cobbu2
10-Feb-2011, 18:56
Greetings All,
I am a raw newbie into large format photography; it's something I've always been interested in trying since I first became involved with photography as a teenager in the mid-70s and now, after years of 35mm and medium format (mostly as an amateur, as I work in a completely different field flying for an airline), I didn't know where to begin, but finally took the plunge on a complete whim and ended up going big!
My first inclination was to dive in head first with an 8x10, since I envision myself eventually doing 8x10 contact printing. My first roadblock there seemed to be cost, not only the camera and its accessories, but also the film and processing equipment, although I do posses a motorized rotary 8x10 color print processing drum and water bath that I used in college but not since.
Next was 5x7; to me it seemed I had the same issues as I foresaw with 8x10, except now, the contact prints are even smaller and a 5x7 enlarger is out of my reach. Even so, 5x7 contact prints still can look excellent to me.
Lastly is 4x5, which means I would mostly need to do enlargements. My current living situation is that for the next 2 years or so I don't have the means to set up a permanent darkroom that can accommodate a 4x5 enlarger, forcing me to use a rental darkroom (fairly easy since I live in the DC area) in the mean time. For now, I use an Omega C700 for 35mm and MF for a Pentax 67 that I can easily set up in the bathroom. With 4x5 I realize the cameras etc. are generally less expensive and there are wider choices of films.
Well, as it turned out, availability at a low cost drove the answer to my quest. A quite inexpensive but complete Burke & James Grover 8x10 with a 12-inch Carl Meyer Anastigmat lens came available and I jumped on it. I figure for the time being, I'll use my old tube to develop the film (yep, 1 sheet at a time) and then make contact prints, and as time goes on, find a 4x5 reducing back to increase its utility.
The camera should arrive in a couple days, I can't wait to get started and finally, at long last experience the large format world. Any comments or suggestions with what I have are welcome!
Thanks, Allan
I am a raw newbie into large format photography; it's something I've always been interested in trying since I first became involved with photography as a teenager in the mid-70s and now, after years of 35mm and medium format (mostly as an amateur, as I work in a completely different field flying for an airline), I didn't know where to begin, but finally took the plunge on a complete whim and ended up going big!
My first inclination was to dive in head first with an 8x10, since I envision myself eventually doing 8x10 contact printing. My first roadblock there seemed to be cost, not only the camera and its accessories, but also the film and processing equipment, although I do posses a motorized rotary 8x10 color print processing drum and water bath that I used in college but not since.
Next was 5x7; to me it seemed I had the same issues as I foresaw with 8x10, except now, the contact prints are even smaller and a 5x7 enlarger is out of my reach. Even so, 5x7 contact prints still can look excellent to me.
Lastly is 4x5, which means I would mostly need to do enlargements. My current living situation is that for the next 2 years or so I don't have the means to set up a permanent darkroom that can accommodate a 4x5 enlarger, forcing me to use a rental darkroom (fairly easy since I live in the DC area) in the mean time. For now, I use an Omega C700 for 35mm and MF for a Pentax 67 that I can easily set up in the bathroom. With 4x5 I realize the cameras etc. are generally less expensive and there are wider choices of films.
Well, as it turned out, availability at a low cost drove the answer to my quest. A quite inexpensive but complete Burke & James Grover 8x10 with a 12-inch Carl Meyer Anastigmat lens came available and I jumped on it. I figure for the time being, I'll use my old tube to develop the film (yep, 1 sheet at a time) and then make contact prints, and as time goes on, find a 4x5 reducing back to increase its utility.
The camera should arrive in a couple days, I can't wait to get started and finally, at long last experience the large format world. Any comments or suggestions with what I have are welcome!
Thanks, Allan