Advice sought - LF camera for "fashion", portraiture & general use, scanner, ...

[Ig Nacio]

Hi,

Quite recently, I spotted the work of fashion photographer Mariano Vivanco.

In his book Ninety Five Chapel Market, (one can see the book pictures in slide show mode online by clicking on the book cover or "the larger picture"), I noticed that he used a LF camera because of the visible border marks of the sheets:
http://www.marianovivanco.com/books/#0

I had seen the use of a field camera in other fashion photographers that I like quite a bit such as Richard Avedon, (In the American West, and other pics):
http://www.richardavedon.com/

and,

Patrick Demarchellier (In the Studio Pictures of Gisselle Bundchen, and other pics):
http://www.demarchelier.net/studio/g...isgugmain.html


This is my first post : ) !!! and I would like to ask you a few questions, some general advice, as I don't have a LF camera yet and I really want to find out as much as possible before I do or I don't buy a LF camera.

Apparently, to start, a friend will lend me a normal lens. I think it is between 90 mm. and 150 mm. with a maximum f- stop of f/5.6.

The ideal camera for me is very light and should be very easy to handle and carry around. The reason for this is because I would like to do some pictures like the ones from Vivanco, and I will also be doing some interviews for an art project. For this art project I would take the photographs with a dSLR and with the LF camera. My interview, including camera set up may not always last more than half hour or tenty minutes. During an interview, I would take a maximum of up to four sheets.

That is why I need a camera that is very light, easy to set up, easy to focus with - super important !, and finally easy to fold up or store away. I may use the camera with or without studio strobes, and it would be helpful, not necessary, if a polaroid back could be used to prove the image. Perhaps there is a trick to avoid shooting a polaroid beforehand.

I would develop the sheets in a dark room and then I would use a scanner, probably this one, (unless you think it is too much and you recommend me another one, a cheaper one):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...o_Scanner.html
or this one,
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...o_Scanner.html

The sheet will be scanned for internet use, and I don't think I'll print any of the pics taken. If I happen to do it one day they will not be any larger than 8x10", or 11x14".
It may not even be worth it to buy a scanner.

I saw a previous post in which people were photographed with their LF gear. The following brand names appear as a good option, but I am overwhelmed by the large variety.

Dayi 4x5
http://www.bhcamera.us/dayi45.php

Gaoersi 4x5
http://www.bhcamera.us/gaoersi45.php

Toyo 45 CF
http://www.toyoview.com/Products/45CF/45CF.html

Shen Hao HZX45-IIA or IIB
https://www.badgergraphic.com/store/..._detail&p=2533

Chamonix 45-N2
http://www.chamonixviewcamera.com/45.html

Tachihara
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/tachihara.htm

Graflex
http://www.graflex.org/cameras/

I have several questions, but the first one is the following:

1. Which camera do you recommend me, and do you think it is worth it to use a LF for the purpose I have above mentioned ??

P.S. I have two Hasselblad film backs and a polaroid back for hasselblad. Is there a way to use them with any of these cameras. I have seen that to several of these cameras one can adapt a graflock back. Is there any - not too expensive - connection between the hassy backs and the graflock ?? I also found this product for $375. It is mentioned it can directly bridge a 4x5 with a Hasselblad back. I just wonder how reliable it may be: http://cgi.ebay.com/Moveable-Digital...-/250743612126

[Jim Jones]

. . . The sheet will be scanned for internet use, and I don't think I'll print any of the pics taken. If I happen to do it one day they will not be any larger than 8x10", or 11x14".
It may not even be worth it to buy a scanner. . . .

A DSLR would be more convenient and certainly adequate for the internet and up to 11x14 prints. Properly used large format equipment certainly yields higher quality images, but one can hardly tell the difference in the uses you intend. Convenience in setting up, focusing, and storing away a LF camera is not nearly as important as how well you can photograph with one. It takes more experience to handle one with professional ease than to use smaller film or digital cameras. Fumbling with LF gear might not enhance your appearance as a photographer. As for the "border marks" you mentioned on Vivanco's photos, they can always be added in Photoshop.

[Joanna Carter]

My interview, including camera set up may not always last more than half hour or tenty minutes. During an interview, I would take a maximum of up to four sheets

If you imagine you can setup an LF camera and take four shots and conduct an interview, I believe you need a reality check.

As Jim says, you could be better served using a digital SLR. LF usually requires much more time and effort.

[Peter De Smidt]

Avedon and Demarchellier probably had assistants helping out. Will you be using one? Keeping the person in focus is much more of a challenge than with other formats, and you will need more light or faster film, since you'll probably have to use a fairly small f-stop. A Linhof IV or later camera with a cammed lens and a rangefinder would be a good choice, but they are not light, nor are they inexpensive. A speed Graphic could also work, but these are old, and you need to know what to look for. Both allow rangefinder focusing with cammed lenses.

All that said, why don't you rent or borrow a camera and give it a try? It's very different from shooting other kinds of cameras. A Rollei TLR or a Hassleblad would also be a good choice. You can still print film borders with them.

[Ig Nacio]

Hi,

Thank you for your messages : ) !!!

Before I write any further, I would like to say that this forum is amazing : ) !!!
In no other forum I am a member of, I had seen this. As soon as I had
placed my post, several related threads were added to the bottom of
the page. I checked out these related threads that were full of very
valuable information!

Thank you to Jim, Joanna, and Peter : ) !!!

@Jim - Yes, you are right, it can take a while to master movements and I am
really afraid that I may not be able to focus correctly. I'll take it slowly.
I only mentioned the hybrid option, but I would also like to learn to print
in a darkroom, and perhaps in the future learn to shoot architecture and
products with a LF camera.

@Joanna - I was looking at the Chamonix camera. There is a video to it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEJ0GMWJk-Y
The man in the video shows that one can set up a Chamonix LF camera in a brief period
of time, perhaps some six to seven minutes. However, for an interview,
the interviewee, for different reasons, may not be able to grant you a very lenghty
interview. Very nice heritage and restoration pictures, by the way : ) !!! I am part
of a small NGO in my city dedicated to the preservation and conservation of old
architecture.

@Peter - Yes, that is right, that would be the challenge for me, to focus fast enough
with a LF camera. No assistants, I saw you have a Chamonix camera. Is it easy to set
up like the man shows in the video ?? I had a hasselblad body, (500C), but it went kaputt,
and I still have two lenses and the backs I previously mentioned. It makes a lot of
sense to get a good used Hasselblad body or fix mine. I'll take a closer look at the speed
Graphic. The Chamonix is also a sweet camera. Linhof & Co. is more expensive and perhaps heavier. My brother in law practices martial arts too. I liked those pics and the portraits of your children : ) !!!

Thank you again, very kind regards,

Ig Nacio

[Joanna Carter]

I was looking at the Chamonix camera. There is a video to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEJ0GMWJk-Y
The man in the video shows that one can set up a Chamonix LF camera in a brief period of time, perhaps some six to seven minutes. However, for an interview,
the interviewee, for different reasons, may not be able to grant you a very lenghty
interview. Very nice heritage and restoration pictures, by the way : ) !!! I am part
of a small NGO in my city dedicated to the preservation and conservation of old
architecture.

An experienced photographer may be able to set a camera up in a few minutes but even that will depend on the image they are trying to make.

This image :



… took less than five minutes to set up, adjust tilt and focus and take.

However, this image :



… took around 2.5 hours to get everything sharp!

If you are only taking portraiture and don't need movements, then any camera is fairly easy to set up; all you need to do is see what is sharp on the ground glass screen.

[Asher Kelman]

Hi,

Quite recently, I spotted the work of fashion photographer Mariano Vivanco.

Ig,

So you are moved by great work! That's why we're all here. However, that doesn't define the tools needed to emulate such work. It's hard to give feedback when there's nothing to see. We don't know your age, stage in life, access to funds or experience and skills with picture taking. It could be that you are already a painter with accolades and a following. You might be trained in composition as a graphic designer or be an expert in layout making finely packed and efficient circuit boards.

You would need to share who you are and what you have in your mental tool-bag before advice can really fit you and your goals. Notwithstanding this, just taking your admiration as a starting point, how could you emulate such work and then find your own path?

First the vision. Essentially, the instrument you are working with is not in front of your eyes, but behind them, the cathedral of your mind. The idea is to look and define what's worth observing more than other things and then to find the viewpoint from which to optimize somehow that selection and exclude everything else.

Next, point something at that to record your vision. I use a sketch pad and then return with my camera, more often than not. However, with a simple pocket camera one can capture these "discovered portions of the world" and then study them at home. That's the second phase. Print the best snaps in B&W on plain paper and with a red wax pencil draw on them with your own scheme, arrows, circles to understand what you have. Then go back and photograph them again until you need no changes.

That to me, at least is the start of photography to develop the capabilities you have. The camera is really not important as the brain's training in selecting, excluding and composing in a way that expresses what you can imagine based on what you can observe.

I'd start with a simple point and shoot. A used Canon G3, an old Olympus OM-1 or anything with a choice of a wide open lens would be perfect. In fact, best might be a Rebel DSLR with a 35 or 50 mm fixed focus lens, that's all.

Of course, I might have missed by a long shot and you already can do everything I have outlined. In that case, we need to know.

I am returning to LF and film after many years, but I already do urban landscapes, portraits and "fashion" and bring all that to my LF camera. Where are you, then, in your own journey?

Asher

[Michael E]

A DSLR would be more convenient and certainly adequate

That is correct. But I can understand the urge to use a LF camera for this project. I think it can be done. Getting to know your equipment is the crucial part. Your photos will get solid once you don't have to think about technique any more, just concentrate on the image. This can be done with any equipment (it's easier if it just works, no light leaks, slow shutters, etc.). Monorail cameras are often easier to use, field cameras are easier to carry and stow away. I recommend the latter, whatever make or model.

When I look at the photos you admire, I see a lot more than camera work. Apart from working with people, I see beautiful light. If your light is right, you can snap the photo with an iphone and it will look amazing. Never underestimate that.

Go ahead and practice with a LF camera. Take your time, ask people to sit for you who are not in a hurry. And always remember, the photos in those books are the very best examples of years or a lifes worth of photos from very talented people with unlimited resources. You won't be able to reach their level in a couple of weeks. But you can do your thing and produce great images. Give it a try!

Michael

[Peter De Smidt]

Hi Ig,

Thanks for your kind comments. There's lot's of info at www.largerformatphography.info, the non-forum part of this site.

With portraiture, one often doesn't need movements. In fact, many old large format portrait cameras have very limited movements.

With interview subjects, I expect that having to spend a bunch of time fiddling with the camera will not be welcomed by the subject. To get around this, you can use a press camera, such as a Speed Graphic, which allow rangefinder focusing with no need to look at the ground glass. They were meant to be hand held. They were the standard reporter camera in the 1930s and 40s. After that, the Rollieflex TLR took over, later to be replace by 35mm and digital.

Linhofs also have the rangefinder focusing, and they're much more precise than a Speed Graphic. Probably the best value is a Tech IV. They have enough movements for most types of photography.

Next up are cameras similar to the preceding but lacking rangefinders. These are often called 'field cameras.' For example, I have a Toyo AX. Like a speed and a linhof technika, these compact into a box. They're very sturdy, they have plenty of movments, and they're fairly quick to use, but you do have to focus with the ground glass. Wista also makes similar cameras, including one with a rangefinder. I find my Toyo much quicker to set up than a Chamonix.

Another option, although much rarer, is a twin lens 4x5, gowlandflex and Keith camera tlr are examples. These allow you to watch on a ground glass as you take the picture. They're great for portraiture, but they're heavy, bulky and they don't allow movements.

Now we get to full featured view cameras, which usually have some type of rail. They don't collapse into a box, and they are bulky, but they allow the greatest range of movements. There are lots of good choices, from inexpensive Caluent CC400s to nice midrange models from Toyo, Horseman and others, up to studio monsters like the Sinar P2, Arca M, and top-end Linhofs.

If I was in your situation, I'd get a good speed graphic with a cammed lens or a Linhof tech IV. If you're careful, you'll get a great camera that's unlikely to lose any value. They'll excel at the interview photographs. They'd be find for most landscape photography, and if you ever want to use lf film for architecture, you can always get a monorail down the road.

[jp]

I use a speed graphic and can setup pretty quick aside from lights. If you need lights, that will take extra time to setup and test. You can use the dslr to test everything and come to a good exposure.

The first two cameras you list aren't really for people photos; they are more point-shoot wide angle for landscape or to augment an existing camera that isn't so well suited to wide angle work.

The epson scanners linked to are good scanners and are typical of what many of us use.

If you use a strobe you can turn down the aperture a ways and get a larger depth of field; several inches perhaps at 5-6 feet away and can shoot handheld if you keep things in the same focus range.

If you buy a camera with a rangefinder, that means it's basically meant for either handheld or tripod use. If a camera were only used on a tripod the groundglass is more commonly used. An affordable speed/crown graphic or linhof with rangefinder will be used and there's no telling if the range finder is in proper working order, so you'd have to buy from an experienced seller or in person to be sure. I don't use the rangefinder. I focus on the groundglass keeping in mind my depth of field for the distance and aperture. No movements necessary for a standard portrait.

A quality faster film will supply more image detail than needed. I like TMY2, other people like Tri-X. Kodak has good QC.

If you're looking for good web quality photography, a TLR using 120 film will also make nice photos using TMY2 or Tri-X. It'll be a lot simpler to use and less intrusive to operate. Little tiny click for the photo, a wind of a lever or knob to advance. That's what I'd use for interview style photos. Use LF when you have more time to set things up and have lighting done your way.