Fred Picker

[RichardRitter]

all, do you think fred picker would have embraced digital photography?

no!

[Jimi]

Since we are on the subject of Fred Picker ... according to what I understand he suggested that people start out with a 210 mm lens in 4x5. Why was this? I can see the point of having ample movements with such a lens, but secondarily making compositon a bit easier (closing in the details). Could there be some other idea behind? Did he come up with this, or is it "common knowledge"?

[Kirk Gittings]

When I refer to the rubber stamp, who knows what I am talking about?

[Ben Calwell]

The 210mm was my first lens. It came as a package with a Calumet monorail kit that I bought in the early 80s. I still use that lens, and I still have the camera, too, although it’s in the attic. I still use the loupe that came with the kit from Calumet. Good stuff.

[Daniel Unkefer]

When I refer to the rubber stamp, who knows what I am talking about?


TRY IT!

[RichardRitter]

When I refer to the rubber stamp, who knows what I am talking about?

When Bruce worked for Zone VI he got two rubber stamps for Fred to use when he replied to mail. One was try it the other was bull shit that stamp was taken away from Fred

[Drew Wiley]

I'm not "always" ripping him at all. I've just finished a session using his Zone VI comp dev timer, still going after all these years, and sure as heck spent money on his Brilliant paper, among quite a few other things. His tripods were obviously never seriously weather tested and were just poorly modified cheap survey tripods, then overpriced. Just went along with his patent medicine marketing persona.

[Daniel Unkefer]

Darkroom Reno II No 3 by Nokton48, on Flickr

I found recently these Zone VI reference prints and was very happy to buy them at a great price. Fred always wrote that having reference prints of good quality is one of the most important things to have in a darkroom. I do agree with that.

Also I think I have about every book he ever put out. And I have the Calumet DVD which I watched last year and I really enjoyed it. I'd like to watch it again.

Fred used the Sinar Norma for commercial work and that got me really interested in finding one to check out first hand. And the rest is history!

I have a Zone VI Lightweight tripod, it's been in the Atlantic and Gulf photographing architecture in shifting sands. And to plenty of mountain tops and desert hikes, I never had any issues with it at all. I have no idea why people think these are not worthy?? I threw it over my shoulder (with a towel for a pad) and hiked extensively around this area, with 4x5 and occasionally with 8x10 Norma. I've gone over mine recently and it works like new, with some scars.

[Drew Wiley]

When my older brother was at Brooks around 1960, most students were on a tight budget, so they told them to buy a 21O Symmar for portraiture, product shoots, and landscapes, and a 90 SA for architectural interiors (and skip 150 in the middle). It seems to have been a widespread custom; hence 210's are abundant on the used market. Following my brother's advice, I shot everything with a 210 for about 10 years. I came to think of it as my personal "normal" perspective for 4x5. Now I see 240 as more my idea of mid-range. I've never even owned a 150. Fred P. championed the 120 SA as the second lens one should get. I fell for it, and carried that beast up 13,000 ft peaks in an 85 lb pack repeatedly. Great optic. But didn't dear ole Fred ever hear about tiny little Fuji 125 wides? As far as his tripods go, there's a famous movie called The Terminator where a Ries tripod enters the room.

[Drew Wiley]

To be more specific : The Z6 ones would literally freeze solid when wet in cold weather. The platform head was just plywood and delaminated. Just a few years later I was selling top end US made CST fiber-glass clad wood survey tripods, way better; and I was selling em at half the price Picker wanted. All it took was a simple turnbolt change to 3/8-16. But Ries does it best - all non-ferrous metal parts; nothing rusts apart; way more reliable leg operation in cold wet weather.