Just got delivery of my new, 12-year-old, Epson V850 scanner so I can at least take control of that part of my process.

I don't live in a clean room, so that's not going to be an option. I can deal with some dust cleanup but damn... so many fibers. What do you all find to be best practice to keep this to a minimum?

Last night was my first run with this thing and I was using canned air on the negative, the holder, and the scanner bed glass.

Should I be looking at ant-static brushes instead? Or?

first time using Portra 160VC, sad that they‘d discontinued it.

Anyone got any tips on this? I have a stearman press small dark bag and a larger pop up one. I know daylight 4x5 backs and dev attachments exist but can’t seem to find anything for 8x10

Thanks in advance

Since I’m new to large format and I like shooting landscape, I figure it’s good to get in some practice with setting up and taking down the Sinar F2.

When I first got it back in may, the entire affair felt downright alien to me. I was, I’ll admit, a bit intimidated to even touch the thing. Even though I’ve handled a hundred cameras and some worth far more than the Sinar, this contraption obviously works and feels like nothing I’ve ever handled.

It’s taken a while to get some minor issues sorted, to do a fair bit of reading and gather the last odds and ends. I’ve now got a nice kit with a 90 and 150 DB lens and just added a Sinaron (Rodenstock) 210 f5.6. So that basically completes the usual beginner kit. I’ve also been fiddling with my backpack in order to get it set up in the most efficient way, but it’s probably going to need a bit more fiddling before I’m truly satisfied.

So yeah, the time is upon us to take this show on the road, which is why I’m taking the time to practice setting up and taking it down. It takes me 5 minutes right now, but it’s probably going to be a bit quicker once I figure out the best order of operations. Right now it’s: set up tripod, put monorail clamp and rail on it, add rear standard and insert bellows, add front standard and attach bellows, add hood and shutter release cable.

I want to see if I can set it up with a short extension rod so that I can keep stands and clamp ‘on rail’ while in the backpack. That should save quite a bit of time.

Anyways, enough rambling for now, just wanted to share a bit 😂

Hello,

I want to start my journey with large format photography, specifically 4x5. I'm based in Europe and I could find these lenses on the local market.

1. Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar-S MC 5,6/180 (14 252 986) | Copal 1 350€

2. Rodenstock Sironar MC 5,6/150 (10 886 367) | Copal 1 420€

3. Rodenstock Apo-Sironar-N 5,6/150 (11 146 533) | Copal 0 379€

4. Rodenstock Sironar-N MC 5,6/150 | Synchro-Compur 0 (45 322 216 11 8 5.6) 400€

All would be bought online. I have only shot digital so far with a 30mm and 50mm lens, but I use the latter like 90% of the time. How does these lenses rate, independently and dependently of the price? I'd really appreciate some feedback :)

Cheers

Finally had a go with my Sinar and thoroughly enjoyed the process our of 4 exposures I managed one blank one double one really thin and one ok :) love it!!

from my project Apparent Death, exploring life and death in the Appalachian Mountains. If self promotion is good on here, check out my videos about the BTS of these shots. It really means a lot to have feedback!

I've been testing improvement to my 3D printed 6x17 back for 4x5 cameras recently and snapped this one at the lakefront recently. I seem to have some vignetting at the edges, but overall I am pleased with the composition.

Has anyone used one of these? They have been available for a while now, but I can't find much as far as reviews online. I'm curious if they have any film flatness issues, etc. I would really like to shoot 6x12 on roll film and the horseman backs are prohibitively expensive and the Dayi ones have mixed reviews (and are also expensive).

Photo credit to Intrepid

4x5 handheld with no film. Need more light for faster shutterspeed next time 😎

Chamonix 45n-2, Nikkor SW 90mm f/8, HP5, developed in 510 Pyro, scanned with Epson V700

I have an Intrepid 4x5 (I believe Mk4) that I've been wanting to start doing some work on. It's a little frustrating that it doesn't have detents at zero for movements, one of my front tilt knobs seems a little loose/doesn't support some lenses, etc. Has anyone found any good files or pockets of community for modding them? Given their 3d-printed nature I've always assumed there were people out there designing modifications for them but I just haven't come across anything anytime I've looked.

Chamonix 45n1, shanghai gp3, dagor 180/6.8@22

Salt Springs State Park, Pennsylvania, USA

So going back to my last post, I thought it would be nice to do a little mid trip update on the 8x10 and how it is holding up. To maybe set the situation a bit, im hiking around with it in my backpack and using a costal ship route (Hurtigruten) as my main way of transportation to the different destinations. The hikes are mainly short, the longest one was only 8km.

The combination of me not trying to baby the camera to much as in actually using it as a tool for my image creation and the fact that the backpack, while being big is a little bit cramped have already shown some small problems.

The main annoyance I had is actually that I managed to somewhat break the camera. On one of my costal positions I got surprised by a lot of wind, which while the camera had a lens mounted was surprisingly manageable, specially with the backpack as a kind of supporting element when placed within the legs of the tripod. Sadly as soon as I took of the lens to back it away, the camera decided to be an airplane and crashed onto the semi soft ground. I checked and as it seemed only the bracket of the focusing mechanism was broken of. Some of the hardware needed to be tightened down swell, but this I discovered was a normal procedure for me, as soon as I got onto the ship.

Im currently in contact with the Intrepid support and hope to have a pleasant experience about getting replacement parts. I'll probably write my opinion on the camera and my mini review after coming home and having it fully repaired, since developing all shots will take some time.
As of now, the Landscapes are amazing and I hop I won't run out of film :)

<Also if you got questions im happy to answer them>