Steve- thanks for this thread. I might be one of your target customers for this product as I am a 35mm and medium format photographer who's fascinated by LF but has never made the 'jump'.
Where can I find more info about this product? Are there any sample shots anywhere? Apart from the initial investment in the camera, what else would one need to buy to get going. I would imagine at least the following:
1- lens?
2- lens board compatible with camera and chosen lens?
3- film holders
4- sheet film
5- 5x4-compatible developing tank
6- my Epson V550 would need to be updated to a V700/750/800/850 to cope with the size of the negative
Anything else? I already own a sturdy tripod, a cable release, an 8x loupe.
Is the above enough or there's more? If so, where can I find a list of say compatible accessories - it would be good to have a 'how-to' list to get people started, especially if you want to target young hipsters
like me who have never even seen a real 5x4 in the flesh
Also, what are the main compromises one would have to deal with when choosing one of these rather than one of your Chroma or an Intrepid or an older wooden camera off ebay - I'd imagine the movements? Not fussed about those atm. Anything else?
Given say, equal lens, equal film and equal tripod - would this camera be able to achieve similar sharpness and tonality than a classic 5x4 camera or are there inherent compromises?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Hi, I’m glad you like the look of it, thanks.
I’m in the workshop at the moment (as ever!) so will do my best with the details!
All large format cameras are essentially a box with a lens at one end and film at the other. My traditional field cameras (Carbon Adventurer and Advanced45) offer a range of movements on both the front and rear standards, but are heavier and require the use of a tripod. In contrast, the SnapShot is designed as a walkabout “point and shoot” large format camera, which can also be used on a tripod if you want to. My new Technical and Classic versions also have a small amount of rise/shift on the front standard.
Weighing only 600g, with lens board and ground glass, the SnapShot can be worn over your shoulder with a basic camera strap (I use the one from my Sony A7) and used very easily. As it has the same rear body design as my other two cameras, it’s compatible with any large format film holders, including 4x5 sheet, Polaroid, 120 rollfilm (6x45 - 6x17), my ChromaGraphica dry plate and my Chroma wet plate. I’m also due to receive a prototype LomoGrafok Instax Wide back in mid-October and can’t wait to try it out on my SnapShot as the perfect Instax Wide option with good lenses!
I’ve just had some Velvia50 sheets developed, that I shot with my SnapShot and Schneider Angulon 90/6.8 last week, on and around an 80m high waterfall. I’ll get them scanned as soon as I can and upload them here.
BUY NOW – £245 (Lens and cable release not included with camera – to be supplied by photographer) The Snapshot is a brand new, lightweight, camera system which weighs less than 1k…
chroma.camera
With regards to what you will need to add to a basic SnapShot, this is;
A lens - Any lens from 47-210mm will work with a SnapShot, so long as the rear element is narrower than 64mm diameter, so it can fit through the helicoid. Personally, I really like wider lenses as they’re more compact on the camera.
A film holder/film - Whatever takes your fancy really. A standard basic double sided sheet film holder, or “DDS”, is a nice lightweight option, although you will need multiple holders for more than 2 shots at a time. I also use a Grafmatic, which is what old press photographers used to use, which can be Pre-loaded with 6 sheets that you cycle through in the field. They’re around 60 years old now, so look out for a good condition one on EBay etc.
Development equipment, if you want to do it yourself. I use a Stearman Press SP-445 tank and find it’s a really good option for developing up to 4 sheets at a time.
Scanner - You can scan 4x5 on you V500, but will need to scan the sheet in two halves then merge them afterwards. Alternatively, you could use a Pixl-Latr (Pixl-latr.com), which is a very simple click together frame which is used to keep your film flat and has a diffuser panel behind to spread light evenly. You can then sit this straight on a light box and use a copy stand with a digital camera to digitise the film. I’ve also recently released a mounting system to use a large format field camera as a copy stand, but you’d need a large format field camera to use that :0)
All SnapShots come with one lens board (according to the size you require), and additional boards can be purchased separately to allow you to switch lenses without having to remove them from the board.
Essentially, if you bought a SnapShot, the bare minimum you would need to get started would be a lens, film holder and remote release cable [emoji1303]
I hope this covers everything? Let me know if I can add any more. Cheers
