Teen photographer

[John Kasaian]

If it's landscapes you want to shoot the suggestion for a 5x7 is a good one. Develop the film yourself and make your own contact prints. Plus the longer 7" dimension is an asset, IMHO for landscapes. Be aware that film holders will be more costly as will 5x7 film when compared to 4x5, but you can always put a 4x5 back on a 5x7 camera if it gets to be too much.

[Rain Dance]

You might also want to try pinholes, like the Harman Titan or the other pinhole cameras you can find in ebay. I usually don't like pinholes in smaller formats but they seem to work well in larger formats. Since you like landscapes I guess the longer exposure times are not that much of a problem. If you find the cost of film prohibitive, you can use BW Paper or the Direct Positive Paper from Ilford.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/thelarg...olegroup/pool/

[Mike Anderson]

Thanks for the advice! As for the tripod, I have a Manfrotto 055xprob with a 410 geared head, would this be sturdy enough?

That would work very well. I use a 055XPROB with a ball head with a fairly heavy monorail. It's plenty strong. The 410 head would be better.

[Jody_S]

The kid says he wants to learn LF. You don't have to sell him on it with nonsense like this.

Thank you, I'll keep that in mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a cave under a bridge that is missing it's troll. Oh wait, I'm an ogre. Well, my swamp is frozen over, I'll have to make do with that cave for now.

[jmandell]

Thanks to all who welcomed me and gave advice!

I think I might have found a camera: A Graflex Speed Graphic. I have read that they have limited range of motion when it comes to the pointing of the lens, but they are rather cheap and I thought it might be a good way to try out LF.

This one especially caught my eye:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nice-Graflex...item4d0a69e332

Any thoughts on this camera or any other suggestions?

[Jon Shiu]

Those are great compact 4x5 cameras. The "Crown" model doesn't have a curtain shutter in the back, but the "Speed" model does. Because the lens usually has it's own shutter, the curtain shutter is not really needed.

Jon

[Leszek Vogt]

Welcome to LF, jmndell. If you don't have a decent lab near you, you can always send out. I'm one of those that decided not to have a darkroom, though I didn't cancel the idea of being able to develop & scan my film. You'll likely need a good light meter. For time being you can use your digi camera to determine exposure. One of the pluses for 4x5 is, that there are more films available in this format. You can find them at B&H, Freestyle, Badger, etc. Good luck.

Les

[Alan Gales]

Hi all,

I am 16 and I have been shooting digital with a Nikon D700 for a while now. I shoot sports for school, but my real love is landscapes.

I wanting to branch out from my little digital bubble and experience what the photographers did before digital.

I have been looking around for some good deals on cameras (4x5 mostly), but I would like some suggestions.


I look forward to learning and participating in this community.

Ok, you are 16 years old and looking for a 4x5 camera. When I was 16 I spent most of my money on girls and record albums so I assume you have similar interest and have a tight budget for this. Normally I would recommend a wooden or metal field camera. With your suspected budget you probably want to look at monorails. Cambo and Calumet cameras are a steal now a days Check out Ebay and look for a camera with a 135mm to 210mm lens included. Camera and lens combinations are generally cheaper.

Good luck to you and feel free to ask any questions you want. It's great to get young people on the forum.

[jmandell]

I have also found a super speed graphic, it appears to have some more movement in the front. Is there really a difference between the Crown, Speed, and Super Speed models?

Also, are there 5x7 backs available for those cameras?

[jmandell]

Ok, you are 16 years old and looking for a 4x5 camera. When I was 16 I spent most of my money on girls and record albums so I assume you have similar interest and have a tight budget for this. Normally I would recommend a wooden or metal field camera. With your suspected budget you probably want to look at monorails. Cambo and Calumet cameras are a steal now a days Check out Ebay and look for a camera with a 135mm to 210mm lens included. Camera and lens combinations are generally cheaper.

Good luck to you and feel free to ask any questions you want. It's great to get young people on the forum.

Thanks for the welcome,
Unlike you most of my money is spent on photography and astronomy