CROWN GRAPHIC: Am I a **REAL** photographer?
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- Опубліковано 13 жов 2024
- In which I test my skills against the venerable Crown Graphic large format 4x5 press camera! The latest analog photography adventure, this time with even more expensive film!
this was surprisingly interesting. but it is after midnight and i should be sleeping.the detail was impressive. some of those images were intriguing but not haunting like the pinhole images. cool camera. enjoyed the video and the explanation even if i didn't quite follow what was being expressed. since i stopped using Instagram June of last year ive taken 147 images. ive sold some of them. in previous years ive taken 5000 + images and for what? i dont know. take care
I'm really late to this game, but your last shots were amazing! Thanks for a great video and great sharing. I'm about to make that leap to 4x5, can't say your experience is stopping me, but it certainly has tempered my expectations.
well, spoiler, but after I got rid of this camera I bought another one just like a couple of months later. It's my preferred way of making photos.
From what I've started to learn with a large format is you have to love the process more than wanting a bunch of photos.
I think your conclusion of bringing more vitality etc.makes perfect sense.
What about the even smaller mini Graphlex or a medium format back, there's many. Some backs have 3 choices of size. Also, there's a Lomograflok Instax Wide back from Lomography that looks very promising and there's lots of videos showing it. Here's another idea for the weight problem. Go to St. Vinnie's or Goodwill and get a golf club case cart, strap on a 5 gallon bucket and put warm clothes, gloves, food, drink, film, camera and whatever else you need inside, then cover it up with it's lid or a seated lid from hunting/fishing catalogs.
You can even get one of these tool wraps that go around the 5 gallon bucket to hold more on the outside and less inside. I would but a cheap foam exercise mat from the same stores and glue to bottom and sides inside of the bucket for added protection. I have used ones for years for carrying fishing gear and they're very easy to maneuver and really work well. You can strap on your tripod choice with bungee or velcro or twist tie straps or whatever ! If you would have had this in the first place, you'd still have that beautiful camera ! And as far as the money goes, if you set yourself up right, it will get so much use that it will pay for itself ! You know I'm right !
You got some great images and there's always speed bumps at first, but those are to be expected with such a large learning curve, but you do learn and it becomes easier and more intuitive with every shot. Thanks for the video. I had never seen you before, but I enjoyed it until I heard you got rid of it ! Then the first thought I had is you'll instantly regret it and either get it back or get another. They do make much lighter set- ups , but the cart will help for sure. Subbed. Regards, LarryMac
If you have a bathroom inside another room, you already have a darkroom. Darken the big room as much as you can, then darken the bathroom the same way and put a blanket under the door. The big room will filter out most of the light and any stragglers will be caught by the blanket and door.
If 4x5 is an ego thing, am I a Buddhist since I love my Olympus Pen?
Max, Max, Max.... I think you gave up too easily. I am nearly seventy years old, with a bum hip (getting replaced in a couple of weeks), and I carry a Crown Graphic (not field stripped), and a fairly heavy tripod, plus six film holders. Getting a bag that distributes weight properly is key. I use a 105mm lens as well, and I find the lens is sweet. On the processing side, I use a cheap Yankee 4x5 tank that cost me a whopping $30 on eBay, and holds eight sheets at a time. It's easy to load and avoids all scratches and uneven development marks after you learn how to "swirl" the tank rather than invert it. The images in your second round are spectacular, and I really think it would be worth a second go. Love your work and your superbly honest commentary, but I really think you should give it another go. The shift and tilt capabilities are great in nature, but even better in more urban work. I enjoy all of your videos very much. Andy
Thanks for this! I am already giving it a second try. :)
#askmax how much did your project cost if you converted it to pop tarts?
That was entertaining, but as a Crown Graphic enthusiast, I cringed when you removed the rangefinder and viewfinder to save weight. Those side rangefinders are so hard to get calibrated, and that one was probably set up for an Optar lens like the one you purchased. A few random remarks:
1. If you ever get back into it, and want to shoot a lot of frames with minimum weight, look into getting some Grafmatic film magazines. These hold 6 sheets and are no thicker than about 2 film holders.
2. If you ever get back into it with a Crown, read up on reversing the front standard. This gives you forward tilt, which is common for landscapes. The reverse tilt you get with the front standard in the normal position has to be combined with tilting the bed and front rise otherwise, which are real pains.
3. To get verticals without a heavy tripod, there is another tripod hole on the left side of the Crown, under the hand strap. That way you don't have to tilt a heavy camera off to one side of the centre of gravity of a tripod.
4. All that being said about the Crown, you would probably be less frustrated with a foldable field camera. I see various Toyo models often for sale on photrio, but yeah, they will cost at least 2 or 3 Crown Graphics.
5. Neat idea of doing the taco method in a stainless tank. I do the taco in a Patterson and have not had light leaks except one time I didn't lock the funnel down in the right position, but I do find some scratches. When I have 6 or more sheets to do, I use open Yankee tanks and film hangers and darken a closet with a shelf where I can work.
5. Photographing the negative and stitching is tedious. For large format, an Epson flatbed scanner does pretty well and saves time. Even a lowly V600 for under $100 can do 4x5 in two passes and one stitch and give you 10000x8000 pixels at 2400ppi. A V700 is better, but costs a lot more.
Responded! ua-cam.com/video/lGwn5PrXwpo/v-deo.html
Hoping that somewhere down the line, a for real darkroom finds its way into your future ;-)
What you need is a kodak 110. You can click away thousands of shots.
110? Ew.
I bit belated, but you obviously need a new pipe.
No more pipes!