4 x 5 Is amazing!!

M

Mohan

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I recently finished restoring a tatty Busch pressman with a rather mouldy Schneider Angulon 90mm which I thought would make a rather nice first foray into large format. loaded up the HP5 and this was the first shot I got, developed in an old ice cream tub (Rodinal 1:25). I'm totally hooked, gonna have to shoot some street/urban stuff with it.

570539895_3b5cc56c6d.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1134/570539895_3b5cc56c6d_b.jpg
 
Mohan,

4x5 is great and you did a really nice job of exposure and development. Looks like your film holder might be leaking a bit in the lower left hand corner.

I took a workshop with Kim Weston (Edward's grandson) and got hooked on the 8x10 and contact printing. My darkroom setup consists of a stand sink, a 5 watt bulb and a contact frame. I'm now a two-format guy of extremes - 35mm RF and 8x10!

I have a set of portraits shot with 8x10 on flickr... It took me a bit to get the exposure/dev correct so as to not requre a lot of dodging/burning but a few examples (Trudy,Marilyn,Kirsten,Jill,James) stand out. Lots more LF images to scan and post too, but this is a RF forum. ;)
 
I recently picked up a 4x5 view camera and am doing a restoration on it. Took it out today and did some lens tests using polaroid film. I'll be shooting some Tri-X and HP5 this weekend.

Here's a photo of it with my Leica M4

2x.jpg
 
I know absolutely nothing about LF, but I've slowly started to gather parts for a "frankenstein" 4x5 build. And I've been seriously coveting those beautiful Graphic View cameras. Very nice, Colyn.


Cheers,
--joe.
 
planetjoe said:
I know absolutely nothing about LF, but I've slowly started to gather parts for a "frankenstein" 4x5 build. And I've been seriously coveting those beautiful Graphic View cameras. Very nice, Colyn.


Cheers,
--joe.
Click to expand...

Thanks

One of the reasons I chose the Graphic View is because of its geared "V" rail. This is far more sturdy than those small round ones.

I'm hoping to find the Graflok back which was standard on the Graphic View II so I can use my 6x9 roll back. This one has the spring back..
 
Mohan,

Nice work! Congrats and keep posting your work.

Bob
 
gregg said:
Mohan,

4x5 is great and you did a really nice job of exposure and development. Looks like your film holder might be leaking a bit in the lower left hand corner.

I took a workshop with Kim Weston (Edward's grandson) and got hooked on the 8x10 and contact printing. My darkroom setup consists of a stand sink, a 5 watt bulb and a contact frame. I'm now a two-format guy of extremes - 35mm RF and 8x10!

I have a set of portraits shot with 8x10 on flickr... It took me a bit to get the exposure/dev correct so as to not requre a lot of dodging/burning but a few examples (Trudy,Marilyn,Kirsten,Jill,James) stand out. Lots more LF images to scan and post too, but this is a RF forum. ;)
Click to expand...


Thanks! Yeah, I picked up a bunch of holders on the bay, after spending a good few hours getting the dust and grime out of them it seems a couple of them leak, still I got 6 holders for the price of 1 new toyo holder.

I bought the 4X5 to try something totally different to 35mm RF stuff (that, and I love restoring cameras and can’t resist a bargain) although 8x10 takes that difference to another level!

Since the DoF with the 90mm lens is fairly big and the camera is relatively portable (but weights about 3kg) I want to try some street stuff with it, could be fun! but I will get very odd looks.

Goods Shots!
 
Mohan said:
I want to try some street stuff with it, could be fun! but I will get very odd looks.
Click to expand...

Especially when you come out from under the focusing cloth..
 
About a month ago I picked up a 1947 Crown Graphic and it's been out with me on 2 occasions since. It's heavy and a pain to carry around, but the image quality is beautiful.

I tray develop mine and am still working out dev time/agitation differences.


hofrench@mac.co said:
How, may I ask, have people managed to scan their images shot in this format?
Click to expand...
flatbed for me.
 
hofrench@mac.co said:
How, may I ask, have people managed to scan their images shot in this format?
Click to expand...

Simple...you make a print from the neg and scan the print on a flat bed scanner..
 
colyn said:
Simple...you make a print from the neg and scan the print on a flat bed scanner..
Click to expand...

Many flat bed scanners will do 4x5 negs directly. My Epson 4490 will not, but the next model up will. Even my oldest flat bed scanner, an Epson 2400 will do 4x5, at 2400 dpi (which is more than enough for 4x5, actually).

Not to put anyone down, but there is a world of difference between a scanned neg and a scanned print, IMHO.
 
bmattock said:
Not to put anyone down, but there is a world of difference between a scanned neg and a scanned print, IMHO.
Click to expand...


I agree..

My preference is to scan negs but like you I have the 4490 which won't take 4x5.

Can anybody recommend a good low to medium priced Epson scanner that will scan 4x5 negs?
 
I use an Epson 2450 Photo. You can find them used for about $150-200 USD. As bmattock says, at 2400 dpi you can make HUGE prints.

Now that my large format camera is 8x10, contact printing provides me my only source from which to scan. With 4x5 I felt a contact print was better than a scan (IMHO), but once in the computer I couldn't tell much difference between the scanned negative and a scan of the contact print.
 
colyn said:
I agree..

My preference is to scan negs but like you I have the 4490 which won't take 4x5.

Can anybody recommend a good low to medium priced Epson scanner that will scan 4x5 negs?
Click to expand...

Not sure what you consider low to medium price. The 4990 does 4x5, I believe. Also, check Epson's clearance sales and refurbs. That's how I got my 4490, it was a refurb + 20% off Christmas sale = $163 USD with shipping as I recall.

Also, the older 2490 was a top-notch flat-bed and it did 4x5, and they would be available cheap now. And trust me, you don't want to scan 4x5 at more than 2400 dpi.

Don't quote me on that, I'm working from memory. Head hurts, going to bed early.
 
Mohan,

4x5 is a wonderful format. There is a small paperback book that I got years ago about the zone system, it is a very cool thing that 4x5 really makes happen.

I was lucky enough to have a mint old Crown Graphic and a Kodak View from my father when he past away years ago. I love the Crown because she is a rangefinder and useing a between the len shutter. Gives me a lot of choices and a lot less to go wrong.

I used to do a lot of portraits with 4x5, multi-exposures were a breeze.

B2 (;->
 
Colyn,

That is a really nice looking Graphic View! Nice job. I had one of those in the early seventies but it was such a beat up wreck, I got rid of it for a new Cambo. That picture makes me wish I had kept it.

Gary
 
gns said:
Colyn,

That is a really nice looking Graphic View! Nice job. I had one of those in the early seventies but it was such a beat up wreck, I got rid of it for a new Cambo. That picture makes me wish I had kept it.

Gary
Click to expand...

Thanks

When I got this one the paint had either worn off or was badly chipped so I stripped off what was left of the original paint and re-painted it in flat black. The bellows had been recently replaced by the previous owner so it is light tight..

My next project is to replace the mount with a shorter non-tilting/rotating mount which will increase its stability..
 
I've got an Epson 4990 and it came with a 4X5 holder. Does a nice job. My friend, on the other hand, makes a contact print from his 4X5 neg, then scans the print, and makes some pretty tasty 13X19" b/w prints on Epson Enhanced Matte paper.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to get a decent scan of a 35mm neg with the 4990, so I make an 8X10" print and scan that.
 
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