Bought Rodenstock sironar s 150mm lens now what !!!!!!!

[mckenzie]

it had good reviews, when my pics look like sh*t i can't blame the lens.:)
books videos i should read watch?
camera body options,
b&w film options why is the fuji more than kodak ilford?
meter ?
should i practice with a roll film back?
i have some film holders somewhere and maybe on old graflex.thanks in advance.

[Luis-F-S]

Not sure what you're asking?????????????? What's the real problem?

[ic-racer]

Can you post an example.

[John Kasaian]

Books? Start with Steve Simmons Using The View Camera Then Ansel Adam's 40 Examples.
Do you already have a camera for this lens? What camera body options are you asking about?
You'll want a suitable tripod, focusing cloth (or black tee shirt,) light meter, loupe and shutter cable release. And a lens board to mount your lens on. Maybe a few filters---a yellow and a yellow-green are handy.
Ilford film is just fine, as is Kodak.
Have fun!

[Lachlan 717]

To me, the most pertinent question is "what were you expecting"?

Buying top quality equipment has very little correlation to a good photo. I don't understand why people who buy a top quality laptop DON'T expect to write a Pulitzer-winning novel, yet people who buy the best camera equipment immediately expect to be Ansel et al.

As you wrote, reading, watching and practice are the things that will really accelerate your journey. Don't sweat the equipment.

[djdister]

it had good reviews, when my pics look like sh*t i can't blame the lens.:)
books videos i should read watch?
camera body options,
b&w film options why is the fuji more than kodak ilford?
meter ?
should i practice with a roll film back?
i have some film holders somewhere and maybe on old graflex.thanks in advance.

I'm guessing, just guessing, that you are pretty new to large format photography. You need to explain more about what you have, what you shot, and how you processed the film, before we can possibly diagnose the problem(s) you are experiencing. And let us know if you have no training or experience in photography, so we know where to start.

[koraks]

it had good reviews, when my pics look like sh*t i can't blame the lens.:)
books videos i should read watch?
Try the hope page of this site as well as numerous youtube vids on using a view camera. All the information you need is there for you to find and it's not hard to find either.


b&w film options why is the fuji more than kodak ilford?
This undoubtedly has something to do with stuff like exchange rates and more importantly R&D investment and the business model of the different manufacturers. You will find that e.g. fomapan is pretty cheap, since the R&D expense on that stuff must be minimal in comparison with manufacturers and products that are more advanced (but not necessarily better, as it's mostly a matter of taste).


should i practice with a roll film back?
I did that, but quite quickly just bought a pack of fomapan to practice with, followed by a couple of dozens of other film types as I started to get the hang of LF. In my opinion, there's little use for limiting yourself to roll film with a view camera if in the end you want to employ the full film format. With a roll film back, the process of setting up the shot is just as slow and laborious as with sheet film, but with the additional 'disadvantage' that you have to shoot 6-12 shots (depending on format) before you can develop and examine your results. With sheet film, it's possible to just shoot one or two sheets, develop them and thereby learn even quicker. Especially if you start with some shots in the home studio, it's possible to reduce the time between setting up a shot and viewing the results (scanned or printed traditionally) within a period of ca. 3-4 hours. Just shooting a single roll of 120 film easily costs as much time and then you'll still have to develop and print or scan. Moreover, the effects of camera movements are a bit more difficult to see and to manage on smaller formats, which is another reason to move to sheet film quite quickly. Not to mention that the costs per picture are roughly equivalent for low-cost 120 B&W film and 4x5 sheet film. I would give the advice that another forum member on here gave to me: get a box of fomapan 100 (or 200 if you prefer) and start practicing!

[Deval]

Take a workshop, or perhaps look for a local LFuser to go out shooting with to see if you can pick up some tips or get an idea of workflow. A scan example might help us point you in the right direction. The checklist that QT has posted on the homepage is great starter for beginners.

[mckenzie]

thank you all for your feedback

[Luis-F-S]

Also get the Zone VI Workshop by Fred Picker. Cheap used on Amazon. L