Search:

Do you have any examples of your results?

I did a project a while back where I had to photograph Connecticut offshore lighthouses with 4x5 black and white (4x5 or larger required by HABS/HAER).
What I used was a Crown Graphic (or might have...

Very fine lens, and I own it, but I'd advise anyone to see and lift one before purchase: it's a big, heavy lens.

One cheap alternative, though you've got to be ok with a dim ground glass, is a 180mm/315mm Schneider Symmar (not S) convertible.

I got one recently in a Linhof board for less than than $200.,...

Set up your still life and try one of your lenses. There's no particular "still life" focal length; you can try longer and shorter focal lengths and see how the perspective feels to you.

If you're getting similar fogging with two different boxes of film, it's probably not the film.

You could also try the light bulb outside of the camera in the dark room, and look in through the...

What is WWPD? Assuming it's not What Would Picard Do.

I think eventually one makes every mistake!

Could you post a couple of your negatives, and also include the edge of the film in the photo?

Also, if you have another box of film, you could try that in case the film was accidentally exposed...

Maybe take a photo of a negative and post it.

Perhaps take off the lens board, put a film holder in the back, and stick a light bulb in the bellows in a dark room, and look for light leaking out...

What I remember about diffraction is that it's mostly related to the absolute diameter of the iris opening, so a 600mm lens at f:128 would have roughly the diffraction of a 60mm lens at f:12.8, so it...

Sinar P 5x7, Fujinon W 210 f:5.6, F:32 1/8, #12 filter, HP5+, Sprint Standard developer
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51143745614_4ed99fa81d_b.jpg0Y6A4155 by Robert Brewster, on Flickr

Doing more 5x7 work now
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51142971741_fb7a01f583_c.jpg2D9A6337 by Robert Brewster, on Flickr

This is Arista 400 Ultra, hope it counts for the Foma thread!
215286
Sinar P 5x7
Fujinon W 210 f:5.6 #12 filter
f:32 1/30
Sprint Standard B+W Film Developer

Jamestown Bridge, Rhode Island
215217

When I was in school and developing color roll film, we would put the beakers of chemicals and the developing container into a water bath in a big dishpan sort of thing (18x24x8") and put the...

What I recall about the Symmar is that when you use the rear group alone, it's an appealing soft focus look when not stopped down much.

I would "exercise" the shutter, fire it about 15 or so times at each speed, open and close the preview a bunch of times as suggested above, and see if it works ok then. Sometimes they just get sticky...

That's a very common defect to show in a negative, and I think the advice to check for reflections from the frame around the back of the camera is correct. The solutions as well: minimize the...

I also process my 4x5 TMAX 400 in 5x7 trays, up to 12 or so sheets, usually about 700ml of developer in the tray.

I use Sprint Standard Developer 1:9, which I think aims to be a Metol-free...

I think something might work that was like a bag bellows attached to the ground glass frame, in conical form that narrowed to a circular hole, maybe with a ring a little larger than your loupe that...

You could look at the subject through a hole in white fabric, and bring in lights close on either side, similar to jewelry work. Gives you the chance to light brighter on one side than the other for...

I used direct PC connection to Speedotron packs starting with the Canon D30 (circa 2000!) but like I said, I wouldn't give that as advice!

I have used the terrible cheap eBay RF units, and the very reliable Paul C Buff RF units, plugged into Speedotron packs, and there was no problem, so at least those particular units don't have a...

My only suggestion, if you want to experiment before you spend money, is to use the ratio of the focal lengths to make yourself a conversion scale.

Because the f:stop is the ratio of the focal...

I had something like this once and it was that a small screw on the front of the camera had come out. To me it looks like a pinhole projection rather than in internal reflection, as they've said...

Didn't focus before on, "whether I should just wait for a decent P2 to come along."

If you've already got a 4x5 camera, and want a spiffy Sinar P2, and the money doesn't matter, you can get one on...

I use an old Zone VI dark cloth that is white on one side, dark grey (used to be black) on the other, with some weights at the corners. Kind of heavy, but generally it stays in place.

I had an...

I've used those Domke wraps, and previously the Calumet wraps, forever. Great for packing. Be sure to keep caps on the front and back of the lenses.

I think it's actually two rear assemblies; note the focus scale on the focusing knob.

I recommend you list out what you actually want: rail length, lens or not, bag bellows, etc. and compare this...

That's a neat setup! Sinar made a stock rail cap that does what the one you made does, cap the "hollow" end of the rail; not sure I have one now.

For me I am usually traveling somewhere and then setting up for the day in one location, using lenses 75mm to 180, sometimes longer or shorter, and then using the standard (12"?) rail for...

should work; this is a P, but should be similar length requirement214130

Some people use an F, and then you can take off the bellows and turn the standards sideways parallel to the rail, using the...

The amazing thing with that setup is that the 75mm 6.8 Grandagon just about covers the 5x7, with some fall off of course.

Beautiful Norma camera!

We used to use the Cokin grads that are 3.3 x 3.9" / 84 x 100 mm in Sinar holders by cutting a piece of card to fit the Sinar slot, then making a hole in it to fit the Cokin grad and taping it in....

Take a look at this link:
https://125px.com/docs/manuals/lenses/large_format/schneider/gcn.pdf

By my reading, it looks like 60mm front and 57mm rear for the kind of slip-over cap that surrounds...

The other thing that will make a difference in the final finish and flatness of your prints, is how long they sit in the water. If they wait in a water bath and accumulate before their final wash,...

re: putting the fresnel underneath the ground glass:

If your camera is set up correctly, the "ground" side of the ground glass should be at the same plane that the surface of the film in the...

ok, there's something I've never seen before!

I also use Sun Locator Lite.

suncalc.org is nice because I can look things up on the computer and print out the map for reference.