javidson
7-Mar-2015, 19:05
Hi everyone,
I'm a beginner, and putting together my first 4x5 setup. I've got hold of a Toho FC-45X camera, which I'm hoping will be ideal for the backpacking landscape and architectural photography I'm mainly interested in.
However, as I'm getting into large format anyway, it would be nice to be able to get one older portrait lens for photos of friends and general experimentation; looking at the forum and articles on this site and others, along with an impression of what's available, I'm thinking along the lines of a 21cm or 24cm Heliar, or similar. My aim is to be able to create images that could not be obtained with modern digital cameras, mainly from the bokeh and Scheimpflug that are possible with a large format view camera.
My confusion comes from trying to work out what kinds of lenses and (non-Copal) shutters can be used with the Toho camera, with its unusual lensboards and 80mm front standard opening. As Kerry Thalmann points out in his excellent article on the camera (the main factor in convincing me to buy one), lenses in Linhof boards can be used; but that doesn't necessarily mean they will fit.
To further complicate matters, I'm located in a small and distant country with very unhelpful postal customs officials and a rather unreliable postal service, so obtaining items that I've bought means calling on extended networks of friends and their families to see who is able to hand-carry a package - even the camera has been sitting in storage with a friend in the US since I bought it in the middle of last year. This means that I can't try things out or buy them and then return them. Fortunately, I have a friend here who's very experienced in 4x5 photography and who is willing to teach me once the items arrive, but I still need to know what I need and what will fit before buying.
Many thanks for any suggestions on what lenses and shutters I might be able to use.
I'm a beginner, and putting together my first 4x5 setup. I've got hold of a Toho FC-45X camera, which I'm hoping will be ideal for the backpacking landscape and architectural photography I'm mainly interested in.
However, as I'm getting into large format anyway, it would be nice to be able to get one older portrait lens for photos of friends and general experimentation; looking at the forum and articles on this site and others, along with an impression of what's available, I'm thinking along the lines of a 21cm or 24cm Heliar, or similar. My aim is to be able to create images that could not be obtained with modern digital cameras, mainly from the bokeh and Scheimpflug that are possible with a large format view camera.
My confusion comes from trying to work out what kinds of lenses and (non-Copal) shutters can be used with the Toho camera, with its unusual lensboards and 80mm front standard opening. As Kerry Thalmann points out in his excellent article on the camera (the main factor in convincing me to buy one), lenses in Linhof boards can be used; but that doesn't necessarily mean they will fit.
To further complicate matters, I'm located in a small and distant country with very unhelpful postal customs officials and a rather unreliable postal service, so obtaining items that I've bought means calling on extended networks of friends and their families to see who is able to hand-carry a package - even the camera has been sitting in storage with a friend in the US since I bought it in the middle of last year. This means that I can't try things out or buy them and then return them. Fortunately, I have a friend here who's very experienced in 4x5 photography and who is willing to teach me once the items arrive, but I still need to know what I need and what will fit before buying.
Many thanks for any suggestions on what lenses and shutters I might be able to use.