Most of you won't relate to this, but when it comes to pure darkroom color printing, 8x10 polyester film allows much more precise, consistent registration of masks etc than smaller film. This of course carries over into those who do masking of black and white images. The digital equivalents just don't ring quite as true.
Do not do it.
The price of 8x10 film certainly should be a determining factor, especially if you plan on shooting a lot. What Drew said, "What is killing me now is the price of museum board." I wholeheartedly agree with. This, of course, is applicable to any format you shoot, IF you plan on enlarging, mounting, matting and displaying your work. What was affordable for me 40 years ago, has become a rich man's sport, especially if you like the way your prints look matted with 8 ply board. But certainly you can use 4 ply as well, as most folks probably use. And enlarging your work will only exasperate the cost when it comes to displaying your work. (Not much discussion about the cost of finishing your photographs in the forum, but it is a consideration.) I use 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10, and for me, my go-to format is 5x7. To me the quality of the finished photograph is hard to discern between a 5x7 and an 8x10 neg. Smaller, lighter, and less expensive. But if your heart is set on 8x10 and enlarging your prints, there's a lot more cost associated with it. But then again, as almost everyone on this forum would agree with, an 8x10 contact can be a thing of beauty!
On the contrary, do it while you can, or your life forever after will be one vast surging regret.Originally Posted by Jac@stafford.net
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
I have 2 sealed boxes of 50 sheets of this https://www.fujifilmusa.com/shared/b...AF3-024E_1.pdf
NOT FOR SALE as it expired 1996 and was mistreated by a failed freezer. The boxes did not get wet.
In Fall Color, I will shoot a couple and send them out.
Maybe it will work...
Tin Can
Irrationality is part of the joy of photography. Just like a vacation. Plan to the best of your ability, take what you need, and then forget and simply enjoy.
When I hear this question what comes to my mind is how are you going to print? You should already know that everything will be much more expensive and should have done a lot of research before you ask the question. Many of you know that my smallest size is 8x10. Now I only print carbon transfer from the negatives I produce. So when I want a bigger print I shoot a bigger camera. If you contact print by all means go for it if you enlarge keep the 4x5 and get on with it. My .02.
I don't think that the price of museum board is overboard - in fact it is fairly reasonable considering the other cost involved in arriving to that point. I mount 16x13 and 17x14 on 4-ply Rising depending on the printing. I have 5 32x40 8-ply Rising board that I haven't used so far but when I do I'll use a 4-ply for the back board and 8-ply for the window. The cost breakdown (at today's non-sale prices) would be $2.91 for the back and $7.34 for the window or $10.25 for the print. That's less than the cost for the Nielsen frame and when you consider the time and cost to find the image, develop the negative and to make the print, it becomes almost inconsequential.
Thomas
@OP. It seems that you have some choices.
1) Obtain 8x10 + lens/es. You can progress to enlarger/wet/contact printing or using a scanner.
2) 8x10 + one film holder + one lens = smaller scale and determine your way of printing.
3) Contact someone with an 8x10 and arrange an outing or two...may require of you taking a small vacation and maybe even a payment for your request (?). Bring your Linhof with you, so you can have a reference in a later date. Perhaps the person will allow you short training on the nuances and even provide/lend a film holder for this practice run.
Who knows, 8x10 might be the size that could be more satisfying than all others. It could also open another can of worms and you'll want to experience 11x14....
My attitude is, however, that if I can't do the image with a 5x7 or smaller film/digi, I probably couldn't enhance it with larger format/s.
Anyway, good luck deciding.
Les
Thomas - I was buying 30X40 sheets of Rising 4-ply for around eight bucks. That's was in full ctns and wholesale. So what you're talking about is actually the huge markup taken by art stores or even so-called discount distributors. I also bought my Nielsen mouldings wholesale and cut them myself, not only due to vastly lower price, but due to the fact most commercial "chop" services are automated in such a manner that the cuts are often sloppy. I have explained the real problem elsewhere already. But let me repeat it. All our true framing wholesalers are gone up here despite the demand simply because the land under their warehouses is worth more than the business itself. They've evaporated to cheaper warehousing in LA, or more correctly, gone out of business while LA distributors attempt to grow; so now I just gotta get around to reestablishing an account with someone. There is a big so-so priced matboard distributor in Santa Rosa, but they carry Strathmore and Crescent ragboard, not my preferred Rising. But I'll look into them too, and see if they can give me a volume break, since they are reasonably nearby. So Thomas, hang a whole show of big prints, crunch the numbers for all the board, backing, Plexi, and framing, and see what that scenario looks like, if you don't suffer a stroke in the process. I save about 80% doing it my way. Of course, I seem to have lost about 80% of my energy and ambition except when it comes to hiking, shooting, and printing per se. But I did shape and assemble some of my own hardwood mouldings recently.
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