Hi, Thought I would share a shot with you from my adventure in *Do It Yourself E6 slide processing* from my 4x5 Large Format camera. OK, the details: Fuji Provia 100 in Paterson E6 chemistry. Toyo 45G 4x5 view camera, with Schneider 150mm *standard* lens. Exposure 1/2 second @ f64 Scanned @ 1200dpi on Epson 3200 Photo

The first shot is the downsampled save for web of the whole neg.
The additional shots are 100% crops from different parts of the neg to show how much detail is there.
The only sharpening done is unsharpmask, 120%, 1.5 pixel radius and levels = 3, to combat the softening from the scanner.

The camera is a monster to use. It's heavy, awkward shaped, doesn't fit in any easily carryable bag I own and weights a ton. To focus you need a magnifying loupe, a degree in math to work out the DOF and the patience of a Saint ;-) The film is loaded in individual sheets into holders, so thats 2 shots per holder (one each side):-(

But, when you get to the end result.....wow

And this isn't the best exposure or lighting in the world....so imagine what it would look like on a good day :-D

So, hope you find it interesting...any questions about any of it...I'll try to answer them....cos I'm at the bottom of a very steep learning curve.

Cheers
Dave

crop1

crop2

crop3

Wow! That is really cool! Sounds like a big pain in the butt, but also worth it. The crops really show the detail. Great capture as well. Very interesting indeed. :) Thanks for sharing.

need a degree in math to operate your cam? need big, bulgin' muscles to carry the dang thing? did you say you need to be a Saint? oh boy...sounds like that is so NOT my type of cam!!!! awesome photo and love what you've done with cropping these to see the details!! really hard for me to say which i like better 'cause they're very special!! nothing like the dark beauty of the woods! thanks for sharing!

Hehe...but life is one big adventure:-) In some ways it's no different to any other camera....just got to keep trying.....then one day...WOOHOO :)

What metering techniques do you use for this type of photography?

For metering I use a grey card combined with a spotmeter. I try to get a decent reading of the grey card, but it depends on the lighting in the scene. I then use the spotmeter on the highlights and shadows to see how I might change it and also to see whether the film I'm using has enough dynamic range to capture everything. Waterfall shots are very difficult when the sun is shining, as the white water burns out and the shadows go black....standard slide film problem:-(
Hope that helps?

Message edited on: 05/25/2005 18:21

Yes, thanks for the answer. I thought maybe you went with multiple meter readings for an average. I was pretty close LOL Great Images! Another question, how much does the film cost and processing? I have thought about picking up one of these LG Format cameras in the future. Thanks

Medium format with a borrowed Hasselblad is the closest I have come to "larger formats" even if facinated by it all. Just walking around a city with that cam left my chest bruised. Apparently dedication to "the image" is needed, in compo and setup for one shot. I can't imagine anything speedy about the process. But, when done as you have, the shot is worth it to me, a viewer. Do you use large format all the time? If so, I believe it is worth the effort to you. Thanks for the info on metering from TMGraphics post. Digital has left much of the "knowledge of photography" hidden in electronic chips and not provided access to the photogapher. Great image. Wonderful format. Too much for me I reckon.

Oh David, this is fantastic..... You did a wonderful job dealing with the lighting situation. A friend at school spent the entire semester working with a 4X5 view camera. I was in heaven when I got to see the transparencies up there on the light box. They were beautiful! As much as she liked the images, she found it to be cumbersome and also lacked the patience to continue in this vein..... She prefers her 6x6 tlr..... In any case, lovely to see.... and a mighty fine waterfall indeed.

i'm in awe too... fascinating & informative to hear first hand... & the detail is pretty amazing from what we can see here... can we set up a field trip? :]

***Truly much is lost in bits & pixs of lite byte, or you could put one of these on it to save all the medling with potions and spells.

***Message edited on: 05/26/2005 04:41

The alchemy is half the fun....but....given a win on the lotto...I could be tempted ;-)

For TMGraphics...film prices...expensive!! As prices vary around the world, the easiest way is to compare 35mm to 120 to 4x5 to give you a ratio.... In the UK, 35mm 36 exp Velvia 100 = 3.25 (bulk buying), roll of 120 Velvia 100 = 2.39, 10 sheets of 4x5 Velvia 100 = 15.99. I've bought most of my film on ebay, as there are some really good deals on film that is just out of date. I've had no problems with colour shifts so far!! At 38 for 50 sheets it's a saving worth having ;-)

This image is great, and the detail is also fantastic. Looks great scanned in as well, of course it would look even better if you were to blow it up 'traditional style' as well, but then we would not be able to see it. :) Really great info, not having much knowledge of this area of photograpghy I only have admiration for the patience and hard work for a single shot ! Nice work. Great idea to post this and tell us all about it, good thread ! Thanks.

You need to make sure you get the shot in one take! Could be really expensive to take more than two of one thing! Not to mention the Lab work to process the film. Even though, the end result is superb, and worth the time to set up the shot! TMG

Attached Link: Hasselblad H1D

Super shot(s), thanks for sharing that and your story. I really love the detail and color/tonal range you can capture with a larger format camera. A bear to work with, but if you want the best possible shot.... I recently saw an ad for a Medium format digital camera, though I forget the brand...oh yeah, it was a Hasselblad, the H1D. It sells for around $18k. It has it's own issues, but still, very nice. http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/hasselblad-h1.shtml If I won the lottery...that would be my present to myself. :) Here is another medium back from Fuji, 20MP. http://www.dpreview.com/news/0312/03121901fujifilmback.asp And another from Mamiya: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0409/04092902mamiya_zd.asp By the time I can afford one, maybe the prices will come down and the bugs worked out.

From the little I know of this "Large Format"....it is very desirable for Commercial Landscape and Scenic Photography...glad that it is in Your Hands Dave..You are My Hero when I am not fantizing about You...manly hugz

Superb stuff :)