I don't normaly do 'gear' threads but......

Gandhi

Gandhi

Messages
4,666
Edit My Images
Yes
As above really.

But I thought you all might like to see my new camera (well new to me anyway)

Its taken me about 3 weeks of snooping about online camera shops, forae and ebay but I have finally assembled my 5x4 gear.

Wista 45dxIII in cherry & brass, Schneider Symmar-S 135/5.6 (about 45mm ish in 35mm terms)

Somewhere else there are darkslides, loupe and all the associated gubbins and after saturdays running around I'm now in posession of a tank, film, some chemicals and a changing bag.

This morning my hands still smell of fixer lol, mwahahahahahahahaaaaa!

Spent a very happy afternoon/evening learning how to load darkslides, how to do stuff in a dark bag, taking test shots in the garden and remembering how to process film.

No scanner yet so you can't see the results but that will be here next week.

2 small notes.

1) Including the scanner all this has cost me less than a new 24-70mm 2.8 Nikon lens.

2) In my backpack; the camera, 1 lens, loupe, darkslides, film, changing bag, darkcloth, cable release, filters etc weigh less than my d300 and associated kit.



DSC_6454.jpg



DSC_6450.jpg



DSC_6451.jpg



DSC_6452.jpg
 
Beautiful :love: That looks like a work of art :)

I can't wait to see the results you get with it!
 
Yep, fairly sturdy one.

The camera is pretty stable and compact on the tripod. Took a couple of shots yesterday with 6 second exposures, it was quite breezy and the shots look to be pretty sharp under the loupe (only way I have of looking at them at the moment)
 
That's a lovely looking piece of kit.

Looking forward to seeing some of the results too.

How are you calculating exposure? Is it possible to measure the light directly off the ground glass (sort of TTL metering)
 
All I can say is very envious of you.

I loved using 5x4 at college but never ever got round to buying one as yet.

The dilema I have is.

I bought a Jobo CPE-2 processor and all accesories for doing my own colour/mono film. Scanner etc.

Since then I went and bought an EOS 1DS MkIII after a deal with Harbour48 and a medium format fell through.

So do I go buy a T/S lens for the Canon (mainly for still life and architectural I suppose landscape in a sense too.

Or do I go for a Sinar PII.

The Field camera you have is so neat and compact, compared to the Sinar and easily transportable, as you said.

Oh the problems we create for ourselves :thinking:
 
Now that is niiiice! Looks immacuate too. What scanner are you getting Spencer?
 
TrevDR said:
All I can say is very envious of you.

I loved using 5x4 at college but never ever got round to buying one as yet.

The dilema I have is.

I bought a Jobo CPE-2 processor and all accesories for doing my own colour/mono film. Scanner etc.

Since then I went and bought an EOS 1DS MkIII after a deal with Harbour48 and a medium format fell through.

So do I go buy a T/S lens for the Canon (mainly for still life and architectural I suppose landscape in a sense too.

Or do I go for a Sinar PII.

The Field camera you have is so neat and compact, compared to the Sinar and easily transportable, as you said.

Oh the problems we create for ourselves :thinking:
Click to expand...

LOL. I'd give it some serious thought before you part with the Jobo, if you have any lingering doubts about which way to go, and I don't see why going digital should preclude using film.

If you go large format then what you want is the Pro drum for the Jobo which is just for large format film and it is noted for given beautifully even corner to corner, edge to edge developing of sheet film.
 
Lovely camera. Hope you have many happy hours together.
 
Wow.. they don't make them like that any more. (or do they?)

Look forward to seeing what you produce with that!
 
TrevDR said:
All I can say is very envious of you.

I loved using 5x4 at college but never ever got round to buying one as yet.

The dilema I have is.

I bought a Jobo CPE-2 processor and all accesories for doing my own colour/mono film. Scanner etc.

Since then I went and bought an EOS 1DS MkIII after a deal with Harbour48 and a medium format fell through.

So do I go buy a T/S lens for the Canon (mainly for still life and architectural I suppose landscape in a sense too.

Or do I go for a Sinar PII.

The Field camera you have is so neat and compact, compared to the Sinar and easily transportable, as you said.

Oh the problems we create for ourselves :thinking:
Click to expand...


Sinar for architecture & studio stuff definately. Landscape if its no more than 200 yards from the car. You can always get a field camera later, tachiharas & shen hao's can be had for as little as £300 and you'll have all the lenses then too.

t&s for the canon is all well and good but you wont have the range or extent of movements. Or the cheapness.

CT said:
Now that is niiiice! Looks immacuate too. What scanner are you getting Spencer?
Click to expand...


Not quite mint but ex++ definately, small knock on the front and the back's varnish is a bit worn but thats just where it fits into the brass fitting when you change it from landscape to portrait.

I'm getting the epson v700. I dont think the extra cost of the 750 is warranted for me at the moment. I also can't be buggered with messing around with fluid mounting either. If I want a top quality scan there is a specialist scanner in bath who are very good at scanning LF negs so if I produce any corkers I can pop in there and pay £25 to have 1 neg scanned! Good place but verrrry pricey.

The long term aim is to get a 5x4 enlarger but they are as rare as rocking horse poop second hand unless you want to part with 1k. I've missed a couple of nice De Veres on the bay cos I was broke at the time.

So, to start off I'm just concentrate at getting the negs/my technique/developing right and printing as large as I can from digital before i throw another massive variable into the mix.

Typically, the weather is doing its 'You've got a new toy so I'm going to be lousy' thing at the moment too!
 
welly said:
Wow.. they don't make them like that any more. (or do they?)

Look forward to seeing what you produce with that!
Click to expand...

Yep, you can still buy things like this brand new.

Made lovingly by the chinese as they can see a profit in this sort of esoterica by having the cheapness of labour to make a profit on small volume sales.

Apparently some chinese company has just bought the patents/tech spec to be able to make polaroid film now that polaroid have stopped doing it!

Gotta love the BRIC's economies.
 
I have the Epson V700 and it's a brilliant scanner. I wouldn't bother with the V750 either, the mess of all that wet scanning is too much bother for me,
 
I've also found my old contax tvs2 35mm compact. So now I'll have the prcess stuff and a scanner I might start using that for some day to day stuff.

Oh and then theres the roll film 6x12 or 6x17 back that i'm looking at, the wide angle lens for the Lf etc etc etc.

It doesn't get any better with film stuff. Just harder to find and cheaper!
 
Gandhi - she's a beaut! I'd love to get me hands on a LF camera at some stage...

I wish you all the best with that lovely looking camera. Please post some results when you can - film rocks so hard!
 
Jamesbuk said:
Wow thats very nice! but umm wheres the LCD screen? How are you suppost to see your photos?!

;)

Regards, James
Click to expand...

it's the big bit of glass on the back, and it's psychic. It shows you the photos BEFORE you've taken them ;)

ekimeno said:
Gandhi - she's a beaut! I'd love to get me hands on a LF camera at some stage...

I wish you all the best with that lovely looking camera. Please post some results when you can - film rocks so hard!
Click to expand...

Scanner being ordered on friday so expect to see some results next week.

Looking at my negs so far it's going to be a tough learning curve lol. I have however, also brought my contax tvs compact out of mothballs. It's not the greatest but I'm gonna use it to practise my film stuff with.

There are plenty of LF bargains on ebay at the mo, I've just watched an MPP 5x4 go for about £350 notes with 2 lenses, all the other associated kit and 3 graphmatic film backs which alone are worth about £150 quid!

Pity I'm skint now lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top