Large format photography for capturing the maximum detail
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- Sometimes you just need a bigger bit of film to adequately capture the scene, especially when it's one full of fine detail.
After a layoff of 18 months my 4x5 camera gets the dust blown off it and the lenses once again see the light of day. It's surprising just how natural it feels to be shooting with the view camera again but I admit that I'd forgotten just how hard it is to get the perfect shot!
Equipment Used
Intrepid 4x5 MkIII (with Mkiv base)
Velbon 655 tripod
150mm f/5.6 Nikkor
HP5+
Sekonic 508 spotmeter
Preview App
Mark II Artists Viewfinder (iOS only on the App Store)
Vlogging Equipment
GoPro Hero 10
Etsy Shop
steveonionspho...
Contact Details
Email: steveonions1@gmail.com Twitter: Steve_ONions / steve_onions Instagram: steveonions1 / steveonions1
Ahhhh yes, the old fingers crossed technique, never fails..........unless it's my fingers LOL!
Entertaining, educational, inspiring, well done mate 👍
Thanks John 🙂
I'm glad I'm not the only photographer with a troublesome tree.
Nice and entertaining as well. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Tony.
Good to see you dust off the cobwebs of the 4x5 Steve 😁. Really lovely image. Can't wait for for the next installment with the 8x10!
Thanks Rene, the 8x10 did get a run out and will be coming along here soon.
The dream camera 6x10. Sadly never used one! 4x5 my biggest and not for long. Undiagnosed ADD! No patience! One idea push the film ISO. I held with gloves a Edward Weston print !! It was so un-sharp in corners.. Modern shooters would have thrown lens and print away! The tones though Luvly. Keep soldiering on Steve. It's inspiration here at your place..
Thanks Jason. Sharpness is well overrated, even a good Ansel Adams print isn’t sharp like todays images.
Sir great eye wonderful first shot very differently shot your conclusion was spot on cheers.
awesome video once again thank you! would love to see 8x10 forest shots
Coming soon 😊
Beautiful shot
I really appreciate how you go through your thought process in these videos. I've learned a lot about the compromises that come from the format you choose to shot with. It really highlights how there is no one perfect camera, they all have strengths and weaknesses and you have to know when to use them.
Thanks Tim, glad you find the videos useful.
Ah the wind, even a breeze always comes as I’m tripping the shutter like some sort of tormentor. Still it’s better than what Im doing atm battling with Fujifilm software in our lab today. “ Computer says No!!”. Hardware issues now software issues. Oh to be in the woods right now. Tomorrow I’m off in the hunt for bluebells. A love hate with this little flower. You’ve got to get down low enough to get that carpet of colour dense enough. If it was easy it wouldn’t be a challenge or any fun. Great image btw.
Hope you got some bluebell shots Simon and also hope you sorted the dreaded IT issues out. I’d much rather wrestle with manual film gear than software any day.
“You’d be amazed how small the demand is for pictures of trees” Fred Astaire to Audrey Hepburn :)
I really like the first shot. I find the overwhelming advantage to large format for me isn’t the resolution (although I’ll take it) it’s the ability to individually expose and develop sheets to get a particular look without having to commit to a whole roll. Also the freedom to choose lenses. I particularly like soft focus lenses in the woods with a degree of backlighting, and the large negative means I can contact print.
Yes, individual sheet development solves so many problems and makes life easier than shooting roll films. 👍
Keeping track of the seasons is always fun, especially now when everything is changing from day to day. Taking pictures of those twigs is always a challenge. Even when it is not windy they are swinging around like mad. So you were very lucky here. Good luck with your project!
Thank you 🙂
Your reasoning is quite reasonable. Nice vid.
thank you, the large format is very interesting
I have just bought a MPP Micropress with a Schneider 135mm 4.7 lens.
I have just taken my first 2 pictures.
I used Fomapan 200 and dish developed them in Rodinal 1 to 25 for 5 minutes.
Excellent results.
Atget used Rodinal stand development, checking every 20 minutes or so under a red light until he got the look he was after.
Orthochromatic for sure 👍
Glad to see it working out well for you Neil.
Hey Steve, just wanted to say ive learned alot from your channel, I very much appreciate all you do and also i loved the 2nd shot in this video. just goest to show you art is so subjective. Kudos from North Carolina USA
Thank you 🙂
That first shot is sublime, Steve. Glad to see you out and about with large format again!
Thanks Christopher.
You're right about the slightly wider aperture improving the first shot. It provides a nice separation between foreground and background, giving it depth and dimensionality. And lovely detail/texture. It feels all scratchy.
Thanks Bob, it turned out a lot better than I had expected.
Glad you got LF again. However, given the situations you have had of late, I can truly see why you don't use it as much. Love your shots especially the first one.
Thanks Erich.
Hi Steve, in addition to your reasoning around where large format fits in for you, I'd add that it's always a great exercise for your technical skill. One that I benefit from at other moments, shooting other (smaller) camera's. Still shooting large format from time to time keeps me in that mindset as well. Also when shooting digital (which I rarely do anymore though), it keeps me sharp in my decision making, and I will try to make each shot count. I also love the challenge. If I don't challenge myself enough during shooting, I'll have a harder time getting into a flow state. If you've been doing something your whole life you need that sort of awareness to not stay stuck on a plateau or get bored.
Thanks for sharing, I really enjoy all your videos. Especially in those periods when I don't go out shooting, myself.
In addition, I often find it is not the extra resolution in film (which is of course a lovely thing and makes photographers feel good), but the process of how you make the image that helps. With a large format camera that is just a different way of working, which does all sorts of things to your creative process. Your favourite composition from this day, for example, also works very well (maybe even better!) at a small size for me.
I definitely had to think a lot more about what to shoot than if I’d been using roll film. The time and effort needed for each shot (not to mention developing) certainly makes you reluctant to ‘have a go’ with so so compositions.
Excellent point at the end. Shooting these sort or forest scenes got me in to large format and indeed it shines there.... but you do spend half your time waiting on wind!
I can’t wait for some windless days Bryce, being able to choose any aperture and film makes life so much easier.
Nice video, nice forest, watching this on the cellphone is pretty ironic, though!
Not quite the device for looking at a 4x5 scan Kalle 😊
hahahaha Steve , whilst we were away in Scotlaand we spent a lot of time looking for "O'Nion Trees" as I would use this reference to point out ideal trees for a photo to my wife, she then spent the holiday askig if this tree or that would qualify...lol you sir are an inspiration
Thanks Malcolm and I hope you found plenty of such trees 😀
@@SteveONions Actuallly my wife became quite good at spotting them and thanks to this there is a new landscape photographer in the making. I got a couple but they prove the very devil to capture effectively...BTW we watched one of your videos on our return and my wife recognised Delamere Forest before you mentioned where you were.... We stopped off there to break up the journey home lovely forest but alas we only spent one evening at the caravan park thaat backs onto it and I was too tired to make the most of the potential.
They've hacked it about a bit too much for my liking Malcolm, a few years ago it was a lot more dense and interesting.
Great video again!
Thanks Hajo.
Don't often see a poor composition from you Steve, but the first one is an absolute stunner so makes up for it! Nice to know you are only human for once!
Thanks David, I was pleased to get this first time after a long layoff with the big camera.
I love your videos!
Thanks Dave 😊
Thanks for posting, always inspiring.
Thanks Lee.
Perhaps you could use weather forcasts that predict winds below 5MPH to help decide when to go LF.
If only weather forecasts in the UK were accurate enough Dann, I’ve learned to go with whatever is thrown at me on the day!
I agree, that first shot made the setup.
Most of my large format for the last couple years has been hand held with my Speed Graphic -- but I recently got a Graphic View II (upgrade from my first-gen Graphic View) and I need to get it out and try it -- centered tilts both front and back makes Scheimpflug much easier (no need to refocus after adjusting tilt). Maybe next year's tax refund I can get a lightweight field camera or at least an Intrepid (the Graphic View, either one, is just a boat anchor to try to carry more than a few feet from the car).
I also prefer axis tilt over base tilt, far too much refocusing with the latter 👍
I prefer the 1st Sapling shot. It had the character of being mysterious and intriguing. Furthermore, one has to look for it . The 2nd was too obvious. Could you elaborate more when you said 35mm didn’t have sufficient resolution for this type of photography? Thanks
I find all that fine detail in woodland starts to break up with 35mm’s limited resolution, large format let’s you see everything clearly.
The other way to go with vast detail is simple 1 or 3 element lenses, and/or very grainy film. The grain "binds" the texture, and the lens ignores the fine stuff. In the wind vs exposure battle, I've sometimes wondered whether a tripod bush that fits trig points as the only support solid enough for British gales!
A high speed film can look great in the right conditions, makes it obvious that you’re not going for a detailed shot.
Nice! :)
When I first went to London, a friend told me: "If you don't like the weather in London... Just wait 15 minutes".
That’s what we say about New England weather. 😄
Where I live in southern Arizona, we have 4 or 5 months of really nice weather, 6 months of pure hell, and a couple weeks in the fall.
My in-laws in Newfoundland say the same thing too :)
They say the same thing in Iowa.
It’s a catchy phrase and people seem to apply it anywhere that has weather.
Very true!
Loved that opening image, can see why you was so pleased with it. I takle it this is Delamere? I look forward to your forestry explores with the big camera. atb Al
Thanks Alan, I mainly shoot large format close to home just so I know exactly where I’m going and can revisit as often as I like.
I was wondering where the LF went. Glad to see it return. That sapling was anything but an obvious subject. Amazing how you pulled it off. It may be me, bit that sounded longer than half a second. Not that it made any difference to the result .
Thanks Bernard. The shutter test I filmed was for the second sheet exposed at 1 sec so your ears did not deceive you 🙂
@@SteveONions Thanks for confirming that, Steve. Good to know I wasn't one-thou-ing for nothing.
I used to shoot on 35mm because thats all there was but I've moved to a Sony A7Rii 42Mpixel camera and its got the resolution and lack of noise I dreamt of years back. My lodger was totally into 35mm, it has a look, but then I build valve hifi amps and the old boys who grew up with valves think I'm daft!
Definitely a case of each to their own. I love the resolution of large format film and drama of 35mm, having so much choice is wonderful 👍
All the thought process, considerations and tribulations of a large format photograph in the making. Very well presented and explained, Mr O'Nions. Perhaps the new breed of trigger happy ' digital imagers ' should take note. How I love large format film photography. Thank you.
How is it for street photography?🙄
Maybe there are use cases where “trigger happy digital” has its utility.
😊
@@joeltunnah Street Photography? What is that?
@@lensman5762 Wiki actually has a good summary:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_photography
@@joeltunnah Ah, I knew that I had heard of that. Thank you. BTW, how does being trigger happy fits with all that? I am sure Cartier Bresson couldn't be that trigger happy with his Leica iii?
It's very static *points to fallen trees*. Made me chuckle. Perhaps you could have pushed HP5 to ISO 800 or 1600 to get a faster shutter speed.
Yeah, I can’t really think of a more dynamic place than my local woods, never the same twice 😀
I may be in the minority but I prefer the second image. I find the eye looking at me from the top left third creepy! I saw it as soon as the image appeared and didn't even see the sapling.
Fair point Brian, that’s the great thing about photography and personal preference 👍
I wonder if you had cropped the second shot to a square to eliminate the sky?
That’s a possibility 🤔
Hurray.. Steven got tired of the puny frames! Just kidding. Great work!
😊
Hi Steve, would you be able to make a video sometime about the Mamiya 645 format, and your thoughts on it? I'd be interested to know whether it's worth spending the extra money for a RZ67 or if the 645 is good enough for quality large landscape prints. Many thanks.
I haven’t had an M645 for 10 years now Thomas so I couldn’t do a proper comparison unfortunately 🙁
I could weigh in here, I use both an ancient Mamiya 645J and the RB67. I use the 645J for portraits, people, cats etc. handheld, and made 11x14inch prints no problems. The RB (the RZ is too electronic for me, and too pricey) is more for landscapes, studio stills, and other more controlled settings. While the 6x7 negatives are easier to work with, I could take either one to 16x20 prints without problems, which is the largest format I print. Steve has already proved that with a fine grain film you can get quality prints even from 35mm, but I don't enjoy printing from 35mm as much. Just my two cents.
You mention the 35mm format and (lack of) resolution…I have been neglecting my K1000 cameras for years. Have you shot Adox CMS 20 though? I am about to buy a few rolls soon. I quite enjoy shooting a K1000 since I started out with them…
I have shot with the Adox film a few times in the last 12 months, there are three videos that show my experiences with it.
Love LF and the sapling shot number 1 is lovely. What brand/model of cover are you using Steve when you are focusing? I need something other than a jacket or t-shirt :)
Thanks Morris. The dark cloth is made by Paramo, not cheap or super light but so well made and useful as a waterproof cover too.
@@SteveONions Cheers Steve 🍻👍
That first shot is really nice. How are you liking the Intrepid?
The Intrepid is fine for my purposes Alfred, the later models have a much better focussing mechanism. For a full time large format user something more robust and precise would be an advantage.
Excuse my math but the depth of field of a 4x5 camera @ f/22 is about the same as a 35mm @ f/8. @f/22 the 4x5 is diffraction limited to the equivalent of 8400x6200 pixels. The 35mm will resolve 6400x4300 pixels @ f/8. That's not a huge difference. And given the fact that 35mm lens are usually considerably better than large format lenses, the actual difference is probably smaller. And your exposure will be 8x shorter on the 35mm. So is large format image quality more myth than reality?
It is true that resolution and diffraction favour 35mm and 120 or 4x5 do not offer proportionally greater quality. The improved image quality of the larger formats relies as much on the better tonality given by the larger film area rather than any huge leap in sharpness. I have often been impressed by just how crisp 35mm negatives are when taken with quality fixed focal length lenses at optimum apertures, not something that is possible with most landscape scenes especially with 120 and 4x5.
@@SteveONions The tonal range of film is determined by the emulsion. It would be a interesting subject to investigate but would need to be objectively measured. Why would larger film have a greater tonal range? One of the problems I have noticed with many comparison videos is the subjective basis of the results.
Here is another problems: converting the film to digital. The results can be no better than the digital conversion.
I do enjoy your videos.