New Member

[MICHAEL YOUNG]

Hello my name is Michael Young, I live and enjoy the outskirts of Vancouver, B.C.

After very much by chance I came upon LF,and I can"t say how impressed I am.
The professinal attitude by both administration/moderators and members is over the top. My hat off to you all..........

My intrest in photography has just sparked after about 40 yrs. Now i"m back with great intrest.
My enjoyment with the camera would be mostly LANDSCAPES.
At the moment I shoot didgital, (it has it"s place)

I work as a janitor for one of the local School Boards on afternoon shift, this allows me to get early and catch the sunrise.

I have spent the last 9 Months saving my nickles & dimes (hate credit!)

Besides my new Canon, I have purchased the Scanmaker i900, HP Designjrt 90, HP Media Center Desktop.
Just received CS2 in the mail a few days ago, all sorts of questions on that, but better put in the right area.

I do though have one question for you all, and that is, I"m thinking about buying a 4x5 kit from bendorphoto.com , any thoughts? I do have a Graphex 135/4.7, though I do know it"s quality, but maybe a good start???

I will be with some luck be able to take a course on CS2, but must wait till they come up with a W/end course.
For the mean time i"m saving up for a 4x5, used or new, Weston l/meter/ film backs/ carry case...................ect. Any thoughts???

One last note, I will be sending negs out to a lab.

Once again THANK YOU ALL for a "GREAT FORUM" Cheers from Vancouver, and have a Great 2007............Michael

[Kirk Gittings]

Welcome, it sounds like you are in the right place.

[Ron Marshall]

Welcome to the forum Michael.

The best book by far I have found for PS is Photoshop Artistry By Barry Haynes, Wendy Crumpler and Sean Duggan. (They are based in Gibson's) I have read all of the major PS books. A few others are fairly good but this is the best. It is oriented strictly towards photographers, not designers or prepress or digital or special effects. But it does cover color managment and compositing well.

[Ernest Purdum]

Rather than a Bender kit, you might consider an early, Calumet or Orbit camera. These were used widely in photo schools for good reason. With some patience, you can probably find one in the same price range as the Bender.

The Graphex 135 f4.7 has a rather small image circle that doesn't allow for any use of movements, so if you are trying to learn what a view camera can do for you, it can soon become frustrating. There is always some demand for them, though, so you could sell it on eBay and probably get enough for it to find a less frustrating lens. You can certainly start with the Graphex. It will give you good results in photos that don't require use of movements such as many landscapes. The large aperture, as view camera lenses go, makes focusin easy even in rather low light situations.

If you search "books", I think you will find several useful information sources.

If you care to send me your mailing address, I will send you a booklet on the choice of lenses for view camera use.

Best wishes.

[Ralph Barker]

Welcome to the LF Forum, Michael. Large format is a "gas". To paraphrase "Sergeant Shultz", you vill enjoy it, or vee put you in einsamkeitsraum (solitary). ;)

As to the Bender kit, you might try doing a search on "Bender" (see link in the blue navigation bar) to find previous discussions. While economical and fun for reasonably-skilled woodworkers, you may find it lacking in some convenience and technical areas. The ultimate balance between choices, however, is yours.

You'll also find some helpful reading on the home page here (the "LF Home Page" link in the blue nav bar.)

[Capocheny]

Hi Michael,

Welcome to the club! :)

Cheers

[MICHAEL YOUNG]

Thank You all for the warm wecome, i have much to digest. Will stop in at Chapters on the way to work and see if i can find PS Artistry.
Also will start hunting down Calumet & orbit.
Tank You Enrnest for your helpfulness Re:booklet, will email you.
Once again a BIG THANKS! to you all, Cheers, Michael

[Uri Kolet]

Welcome, Michael, and a Happy New Year to you. All the libraries in the lower mainland have LOTS of books on large format, and nobody seems to borrow them. Glad to have you join us, Cheers, Uri
P.S.All the local photo schools have LF courses; I recommend James Emler's at Vancouver Photo Workshops (evenings/weekends); he's the ideal blend of personality and performance, a full-time professional who also knows how to teach.Google him.

[John Kasaian]

Welcome!
I agree with Ernest Purdum and Ralph Barker. If you enjoy woodworking a Bender would certainly get the job done. If what you want is to go out and take photos then a Calumet 400-series will get you there faster and cheaper and with more capabilities than any camera I know of for the price (often less than $200US with a lens and a few holders)

Your lens was designed for a press camera like a Speed or Crown Graphic and that is certainly an alternative, providing you with the option of shooting handheld but at the expense of bellows length and any significant movements. The Speed and the Crown are very capable cameras and a lot of fun to boot. While your lens will work on any other type 4x5 camera, it probably won't provide you with the ability to use much movement for perspective control ---which isn't likely an issue when shooting handheld anyway.

IMHO, an excellent place to start is Steve Simmons' "Using the View Camera" which is loaded with great advice on putting together your first LF kit.

Welcome aboard!

[Vaughn]

Welcome Michael!

I'll agree with the rest of the folks here about camera and lens. I started off with a Caltar 150mm f5.6 lens -- not expensive on the used market...underpriced, really. I kept to that one lens for many years. It was sort of nice learning to "see" with that lens -- and I did not have to think about which lens to use! Slightly longer (180 or 210) would suit fine, also.

It wasn't until I moved up to 8x10 that I started to have more than one lens.

Have fun! Vaughn