Tilting camera and hinge question

[jonathan_lipkin]

Hello all --

Another newbie question on lens tilt. I have figured out how to raise the camera about six feet in the air (http://www.largeformatphotography.in...d.php?t=65362). If I keep the camera bed level, using the Merklinger hinge rule the angle should be 5 degrees (angle = 5*focal length/J). If the camera is 6 feet, then J=6 and 5*6/6=5. All is good. And yes, I realize I need to focus a bit above the ground so I have depth of field above and below the plane of sharp focus.

But what happens if I tilt the camera down to encompass more of the foreground? Let's say for example that I tilt the camera down 5 degrees. Now the back and lens board are tilted at the same angle and so are parallel, and the plane of sharp focus is also parallel. If I tilt the back to vertical? This is the same as simply tilting the lens, no? Or maybe I should just use fall for the lens??

I'm getting myself terribly confused.

-jl

[Jim Noel]

It is time to stop reading and go out and photograph. Only through such experience will you understand when and how to use movements. The "hinge" rule makes good reading, and I am sure I use it at times, but never consciously.

[Richard Wasserman]

I can't directly answer your question except to say that I personally don't worry about the math of LF photography. I simply look at the ground glass and see what's happening as I make adjustments. For me it's much easier, quicker, and I don't have to break my brain. The ground glass doesn't lie. The other thing that really is the key is to practice, practice, practice. Just like getting to Carnegie Hall....

[Joanna Carter]

…Just like getting to Carnegie Hall....

You mean they're getting music out LF cameras now?

[Richard Wasserman]

You mean they're getting music out LF cameras now?

Well, they do look a bit like accordions....

[rdenney]

But what happens if I tilt the camera down to encompass more of the foreground? Let's say for example that I tilt the camera down 5 degrees. Now the back and lens board are tilted at the same angle and so are parallel, and the plane of sharp focus is also parallel. If I tilt the back to vertical? This is the same as simply tilting the lens, no? Or maybe I should just use fall for the lens??

Remember that the film plane, the lens board plane, and the focus plane will all intersect. If you tilt the film plane down a bit (by tilting down the camera rail), then you move back the point where it intersects the ground. Thus, you have to tilt the lens a bit more to reach that spot, though tilting the whole camera probably kept you pretty close.

You can also raise the rear or lower the lens standard to get more foreground. But tilting the film plane changes the perspective, so though both achieve the objective of getting more foreground into the view, they will still look a bit different.

The others are correct. This is much easier to deal with when using the camera than when using a calculator, and the equations don't matter if the image on the ground glass isn't sharp where you want it to be. Knowing the principles helps you know which direction to go, but you'll still make fine adjustments based on what you see on the ground glass with a loupe.

Rick "whose pictures always seem to require a bit of both tilt and swing, which complicates things" Denney

[Kirk Gittings]

I can't directly answer your question except to say that I personally don't worry about the math of LF photography. I simply look at the ground glass and see what's happening as I make adjustments. For me it's much easier, quicker, and I don't have to break my brain. The ground glass doesn't lie. The other thing that really is the key is to practice, practice, practice. Just like getting to Carnegie Hall....

Words of wisdom from a fellow KISS member!

[Greg Miller]

If you want to avoid any line convergence, then use front fall or rear rise (which would also be the same as pointing the camera down, and tilting the back and lens back to perpendicular to the ground).

If you want to introduce line convergence, the tilt the camera down and be sure both back and lens are not perpendicular to the ground.

[Kevin Crisp]

1. Kirk is right. It is a view camera. Use the ground glass.

2. A little camera movement goes a long way. You will find the amount of front tilt, for example, needed to get the foreground sharp is generally not very much. The ground glass tells you when you have the right amount. (I'm not sure what you mean by focusing above the ground in your post.) I think the camera ads with cameras twisted around this way and that into non-photographic positions give new users the wrong idea about how little movement it takes to get the job done.

3. Things still not looking perfect on the ground glass? Stop down. Even at f:32 or even 45 (on 4X5) you can make a plenty sharp print and that depth of field can come in handy. Stopping down a stop after you think everything looks fine on the ground glass can save you many times. Use a loupe.

4. Kirk is right again -- practice. Set it up in the yard. How would I do this or that? Try it and soon it will be second nature to use camera movements like rise, tilt, fall, and swing. (New LF people seem to get in trouble combining movements, often when not necessary. Just because they are all there, you don't have to use them.) Much easier to puzzle it out at your leisure and have it become intuitive for you in the field that to try getting it down when you're actually trying to take a picture on a trip. (Or even worse, when people are waiting around for you to make a photo on a trip.)

There are lots and lots of books that explain camera movements. Some do a better job than others. There is still nothing like figuring out with the camera while checking the ground glass.

Good luck and enjoy!

[cowanw]

1. (I'm not sure what you mean by focusing above the ground in your post.)

I think he means don't waste half your depth of field underground.
Regards
Bill