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WTM
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Joined: 03 Jul 2003
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WTM
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 Wed May 26, 2004 7:42 am |
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Damian
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Damian
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Wed May 26, 2004 8:46 am |
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I too have suffered a passion for high resolution, though I never pulled on the thread to this degree. Between camera's lenses, and darkroom equipment the $$ stacked up real quick. But it was fun making prints you could hold under a strong magnifying glass and see pine needles and bugs instead of grain.
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Backpacker Joe
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Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Location: Cle Elum |
Good lord, but thing makes Kerry's 4x5 look wimpy!
Sorry Kerry, but that guy is nuts.
TB
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
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MCaver
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Joined: 14 Dec 2001
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MCaver
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Wed May 26, 2004 10:13 am |
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I remember reading once about a guy who made a pinhole camera out of an entire van. 
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Dogpatch
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Dogpatch
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Wed May 26, 2004 11:02 am |
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| MCaver wrote: | | I remember reading once about a guy who made a pinhole camera out of an entire van. |
Maybe Richard Lewis? Local photographer, turned his camper into a pinhole camera, called it "Camper Obscura". Made these really great shots of the Columbia Gorge and environs. I don't think he has any work up right now, but you should check it out next time. He's a great shooter.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." – Groucho Marx
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." – Groucho Marx
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Malachai Constant
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Joined: 13 Jan 2002
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Location: Back Again Like A Bad Penny |
I'm sorry but I really don't get it.  Ansel Adams was famous for using large view cameras at high f stops to get high definition images. In the 19th century they made huge negatives for contact prints of posters. All that seems to be different here is the use of a scanner and photoshop.
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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WTM
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WTM
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Wed May 26, 2004 4:27 pm |
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Malachai ... I think you got it!
This guy is reinventing the wheel. There are already plenty of folks out there with large format gear doing what he is doing.
The reporter (who obviously knows very little about this kind of photography) talks as if he is the first -- when he is just the latest in a long long line of people pursuing the same goal.
ULF (ultra Large Format) goes way way back. Some of the biggest had to be hauled around on railroad cars!
I don't think Kerry has much to worry about though. 4x5 is atill the most economical for backpacking.
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Sore Feet
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Joined: 16 Dec 2001
Posts: 6307 | TRs | Pics
Location: Out There, Somewhere |
| WTM wrote: | | I don't think Kerry has much to worry about though. 4x5 is atill the most economical for backpacking. |
Pff. I just got back from spending a month in Yosemite, working for a photographer by hauling around his two 4x5 cameras and a pair of tripods (on top of the essential gear - water, food, firstaid, etc). I'd like to see you hike to the top of Nevada Falls without killing your back, then we'll see what sounds economical... 
I do eventually want to shoot larger format, but I'm gonna stick with prosumer-sized digital for the majority of my backpacking. Maybe going as far as taking a small 645 or something, but I've had my fill of schleping a 4x5. 
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WTM
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WTM
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Thu Jun 10, 2004 7:58 am |
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2 4x5 cameras? How many lenses?
I took my 4x5 outfit on the Ptarmigan Traverse and had no trouble with my back. Total weight of all my camera equipment and film was 8.9 lbs.
Some medium format outfits would probably be heavier than this since the cameras are more complex. Some people who use 35mm cameras carry more gear than I do.
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Sore Feet
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Location: Out There, Somewhere |
He had four lenses, but the other assistant carried those in a big metal box, along with the film (I believe a minimum of 12 cartriges at a time).
The cameras were also in big metal boxes, and I'd guess that each probably weighed upwards of 15 lbs each. I'd say I carried close to 70 lbs of gear.
Re: the medium format, I'm thinking something along the lines of an old manual Seagull viewfinder camera or something, not one of the newer Hasselblad H1, Pentax 645, etc. deals (as much as I'd like one of those).
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Kerry
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Joined: 24 Sep 2003
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Kerry
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Thu Jun 10, 2004 11:43 pm |
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| Sore Feet wrote: | | The cameras were also in big metal boxes, and I'd guess that each probably weighed upwards of 15 lbs each. I'd say I carried close to 70 lbs of gear. |
Jeez, that's just insane, and totally unnecessary. First, lose the big metal boxes - that's what they make backpacks for. A well made pack will offer just as much protection and be a whole lot easier to carry.
My complete 4x5 system that I take backpacking (4x5 camera, 4 lenses, tripod, enough film for a week, etc.) weighs less than 15 lbs., including the pack I carry it in. I've carried both a medium format 6x7 SLR system AND a 4x5 on dayhikes with a total weight of 35lbs. The 6x7 system was the heavier of the two (20 lbs.). I write camera reviews for a large format photography magazine, and I've been known to pack three 4x5 cameras, or two 5x7s and two tripods on long dayhikes so I can do side-by-side comparisons of different brands and models of camera. Even then, my total pack weight is less than 40 lbs. Heck, my total pack weight (camera gear and camping gear) is around 45 lbs. these days for a 3 or 4 day trip. That's about 15 lbs. of 4x5 camera gear and 30 lbs. of food, water, clothes and camping gear (including an old Kelty pack that weighs 6 1/2 lbs. empty). I sure hope the guy got some good shots for all your hard work.
| Quote: | | Re: the medium format, I'm thinking something along the lines of an old manual Seagull viewfinder camera or something, not one of the newer Hasselblad H1, Pentax 645, etc. deals (as much as I'd like one of those). |
Medium format SLR systems tend to be a bit heavy and bulky. They are a joy to use, but the typical body and all the lenses weigh more than my 4x5 set-up. If you want medium format with interchangeable lenses, a rangefinder like the Mamiya 7II or the Bronica RF645 are much lighter than comparable SLR systems. If you want something that's compact, lightweight and easy to use (the medium format equivalent of a point-n-shoot) look for a Fuji 645Zi. It has a bulit in zoom of somewhat limited, but still useful range. It has a variety of auto modes as well as manual operation. It weighs just a hair under 2 lbs. and because it's so light and doesn't produce nearly the vibration of a big SLR, you can get by with a very light tripod (of course, it can also be used handheld if there is enough light).
Kerry
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