LF camera for DSLR macro?

[Darin Boville]

Not sure if the LF aspect qualifies this for the main forum--if not please move to the Lounge.

Here's the situation. I thought I would buy a Nikon PB-4 Macro bellows. It's got front tilt. Then I thought it might make more sense to but a monorail 4x5 and use that instead.

My thinking is that it is better to have general purpose tools rather than a pile of specialized ones.

Then I thought about 2x3 monorails. I do have a Linhof Super Rolex back that I could use in addition to the DSLR, in order to use film.

Whatever I get it would be great to have geared rear focus.

If I do this right I would end up with extensive macro capabilities for my DSLR and macro and general photography capabilities for 6x7.

Googled and saw a few things but surely someone is already doing this and has worked all the bugs out. Any Macro guys out there Any great web sites?

--Darin

[unixrevolution]

While I like the idea of de-specializing, it's also worthy to note that most 2x3 monorails are not that much lighter than a lightweight 4x5, and that macro bellows are very light indeed.

Not only that, but without a special lensboard for your DSLR lenses, you're limited in lens selection to stuff your DSLR will likely consider to be normals at the very widest when using it for macro.

Looks like a worthwhile idea, though. I may try to find a Pentax K to 4x5 adapter so I can use my K-mount cameras in a macro/tilt-shift capability.

[Peter De Smidt]

I'd ask here: http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/

[Dan Fromm]

Darin, I've done a lot of closeup (up to 1:1) and photomacrography (above 1:1) and I just can't see the charm of movements with either. Depth of field is nil in those situations. For me, the best way to use it has been to make the film plane and the subject plane parallel. Also, a lot of my closeup work with 35 mm has been with moving subjects. LF isn't suited to that -- too slow working -- and applying movements in that situation seems impossible.

I've had a PB-4 since 1970. You're misinformed about what it can do. It offers lateral shift, no rise/fall, and swing, no tilt. Flopped on its side it offers rise/fall, no shift, and tilt, no swing. It has a rotating camera mount, so allows switching from landscape to portrait without putting on its side, but that doesn't affect the movements. I understand what they do, have hardly ever used them. With static subjects, repositioning camera or subject is easier. With mobile subjects, maintaining focus and framing is impossible.

Not only are 2x3 monorails not that much lighter than 4x5s, they're more expensive and bits for them are more expensive and much harder to find. The little 2x3 Galvin and eBay anomalies excepted. I have a 2x3 Cambo SC. Anyone have a Cambo SF-76 bellows for reasonable money?

What do you want to accomplish when shooting close up?

If you don't have Lester Lefkowitz' book The Manual of Closeup Photography, get a copy. If you don't have Kodak Publications N-12A (Close-up Photography) and N-12B (Photomacrography), available bound together as N-16, buy them too. They were written by H. Lou Gibson, one of Kingslake's English imports best known as an IR photography guru. The Photogmacrography pamphlet focuses on what can't be done, is the scariest photo book in my small library.

On another but related topic, how much magnification do you think you need? When I got really serious about working closeup I thought I could use lots. Turns out for the subjects I really do have to get good detail from around 5:1 is enough. More is possible, doesn't give better results and is harder. 5:1 ain't easy, even with everything well locked down.

Cheers,

Dan

[Larry Gebhardt]

I have used the PB4 flopped on its side with an L bracket. It works reasonably well to align the subject plane with the sensor. I think it is far easier than using a small view camera with a Nikon body. The other question to ask yourself is would use the 2x3 view camera for actual 2x3 film shots? If not you might as well get the PB-4.