Hello from Hamburg

[feldhaim]

Hello everyone !

I've been watching these forums for some time now and finally decided to register.
I'm not yet in real large format, but very near to:

My largest current format is 6*9 cm with a Mamiya Universal. On the long run (money question) I want to change to a tech camera, though I'm not yet sure if I'd go for 4x5" or stay with 6*9 cm on 120 film. I recently had a chance to have a look at an Arca F-line Camera and found it quite compact, so the bulk argument no longer really counts, especially compared to my Mamiyosaurus. What I like on my Mamiya is the convenience of roll film and the possibility to use my Nikon LS 9000 scanner, since I'm very fond of a hybrid film/digital workflow.
I am very sceptical towards pure digital for various reasons:
1. Archival Stability of digital files
2. Too much speed producing to much junk I have to sort out later
3. Definition or lack thereof in the unsharp areas in small format images and especially digital.

4*5" would force me to use another scanner (expensive) and slow me down even more (maybe not so bad). So maybe I'll not become a true large format guy but a tech camera user, so I believe I'm not completely wrong here.

My focus is on viewing and experimenting and I'm generally quite equipment agnostic. I even dare to shoot with a small digital P/S camera. Who cares? There is a tool for every purpose. But since I even use a tripod with the P/S camera the step to larger formats is not that far.

I'm an amateur in the best meaning of the word and returned to photography about one year ago after a 20 year hiatus due to various reasons. My work can be seen at my website at http://www.feldhaim.com. The website is new and does only contain a part of my work, since I'm always running behind publishing my images due to lack of time and the hybrid workflow.

Cheers
Christoph C. Feldhaim

[Ash]

If you're in Hamburg make sure to go to the Smoove + Turrell gig that's on. They're amazing

[feldhaim]

If you're in Hamburg make sure to go to the Smoove + Turrell gig that's on. They're amazing

Unfortunately I'll not be in Hamburg this weekend but have a weekend near the baltic sea and try out my newly repaired Mamiya Lenses and some High resolution film if the weather is halfway okay. I just got everything back from Mamiya Munich with rangefinders, lenses and shutter times adjusted after I had done as much maintenance as I could do myself.

[Ash]

Ahh that's fair enough. They occasionally play shows in Germany. Well worth the entry fee for funk/soul. Have fun in the baltic.

[Charles Hohenstein]

Welcome, Christoph.

[Sascha Welter]

I have an old Arca 6x9 and am enjoying it very much. It gives me all the play toys that large format can give. Sure, 6x9 doesn't have much "street cred" in the large format world, but so what. On the other hand, 120 film is really a looot easier to handle (and I've handled a lot of 4x5" film in a previous, commercial photography life). You already have a very good scanner for 6x9 (I'm dreaming of getting one like that one day) and hey, you can upgrade that f-line to 4x5 at any time when you "grow out of 6x9".

[halberstadt]

Just checked out your site: I LOVED this photo "Out of the Window" took me a moment to figure out what I was looking at.


To me 4x5 might make sense for you. I don't think the German market prices are too different than here. You might be able to get a starter outfit for the $100-200 range with a lens, a couple holders etc. There are lots of resources in Germany for film and chemistry too unlike many parts of the world. And keep in mind you can also get a roll film holder for most 4x5s too.

[Vick Vickery]

Welcome to group therepy! :) Don't forget that you can use 120 film in roll film holders on 4x5 cameras...formats 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, and 6x12 are the most common. Thus a Linhoff or other 4x5 technical camera can serve for several formats and both film types.

[feldhaim]

Thank you everyone for your welcome and thanks for your time considering the problem I described and even looking at my little web playground.

Actually my dream would be an Arca F metric 4*5" and 3 lenses. I believe my next step, once the money is there will be the camera and an adaption of my existing lenses (using a front bayonet from a Mamiya Universal) and backs. The great thing about the Mamiya rollfilm backs is the very good flatness of the film if you just advance right before the exposure. But maybe I'll once just sell all my Mamiya stuff and get directly to the LF camera, but with a 6x9cm back. Especially for b/w there is some very cool high resolution film out (SPUR DSX 120, ISO 25) which really boosts the smaller formats. A 4x5" would also give me the chance to use sheet film later. Unfortunately I don't have a darkroom anymore and I develop my film using a changing bag for putting it in the development drum.

Cheers
~Chris

[Peter De Smidt]

Welcome! I spent a year living in Hamburg (on Kalkreuthweg) in the early 1990's.

Regarding large format, it's just something you're going to have to try. For example, while lot's of people love 8x10, I gave it a try and didn't like it. I much prefer 4x5. So many things come down to preference. The Arca is a great camera system.

[GPS]

...
I believe my next step, once the money is there will be the camera and an adaption of my existing lenses (using a front bayonet from a Mamiya Universal) and backs. The great thing about the Mamiya rollfilm backs is the very good flatness of the film if you just advance right before the exposure. But maybe I'll once just sell all my Mamiya stuff and get directly to the LF camera, but with a 6x9cm back.
...
~Chris

Chris,
putting Mamyia Universal lenses on a LF camera is like shooting yourself in your foot. You already have a good (especially in Arca Swiss cameras which you want) focusing system on a monorail. Putting the heavy Mamyia lenses on the front standard would mean just more weight and also loosing the advantage of movements, impossible with your Mamiya lenses. You could anyway use them only for a 6x9 camera, they don't cover 4x5 (some of them cover just 6x12).
In your shoes I would go for the excellent Arca Swiss 6x9 F line camera with a Horseman roll film back (you will find there is no problem with film flatness with this RF back and it is lighter than your Mamiya back) and using much lighter LF lenses. You will gain movements, weight and pleasure from it...

And yes, a 6x9 Arca Swiss makes a lot of sense for somebody who wants mainly a rollfilm holder. Unless you want also 6x12 RF holder it is a better solution than 4x5 Arca. The "small" AS is a very easily packable camera (with a very light plastic box covering the body and letting the rail going out of it I use it in a backpack) and it is lighter than Mamyia Universal with its lenses in the same backpack. I shoot both, besides a ton of other cameras...
The 6x9 is an overlooked format but it has nothing to envy to a 4x5 equivalent. Quite the contrary - the RF back is often a huge advantage, you already know it.

[feldhaim]

Chris,
putting Mamyia Universal lenses on a LF camera is like shooting yourself in your foot. You already have a good (especially in Arca Swiss cameras which you want) focusing system on a monorail. Putting the heavy Mamyia lenses on the front standard would mean just more weight and also loosing the advantage of movements, impossible with your Mamiya lenses. You could anyway use them only for a 6x9 camera, they don't cover 4x5 (some of them cover just 6x12).


I was afraid of this and saw it coming - especially for the 250 mm F5.0 lens, which I love, but which also is an armed self-propelled gun.


In your shoes I would go for the excellent Arca Swiss 6x9 F line camera with a Horseman roll film back (you will find there is no problem with film flatness with this RF back and it is lighter than your Mamiya back) and using much lighter LF lenses. You will gain movements, weight and pleasure from it...

Most likely the final decision will be between a 6x9 cm or a 4x5" Arca. I had a chance to se the 4x5" F Line recently and was amazed by the small weight and overall bulk of it.


And yes, a 6x9 Arca Swiss makes a lot of sense for somebody who wants mainly a rollfilm holder. Unless you want also 6x12 RF holder it is a better solution than 4x5 Arca. The "small" AS is a very easily packable camera (with a very light plastic box covering the body and letting the rail going out of it I use it in a backpack) and it is lighter than Mamyia Universal with its lenses in the same backpack. I shoot both, besides a ton of other cameras...
The 6x9 is an overlooked format but it has nothing to envy to a 4x5 equivalent. Quite the contrary - the RF back is often a huge advantage, you already know it.

6x12 could be an option I'd not want to miss, since I love landscapes and 6x12 might be interesting.

After all I believe I'll most likely go towards a 4x5" with Rollfilm back and three lenses, roughly around 50, 100 and 200 mm. And most likely not digitars because of the different bokeh.

Time to save money. ...

[GPS]

I was afraid of this and saw it coming - especially for the 250 mm F5.0 lens, which I love, but which also is an armed self-propelled gun.

Most likely the final decision will be between a 6x9 cm or a 4x5" Arca. I had a chance to se the 4x5" F Line recently and was amazed by the small weight and overall bulk of it.

6x12 could be an option I'd not want to miss, since I love landscapes and 6x12 might be interesting.

After all I believe I'll most likely go towards a 4x5" with Rollfilm back and three lenses, roughly around 50, 100 and 200 mm. And most likely not digitars because of the different bokeh.

Time to save money. ...

Sure, for that reason I chose the 250/8 and I never looked back - an easy lens to take with the Mamiya to the nature.
And yes, the 6x12 is a very interesting format, I use it a lot. Coupled with a 135mm lens it gives an amazingly pleasing view.
Don't forget that with the Arca Swiss you have more than one choice. You could have the 6x9 F line and a 4x5 back - like that you can use 6x12 RF holder and save some weight/space on the front standard...