Large format photography on MC travelling, possible?

[Margus]

I think i'm one of those strange guys who has got into a serious photo quality illness...

I stepped from pro-digital into medium format, skipped 35mm. Now any highest end digital seems redicolous compared with MF when i enlarge big photos on my own lab.

Also thinking about next step - buying 4x5" large format camera for nature and IR pictures. Does anyone have experience travelling with them? How compact 4x5 cameras there are available? How difficult is to handle separate negatives/slides in special holder on the road?

I checked to Linhof website, they have some compact ones but they make extremely expensive stuff - any alternatives?

Margus

[BklynDakar]

Have you tried

www.keh.com

good source for used equipment, very good reviews for customer service.

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Brooklyn Dakar
http://motorcycleramblings.blogspot.com/
email: jacob@jbsherman.com

[ekaphoto]

Another site for used gear is

bhphotovideo.com

[simmo]

Margus what about the 120 format Russian camera's, not disimilar to an overly large 35mm. I dont know how sharp the lenses are but you would certainly get a larger neg. You should be able to get them easily in Estonia. I think they also made some cool panoramic versions with rotating lenses. alec

[Margus]

Accually, i'm already using 120 medium format russian camera - Kiev 60 TTL witch is 6x6. Extremely dirt cheap, robust, but needs some calibration to get it working on the same level as quality German or Swedish mediums.

Some pics with it scanned in with pretty crappy scanner can be seen: http://homepage.mac.com/nemos/PhotoAlbum34.html

I get a very detailed pictures up to 50x50cm plus-minus, depending how good the focus and conditions are. From there some small grain starts to be seen. Now thinking about doing some bigger images (enlarging them myself on a lab) to cover walls. Large format seems the only unbeatable option for that... I really like big photos on walls.

6x6 medium format is averagely about equivalent to 500 Megapixel digital camera in resolution.

4x5" is about 5 or so times it, so count in gigapixels - stunning detailed big photos.

Just looked on some used 4x5 gear, not that expensive as i thought. But getting a compact enough one for MC travelling is another story...

[Margus]

Found some Linhof while searching on the net, camera that goes very compact for 4x5 LF:





Good side is that it takes medium format rollfilm too, shooting with 6x9.

Solid LF cameras like AERO TECHNICA 45EL just take very much room!



So it's mostly very uncomfortible format to take together with optics for motorcycle travelling where's room very limited...

Margus

[malmoerik]

Canon has released a new monster recently, the "EOS-1Ds Mark II-NEW". You are probably one of their target customers? It has 16 megapixel, I don't know if that's sufficient for you, well it looks cool at least!

[vagabond]

Get a 10x8 and be done with it.

[Margus]

Originally posted by malmoerik:
Canon has released a new monster recently, the "EOS-1Ds Mark II-NEW". You are probably one of their target customers? It has 16 megapixel, I don't know if that's sufficient for you, well it looks cool at least!

No digital for quality-ill person like me in 5 years i think. There's Leaf 22 megapixel digiback for medium format cameras too available, but it costs around 16 000 £ (!!!), almost the cost of RTW! I get with 6x6 film scanned average around 100 megapixels per picture (MF film's physical limit is beyond 500 megapixels) if i need to digitalize, but mostly i don't. Indeed, one roll of film costs about 3£.

[Margus]

Originally posted by vagabond:
Get a 10x8 and be done with it.

That's the ultimate quality, yes. But I can't imagine where would that camera fit with optics and negative holder!?

Indeed, i must replace all my darkroom equipment then - it needs special enlarger, developing equipment.

So i'll stick with medium format and 4x5 for some time.

Margus

[John Roberts]

Hi, Margus

I share your enthusiasm for large format, but, alas, like a lot of other mortals I can't afford to take the plunge. I'm a wedding photographer and use a Hasselblad (medium format) and stick to 400ASA, and that's fine for up to about 50cm by 40cm (20" by 16") enlargements. It's reassuring to be reminded of the limitations of digital, I have been tempted a few times but the quality is way behind that of 120 film.
While of course I accept what you say about the supreme quality of large format, why not give medium format a try, the results always gives me a buzz when I use a slow (ie fine grain) film, pre-release the shutter, the lens (ideally) at f8 and use the remote shutter release. Oh, and a tripod, naturally. On the other hand a body and, say, three lenses are still pretty heavy. One definite plus should be the price of second-hand medium format kit, photographers are going digital in serious numbers and you might be able to pick a complete outfit very reasonably these days.

Happy snapping (Oops! didn't mean that!)

John

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Johnefyn

[John Roberts]

Margus,
I'm sorry, I've just read your first post again and have just realised you said you skipped 35mm rather than medium format. Sorry, sorry. Just forget what I said!
John

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Johnefyn

[Margus]

John, no problem! It happends to me too.

Hassy bodys seem a bit too pricy though... Altough i admit they're equally good too. Rolleiflex 6x6 and Pentax 6x7 are very good price/quality MF cameras for mobile use i think that are widely avaiable. Rollei 6008 is my long dream machine, but financially out of reach... Hasselblads feels more like it's ment to be for dedicated studiowork...(!?)

Margus

[This message has been edited by Margus (edited 02 October 2004).]

[John Roberts]

Hi, Marcus
Anybody mind if I go off-topic just a bit? Re Hasselbladder reliability, I've come through an appaling bad patch of unreliability with my 'blads. I've had a brand new 503cw body lock up, a lens lock up, the power winder lock up a few times, and have lost shots due to faulty frame spacing resulting in two insurance claims. The above locking-up incidents were all at different times, i.e. not just one big lock-up. All my equipment is serviced by Hasselblad UK and nobody else. The film magazine concerned (it is, I admit, an old one) has been with Hass UK three times and each time was intermittently faulty, i.e. excessive spacing between frames, on return. The last time it was sent by them back to Sweden, and I thought at last it was going to be sorted once and for all. After three months(?) back it came: 'No Fault Found'. I didn't use it again for a year or so, and, would you believe, same fault. My other three magazines have been ok with no bother at all. Thing is with so much money sunk into the 'blad system it's just too expensive to junk the lot and get another system. Why me, Lord, why me?
Having said all tht everything seems ok now; when it's good it is really good.
Hmm, I feel better now, a bit.
Best wishes,
John

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Johnefyn

[Margus]

That's very interesting. I always thought the Hassys are bulletproof because of their legendary history in quality and scientific success and sky high prices.

Must remember that the first Apollo manned moon mission pictures were taken with Hassy medium format camera.

http://www.apolloarchive.com/apollo_gallery.html

That good 60s Kodak slide film aura emotion around those pictures make me to look them over and over.

Not counting the most famous picture of all:



Let's see what 202x year Mars mission makes - probably Hasselblads with digital backs...

Margus

[This message has been edited by Margus (edited 04 October 2004).]