Ash
Selflessly Self-involved
Right there is waaaay too much chatter about the M8! So instead I decided to try out my field camera that I *still* haven't used properly, and I managed my first 4x5 neg....and it was successful!!
Here's the waffling you can glance over:
It's the pet project that I neglected, honestly. But at least I bought a few extra half-plate backs, and built a recessed lensboard and attached a Wray Supar 4,5inch enlarging lens to it! (also have a spare Wray 4,5inch, and a Ross Xpress 8,5inch enlarger lenses - either for this camera, the 10x8, or for when I actually GET an enlarger!!)
Anyways, a while back I bought a box of Kodalith Ortho or something. 100 sheets of 4x5 negs. They sat un-touched since I bought them months ago. I cracked open the box, tried to fiddle around with one of the half-plate backs until I decided "f*ck it. I'll waste these two sheets and work out how to do it in the daylight!"
The afternoon doesn't last too long so I had to work fast.
I set up the Kiev-Contax on the bookshelf,
placed the camera on a tripod that can hardly support it,
set up the composition on the ground glass - trying to compose the shot in the bottom left corner, where the neg would sit.
Right, so it's a major hassle trying to get a 4x5 neg to stay put in a glass-plate holder built for something 1/3 larger! I practice in the daylight, close my eyes and practice a few more times.
The corner of the film that isn't covered by the frame likes to catch on the darkslide/slat. That's inevitable.
So anyways I take the photo, about 5 seconds I think. *remove lens cap, look out the window at the darkness drawing in, replace lens cap*
Here's the important bits:
I use my 2-reel 35mm developing tank as opposed to the paterson orbital, clipping the corner of the neg to the central cylinder, so that the neg is angled in the tank, and a clockwise rotation with the agitation doohicky will allow the whole neg (either side) to be submerged without inconsistency. of course, where the neg is clipped there is a TINY spot undeveloped.
Rodinal, 6+650ml (basically 1:110 because I'm too impatient to try 1:200 or 1:300), about 6 minutes or so. Don't ask why it's 666!
This film is insensitive to red light, so in the future I may use a safelight and print by inspection. Course, first thing's first I need to create a proper neg holder within the half-plate backs!
Attached is me holding the neg up to the light, and also the neg placed on my laptop screen, then inverted. Beware interlacing!
Not bad for first try, eh?
I'll post again below with links to photo's of the camera also.
Here's the waffling you can glance over:
It's the pet project that I neglected, honestly. But at least I bought a few extra half-plate backs, and built a recessed lensboard and attached a Wray Supar 4,5inch enlarging lens to it! (also have a spare Wray 4,5inch, and a Ross Xpress 8,5inch enlarger lenses - either for this camera, the 10x8, or for when I actually GET an enlarger!!)
Anyways, a while back I bought a box of Kodalith Ortho or something. 100 sheets of 4x5 negs. They sat un-touched since I bought them months ago. I cracked open the box, tried to fiddle around with one of the half-plate backs until I decided "f*ck it. I'll waste these two sheets and work out how to do it in the daylight!"
The afternoon doesn't last too long so I had to work fast.
I set up the Kiev-Contax on the bookshelf,
placed the camera on a tripod that can hardly support it,
set up the composition on the ground glass - trying to compose the shot in the bottom left corner, where the neg would sit.
Right, so it's a major hassle trying to get a 4x5 neg to stay put in a glass-plate holder built for something 1/3 larger! I practice in the daylight, close my eyes and practice a few more times.
The corner of the film that isn't covered by the frame likes to catch on the darkslide/slat. That's inevitable.
So anyways I take the photo, about 5 seconds I think. *remove lens cap, look out the window at the darkness drawing in, replace lens cap*
Here's the important bits:
I use my 2-reel 35mm developing tank as opposed to the paterson orbital, clipping the corner of the neg to the central cylinder, so that the neg is angled in the tank, and a clockwise rotation with the agitation doohicky will allow the whole neg (either side) to be submerged without inconsistency. of course, where the neg is clipped there is a TINY spot undeveloped.
Rodinal, 6+650ml (basically 1:110 because I'm too impatient to try 1:200 or 1:300), about 6 minutes or so. Don't ask why it's 666!
This film is insensitive to red light, so in the future I may use a safelight and print by inspection. Course, first thing's first I need to create a proper neg holder within the half-plate backs!
Attached is me holding the neg up to the light, and also the neg placed on my laptop screen, then inverted. Beware interlacing!
Not bad for first try, eh?
I'll post again below with links to photo's of the camera also.
Attachments
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