The love of LF

[mperko]

I finally got around to scanning a 4x5 transparency today. I have a few more that I want to get scanned this week, but this was the one I was really looking forward to.

I shot this a couple of months ago for a school project. It is Santa Barbara harbor at sunrise. I used a Cambo 4x5 monorail with a 210mm f/5.6 Caltar II lens. I don't remember the shutter speed but I'm pretty sure this is f/32.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3642/3549358355_ef282892bf.jpg

What a laborious joy it is to work with the monorail. :)

[Terri]

It looks gorgeous, Matt. Crystal clear and sharp as a tack.

wheeee, I bet an enlargement of this will make you feel you can walk right into the image. That was the first "OMG" moment I had with my first few 4x5 negs - the depth of what's in them.

The range of blues in this is stunning. Yum, yum! :thumbup:

[mperko]

Thanks Terri :) I'll be making a couple of 11x14 enlargements from some 4x5 trans soon. I can't wait. The detail in the scan is amazing. I scanned this at 1000dpi, so there's plenty more resolution there.

[JC1220]

Nice job, keep up the LF work!

A Calumet/Cambo was my first LF camera.

[mperko]

Thanks JC. I also have a Graflex 4x5 field camera that I'm itching to use. I just had the lenses CLA'd and they are ready to go.

Btw, Terri, did you ever have your shutter tested? I was interested to find out that my 1/400 is only 1/230 when stopped down beyond f/11.

[Terri]

Thanks JC. I also have a Graflex 4x5 field camera that I'm itching to use. I just had the lenses CLA'd and they are ready to go.

Btw, Terri, did you ever have your shutter tested? I was interested to find out that my 1/400 is only 1/230 when stopped down beyond f/11.No - never even has occurred to me! :shock:

hmmm, that is interesting. Is this fairly common, I wonder, or maybe unique to certain bodies?

[mitica100]

Thanks Terri :) I'll be making a couple of 11x14 enlargements from some 4x5 trans soon. I can't wait. The detail in the scan is amazing. I scanned this at 1000dpi, so there's plenty more resolution there.

After you scan, check Adorama's special. Can't beat that.

http://www.adoramapix.com/?utm_source=ET&utm_medium=email&utm_content=AdoramaPix&utm_campaign=052209

Congrats on your LF experience.

[JC1220]

Btw, Terri, did you ever have your shutter tested? I was interested to find out that my 1/400 is only 1/230 when stopped down beyond f/11.


What type of shutter is it? It is common for older shutters that the speeds are not exactly what the setting says. What method are you using to check shutter speed?

[mperko]

My shutter is not that old. It's a copal shutter, and it is used, however from what my instructors have said, it is very common for most LF lenses stopped down past f/11 to be slow. Mine was tested by a local guy who fixes lenses. I have no idea how he tests them, but he gives you a detailed report of what each speed should be and what it is actually. From that test I have made a chart to keep with my camera which tells me how much correction I need for each speed, in 1/3 stop increments. It's been a learning experience. I also bought a 50 pack of Provia 100 and tested the EI to be 64. So between the two, no exposure is what it seems.

[mitica100]

There is a great company in California working primarily on fixing LF shutters. You might want to give them a call, they fixed one of my shutters. I sent it in looking like an old shutter with sluggish slow speeds and it came back looking brand spankin' new, CLAd in fully functional order.

Here's the link (http://www.flutotscamerarepair.com)

[JC1220]

A modern copal shutter should not change speed mechanically when stoped down, the iris is fixed behind the shutter mechanicals and the two don't interact. If the act of stopping down changes the actual shutter speed there is something not right with the shutter.

If an optical sensor device was used to determine shutter speed, they need a constant specific light source to be accurate and typically done wide open, as the act of stopping down will alter the amount of light falling on the sensor, changing how it takes readings. Something you can easily see yourself just like when you stop down to your desired stop and check your focus before taking a picture.

[mperko]

Well, all I can say is that our entire curriculum is based on having our shutter tested and compensating for the speeds that are off. There is one student in a class of 29 that has a shutter which is accurate all the way to 1/400. I'll scan my shutter test when I get a sec and show you.

Mitica, there's a guy here near Santa Barbara that fixed two of mine and did a great job. When he tested my Caltar lens, he said it was in great shape, nothing to worry about, and the speeds are slightly off, so it sounds to me like it's normal.

[JC1220]

You are correct, it is a mechanical device and there will be differences between shutters and it can change over time, like you said, as long as it is constant and you are aware of it, it is easy to make adjustments for the difference.