Tripod and other things

[clcolucci58]

Was would be a good tripod for my Toyo 45D @ say no more then $200.00. Is developing 2-4 sheets at a time difficult something after time would come easy. Bought The Camera by Ansel Adams great read, going to get rest is series soon. As always thanks for advice and insight

Regards
Chris

 

[Ronald M]

I use a Berlbach. Around 20 pounds, but has a built in ball head so no need to buy one. Two secton legs, goes to 5.5 feet so you don`t hunch over. Built like a surveyors pod.

Ries also good.

It is easy after you ruin 50 negs shuffling them.

Put them in an 8x10 tray one at a time, emulsion up and develop only one. Work around the edges lifting them 1" and lower fast. Do two adjacent sides in 10 sec, then 50 sec later the other two.

As always continuous first 60 sec. Let the sheet clank around as it will not hurt a thing.

Use a 4x5 Jobo drum with inversion.

Expert Jobo drum hold 12 sheets.

Nikor 4x5 tank

Hangars with hangar rack to hold them. Arkay Corp made mine. In and out fast first 60 sec. Go slow and you WILL get marks.

Shuffle. Risky. You MUST prewet to keep sheets from sticking. This is the only time I preset ever.

Other systems out there I never tried. All the above work perfectly

Try the large format forum.

 

[Larry H-L]

Another Berlbach tripod user here, very happy with it.

Shuffling the negatives in a tray works very well, I can run up to eight pieces of film without much difficulty. Some people have better luck using a glass Pyrex tray and putting the film in emulsion side down.

If shuffling makes you nervous, some sheet film tray inserts were made that will hold six pieces of film, flat, in divided sections of the tray insert. You drop the divided tray into a larger tray with developer. I found one of the giant auction site.

 

[goamules]

Start with any cheap, used wooden tripod you can get on ebay. Folmer, Graflex, Crown made pretty good ones in the 1920s through 1950s, get a no. 3. Use it a while and then upgrade when you know more. No, they don't have fluid head, GPS azimuth tracking or any of that. Ansel didn't need that, you don't either. The berlebach are good too, of you want to spend the money. But if you are just starting, why not try something from the classic era? A Thalhammer is a pretty good, adjustable head tripod for a small 4x5 too. Here is a good example that sold for $78 on ebay 111899992089

On developing, I'd do one sheet at a time, in a stand development process (no agitation, no shuffling). You just immerse the sheet, put a dark box over the tray, and leave for about 14 min (HC110 solution b). Come back, turn off the lights, and stop and fix. The non agitation prevents over developing the highlights.

 

[clcolucci58]

Thanks everyone for the info

Chris