Post Your Photos Made At Close Distance

[Tin Can]

Randy,

My oldest film is some Gevaert 5x7 that expired in 1944 which works surprisingly well. (See here for an example shot with that film.) I always test each "new" batch of old film, but I can usually get close to an exposure and development target with a single sheet. The T-Max 400 from 2001 has barely lost any speed. I shoot it at EI 320 and but develop for 12 min. in HC-110 1:39 to boost the contrast.

The rule of thumb about film losing a full stop of speed per decade is generally true in my experience, with faster films degrading more quickly and very slow films holding up quite well.

J.

Thanks!

I will be starting a thread for glass plates, which expired in 1926.

I'll do that now, look for Expired film, plate usage and images. I hope you lead the way!

[Ken Lee]

Typewriter, 2014
Sinar P, 180mm Fujinon SFS
5x7 HP5+, D-23

[Fr. Mark]

Ken,

I enjoy these old typewriter photos. I am curious as to how you set it up or what movements you used and how extreme you need to be to do this. I think I kinda see how it was done by examining where sharp focus is and isn't. I'm also curious as to how much you stopped down the lens.

Earlier this summer I tried a combo of front tilt and swing to get a wooded trail in focus along with two signs one close, one a ways down the path. I got a little too hurried on account of the Mosquitos I guess because the signs and the diagonal connecting them are in focus but the other corners, not so much. Needed smaller aperture, I think.

Thanks

[Stephane]

Cheese grater

[Pat Kearns]

Stephane, excellent image, I am blown away by the glow of the highlights. What type of lens did you use? I've got a no name single lens meniscus that I need to look thru again.

[Stephane]

Thanks Pat, it is the effect of a P&S semi-achromatic, so a meniscus lens...

[Ken Lee]

Ken,

I enjoy these old typewriter photos. I am curious as to how you set it up or what movements you used and how extreme you need to be to do this. I think I kinda see how it was done by examining where sharp focus is and isn't. I'm also curious as to how much you stopped down the lens.

Earlier this summer I tried a combo of front tilt and swing to get a wooded trail in focus along with two signs one close, one a ways down the path. I got a little too hurried on account of the Mosquitos I guess because the signs and the diagonal connecting them are in focus but the other corners, not so much. Needed smaller aperture, I think.

These are made with a certain measure of improvisation, but judging from the oblique angle of the subject, tilt and swing were used to get focus along a diagonal. Apparently there was some shift too, since the typewriter keys at which we are looking straight ahead, are to the right of center. The Sinar P camera makes all this easy, since all movements are geared: you just dial them in while under the dark cloth.

That was probably made with the lens stopped down just a bit, like f/9... enough to render the sharp things sharp, but no more.

[Fr. Mark]

Ken,

Thanks. This Spring I bought a Sinar P kit from Igor Camera along with a Sinar shutter some DB lenses and later and from a different source a tripod and head that handle the weight and add to the work-out dimension of the photo taking. It is SO much easier to use (once you get it where you need it...did I mention it is heavy?) than other LF cameras I've tried that it is hard to believe. I'm also loving the 5x7 format.

Thanks for the explanation, it's more/less what I thought except I missed the shift and would've guessed a smaller aperture. I think it is on the articles page of this site someone recommends focusing at wide open, stopping down and re-examining the ground glass and if it looks ok, go ahead and stop down one more stop! This would've greatly improved ~16 or so 5x7's I made this summer, portraits and landscapes both. But, sometimes less focus/depth of field works, as in your picture.

[Ken Lee]

Typewriter, March 2015
Sinar P, 10 3/4 inch Goerz Apochromat Artar
4x5 TMY, D-23

[Pfiltz]

Velvia