Re: which camera for architecture ?

On Monday 24 November 2003 21:04, geo wrote:

> I'm looking for a 4x5 for architecture and the usual outdoors
> artsy-fartsy
> type stuff.  My priorities are reasonable - reasonable price,
> reasonable weight, reasonable movements, reasonable convenience. I've
> trolled around (that's not a bad thing if you're fishing by the way)
> different sites (thank you Tuan for your great
> www.largeformatphotography.info) & this NG and sort of narrowed it
> down to a Calumet 45nx. Seems to have all the essentials, reasonably
> priced and not too heavy for lugging in the field, lots of movements,
> rotating back. I briefly toyed with the idea of a field camera like a
> Linhof Super Technika or Toyo CF since it's so light but movements are
> pretty limited and how often am I going to need to take a handheld 4x5
> with the Linhof anyway? I can get a Super Graphic for 1/4 the price
> or, more practically, use my 6x6.

You should ask yourself this question:  Do you NEED the features that a
view camera offers?  Do you NEED swing & tilts, rises & falls, and
shifts?  Do you NEED the large negative?  Are you going to be using the
Zone System, and NEED the control that individual development of
negatives offer.  And, don't forget the bigger enlarger to print the
negatives.  Or do you intend to just start out with contact prints?  Or
are you going to scan and print digitally?

Most LF tyros think they need a camera with unlimited movements. The
bigger the numbers, the better. But really radical movements are almost
exculsively needed for only small product work, where the close working
distances and the shallow depth of field of the longer lenses used
necessitate greater ranges of movements to "correct" perspective and/or
bring things into focus.  For architectural work, I've never used more
than 15 - 20 degrees of swing, 30 degress of tilt, 30mm of rise (have
never used falls), and 25mm of slide.  Most any modern, flatbed field
camera has that range.

I've used a Cambo SC II, on which all today's Calumet LF rail cameras
are based, for the past 20 years or so for ALL my large format work. 
Even with the 12" short rail, it is NOT a lightweight camera and is NOT
all that portable.  Broken down, it fits along with 4 lenses on boards
with accessories into an 18 x 22 x 8 inch metal transport case and
weighs in without tripod or film holders at 30 pounds or so.  I suggest
you go with a lightweight, folding, bed type, field camera and
backpack.  It'll save you from dislocating your spine.


> I think 2 lenses should do for a while. Something around 65mm on the
> short
> end and around 210 on the long. How is the  Linhof Symmar 210/5.6
> Convertible? Pretty tempting to get 2 lenses in one. For developing
> I'll get a Uniroller with 8x10 paper tank. Thanks for any feedback.

A 65 is a pretty wide lens -- equivalent to an 18 to 20 on 35mm -- to
begin with and just covers 4x5 leaving little room for movements.  The
defacto 1st wide angle for 4x5 is the 90 -- equivalent to a 28.  It has
good coverage and generally is reasonably priced because of the higher
sales volume.

A 210 is a reasonably priced long lens and will work well with a 90, if
you want a "general purpose" 2 lens system with the greatest focal
length range possible without too radical a spacing.

My lens kit for all my 4x5 work -- architectural or otherwise --
consists of a 75, 90, 125 and 240 apo.

For developing b&w, I use a Jobo 2 reel 4x5 film tank (Takes up to 12
sheets.) and a Beseler reversing roller base.  It works just fine.

Convertable lenses?  Convenient, yes.  But the lens when converted (you
remove the front lens cell) consists of only 3 elements, so the
resolution is less, the angle of coverage is less, and you loose a
couple stops max aperture, but you do get a longer lens.  I never found
the converted lens "sharp" enough to suit me.

FWIW: Calumet, at one time, made a good quality, 6-element 150 lens that
came with a 2X converter to make a 300.  It screwed onto the rear cell. 
The image quality from the resulting combo was excellent.

-- 
Stefan Patric
NoLife Polymath Group
[EMAIL PROTECTED]