Any Tips On Photographing From Overhead With A 4x5

[IanBarber]

Ive been trying to make some still life photographs looking down onto the subject but I find it extremely difficult to compose the scene and focus when balancing on a chair with a dark cloth looking at then ground glass.

Anyone got any experience photographing from above ?

[Jac@stafford.net]

There are mirrors that slide over the lens, rather like a lens shade with a 45° surface mirror (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41q5GS9WFLL.jpg). There are sometimes available process lenses with the mirror built-in. That way you just leave the camera level over the subject. Oh, and if you find or make one that mounts the lens in front of the mirror (https://www.365astronomy.com/images/D/365Astronom-2-inch-90-deg-Dielectric-Mirror-Diagonal-SCT-2.jpg)it will also act as a lens extension.

Another method but requires the camera vertical - a right-angle ground glass viewer - not ideal for your situation.

[IanBarber]

There are mirrors that slide over the lens, rather like a lens shade with a 45° surface mirror. There are sometimes available process lenses with the mirror built-in. That way you just leave the camera level over the subject.
.

Now I like the sound of that. Are these a commercially made item

[Jac@stafford.net]

Now I like the sound of that. Are these a commercially made item

Sure. Click on the links in my post.

[IanBarber]

Sure. Click on the links in my post.

Sorry, I missed the links, thanks

[xkaes]

I'm not sure of your setup, but a simple, easy-to-get, front-surface 90 degree mirror might do the trick. These screw into the front of the lens. You rotate them to get what you want in the picture. Some common names are Squintar and Spiratone Circo Mirro-Tach. The sell on E**Y all the time for about $15. There is one up there right now. I have two, so I don't need one.

They typically come in either a fixed filter thread or a series size, so you will probably need an adapter to your lens filter size -- easy and cheap to get. The ones I have will work for any filter size up to maybe 67mm, but they are not designed for wide angle lenses. That might be a problem for you.

It would be easy to set up -- the camera points straight forward and the lens points straight down.

[IanBarber]

Do you have the link to the one you have seen please

[xkaes]

Do you have the link to the one you have seen please

Sure, here's the one I see:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-SPIRATONE-Circo-Mirrotach-Mirror-Right-Angles-Lens/173031865055?hash=item284980badf:g:bekAAOSwdx1aDdun

but if you look down on the page you will see links to several others of the same sort.

Make sure the mirror is in perfect condition and check to see what the rear thread and/or adapter is.

[Willie]

A simple scaffold setup as used for painting walls makes it much safer to be beside the camera and up off the floor.

[xkaes]

Unless your subject is rather large or you need a wide angle of view, I'd keep your two feet on the ground.

[Greg]

Many years ago had to shoot a bunch of maps and large drawings for our Museum. Linhof Heavy Duty copy stand with an extension column added on and with a horizontal extension to get the camera farther away from the stand's vertical column. Even with the camera up high on the column(s), I had no problems with vibration. 4x5 Sinar Norma with Sinar binocular viewer so that could look forward at the GG. 2 flash heads on either side aimed down at the maps at a 45 degree angle with Polarizers on them and a Polarizer screwed into the lens for crossed Polarized lighting. 4x5 chromes which were sent out later to be scanned. Had to shoot test Chromes and add 1 or 2 cc gels to color balance... I was a bit skeptical of leaving my equipment set up at the at the Museum, but then I realized that the Museum had an excellent alarm system. Earlier this year had to photograph another bunch. This time used 2 LED flood lamps with Polarizers on them. Big change was to use my FX Nikon DSLR, again with a polarizer on the lens for crossed Polarized lighting. Shot the maps in sections and had Photoshop merge the images. Went so much faster and easier that I ended up also shooting a bunch of paintings.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Many years ago had to shoot a bunch of maps and large drawings for our Museum. Linhof Heavy Duty copy stand with an extension column added on and with a horizontal extension to get the camera farther away from the stand's vertical column. Even with the camera up high on the column(s), I had no problems with vibration.

I have done work for museums as well.

Well, you should not have problems with vibration if you used electronic flash.

It is just bad luck you couldn't get a Polaroid MP-4 copy system. The local printers were throwing them into the dumpsters 20 years ago. :(

[Greg]

I have done work for museums as well.

Well, you should not have problems with vibration if you used electronic flash.

It is just bad luck you couldn't get a Polaroid MP-4 copy system. The local printers were throwing them into the dumpsters 20 years ago. :(

I meant to say that with using the 2 LED flood lamps.....

[jnantz]

extremely sturdy tripod, and mount

[Jac@stafford.net]

I meant to say that with using the 2 LED flood lamps.....

Understood, and it makes sense. Thanks for that.

[Drew Bedo]

I have used a mirror on the front of the taking lens; a Spiratone "Circo-Mirro-Tach". Gotit off e-Bay years ago.

Used it on a 4x5 Zone VI with 210mm lens. Wider lenses show the inside of the mirror mount. No exposure compensation is required for the mirror.

In use, the image size is controlled by bellows extension, while focus must be don by lowering and raising the whole camera using a geared center column tripod.

This worked qwell enough. The difficulties come from getting enough height over the subject and focusing with the tripod.

Go for it.

[Leszek Vogt]

The sketch is bit rough and not necessarily to scale. You can construct several pieces of 2x4's....attaching the camera with a clamp or tripod head for more flexible movements.....pushing the whole contraption against the ceiling. If you don't wish to mar the ceiling you can put some pads or material on that side, preventing that. Anyway, couple longer boards would bow slightly (as per pic), but keeping everything against the ceiling as desired. You can tweak the focus on the same trajectory and not necessarily on the object you intend to focus on....with fair amount of accuracy. You can also use various aids like a cell phone (go-pro tor mini security camera) to determine where it focuses on gg. Granted, it may not be perfect, but it will be elevated :>). Basically it's a home made solution....so don't rotten tomatoes this way. Best of luck.

Les
172958

[xkaes]

Basically it's a home made solution....so don't rotten tomatoes this way.172958

Good luck with that one! Like some fraternities (hopefully, not most) hazing has been reported.

I, for one, love DIY:

www.instructables.com

https://www.diyphotography.net

[Jac@stafford.net]

Good luck with that one! Like some fraternities (hopefully, not most) hazing has been reported.

I, for one, love DIY:

Sure, but is it your DIY, or from someone else? I suspect the later because, in part, you have not contributed. Oh, have you authored any fake PhDs lately?

[Greg]

I forgot to mention one other thing... Make triple sure that nothing on the camera or attached to the camera could fall onto what you are photographing. Years ago I had a hard time getting permission to photograph some old documents in our State's Library. In the end got permission and the trust of the administrator who I was dealing with. Turned out that another photographer was given permission to photograph some original documents a few weeks before with his view camera. Documents were only handled by the staff with white cotton gloves. While he was photographing one of the documents, something fell from the camera (never learned what it was) onto the document damaging it.

[Drew Bedo]

I have used a mirror on the front of the taking lens; a Spiratone "Circo-Mirro-Tach". Gotit off e-Bay years ago.

Used it on a 4x5 Zone VI with 210mm lens. Wider lenses show the inside of the mirror mount. No exposure compensation is required for the mirror.

In use, the image size is controlled by bellows extension, while focus must be don by lowering and raising the whole camera using a geared center column tripod.

This worked qwell enough. The difficulties come from getting enough height over the subject and focusing with the tripod.

Go for it.

With the front mounted 45 degree mirror set up described above, the camera is horizontal and level. Everything is as stable as when shooting normally. A true90 degree or vertical perspective is possible. This is a shallow bow2l ~9" across in windowlight shot with a 210mm lens and mirror from maybe 2-3 feet (don't recall exactly.