John Power
19-May-2021, 20:17
Hi team
First off, thanks to you all for the information here, I've been reading for a while now, trying to figure out my first steps to take with LF.
I'm new to photography, having spent most of last year taking my first images through telescopes for hours and nights on end. My health really took a hit with so many sleepless nights and young children, so a couple of months ago I changed direction and dug out a couple of old 35mm film cameras that we used to have on a bookshelf 15 or so years ago. Surprisingly, they worked, and worked well, and I was hooked. 2 months later, here I am, developing and scanning black and white and colour, feeling a bit restricted by the small bellows on my Mamiya Press, but also feeling ok about that because I've just unpacked and tested my new (to me, of course) Horseman L45.
I really ummed and ahhed about field vs rail, and was quite set on a field camera until I saw that this camera (and i suppose many rails) really are quite transportable in a backpack if they can fold flat. The camera is in great condition, even the paint, and has what looks like a minty Schneider Kreuznach 135mm lens to get going.
Coming from (a short time with) the Press camera, the shutter and aperture arangement feel familiar, as does the darkslide. What doesn't feel familiar is the seemingly rough insertion and removal of the film holder! I might start looking at a different head if things don't improve with a two-screw plate.
Anyway, I'm in Canberra, Australia. Excited to get out.
First off, thanks to you all for the information here, I've been reading for a while now, trying to figure out my first steps to take with LF.
I'm new to photography, having spent most of last year taking my first images through telescopes for hours and nights on end. My health really took a hit with so many sleepless nights and young children, so a couple of months ago I changed direction and dug out a couple of old 35mm film cameras that we used to have on a bookshelf 15 or so years ago. Surprisingly, they worked, and worked well, and I was hooked. 2 months later, here I am, developing and scanning black and white and colour, feeling a bit restricted by the small bellows on my Mamiya Press, but also feeling ok about that because I've just unpacked and tested my new (to me, of course) Horseman L45.
I really ummed and ahhed about field vs rail, and was quite set on a field camera until I saw that this camera (and i suppose many rails) really are quite transportable in a backpack if they can fold flat. The camera is in great condition, even the paint, and has what looks like a minty Schneider Kreuznach 135mm lens to get going.
Coming from (a short time with) the Press camera, the shutter and aperture arangement feel familiar, as does the darkslide. What doesn't feel familiar is the seemingly rough insertion and removal of the film holder! I might start looking at a different head if things don't improve with a two-screw plate.
Anyway, I'm in Canberra, Australia. Excited to get out.