PDA

View Full Version : Some Great Advice



John Flavell
2-Aug-2005, 15:00
Just thought I'd pass on some really wonderful advice I received over the weekend. While shooting with a 4x5 and 90mm, f8, I was having problems seeing part of the image on the ground glass. A bit too dark. A person watching heard me mutter from underneath the focusing cloth and asked me the problem. I told him.

His advice: "If you had one of those little maglite flashlights under there that would help. I carry one on my keychain"

Tony Karnezis
2-Aug-2005, 15:39
Brilliant! Now why didn't I think of that.

Janko Belaj
2-Aug-2005, 16:31
I suppose you have been shooting some close-ups at the end of the day? good light-painting trick ;-)))

Mark Sawyer
2-Aug-2005, 16:42
You, know, John, if you want to see what the image will look like before exposing the film, you can use a digital camera with a flash to take a picture of the ground glass...

Harold_4074
2-Aug-2005, 17:58
The guy probably wasn't all that knowledgeable about photography, or he would have mentioned that you have to have one of those special _black_ maglite flashlights...

John Luke
2-Aug-2005, 18:10
Hey- Thats nothin'.

My dad still has no clue about what I do and he keeps telling me about this new Kodak camera that you can plug in on top of an inkjet printer and make prints!

mark blackman
3-Aug-2005, 02:02
There *are* useful if you can place them within the scene (and remove them obviously before shooting), especially in shadow areas and you have some complex movements involved.

Thilo Schmid
3-Aug-2005, 02:19
John,
this is not a new one. Search the forum for "Maglite" to get more interesting comments. Maglites with removeable head are best suited, because the bare bulb is easier to focus on and you have more options to place the lamp in the scene.

Graeme Hird
3-Aug-2005, 17:05
Thilo, the novel part of his suggestion was taking the light under the dark cloth to illuminate the GG.

Brilliant! :)

Scott Fleming
3-Aug-2005, 19:59
I always thought this sounded like a good idea but all my small maglites work by twisting the head. Take off the head and ..... no light.

Brian C. Miller
3-Aug-2005, 22:58
Scott, get a real Maglite. All of my little Maglites (Maglite brand, and no substitutions) stay on when the head is removed. When the head is screwed down all the way, the light goes off. The head is unscrewed to turn it on. Keep unscrewing it, and it stays on and gives 360-degree illumination.

(Personally, I'm a fan of Polaroids to check vignetting)

Harold_4074
4-Aug-2005, 14:50
And if you take off the head, the base of the handle fits nicely into the open end, creating a stable base so that you can stand the flashlight up like a candle. Makes a great focus point for wide-angle lenses in dim interiors. With two or more, setting swings and tilts would be easier as well.

Bob Salomon
4-Aug-2005, 14:55
Maybe it would be easier with a fresnel on the camera?

Larry Gebhardt
5-Aug-2005, 06:43
If you shine it at the glass you will get reflections - I'm surprised the onlooker didn't think of this. Maybe he meant you should put it in the bellows to properly illuminate the corners without the glare.

Andrew_4548
5-Aug-2005, 18:14
Nah, he meant to use the camera like an enlarger - thereby throwing light onto the subject from the camera and thus it must be easier to see to take a photo... ;-)

Wayne_6692
7-Aug-2005, 13:21
Even better would be a magnesium flare, then you could project and focus the ground glass pattern on the subject.