Digital BW, The Print

Are there any workshops to help get a grip on the mechanics
of shooting with a LF camera?

Scott

ccolbertbw wrote:

> Diane,
> I shoot most of my BW (which by anyone's standards is woefully little),
> using a 4x5 field camera. I also have a 20D, which I use for all
> sorts of photography. No doubt the 4x5 wins - big surprise. It is easy
> to scan on a desktop scanner (an EPSON 3200), whereas 35 mm does
> not scan very sharply at all. I like the tons of small detail that 
> comes from
> the large format. One thing I don't see mentioned much, is that the
> printers can really print with a lot of resolution. You can see the 
> difference
> in the print from large files with lots of data, even in a relatively
> small print. Not to say that the smaller formats - digital or film -
> can't make a nice large image. It is more a question of visible 
> detail. And
> the ease in which you can transfer it to paper.
>
> A great way to see whether a larger format will make any difference
> to your final product is to try printing some big files. There are a large
> number of scans in the library of congress. For
> example, some of my favorites are Lewis Hines' images of children
> working in mills. Or the Wright brother's plane. You can download scans
> of their glass plates - 5x7 usually. I have used these for test prints
> sometimes when trying to tweak the printer. Download a couple of
> these and print them to see if they look any different than your
> current equipment. These ancient images look just wonderful and
> I think show off what a print from a big piece of film looks like.
> There are also test images from big Dslrs (say on dpreview) that you can
> download and compare. Never know which one you will like best.
>
> A view camera does take a lot more work than a hand held SLR,
> whether digital or not. Once you start putting the camera on a tripod,
> and with practice, the difference is somewhat less. After getting used
> to the view camera, and this is a big point, you feel like you have much
> less control of the camera when you don't have movements. Sure, the
> bigger format needs the movements to get acceptable depth of field,
> but all in all there are just more choices than deciding what's in the
> frame. That's fun and useful to some people, not so to others.
>
> Hope that adds something to the thread.
>
> Costa
>
>
>
>
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Diane Fields" 
> <picnic@c...>
> wrote:
> > Ken, I am, indirectly, asking about this also. I understand that 
> there is bias on all sides,
> but I also would like input from all sides. I can remain 'all digital' 
> or I can veer off and
> incorporate film/MF also---but realize that I will have to incorporate 
> a whole new support
> system for a different format--and that's not inexpensive. I'm quite 
> good at PS---and
> have done b/w conversions for a number of years, so that's not the 
> issue. The real issue
> is---will I find that I will end up with a 'better' image than I can 
> with digital. Today, the
> assumption by the salesperson was that I'm not 'contemplative' about 
> my photography--
> with the reality that that is part of most people's approach to 
> digital--lots of shots on a
> card, etc. However---I AM slow, contemplative, etc.--its part of my 
> creative nature (if you
> spent over 20 years as a textile artist/craftsperson with the many 
> MANY layers of
> 'process'---you learn how to plan and never ever have quick 
> gratification). So--I'm trying
> to determine where I want to go with this--and I am most interested in 
> the b/w print.
>
>
>
>
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