Apps for Large Format

[Roger Thoms]

A freeApp: Sunny sixteen.

Can’t find it, do you have link. I did find Sunny16 which is $0.99 from Signature Software Ltd. look a little basic for most LF photographers.

Roger

[atorger]

I bought Lumariver today - it looks fairly useful once you get familiar with it. There are a couple of issues with it though. I used my tablet to purchase, and it downloaded successfully, but I really want to use it on my smartphone, and there seems to be no way in PlayStore to put it onto a second device, or even to purchase it again to do so. That is problematic, as I don't take my tablet in the field. The second issue is that there seems to be no local help in the application, and the e-manual, while comprehensive, can't be downloaded, and I do occasionally work in areas where there is no coverage; having to go to the Net whenever I need some help is fairly clumsy. I shall persevere, as it is the tilt calculations I want to use with my LF cameras.

Hello, author of Lumariver Profile Designer here. As far as I know if you install it on one device you should have access to it on another device for free, as long as logged in to the store with the same user, that is you should be able to have it on the tablet and phone at the same time, I know I have that myself :-). It's a while ago I worked with app stores though so I'm no better than anyone else in supporting on installation issues (it's separate from actually programming the app).

About the manual I haven't made any help inside the app, it would be nice to have but it didn't make it in there. As a workaround what you could do is to print the online manual to a PDF and then store it on the device. But I think you will find after you have set it up to your liking and used it a few times that you don't need the manual.

I think of this type of app as much of a learning tool. Ansel Adams et al were masters at technique, his most famous shot he did even without a light meter, but few of us photograph shoot in that volume to be that confident. Then having something to look at can be helpful, and during periods I shoot more often I find I don't need to look at the app as often. Before I used an app I used printed tables, well I still do as a complement as my phone may not have batteries all the time.

[atorger]

I must be developing an age related Ludite condition.

Aps for large format photography . . .A good bit of the fun for me is previsualizing the image and doing the work that will get the image on film. If there was an app that would let me see more clearly or focus more accurately, well maybe. But my eye doctor can't help so a smart phone app is unlikely to fix me up.

I suppose the level function or the calculator function would help, but I'd hate to drop the phone while juggling meter, loup and film holder with cold hands in a breeze. Already have a hardware store level I can afford to lose or break. Correction for bellows extension is head math and pretty much pre-figured.

Yeah . . .guess I just don't get it.

Heh, if you where a true luddite you wouldn't use a light meter either . A depth of field app is just an alternative/complement to printed depth of field tables, it won't get in the way of pre-visualization. What I find useful in addition to a depth of field app though is a viewfinder app to test compositions before mounting the camera, which is an alternative to a classic hardware viewfinder, which is an alternative to framing with your hands, which is an alternative to just see and get the composition without any aids whatsoever, and it does feel a bit like cheating , but I just don't shoot often enough to have the confidence and skill to make apps not useful. I do make sure that I can do without them as batteries etc, but I work slower without them.

[pmviewcam]

Solved both my issues. PlayStore allowed me to download and install Lumariver about 24 hours later. And Chrome has a download feature I hadn't seen before that got the e-manual for me (normally a Firefox user).

Drew, your point is well made and I usually wouldn't bother with such. I do use the smartphone for pinhole and reciprocity calculations, as well as a marvellous Android tool called The Photographer's Ephemeris which uses the GPS location to predict the direction of the sun and moon at any time during the day with respect to a current or future location.

Cheers, Peter.

[Peter De Smidt]

No one, of course, has to use any of this. If someone finds these things useful, why should others be bothered?

[Drew Bedo]

Peter:

The ephemeris does sound good. One of the trickiest outdoors images to get is the rising or setting sun in alignment with some significant object. I have done this in the past, but had to with observatiolns using a compass . . . .means you have to have two days of clear weather and get up well before the crack of dawn.

This app would allow a photographer to scout a location during the day of the intended sunset photo and be within feet of the exact position as the sun goes down. Sunrise shots could be scouted at any time the day before. Yeah, I can see myself doing that.

A great idea. Luddite converted.

[Luis-F-S]

Really? What’s an App? I use my brain and forty years of experience.

[Manuparis]

Hello


I can't find "holders" as an app. Doesn't exist anymore.

Is there an app that has the same functionalities ?

I posted a video showing some of the apps I use for large format photography.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swxX_nn4VzU

I use three of them on every shot: Holders, Reciprocity Timer, and Mark II Artist's Viewfinder. I carry no notes in the field, so the Holders app is literally all I have to keep track of film and exposure. If my iPhone ever takes a swim I'm in big trouble.

Reciprocity Timer I've found to be extremely accurate. It matches manufacturer's recommendations for all the Fuji films I've tried. It has also been spot on for Kodak Ektar 100 which is quite impressive considering Kodak doesn't produce reciprocity info for this film. Also handy to have for Ilford Delta 100 because Ilford only produces their data in graph form without specific numbers. It's also handy to have for bellows and filter compensation, but I've found its greatest benefit is helping meter using the Zone System. I struggled for a while trying to figure out how to best meter for the ZS with my Sekonic 558, and here is what I've come up with. Let's say I meter the white water of a waterfall. I'll store this number in my meter and also input the number into the app. The meter's reading is my Zone V number. I usually place the water in Zone VIII so I'll use the app's "compensation" slider to add 3 stops. Next, I'll go back over the scene with my meter making sure all areas I want data in are no greater than 5 stops away from my original reading (5 stops away would be Zone III). I know this can be done in the meter, but the app helps keep everything clearer, especially when using a filter.

Last, the Viewfinder app was a complete game-changer for me. I can examine a scene so much better when I see it on a screen. This has allowed me to make better and faster compositions when scouting.

I know most of these apps have been mentioned before, but I thought it may be useful for some people to see them in use. Hope you enjoy.

[Drew Bedo]

I am a troglodyte. It would take away some of the "fun" for me to use a bunch of apps when creating images.

I guess I can see someone using a smart phone for calculations and technical reference. However the viewfinder app . . .

Look into the ground glass. The ground glass is truth.

[jp0186]

Yep. I think "Holders" is gone. When I switched phones it took all my data with it. I have not found anything that gives the same functionality out of the box but I am experimenting with the app GeneralDB. This is basically an SQL database on an iPhone that lets you define your own tables (e.g a table that contains all your holders) and queries (e.g. find all my empty holders). It takes a bit of experimenting but it comes with the added bonus that you can backup your data...