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Thread: First Tripod, Loupe, Darkcloth, Meter

  1. #61

    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Del City, OK
    Posts
    227

    Re: First Tripod, Loupe, Darkcloth, Meter

    For the meter, I recommend a DSLR. That acts as a meter, and as a polaroid back to give you an idea of what your final image should look like. It's really handy for a beginner, and useful. Another option, especially if you don't want to carry around a second camera, is an app for you phone called "Pocket Light Meter". It's free, and on the iPhones I've tried it with, it's surprisingly accurate. The downside is it's not a very tight spot meter. So it's not great for measuring a complex scene. But for most stuff, it works really well and is definitely worth the price. If you want to step up and get a spot meter, those Soligor digital spot meters are very accurate and a good bit cheaper than the Pentax. The only downside to them is they're quite a bit larger. I wouldn't recommend an incident meter. I have one and never use it. It's an old Sekonic L-28 C2. The selenium cell is dying, so it's always a stop low, but that's easy enough to remember and adjust for. I really on use it when I'm in the mood to try something different.

    For the Loupe, just get a cheap thread count loupe. They fold up nice and small and fit in your pocket. They can be found in the magnification you desire (I've seen them from 3x-20x. Mine is 7x), and if you lose or destroy it, you can easily buy another for just a few bucks at just about any store that has sewing equipment like Hobby Lobby, Michael's, or Wal-Mart. I'm not convinced there is any reason to spend more on a loupe.

    For the Dark Cloth, either make your own, or look for a used one. It's a dark cloth. There's really not much to it other than it being a cloth that blocks out light. Find one in the size and weight you like. I bought a camera that came with a Calumet brand one that I use. I have no complaints, but if I didn't get this one free with my first large format camera, I probably would have just sewn my own together. I don't see any reason to get spendy here. Just make sure it's dark on the inside and light on the outside. On summer days, they can get quite hot, and a light colored outer layer helps.

    For the tripod, this is the area you don't want to skimp on. I use an old Bogen 3036 tripod with a Bogen 3047 head. I got it fairly cheap, and it's very sturdy and very, very heavy. It's great for keeping the tripod steady on long exposures in the wind. It's also great for astrophotography with my DSLR and barn door tracker. The down side is it's size and weight. You don't want to take it on a plane or on long hikes. I kind of regret not spending more on a nicer tripod just for the portability issues, but unfortunately I'm not rich, and I haven't found one that is light, folds up small, rigid, and affordable. So until I can justify spending the money required to get a really nice one that checks all of those boxes, I'm resigned to lugging around a beast of a tripod that weighs more than my camera and lenses combined.

  2. #62

    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    77

    Re: First Tripod, Loupe, Darkcloth, Meter

    Hello all,

    Slowly putting together my gear. I found a good deal on a Feisol CT-3441S with a CB-40D head.
    Would this suffice for the Linhof MT Classic? Any opinions would be great, as I'm trying to hone in on the right tripod soon. Eager to shoot!

    Here are some specs:
    https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...id_Tripod.html
    https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...P_1444750.html

    Thanks.

  3. #63

    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    Nara, Japan
    Posts
    1,296

    Re: First Tripod, Loupe, Darkcloth, Meter

    You might also want to talk with Ari Tapiero on this forum. He distributes FLM tripods in North America.

    Kumar

  4. #64

    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    St. Louis, Mo.
    Posts
    3,064

    Re: First Tripod, Loupe, Darkcloth, Meter

    Quote Originally Posted by B.S.Kumar View Post
    You might also want to talk with Ari Tapiero on this forum. He distributes FLM tripods in North America.

    Kumar

    Ari recently came to St. Louis to demonstrate the FLM products to my favorite camera store. We along with our wives and my daughter had dinner together. Ari is a great guy and very knowledgable and easy to talk to. I was also impressed with the FLM tripods and heads he had with him. Here is his FLM website.

    http://www.flmcanada.com/contact.html

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