My [current] dream accessory ...

[Paul Kierstead]

Here is what I would like for LF: An iPhone app. The features I would like:

- Keeps a small DB of camera's, lenses and film that use.
- For each shot you take, you can enter a number, lens, camera and film. You pick the aperture and shutter speed, and any additional params; +- dev, etc.
- It records time, data and GPS
- you can optionally take a pic with the iPhone to help identify neg/tranny later.

This, to me, would be an awesome help. I'd even pay for it....

[IanMazursky]

I think a timer with count down and count up would be a great addition.
A reciprocity calculator, filter factor and bellows factor adjuster would really help.

I would pay for those!!

[MIke Sherck]

A burro.

:)

Mike

[Matt Magruder]

Here is what I would like for LF: An iPhone app. The features I would like:

- Keeps a small DB of camera's, lenses and film that use.
- For each shot you take, you can enter a number, lens, camera and film. You pick the aperture and shutter speed, and any additional params; +- dev, etc.
- It records time, data and GPS
- you can optionally take a pic with the iPhone to help identify neg/tranny later.

This, to me, would be an awesome help. I'd even pay for it....

No intent of being a smart ass.
But I do this with every shot.
Granted theres no electronic DB or GPS.
But with a pen, a small Moleskin Journal, some rudimentary sketching skills, and a clock (watch or cell phone) you can do all this.
I do a tiny sketch of the scene I photographed, keep notes on the location, fstop, shutterspeed, film, lens, camera, etc.
All rather conveniently and its even rather quick compared to the effort and time that goes into shooting large format.

Just a thought.
Plus, short of lighting the journal on fire, its wont ever go bad or get erased.

[Bruce Watson]

Here is what I would like for LF: An iPhone app. The features I would like:

- Keeps a small DB of camera's, lenses and film that use.
- For each shot you take, you can enter a number, lens, camera and film. You pick the aperture and shutter speed, and any additional params; +- dev, etc.
- It records time, data and GPS
- you can optionally take a pic with the iPhone to help identify neg/tranny later.

This, to me, would be an awesome help. I'd even pay for it....

You carry an iPhone with you in the field? One of the reasons I love photography is that it gets me away from things like that! Now a donkey, or a burro, or an assistant to carry my stuff, that I could use. But no electronics where I'm trying to work please. ;)

[Don Hutton]

I think a timer with count down and count up would be a great addition.
A reciprocity calculator, filter factor and bellows factor adjuster would really help.

I would pay for those!!You're a candidate for BTZS software on a Palm pilot - does all of that stuff and records exposure details too. You can even get a Garmin which runs on a Palm platform, then you'll be all set with GPS too.

[Paul Kierstead]

You're a candidate for BTZS software on a Palm pilot - does all of that stuff and records exposure details too.

Yeah, but then I'd have to carry a Palm; a fatal flaw in the plan :)

[Paul Kierstead]

No intent of being a smart ass.
But I do this with every shot.
Granted theres no electronic DB or GPS.
But with a pen, a small Moleskin Journal, some rudimentary sketching skills, and a clock (watch or cell phone) you can do all this.
I do a tiny sketch of the scene I photographed, keep notes on the location, fstop, shutterspeed, film, lens, camera, etc.


Well, outside of the sketch (I don't even have rudimentary skills), that is what I do too. I sometimes write a description. But I have to say, it ranks low in my things I like to do, though I will admit I have come to have it a kind of comfortable part out my routine. But wouldn't mind having it cut down, either.

[John Kasaian]

A stop watch with a luminous dial, for timing long nocturnal exposures.

[jeroldharter]

You're a candidate for BTZS software on a Palm pilot - does all of that stuff and records exposure details too. You can even get a Garmin which runs on a Palm platform, then you'll be all set with GPS too.

I have a Plam Treo phone and do about what you are talking about. No GPS though. But with the BTZS software, I record meter readings, filter factors, extension factors, lens type, f-stop, time, and also development time for each negative. For exposures longer than one second, it has a built in timer which is quite easy to use. I can use the phones camera to take a snapshot of the image and even record a voice memo attached to the photo.

Back home, the phone hot syncs with my computer and uploads Microsoft Memos to Outlook so I can print them off or make additional notes if I want.

I took a trip to Washington this summer and exposed 177 sheets of 4x5 (that is more than I have ever done). Previously, this would have been a nightmare trying to keep track of all that. But with the BTZS software, no problem. I also worked redundantly, transcribing the notes to paper each night just to make sure I would not lose data (if I lost my phone).

The down side is that I am hopelessly dependent on my phone. I think a better dream accessory would be the inclusion of a 1 degree spot meter and incident meter on my cell phone!

You need to give up your Apple crush and get with modern times.:D

[Andrew O'Neill]

A pencil and a notebook...graphite won't crash.

[Leonard Metcalf]

I would also like to see it take a photograph and give you a histogram and exposures - particularly being able to move them to a scale appropriate to large format. It could match the histogram to the latitude of the film... Just my two cents in the world of dreaming. Oh and a voice memo...

Len