Hello All,
Obviously I'm new to the forum, and I'm hoping for a little input/guidance. A bit about myself: I studied photography along with filmmaking in college, got sidetracked when it became clear just how difficult it was going to be to make a living, but have recently returned to it and am starting to have some success. I'm shooting digitally at the moment, and while I'm mostly satisfied with the results, the way I shoot I can't print very large. For the most part, that's OK by me. I don't really care for the whole trend towards printing at gigantic sizes anyway. But, I'm a big admirer of the Pictorialists, and that's roughly the aesthetic that I aim for (though the content of my work is rather different). I shot a little 4x5 back in my student days, and it occurs to me that it's probably a little silly the degree to which I have been struggling to make 35mm digital, mirror a look obtained with cameras from the early 20th century. Some things I've tried have worked well (Zeiss softars), and others have turned into expensive blind alleys (Imagon 110mm), but given unlimited resources I would almost certainly prefer to be working with a view camera.
Don't get me wrong, the 5d III isn't going anywhere. Some of what I do requires dozens if not hundreds of exposures (getting just the right motion blur, say, or painting with light). I don't see myself doing that with LF. Photoshop is also a necessity, so anything I do shoot on film, will have to be scanned. With that said, I find myself missing film. DSLRs have obviously matched or surpassed the resolution of 35mm film, but I miss the dynamic range of black and white neg. Also, I shoot a lot in low light, and it is a constant struggle to get the rich blacks that I used to take for granted with film. And in the end, as I said, my print sizes are somewhat limited by the fact that I'm often shooting in the 400-1600 ISO range, and digital noise is just plain ugly compared to film grain. All of which has me contemplating switching to LF for some of my work. It's probably not going to happen this minute, as this stuff is just beginning to pay for itself, and my most urgent need is for a new printer. Also, I am toying with the idea of printing digital negatives for alternative process contact printing, and an analogue, to digital, to analogue workflow is a bit much to bite off all at once.
So, very long way of saying, I'm wondering what format I should consider. I'm guessing that 4x5 would make the most sense. I'm never going to print at billboard sizes, I like to work outside, and cost is a factor. With that said, there's something very appealing about the idea of composing on a 8x10 ground glass. So, any recommendations for a specific camera to watch for (I'll be buying used) would be welcome. A field camera would be nice, but I haven't ruled out rails, as they seem to be considerably cheaper. More movements are better of course, but coming from having none, I'll probably be happy with a lot less than some of you require. I'm also hoping for lens suggestions, or at least focal length suggestions. I'm probably not looking at a full complement. Perhaps even just one lens to begin with. In 35mm I use a 28mm for about seventy percent of my shots, and and 85mm for about another twenty percent; the rest I could easily do without. I am, however, very interested in soft focus lenses. As I said, the Rodenstock Imagon 110mm didn't really work out for me shooting digitally, but the chance to try some other SF lenses is part of the appeal of larger formats. All things being equal--not that they ever are--faster lenses would be better. Considered the Speed Graphic Aero-Ektar combo, but I'm guessing that being married to 70+ year old radioactive glass might prove a bit limiting, yes?
Anyway, thanks so much for your help. I know this was long winded, and kinda general, but I'm just beginning to dip my toes in the water as it were.
Cheers,
James
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