Thanks. That was fun. And welcome aboard.
Thanks. That was fun. And welcome aboard.
Nice read. I remember back only to the late 80's operating a 20x24 copy camera, my first time with large format. Now it is a much smaller 8x10 or even the miniscule 4x5. I like your hassle-free 5x7 too. Great idea.
This is an example why this is such a great forum. Welcome and more, please.
So, I have digested this and, I am curious about the "no longer than the width of the film part"...My humble advice to first-time large-formatters is - You don't need big contortions. You do need to be sure the front end is square on. (Have a look at a 'Non Folding Field Camera'). Use just one lens, no longer than the width of the film. Get the back-end plumb square, raise and drop the front at will, but tilt it hardly at all. Scheimpflug is for the birds.
Can you please elaborate on this?
Hi Christopher,
Fascinating reading! Now if you were not shooting product but people. Imagine photographing full length models and portraits too what would your lens be? The width of the film would be 100mm for 4x5 and 200mm for 8x10. but would you like that for portraits? Wouldn't at least 1.5 x width make the client happier?
Asher
Thanks for the history lesson. I've learnt a lot.
Best wishes,
Pete.
Oh how things have changed, people and equipment, it's easy to forget what it was like at certain points. Thanks for the memories.
Asher,
I meant the width of the sheet of film...
I've done a good many portraits with the 240mm on 8x10 (250mm film width + 240mm lens). Think 50mm on Hasselblad, 35mm on Nikon.
The closest I get is waist-level. No head-shots.The model stands on phone books or leans on a table. There is no other way to keep a model in focus and relaxed. So no 300mm lens, no head-shots ever, no fiddling around under the dark cloth. Remember also I'm using a window-light at f.45 - which helps.
Last edited by cjbroadbent; 7-Jun-2008 at 02:04. Reason: read the question better
Brad,
The most natural FOV comes when the base of the viewing triangle equals it's height.
Think 35mm on Leica and all the way up to 240mm on 20x25 (8x10 to you).
The idea is to involve the viewer by keeping the subject within tangible distance. The viewer feels where he is according to the subject's perspective.
Example: a glass of wine has three elipses: rim, liquid and base. A one-eyed drinker uses the differing elipses to control his hand. The person viewing your photograph is one-eyed so he need perspective clues to stay involved. How far do you stand off when you talk to someone? That's the distance to shoot from. Using a long lens is like not wanting to know the person.
Of course you can exaggerate both ways, but the viewer will feel something's odd and may not buy what you're selling.
Great intro and exquisite work on your site (and an interesting camera!).
Thanks
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