John E
6-Feb-2009, 08:37
Hi Everybody,
Apologies on advance for asking some dumb newbie questions:o
I'm dipping my toe back in to the world of LF photography (my only experience of 4x5 was at college about 25 years ago...), and recently picked up a Linhof Karden standard 5x4. I'm trying to do this "on the cheap" - it's just the rail front and back (with ground glass) and bellows. The bellows are tatty and almost certainly in need of repair or replacement. So I now have to get lenses, lens panel, film holders etc.
Before I venture in to e-bay, I wondered if any one could give me some pointers on what to look for, and where to go next.
The bellow are fixed, non detachable. 150mm x 150mm (external) square, and fully extended they measure about 32cm. I tried to contact Camera Bellows in the UK, to get a ballpark figure on a replacement, but they appear to have closed down. I'd prefer to replace than try repair. I have spotted some (replacement for Toyo 45) bellows which are 150mm square on e-bay for about £50. A bit risky, but could be a cheap replacement option - the Karden bellows seem to be simply glued to the frame at each end. Is this a silly idea?
As the bellows are fixed, I also wonder what restrictions it will place on me in terms of lenses etc. I wish to use this camera initially for some still life and portraiture, so I'm thinking of getting something in the 150 - 210mm range for my first lens choice, but it would be nice to have something wider eventually for landscapes. Does anyone have experience of using wider lenses on this camera, should I be looking at recessed lens panels?
As far as lens boards go, it looks to me like the fixings are for a panel approximately 10cm square, although searching for "Karden" boards they seem to be 162mm Square. I'm guessing I'll be safe with a 96x98mm Linhof "Wista" size.
Finally, I'm thinking of getting a polaroid back for my initial experiments, partly because I don't have a dark room (I'm planning to scan any negs or transparencies, and possibly produce "digital negatives" for use with alternative printing processes). Given the discontinuation of Polaroid film, is this still worth doing?
Any help much appreciated!
Thanks,
John
Apologies on advance for asking some dumb newbie questions:o
I'm dipping my toe back in to the world of LF photography (my only experience of 4x5 was at college about 25 years ago...), and recently picked up a Linhof Karden standard 5x4. I'm trying to do this "on the cheap" - it's just the rail front and back (with ground glass) and bellows. The bellows are tatty and almost certainly in need of repair or replacement. So I now have to get lenses, lens panel, film holders etc.
Before I venture in to e-bay, I wondered if any one could give me some pointers on what to look for, and where to go next.
The bellow are fixed, non detachable. 150mm x 150mm (external) square, and fully extended they measure about 32cm. I tried to contact Camera Bellows in the UK, to get a ballpark figure on a replacement, but they appear to have closed down. I'd prefer to replace than try repair. I have spotted some (replacement for Toyo 45) bellows which are 150mm square on e-bay for about £50. A bit risky, but could be a cheap replacement option - the Karden bellows seem to be simply glued to the frame at each end. Is this a silly idea?
As the bellows are fixed, I also wonder what restrictions it will place on me in terms of lenses etc. I wish to use this camera initially for some still life and portraiture, so I'm thinking of getting something in the 150 - 210mm range for my first lens choice, but it would be nice to have something wider eventually for landscapes. Does anyone have experience of using wider lenses on this camera, should I be looking at recessed lens panels?
As far as lens boards go, it looks to me like the fixings are for a panel approximately 10cm square, although searching for "Karden" boards they seem to be 162mm Square. I'm guessing I'll be safe with a 96x98mm Linhof "Wista" size.
Finally, I'm thinking of getting a polaroid back for my initial experiments, partly because I don't have a dark room (I'm planning to scan any negs or transparencies, and possibly produce "digital negatives" for use with alternative printing processes). Given the discontinuation of Polaroid film, is this still worth doing?
Any help much appreciated!
Thanks,
John