for rapid working, ace quality, more choice of emulsions, smaller and cheaper enlarger. It worked for guys like Bob Carlos Clarke.
LF portraits? Yes, can be done, and can be exquisite, but ask what special quality YOU need which LF will add.
Go look at www.frankpetronio.com he's currently banned here ( and it also explains the 'is that you, Frank?' post earlier). Frank shoots LF portraits and has a real Love/hate thing going with the format. Also, search for a user here called Ash- young, student, UK based LF portrait shooter. Might PM him to get straight talking advice.

[ic-racer]

Ic-racer, My fotar can't either.

Now I remember your posts about your Fotar. I know the lensboards are near-impossible to find, but are you sure they never made a recessed lensboard? Even the lowly Elwood 8x10 enlarger had a recessed lensboard for a 50mm lens and 35mm negative carrier.

A little off topic but I think the lensboards from the HK enlarger may fit Fotar, as they are listed as 6 3/4" (same as your Fotar, no?) This is an example of a recessed 6 3/4" diameter lensboard for a HK:

[Stanley Kubrick]

Hi Stanley. Sorry, been off-line a couple of days. So, you have shot MF in a Yashicamat 124? Lovely camera, had a couple, they do become limiting for portraiture as you're stuck with 80mm only and can't get closer than a yard (which you wouldn't want to anyway with an 80). Although this IS the LF forum I'll be bad and ask why you need large format. If I wanted to shoot mostly portraits I'd seriously look at 6x7, Pentax or Mamiya.
For years I shot 6x6 in a C330S. For landscape and still-life I shot PanF, used a tripod and got beautiful quality. When I moved to 5x4 I was actualy disappointed in how little gain I achieved. With hindsight I'd have been far better going straight to 10x8. BUT- you want to shoot portraits. 6x7 would give you instant reflex viewing, 10 shots to roll for rapid working, ace quality, more choice of emulsions, smaller and cheaper enlarger. It worked for guys like Bob Carlos Clarke.
LF portraits? Yes, can be done, and can be exquisite, but ask what special quality YOU need which LF will add.
Go look at www.frankpetronio.com he's currently banned here ( and it also explains the 'is that you, Frank?' post earlier). Frank shoots LF portraits and has a real Love/hate thing going with the format. Also, search for a user here called Ash- young, student, UK based LF portrait shooter. Might PM him to get straight talking advice.

Hey, thanks a lot for all of the information. Yeah im actually doing the same set up of PanF on a tripod, the photographs from it come out really nice. I decided on going for 5x4 instead of 10x8 as its a bit more easier and cheaper to get hold of. I guess i just really want to play around with loads of things at the moment, and iv noticed in certain situations medium format is a bit lacking, most of the time it looks. I quite like the idea of working with a view camera as well, they seem like a good way to go if you can put up with all of the hassle associated with them. Iv been reading about all of the different formats, there seem to be quite a large number of them, but il have another look for that 6x7 you mentioned, I think my college might have one. Il check out the link you sent also, thanks a lot for your help again, its been very informative!

[Jac@stafford.net]

Saltzman used 6" round lens boards. There were two lots of them on that big auction site recently.

fotarenlargers.com is the place to contact Robert Hall fotarrhall@yahoo.com

[Bob Salomon]

Hi Stanley. Sorry, been off-line a couple of days. So, you have shot MF in a Yashicamat 124? Lovely camera, had a couple, they do become limiting for portraiture as you're stuck with 80mm only and can't get closer than a yard (which you wouldn't want to anyway with an 80). Although this IS the LF forum I'll be bad and ask why you need large format. If I wanted to shoot mostly portraits I'd seriously look at 6x7, Pentax or Mamiya.
For years I shot 6x6 in a C330S. For landscape and still-life I shot PanF, used a tripod and got beautiful quality. When I moved to 5x4 I was actualy disappointed in how little gain I achieved. With hindsight I'd have been far better going straight to 10x8. BUT- you want to shoot portraits. 6x7 would give you instant reflex viewing, 10 shots to roll for rapid working, ace quality, more choice of emulsions, smaller and cheaper enlarger. It worked for guys like Bob Carlos Clarke.
LF portraits? Yes, can be done, and can be exquisite, but ask what special quality YOU need which LF will add.
Go look at www.frankpetronio.com he's currently banned here ( and it also explains the 'is that you, Frank?' post earlier). Frank shoots LF portraits and has a real Love/hate thing going with the format. Also, search for a user here called Ash- young, student, UK based LF portrait shooter. Might PM him to get straight talking advice.

Colin,

Did you ever look at the portraits done by Monte Zucker and Richard Avedon with a TLR?

[lenser]

Colin,

A slight addition to your post regarding the Yashica 124 being limited to the 80m lens.

There exist two kits, the Wide Angle Yashinon and the Telephoto Yashinon with both viewing and taking lenses that attach directly to the bayonets in the camera front. Before I got into Hasselblads, I shot numerous weddings with the 124G and used both of these supplemental lens kits to great advantage. The telephoto kit was quite sharp and I did quite a few 16x20 portrait prints from negatives made with this lens. Excellent results. I still see these come up on ebay quite oftern.

[Colin Robertson]

Hi Tim. Yes, when I had my Yashicamat I had the tele-lens set (in fact, I think I may still have the tele lens even though the camera is gone . .) It was very useful, but if I recall correctly it also increased minimum focussing distance. Also, had a neat close-up set. The part which fitted over the viewing lens was tilted to act as parallax correction. Genius.

Bob, I'm going hunting for Monte Zucker right now. Thanks!

[Bob Salomon]

.....Bob, I'm going hunting for Monte Zucker right now. Thanks!

Only on line, like Avedon, he is also dead. unfortunately!

[lenser]

Another brilliant TLR portraitist, Phillipe Halsman. And of course, Peter Gowland.

[Colin Robertson]

First, sorry Stanley. You are NOT forgotten.
However . . . Tim! The name Phillipe Halsman meant nothing to me, but many of his photographs are so immediately familiar they verge on (I apologise for the devalued word) Iconic. Seems he used monster TLR's.
My only issue with the Yashica is that you're stuck with the (very sharp) 80mm and a minimum focus of around 1 metre. No tight head and shoulders, unless you crop, and if you're going to crop why not shoot 35mm and get more shots per roll? I have a pair of Mamiya C330S's and they are my first choice on those occasions I do shoot portraits. Nice 135mm lens, parallax indicator and close focus.
The YashicaMat was a great street camera (small, almost silent, waist level) and I nearly bought one out of pure nostalgia a couple of years ago.
Again, sorry for stealing your thread Stanley, how are you?