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View Full Version : A Whole-Plate For Supper! (my Ebony arrived)



Richard K.
28-Feb-2008, 09:16
Picked this up from Rob Skeoch just before supper the day before...Wow, this is one beautiful and high-functioning piece of equipment! I just wish that the temperature outside was above NUT FREEZING....I'm referring, of course, to the lock nuts on the camera! :)

The two digi-snaps below DO NOT in any way do this camera justice!

Michael Alpert
28-Feb-2008, 09:54
Congratulations. Yes, beautiful and high functioning are the two operative terms for Ebony cameras.

rknewcomb
28-Feb-2008, 10:00
That is a beautiful camera and you are a lucky guy!
How has the film holder situation worked out - or has it yet?
Robert Newcomb

wfwhitaker
28-Feb-2008, 10:02
I'm referring, of course, to the lock nuts on the camera! :)


I'm glad you clarified that. I would think you would've had to sell any other kind of nuts just to afford the camera...

BarryS
28-Feb-2008, 10:13
Gorgeous camera, but as a recent convert to LF I'm still curious about the decision to use the whole-plate format. I'm seriously considering an 8x10, and while a WP camera is obviously going to be smaller--the negatives are going to be too big for most enlargers and still on the small side for contact prints. Plus, the film is difficult to buy. I'd love to hear your reasons for buying a WP camera.

Renato Tonelli
28-Feb-2008, 10:21
Gorgeous camera, but as a recent convert to LF I'm still curious about the decision to use the whole-plate format. I'm seriously considering an 8x10, and while a WP camera is obviously going to be smaller--the negatives are going to be too big for most enlargers and still on the small side for contact prints. Plus, the film is difficult to buy. I'd love to hear your reasons for buying a WP camera.

I am interested in how people are resolving the issues Barry is pointing out as well. As far as I know you have to purchase 8x10 film and make two cuts; to enlarge the WP neg. you still need an 8x10 enlarger; or is the point of WP to make contact prints only.
Give it to me straight - I can take it.

Richard K.
28-Feb-2008, 10:26
That is a beautiful camera and you are a lucky guy!
How has the film holder situation worked out - or has it yet?
Robert Newcomb

I have 3 Lotus holders which are perfect (and stained to match the ebony) and I've ordered 4 more holders from Chamonix (due mid April) which apparently are also perfect AND 1/3 the price...I have not heard what the current situation with Fotoman is...

-Richard

Sandeha
28-Feb-2008, 10:31
Drool, slobber ...

Btw, what's the draw on this?

Richard K.
28-Feb-2008, 10:45
Gorgeous camera, but as a recent convert to LF I'm still curious about the decision to use the whole-plate format. I'm seriously considering an 8x10, and while a WP camera is obviously going to be smaller--the negatives are going to be too big for most enlargers and still on the small side for contact prints. Plus, the film is difficult to buy. I'd love to hear your reasons for buying a WP camera.

Nice question Barry! OK, firstly,the Ebony because it is special and beautiful and I just reached a landmark birthday and convinced myself (and my better half and my kids) that I deserved it! As to why full-plate, that, I think, becomes a personal decision based on sensibility, desire for historical communion (with Daguerre, Ansel and many others) and other such intangible factors but usually accompanied with some sort of epiphany and feeling of exaltation. Well, you DID ask!!! :) Others in this forum with tongues more silver than mine may be better able to articulate this and already have to a degree in previous threads. But those are MY reasons. As to the tangible, whole-plate is totally available from Ilford at least and I expect will be until we or film dies. As far as being small for contact prints, I must say that a whole-plate contact in Pt/Pd overmatted with 8-ply 16x20 board DOES make a substantial impact. This format has the added virtue of being almost perfect for hand held viewing, etc. Take a look at other threads in this and other forums to get others' view-points as well! Hope that that explains at least a little of what may be seen as only sheer perversity! You may find this link interesting:

http://www.wholeplatecamera.com/

-Richard K.

Richard K.
28-Feb-2008, 10:48
I am interested in how people are resolving the issues Barry is pointing out as well. As far as I know you have to purchase 8x10 film and make two cuts; to enlarge the WP neg. you still need an 8x10 enlarger; or is the point of WP to make contact prints only.
Give it to me straight - I can take it.

OK here it is completely straight...film availability is and in all likelihood will continue to be no problem. As to the other questions raised by Barry, see my answer to him...

-Richard K.

Richard K.
28-Feb-2008, 10:52
Drool, slobber ...

Btw, what's the draw on this?

The draw is speced to be 730mm (830mm with tilts and rise)....

BarryS
28-Feb-2008, 11:02
Richard-- Thanks! That's a very good explanation and those sound like great reasons for getting a whole plate camera. I'd love to see some of your contact prints in Pt/Pd overmatted with 8-ply 16x20 board, some time. I will check out the link as well.

Renato Tonelli
28-Feb-2008, 20:19
OK here it is completely straight...film availability is and in all likelihood will continue to be no problem. As to the other questions raised by Barry, see my answer to him...

-Richard K.

Richard - thank you for the straight answer. Another camera do daydream about...

David Karp
28-Feb-2008, 22:10
Gorgeous camera, but as a recent convert to LF I'm still curious about the decision to use the whole-plate format. I'm seriously considering an 8x10, and while a WP camera is obviously going to be smaller--the negatives are going to be too big for most enlargers and still on the small side for contact prints. Plus, the film is difficult to buy. I'd love to hear your reasons for buying a WP camera.

Although the connection to the past is interesting, I have some different reasons to use the WP size:

-The camera is smaller than an 8x10, making it easier to arrange in a backpack and lighter to carry. In my opinion, the contact print is not that much smaller than an 8x10. I don't think most people will even notice.

-The camera is not that much bigger than a 5x7, but it makes what is in my opinion a nicer-sized contact print.

-Many 4x5/5x7 lenses will cover WP, meaning that I did not have to buy a bunch of big, heavy, and expensive lenses to cover the larger format.

-The shape of the WP format is very nice. I once saw a contact print of AA's Monolith at the Gene Autry Museum (or whatever it is called now) - I had seen it much larger in the past. The WP contact was a beautiful size. It is certainly large enough to hang on a wall.

audioexcels
28-Feb-2008, 23:43
Look at a 5X7-8X10 (all cut to the film area that will be seen). In other words, the image that the holder will give (for 5X7, that would be 4 7/8" by 6 7/8"). Cut out all of these and my opinion is that when you put the WP side by side with the 5X7, it is much larger looking. I mean, it isn't a huge difference, but it is one that well, plain and simply looks vaster and more meaningful as a contact size. Not to take anything away from 5X7 as it's a "neat" and cute size by comparison. Now an 8X10 by comparison to the WP image is quite a lot larger in my opinion, but is also a very square look by comparison. To my eyes, the 8X10 looks very traditional, like the 8X10 you have been accostomed to seeing in any format, and same can be said of the 5X7. But the Whole plate has a dimension that is a very neat fit in between the two sizes.

Here's my take:

1) Can still use a wide wide and get some movements with it. I.E. 90XL or 110XL. On an 8X10, anything wide wide=zero movements and the 110XL equivalent, lets say it is the 150mm Nikkor=very big lens and the 150XL=VERY EXPENSIVE. So you still have choices when going wide which is a must have for me.

2) Can use a lot of other lenses such as any of the cheap 210's, the Fuji 180, and others. At the same time, you can use the lenses such as the 120SW for lots of movement and still a nice wide shot.

3) Can use a reduction 45 back just as you would with a 57 camera and have all your lenses become less prone to flare. Some have said they see extra information when shooting a 57 w/4X5 back...so a WP should further benefit the 4X5 format. So that 90XL will serve as both a wide wide on the WP and a nice wide on 45...heck, there's no saying you cannot have a 57 and 45 back. I know many prefer to shoot one back, one format, cut film to put into the holder so these reduction backs may not apply to them. But you can literally use all of these lenses that are still under the 810 bracket with the WP and get multiple focal lengths by using them on both 57 and 45 reduction backs.

4) A LOT lighter than 810, though you can cut down film and use the 810 back only for WP images, 6X10, 4X10, 6X8, 4X8, etc. etc...

5) Same can be done with WP...you can cut the film so you have say, 6.5X8.5 and 3.5X8.5. Or 5X8.5 and 5X2.5.

Weight wise, with light holders for WP, I don't feel any difference between 5X7 and Whole Plate, but there is a major difference between 57/WP and 8X10 weight wise.


I would personally do WP to have a nice contact size and shoot 7X11/5X12/7X17/11X14/etc. if you want to make contact prints your thing. I'd skip 810 all-together or stick with a more compact camera that is still well capable of contact prints and more importantly, butter smooth and much more resolution (than 45) based b/w images for scanning and printing...

If lenses wasn't such a big deal, I'd go 810, but lenses and 810 is not a friendly way to go IMHO...which is why I advise going different ratios of larger sized formats if you want to be using large glass and a heavy outfit.

David Karp
29-Feb-2008, 14:20
Oh yeah, I forgot.

Congrats Richard. Enjoy it.

Robert Skeoch
29-Feb-2008, 16:36
I don't have a WP camera... but I did look at Richard's with him. This is a nice camera and a nice format. The camera is much smaller than my 8x10... more like a big 5x7. The format itself is beautiful and would make a great contact print... as Richard said a PT/PD print with a nice overmat.

The film has been available from Ilford... and I've been trying to keep both FP4 and HP5 in stock and it's been selling rather well over the last few months. I do expect it to be a regular stock item... not as popular as 5x7 but similar to 4x10 I would think. I don't think anyone plans to cut down 8x10.

Is the format for everyone... no.... but again that might be the beauty of it.

-Rob Skeoch

Diane Maher
4-Mar-2008, 06:49
I have 3 Lotus holders which are perfect (and stained to match the ebony) and I've ordered 4 more holders from Chamonix (due mid April) which apparently are also perfect AND 1/3 the price...I have not heard what the current situation with Fotoman is...

-Richard

I wasn't aware the Chamonix made whole plate holders. I've been looking for some for my Century whole plate cameras. The two Kodak ones I have are old and do leak light a little. I can use them in a pinch. I have bookform holders for my other camera which are the most light tight things I've ever seen.

Diane