LF Newbie

[DavidOBryan]

Hi I'm new here and to LF photography in general. In fact I have never owned a true LF camera. I'm looking at a 8" x 10" studio view camera from Calumet with a 300 mm lens, a 150 mm lens and a 90mm lens, each with their own lens wrap and lens board.

All that for $300 is that a pretty good deal? I think I need a film holder. I want to take landscape pictures mostly and maybe some portraits.

I was really thinking a 4x5 for my first camera but there are hardly any for sale around here. A speed graphic is about all I've found.

I've also considered starting with a pinhole simply because it would be the least expensive option.

Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

[mdm]

The 150mm and 90mm probably wont cover a pice of 8x10 film from edge to edge.

[Alan Gales]

It all depends on the condition of the camera and lenses. It could be the steal of the century or you could be buying someone else's junk.

Do all the movements of the camera work freely? Do they lock down tight? What shape is the bellows in? You can shine a flashlight on the inside of the bellows in a dark room and look for pinholes.

Are the lenses scratched, have separation, haze, or fungus? Are they in shutter or in barrel?

Examine the equipment and post some pictures if possible. Some of the forum experts can probably let you know what you are looking at.

Welcome to the Forum!

[John Kasaian]

The "green" or black monster is it? Fine camera! Certainly capable for portraits as well as landscapes (so long as you're working out of the trunk of your car 'cause thats a heavy camera) It will need a sturdy tripod. 8x10 film is more expensive but you can make paper negatives which will make it more reasonable. The 90mm and 150mm lens make me think that there should be a 4x5 back included in this kit. Is there?
The 300mm lens will be your friend for shooting 8x10. What kind is it and how does the shutter sound when fired at different speeds?
Used film holders are out there. It may take some patience to find some at reasonable prices.

[Tim Meisburger]

Hi David. Welcome.

Where are you located? Its probably better to buy a camera through ebay or from the forum than to just take whatever you can find in a limited market. Although you will have to pay shipping, the cost of the camera itself will (probably) be less because of the larger market, and the selection will be a lot better.

I would not buy an 8x10 in your situation, as film, holders, lenses, etc. will all be more difficult to come by, and more expensive. Unless that's what you really want...

[DavidOBryan]

The 150mm and 90mm probably wont cover a pice of 8x10 film from edge to edge.

It is a Schneider- Kreuznach #0 150 mm lens and a Kodak#4 Ektar 90mm lens. They are better for 4x5 I take it?

[DavidOBryan]

It all depends on the condition of the camera and lenses. It could be the steal of the century or you could be buying someone else's junk.

Do all the movements of the camera work freely? Do they lock down tight? What shape is the bellows in? You can shine a flashlight on the inside of the bellows in a dark room and look for pinholes.

Are the lenses scratched, have separation, haze, or fungus? Are they in shutter or in barrel?

Examine the equipment and post some pictures if possible. Some of the forum experts can probably let you know what you are looking at.

Welcome to the Forum!

Thanks! I haven't actually seen the camera in person yet. I am going to try and make it there next week. It is a couple of hours away but I will be driving through there for the 4th.

[DavidOBryan]

The "green" or black monster is it? Fine camera! Certainly capable for portraits as well as landscapes (so long as you're working out of the trunk of your car 'cause thats a heavy camera) It will need a sturdy tripod. 8x10 film is more expensive but you can make paper negatives which will make it more reasonable. The 90mm and 150mm lens make me think that there should be a 4x5 back included in this kit. Is there?
The 300mm lens will be your friend for shooting 8x10. What kind is it and how does the shutter sound when fired at different speeds?
Used film holders are out there. It may take some patience to find some at reasonable prices.

I think it is the black monster. TAs far as I can tell there are no backs included. It is a Caltar copal #3 300 mm lens.

[DavidOBryan]

Hi David. Welcome.

Where are you located? Its probably better to buy a camera through ebay or from the forum than to just take whatever you can find in a limited market. Although you will have to pay shipping, the cost of the camera itself will (probably) be less because of the larger market, and the selection will be a lot better.

I would not buy an 8x10 in your situation, as film, holders, lenses, etc. will all be more difficult to come by, and more expensive. Unless that's what you really want...

I'm in Virginia. Thanks for the advice. I may pass on this one. From what I can tell in my research it seems like a good price for a LF camera. Most that I have seen cost over $300 if they come with lenses. Unfortunately I do not have access to the marketplace here yet. I would really like to do some landscapes up in Highland County, VA this summer.

Other option I have found locally is a Speed Graphic 4 x 5 press camera with enlarger, film, film holders and 11" x 14" darkroom trays for $250.

Thanks for your advice everybody!

At this point I am thinking I will wait on getting the 8x10. It is probably too much camera for me to handle right now.

[rdenney]

There's nothing wrong with starting with 8x10, and the trick is that whatever you buy is priced appropriately so that if you find it's not for you, you can sell it for what you paid.

The Calumet 8x10 camera is bulky and heavy but a completely usable camera that is reasonably well respected.

You have described shutters more than lenses. "Caltar" is the marketing name of Calumet for lenses, and in a Copal shutter might have been made by any of several manufacturers. But all were good. If the shutter is in good condition, it is worth $300 all by itself. 300mm is a normal lens on 8x10.

The 150 is a normal lens for a 4x5 camera, and the 90 is a wide-angle lens for 4x5. Neither will likely cover the whole 8x10 surface. But if they are part of the kit, you can probably sell them and end up with the camera and 300mm lens for free.

If you can set up the camera with the 300 so that you can view the world on the ground glass, and focus it precisely with a magnifier, then you've eliminated most of the possible fatal deficiencies. If the shutter sounds as though it is timing approximately correctly and the lens is clear, then you've eliminate most of the others.

You can do a lot with one or two film holders, a changing bag (or available completely dark room or closet), a box of film, a few trays and chemicals (back in that dark room), a box of 8x10 print paper, a sheet of glass, a focus cloth, a light meter (or your digital camera if you have one), an 8x10 camera, and a 300mm lens. With 4x5, you'll either have to scan the film or enlarge it--4x5 just isn't big enough for contact prints.

I'm sort-of alone, I think, in suggesting that a Speed Graphic is perhaps not the best starting point for large format. You might never outgrow that Calumet, but most folks will chafe at the limitations of a press camera pretty quickly, in terms of available movements and the range of lenses that can be accommodate by the bellows. And there's not much in that kit, other than film holders, that will translate easily to a different camera. Even the lenses for Graphic press cameras come in shutters that require lens board holes that are not the standard and most commonly available sizes. I own a Speed Graphic, but it's a toy mostly for fun with instant film, and when I have time for large-format photography, it's the real view camera (in my case, a monorail) that I take out. Monorail cameras are so cheap these days that even good ones are often cheaper than a Speed Graphic that is in decent, usable condition.

Are you intending to use black and white film with your own processing? Do you already have a scanner (8x10 is less demanding in that regard than 4x5 and MUCH less demanding than 6x7)? How much time are you prepared to invest? Do you know anyone locally who could serve as a mentor? What sorts of pictures do you intend to take, and how would you like to display them?

Rick "recommending a bit more thinking about you rather than the equipment" Denney