Hello from Poland

[kal800]

Hello Everybody,

I'm Chris, come from Gdynia, Poland and I'm just turning in to the dark side of LF which I have tried to avoid by all means, but the destiny cannot be avoided.

I've been a film shooter for over two decades now, and for last ten years almost exclusively I'm doing B&W and reversals on my Hasselblad 501c. Since I have my own darkroom, the main choice is B&W. My interest is landscape, architecture, industrial photography, but rather static, I tend to avoid taking moving objects, I like to prepare myself as much as possible before I release the shutter. So it came to my mind, that Large Format could be really good for me.

Now, I've prepared the ground - I bought Gitzo Systematic tripod with Manfrotto 405 geared head, I'm in the process of upgrading my enlarger to cater 4x5 format. The only thing that remains is the camera. I've got an offer for Sinar P with Symmar-S 150 mm lens. What do you think of such a system for my first LF camera. I'm aware that monorail camera is rather bulky but I'm a not kind of a hiker or backpacker, I usually shoot not further than 2-3 km from my vehicle, besides I plan to use LF on well known locations.

Any ideas, remarks, suggestions are very appreciated.

Kal800

[gypsydog]

Welcome, Embrace the power of the Dark Slide!

[Joe O'Hara]

Welcome, kal800.

I've never used a Sinar P but from what I've heard they are great cameras. If you can find a nice one at a good price, go for it. Lots of people say that your first LF camera will probably not be your last. That is true, but it always helps to start with a good used one, and have money left over for lenses and filters and all the other bits.

You won't go wrong with a Symmar. They have a big image circle and are very sharp. My favorite is my 210mm, but I use a 150mm as well. Personal preference and subject matter drive the choice.

Good luck, and looking forward to seeing some pictures soon.