First LF purchase

[Ernest Purdum]

If you go back to the home page, at the bottom you can go to a list of articles several of which will be helpful in selecting LF equipment.

Even better, though, is Steve Simmons suggestion to buy a book. Books are much cheaper than cameraas and lenses. The ones he recommends are all very helpful not only in purchasing but in using.

Best wishes for fulfilling LF photography.

[Alan Davenport]

I started with a Calumet 540 because I wanted to have a camera capable of any movement. I wanted to be able to use and understand what various movements could do. I still think that's not a bad way to get into LF, but it's important to think through what type of photography you want to do.

If you do mainly studio photography, architectural, urban, etc., then something like the 540 will do fine. If, OTOH, you want to throw the camera and a couple lenses into a backpack with your lunch and a buncha film, and go out in search of unknown landscapes, you're going to need a big pack and a strong back. In short, the 540 is heavy, bulky and hard to pack. Not that it can't be done; I made a custom 5" rail for mine, and using that I could get the camera and other kit into a Lowe Super Trekker AW.

I was going to sell my 540, but prices for them have plummeted to the point where I see nothing but red ink if I do. BTW, the price I see on KEH is outstanding IMO. You won't be disappointed at that price.

I hope the lens you bought will cover 4x5; a lot of 105mm lenses were made as normals for 2x3 cameras. But you didn't get burned there either, pricewise, so should be able to resell if need be. If the shutter is sticky but seems OK otherwise, do a search for do-it-yourself CLA using napthalene (lighter fluid.) Don't laugh, it works; I did my first one 3 years ago and it's still going strong, with decently accurate shutter speeds across the range.

The upshot is, there are few "bad" ways to get started in LF. My only regret is that I didn't do so years sooner. You're gonna love it.

[Tim_5855]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

I have done a reasonable amount of reading already, althought that may not have come over in my initial questions. (and I don't usually impulse buy either - just that the price was cheap and it seemed a bargain, oh well!)

Anyway, to qualify, I'm primarily interested in landscape photography, that's why I was initially considering a Speed Graphic, or Crown Graphic for portability (also for price - seems on ebay btw $100-250 depending on condition). I can't really afford at the moment a more expensive field camera such as Tachihara, Lindhof, a used ZoneVI etc. The reason I started to think about maybe a view camera like the calumet was that I think I'll need more movements than the Graphics can do.

I want to be able shoot scenes where I include both foreground elements and elements towards infinity. I'd also like to control perspective of objects (such as trees looking 'straight') for that I think I'll need both front rise and tilt. I understand the the front tilt is possible with a bed drop, and front rise is also possible on the graphics. I'm interested in using rear tilt abit too though - to emphasis the size of foreground elements. I'm used to shooting with wide lenses on a 35mm for landscape with a strong foreground element, so I'm used to that sort of perspective. Whilst at times it'll be nice to have the compression of a longer focal length (say 135mm) on LF whilst still having a large field of view, it'd be also cool to be able to do things with perspective on occasion.

I guess this is the other thing that attracts me to LF - ability to be creative with perspective. Although I think I'll probably use the camera mostly for landscapes, if I have something that has more movements I think I'm more likely to use it and experiment on other subjects. I don't print all that big that often, and at the moment the biggest prints I do are usually 13x19 which my 6 MP DSLR does well at. I do like the ability to crop to different formats easier with the 4x5 (for example cropping to a panoramic format with lots of detail without having to stitch several images)

I know portability is an issue with the Calumet 540 - but I generally don't tend to hike that far to subjects (usually only a few kilometres or so). I'm used to carrying a heavy tripod and several 35mm lenses (including a heavy 400mm prime) in my backpack and at the moment I'm still qite young (25) and fit. I may do ok if I minimise what I carry if I try to take a viewcamera with me to a location. Maybe not though.

Any thoughts?

thanks for all the info

Oh - one more question, what does CLA stand for? (assuming some sort of cleaning)

tim

[Alan Davenport]

Any thoughts?

Well, I packed my 540 around the Yellowstone geyser basins on the end of a tripod over my shoulder. That was before I figured out how to get it into the backpack... )

It all depends what you're willing to endure for the sake of the art.

[John Kasaian]

Tim,

I just started off a very good friend with an old Calumet 540. IMHO A great camera for very few $$$ By all means read Steve Simmons book and have fun with that new camera!

Welcome to LF!

[Ernest Purdum]

CLA applies ordinarily to shutters and stands for Cleaning, Lubrication and Adjustment.

[John_4185]

Tim: I want to be able shoot scenes where I include both foreground elements and elements towards infinity. I'd also like to control perspective of objects (such as trees looking 'straight') for that I think I'll need both front rise and tilt. I understand the the front tilt is possible with a bed drop, and front rise is also possible on the graphics. I'm interested in using rear tilt abit too though - to emphasis the size of foreground elements. I'm used to shooting with wide lenses on a 35mm for landscape with a strong foreground element, so I'm used to that sort of perspective. Whilst at times it'll be nice to have the compression of a longer focal length (say 135mm) on LF whilst still having a large field of view, it'd be also cool to be able to do things with perspective on occasion.

Yes, you had best begin on the cheap so that you can see what can really be done. For example, getting foreground and background in focus using, for example, rear tilt will create a less focused area in the middle ground. Stop down. A lot. A 135mm is somewhat wide, thus no compression unless you compare to a wide lens. You may be hard pressed to find an affordable 135mm lens that also has great coverage.

So, let us begin by finding a lens that corresponds close enough to your favorite wide lens for 35mm which also gives plenty of room for movements, then decide whether a Graphic has the movements you need. Remember, the 4x5 format has a different aspect ratio than 35mm; rather 'taller', giving a wider feel.

So, what's the 35mm format lens that you prefer?