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Anyone shooting Large Format on here apart from me?


Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

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So I recently started shooting LF, starting with 4x5 and now using 8x10. I have also built my own smallish darkroom in my Condo in Kuala Lumpur and have a 6x7 color enlarger (I'm not planning on using the color enlarger for color film) but using it for 8x10 contact prints and 120mm enlargements. I would really like to enlarge 4 x5's but the enlarger is massive so no chance of doing that in KL but maybe in Phuket as I have a lot more room there.

So if anyone on here is shooting LF where do you get your film from? do you us a consensual enlarger or do you do like me, either make contact prints or scan. The scanning is relatively easy and potentially you can have really massive files, personally I just use the 600 dpi setting on my Epson V850 and for a 8x10 that gives me a 50 ish MB file, I cant imagine what the 5200 dpi setting would give you :)

What about traveling with it, have you attempted changing film in the field, and flying with it?

Anyway just wanted to see if there was any other crazy LF photographers on here?

 

Neil

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Yes, I am back to 4x5 and use an Ilford 500 multigrade head on an Omega enlarger.

 

I have shot 8x10 but no longer. I'll be selling three 8x10 cameras and some lenses when I can.

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

Not yet' but I'm intending to buy a 4x5 in the next few months and have begun my research.

Michael its very addictive..............I am sure you will enjoy it :)

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This has always been a goal of mine when I retire - I just don't have the spare time to properly devote to it now.  My darkroom though is ready to go for 4x5 - I have a multi-contrast head on an Omega D2V enlarger. 

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

Yes, I am back to 4x5 and use an Ilford 500 multigrade head on an Omega enlarger.

 

I have shot 8x10 but no longer. I'll be selling three 8x10 cameras and some lenses when I can.

Pico

What made you give up on the 8x10?

 

Also how do you develop you 4x5's? I'm using a Paterson MOD54 tank plus I have the SP-445 4 sheet tank. Initially I used the Paterson but struggled a little with it so bought the SP-445 and didn't get on much better with that. I then returned to the Paterson MOD54 and I now find it a piece of piss to load six sheets of 4x5 in the darkroom.

 

Dust in the beginning was a nightmare but I seem to have mastered that now since buying a glass IKEA cabinet (that cost like 25 quid)......best 25 quid I ever spent. Since using it I have had no dust issues.

 

Neil

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

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This has always been a goal of mine when I retire - I just don't have the spare time to properly devote to it now.  My darkroom though is ready to go for 4x5 - I have a multi-contrast head on an Omega D2V enlarger. 

Alan is the D2V an 4x5 enlarger.........how big is it??

 

Neil

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In the past I have done nearly everything with my 4 x 5". Lot's of industry stuff. Color and B&W. You can see some examples here.

Now also some 8 x 10". I have an 8 x 10" enlarger available, but today I mostly scan.

Like to use my cameras more, but unfortunately to few time at the moment. :wacko:

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

In the past I have done nearly everything with my 4 x 5". Lot's of industry stuff. Color and B&W. You can see some examples here.

Now also some 8 x 10". I have an 8 x 10" enlarger available, but today I mostly scan.

Like to use my cameras more, but unfortunately to few time at the moment. :wacko:

You've got some amazing pictures there, I love the big machinery ones.............thanks for sharing

 

Neil

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Pico

What made you give up on the 8x10?

 

Also how do you develop you 4x5's? I'm using a Paterson MOD54 tank plus I have the SP-445 4 sheet tank.

 

Dust in the beginning was a nightmare but I seem to have mastered that now since buying a glass IKEA cabinet (that cost like 25 quid)......best 25 quid I ever spent. Since using it I have had no dust issues.

 

I found no significant aesthetic value in 8x10 film over 4x5, and also my plan to move the enlarger into a place large enough did not work out. It's okay because I'm fine with smaller prints.

 

For processing I have a few rolling tanks. They are wonderful.

 

Regarding dust - we have a couple stand-alone portable air filters, plus electrostatic central filtering.

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I found no significant aesthetic value in 8x10 film over 4x5, and also my plan to move the enlarger into a place large enough did not work out. It's okay because I'm fine with smaller prints.

 

For processing I have a few rolling tanks. They are wonderful.

 

Regarding dust - we have a couple stand-alone portable air filters, plus electrostatic central filtering.

When you say rolling tanks, what do you mean............have you got a name/link??

Thanks

 

Neil

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When you say rolling tanks, what do you mean............have you got a name/link??

Thanks

 

Neil

 

Surf for motorized processing drum. Brands include Beseler, Cibachrome and Chromega. I use 8x10 size tanks which hold 4 sheets of 4x5.

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I shoot 4x5 with a Swiss Alpina which I found on Craigslist earlier this year. So far I enjoy shooting with it even it is not my standard film camera I shoot with on a regular basis (here I much prefer the 35 mm format). I have a Beseler 45MXT enlarger for making silver gelatin prints from the 4x5 negatives. Regarding films, I see a broad variety still available online. For development, I found the Paterson 1 liter tank with MOD54 insert works best for me. I am using diluted Rodinal as developer. 

I don't have a designated 4x5 format scanner yet, so I improvise quite well using a light table with tripod and digital camera/macro lens setup on top. I take two photos of the 4x5" negative and merge it in PP afterwards.

 

p2237097577-5.jpg

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Hi Neil - the D2V is an old workhorse of an enlarger - maxes out at 4x5. Was made by the Omega company which made a lot of excellent professional level darkroom equipment. Back in the day these enlargers were prevelant in newspaper darkrooms. That's where I fell in love with them. Built like a tank. The "V" stood for variable - it has a draw for you to use variable contrast filters between the negative and the light source. But I later purchased a variable contrast cold light head (Zone VI- was a company in Vermont USA) that let you dial in the contrast equivalent filters electronically. Was great for using fiber based variable contrast papers, especially using split contrast techniques. My darkroom is packed away at the moment so I can't grab a shot of the enlarger but it stands a good 3.5 - 4 feet high - so it's a good sized piece of equipment. Just google omega d2v and you can see what it looks like.

Take care,

Alan

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I use my Shen Hao or MPP on a regular basis. I think the MOD54 is an evil piece of kit and I process both B&W and colour negs four at a time in a modified Paterson colour print tray designed for daylight processing.

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Really I find it very easy to use now......

Neil

 

Took me a while to get used to is - made the big mistake first to shake the tank with 4 negatives in there too much that they came off the holders and stuck to the wall......total loss of otherwise good shots. Since then I always agitate by using the agitator piece and rotate the insert only - never shake the tank! 

 

I also use the big 1 liter tank for development of three 35 mm films at once if needed which is very convenient. 

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

Surf for motorized processing drum. Brands include Beseler, Cibachrome and Chromega. I use 8x10 size tanks which hold 4 sheets of 4x5.

Pico

Ive just been offered a Unicolor roller with cibachrome 8x10 tubes................any feedback on the 8x10 cibachrome tubes??

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Just about to start shooting 8x10 again..semi retired now and have the time..and will to do it..

I have some Azo left over from years ago..and the camera is ready to go...bought a new Ebony 8x10 a few years ago and a Ries tripod recently..converted the back of the Ebony to shoot 4x10 and 5x8 as well... ala' Deardorff..put the 210xl on front.....oh yeah...lol..

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