Another awesome video, Mat! I'm glad to see this topic covered. Movements are definitely one of the more foreign concepts to someone not well versed in large format.
I've just discovered your EXCELLENT videos. I wish they were around 15 years ago when I was first trying to understand movements from reading a book. Seeing it in real times is definitely much more helpful.
Thanks Robert! I was in the same boat and that's why these videos are here now. It can be tough trying to translate the theory from written word to practice, visuals definitely help!
Mat, you discuss using camera movements to increase the amount of things that are in focus without using a large depth of field, or small aperture. But you also know, and it might be an interesting episode as well, that the camera's swings and tilts can also restrict the portion of the image that is in sharp focus. But a great video with a lot of useful information. I especially appreciated that you used the lens plane to define the focus and the film plane to define the shape and explained it well. Thanks.
Love it. Keep em coming. I just got my FPP 4x5" film developer Patterson and Reel Combo Kit. Can't wait to use it. I love that it has the FPP stamp on it.
Happy to see someone keeping large format alive! Mat, I'd love to see you do a segment on large format portraiture. When and how to use movements for portraits just like they did in the old days of George Hurrell....or even earlier.
Hey Mike, thanks for the comments and suggestion. Portraiture and movements can be tricky, but can also help you out in a tough lighting and focus situation!
Had no idea there were cameras with rear rise and fall. Learning a lot from your videos just in the subtle things that might never come up in most conversations.
Hey, thanks for a super helpful explainer! I’m about to dip my toe into the large format world and this has really helped me get my head around what is possible with all the standard movements. Thanks 👍👍
I really enjoy these and appreciate what you are doing. I do wish though that in the case of movements you could have taken more time, perhaps provided more examples. Movements seem to be the hang up for a lot of folks. The actual examples and explanation of movements in this video was about 5 minutes. I hope I am not sounding negative. I look forward to your video every Friday. Just making a request: "May I have more, please". :)
Hey Jim, hope you stick around, this isn't the last video you'll see on this channel covering camera movements. My approach is cover the basics first, then graduate to more advanced. If you come into this not knowing what a tilt is, what does telling you about Scheimpflug help?
Another fantastic LF basics video! I was actually planning on researching this topic today and this was perfect timing! Looking forward to playing more with movements this weekend. Oh, and that shirt...👌
a great show, esp. for an in-depth look at the sinar, with the movements, but a couple of suggestions for future episodes, you have done a macro ep. but on the takahara, could you replicate one on the sinar, or do a tabletop still life with it; also in the "sinar, I love you" episode, you showed a filter system, but to date, you haven't done a lot about how you use them, and also for us sinar-ians (people who own them), what is the filter holder called, and how to mount it, the bar at the bottom is simple enough, I mean the plates that hold the filters themselves. Also how to use filters, aka for black and white as well as colour shooting, as for us digitally born, we have white balance to do colour correction, so we don't know what filters do, or how\when to use them ( the filters we know are ND and polarizer, which eliminate flare and glare).
great video, one way I personally remember which way to shift, is that the lens makes an image on film like an ice-cream cone, tip on the lens ( think of it in a vice), so front motion is on the tip of the cone, so L/R are equal, no reversal; on the rear, big end of cone!!, so think hour-glass, L=>R & R=>L following the edge of the hourglass shape, so motion is reversed! ( apart from normal "perspective" style reversal, when moving tripod head-panning/tilting- as there is NO prism or Mirror like in SLR/DSLR's to help you 'see' as your eyes do!).
By the way... Are you going to cover the relative strengths and weakness of size formats at some point ? Not the obvious stuff like cost, size and weight but more the stuff you only realise with experience. I'm not going to jump straight into 10x8 but it would be good to know what I might be missing out starting with 5x7 ..
So your first comment made me self conscious that people know I have a planning spreadsheet, now I'm scared that you've seen the thing! In all seriousness, there is an upcoming video for format strengths and limitations. I appreciate your feedback!
Great presentation and explanations! My problem with large format is simple: there is NO SQUARE aspect ratio available, meaning that to get the perfect symmetry embodied in the square, you must crop. If only someone had created a 4x4 film holder instead of the rectangular 4x5.
Thanks Joe! I got my big film break with a Hasselblad 500C, so I can see the love for square format. Unless you're looking into wet plate and specialty ultra large format, there's no "standard" square in large format.
A couple days ago I tried some rear tilt to expand the foreground. But I could not get the shot in focus. I will take the camera out today and try and figure this out.
One thing to remember when making swings and tilts (unless they're asymmetrical), you'll need to refocus, sometimes several times shifting from far to near each time to get it right where you want it. If the rear tilt applied is extreme, you may have to apply some front tilt to bring the plane of sharp focus back into a depth of field that's possible for your lens.
Is there a difference in front and rear shift in the effect it has? In other words if I bought a camera without rear shift could I produce the same effect or are they slightly different? And another thing, it is so confusing no one has designed some type of lens for digital cameras that had the movements of a large format camera. I realise there are tilt shift lenses but they barely scratch the surface. Even if it was pretty rudimentary with bellows and a frame around it. I realise you can get an adapter for 4x5 cameras that can mount dslrs but the lenses are more designed for large format and would probably mostly be too long for 35? Could be wrong would love peoples thoughts. I should just a 4x5, film is getting so expensive though and stocks are disappearing regularly.
Hi and thanks for the questions and comments. The linear movements like rise, fall, and shift are symmetrical from front to rear standard, except for the fact that on the rear standard they are mirrored (right shift = move left). There are plenty of adapters out there to use medium and large format lenses on 35mm digital cameras, my favorite being the one from Novoflex. This is a much better option than dedicated tilt shift lenses, but the focal lengths tend to be longer.
Hey there, i saw the article on fstoppers.com, they promoted the video, why large format cameras are better than digital ones. i unterstand all the tilting and shifting possibilities, also the resolution on film etc. but i still have one question... is there any large format-digital camera/sensor? i mean, not only the medium format ones, the big one! and are there any experiences with diy flatbed-scanner cameras?
Hi Bernd and thanks for the question. There are a very small handful of niche manufacturers making large format sensors. The price point is not for the faint of heart. LargeSense makes an 8x10 digital sensor with some pretty cool results. There's also many folks going the DIY flatbed option, but there are practical limitations there due to the nature of how the scanner captures light.
What do you do in a situation where you want to photograph a building, but you're a bit close and have to tilt the camera up...How do you combat the converging lines you're going to inevitably end up with? I've seen some close up shots from the likes of ansel adams where he's looking up at a building, but there's no converging lines.
Slow down there. If this was the first look at movement well then yes. Good video. I hope on your content planning spreadsheet you have some more entries to cover camera movements. You'd no sooner done one than you were off to the next. Yeh - for sure some of the movements are sorta obvious but others are there (I think) for specific scenarios. I'd also like more on why sometimes you move the rear standard and sometime why the front (or heck - even both). I know it's meant as bite size videos but I'd have liked to have seen more examples of scenes that need specific movements. The boxes on the table may not have been the best props to use. The section on perspective changes needs a video of it's own. Keep up the good work though . And yeh - cool tee.
Great question! Shifts (rise & fall included) have equal weight when applied on the front standard or rear standard. But remember, movements on the rear standard shift in the opposite direction since the image circle is projected 180 degrees flipped.
@@theonlygoggin There is a slight advantage to having base tilts, but most of the time they'll accomplish the same task. Tilting from the base will allow you to focus to the furthest point you want, and tilt the front to achieve focus on the near point you want with little/no refocusing required. If you start applying multiple movements, this advantage disappears.
Who doesn’t love Mat’s videos? Serious?
You surely know how great his feed is if you search and watch other video about Large Format thing.
Thanks!
Awesome explanation, I'm currently building 4x5 camera. I will implement some of the front movements
Another awesome video, Mat! I'm glad to see this topic covered. Movements are definitely one of the more foreign concepts to someone not well versed in large format.
Thanks Madison, this is one of the more fun aspects of large format for me, and one that is used on nearly every photograph.
I've just discovered your EXCELLENT videos. I wish they were around 15 years ago when I was first trying to understand movements from reading a book. Seeing it in real times is definitely much more helpful.
Thanks Robert! I was in the same boat and that's why these videos are here now. It can be tough trying to translate the theory from written word to practice, visuals definitely help!
One of the best explanations of LF camera movements I seen so far - and I looked around :-) - as you visualise the effect by showing the ground glass.
Thanks Axel!
Hi Mat, we need more like this!!!!! very good explained
Thank you so much! :)
Clearest explanation I've found (and I've looked around quite a bit) Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Extremely useful info here - many thanks! I have not shot a camera with a rising / tilt front for about 50 years, and really needed this refresher.
Thanks, glad this could be a refresher and hope you start shooting large format again soon!
Great explanations and the practical examples solidified everything for me
So cool . I love the one that a vertical slice is all the way in focus
Swings and tilts definitely bring a little more 3D into the two dimensions of our photographs!
Great demonstration, made things a lot clearer, thanks!
Mat, you discuss using camera movements to increase the amount of things that are in focus without using a large depth of field, or small aperture. But you also know, and it might be an interesting episode as well, that the camera's swings and tilts can also restrict the portion of the image that is in sharp focus. But a great video with a lot of useful information. I especially appreciated that you used the lens plane to define the focus and the film plane to define the shape and explained it well. Thanks.
Love it. Keep em coming. I just got my FPP 4x5" film developer Patterson and Reel Combo Kit. Can't wait to use it. I love that it has the FPP stamp on it.
Thanks Brian! Those reels that Jeff makes are awesome, what a combo!
Happy to see someone keeping large format alive! Mat, I'd love to see you do a segment on large format portraiture. When and how to use movements for portraits just like they did in the old days of George Hurrell....or even earlier.
Hey Mike, thanks for the comments and suggestion. Portraiture and movements can be tricky, but can also help you out in a tough lighting and focus situation!
Had no idea there were cameras with rear rise and fall. Learning a lot from your videos just in the subtle things that might never come up in most conversations.
Thanks! Many field cameras don't feature rear rise/fall, but the studio beasts come with everything and the kitchen sink!
Hey, thanks for a super helpful explainer! I’m about to dip my toe into the large format world and this has really helped me get my head around what is possible with all the standard movements. Thanks 👍👍
Glad it was helpful!
I really enjoy these and appreciate what you are doing. I do wish though that in the case of movements you could have taken more time, perhaps provided more examples. Movements seem to be the hang up for a lot of folks. The actual examples and explanation of movements in this video was about 5 minutes. I hope I am not sounding negative. I look forward to your video every Friday. Just making a request: "May I have more, please". :)
Hey Jim, hope you stick around, this isn't the last video you'll see on this channel covering camera movements. My approach is cover the basics first, then graduate to more advanced. If you come into this not knowing what a tilt is, what does telling you about Scheimpflug help?
@@MatMarrash No worries. As I said I look forward to your videos every Friday. Stay safe.
Thanks Jim, you do the same, and I want you to know I appreciate all feedback!
Awesome video, I have a 4x5 and I've never fully understood the movements! Thanks for posting.
Glad to help!
Amazing video thanks!
Tyler I'm glad you found it helpful! :D
Another fantastic LF basics video! I was actually planning on researching this topic today and this was perfect timing! Looking forward to playing more with movements this weekend. Oh, and that shirt...👌
Thanks Dave, happy shooting!
Great series Mat!
Thanks Ian!
I’d love to see an in-depth video on the scheimpflug principal.
Stay tuned, this is definitely not the last you'll be seeing movements mentioned on this channel.
Oh that barber shop image is great!
New series idea:
Large format hairdos 😂
(Another excellent video)
Now if only I could get it to stay up while using a darkcloth!
Sinar P2 forever,love it!
a great show, esp. for an in-depth look at the sinar, with the movements, but a couple of suggestions for future episodes, you have done a macro ep. but on the takahara, could you replicate one on the sinar, or do a tabletop still life with it;
also in the "sinar, I love you" episode, you showed a filter system, but to date, you haven't done a lot about how you use them, and also for us sinar-ians (people who own them), what is the filter holder called, and how to mount it, the bar at the bottom is simple enough, I mean the plates that hold the filters themselves. Also how to use filters, aka for black and white as well as colour shooting, as for us digitally born, we have white balance to do colour correction, so we don't know what filters do, or how\when to use them ( the filters we know are ND and polarizer, which eliminate flare and glare).
great video, one way I personally remember which way to shift, is that the lens makes an image on film like an ice-cream cone, tip on the lens ( think of it in a vice), so front motion is on the tip of the cone, so L/R are equal, no reversal; on the rear, big end of cone!!, so think hour-glass, L=>R & R=>L following the edge of the hourglass shape, so motion is reversed! ( apart from normal "perspective" style reversal, when moving tripod head-panning/tilting- as there is NO prism or Mirror like in SLR/DSLR's to help you 'see' as your eyes do!).
great video Mat . . . well done. please elaborate more on stopping down the lens or you shoot wide open?
By the way... Are you going to cover the relative strengths and weakness of size formats at some point ? Not the obvious stuff like cost, size and weight but more the stuff you only realise with experience. I'm not going to jump straight into 10x8 but it would be good to know what I might be missing out starting with 5x7 ..
So your first comment made me self conscious that people know I have a planning spreadsheet, now I'm scared that you've seen the thing! In all seriousness, there is an upcoming video for format strengths and limitations. I appreciate your feedback!
Great presentation and explanations! My problem with large format is simple: there is NO SQUARE aspect ratio available, meaning that to get the perfect symmetry embodied in the square, you must crop. If only someone had created a 4x4 film holder instead of the rectangular 4x5.
Thanks Joe! I got my big film break with a Hasselblad 500C, so I can see the love for square format. Unless you're looking into wet plate and specialty ultra large format, there's no "standard" square in large format.
A couple days ago I tried some rear tilt to expand the foreground. But I could not get the shot in focus. I will take the camera out today and try and figure this out.
One thing to remember when making swings and tilts (unless they're asymmetrical), you'll need to refocus, sometimes several times shifting from far to near each time to get it right where you want it. If the rear tilt applied is extreme, you may have to apply some front tilt to bring the plane of sharp focus back into a depth of field that's possible for your lens.
Mat Marrash Thank you I will try again and use front tilt and see how I do. :)
This is the real live Johnny bravo haircut
Would like to see Cambo Actus XL review and working with a digital camera
Is there a difference in front and rear shift in the effect it has? In other words if I bought a camera without rear shift could I produce the same effect or are they slightly different? And another thing, it is so confusing no one has designed some type of lens for digital cameras that had the movements of a large format camera. I realise there are tilt shift lenses but they barely scratch the surface. Even if it was pretty rudimentary with bellows and a frame around it. I realise you can get an adapter for 4x5 cameras that can mount dslrs but the lenses are more designed for large format and would probably mostly be too long for 35? Could be wrong would love peoples thoughts. I should just a 4x5, film is getting so expensive though and stocks are disappearing regularly.
Hi and thanks for the questions and comments. The linear movements like rise, fall, and shift are symmetrical from front to rear standard, except for the fact that on the rear standard they are mirrored (right shift = move left). There are plenty of adapters out there to use medium and large format lenses on 35mm digital cameras, my favorite being the one from Novoflex. This is a much better option than dedicated tilt shift lenses, but the focal lengths tend to be longer.
Hey there, i saw the article on fstoppers.com, they promoted the video, why large format cameras are better than digital ones.
i unterstand all the tilting and shifting possibilities, also the resolution on film etc.
but i still have one question... is there any large format-digital camera/sensor?
i mean, not only the medium format ones, the big one!
and are there any experiences with diy flatbed-scanner cameras?
Hi Bernd and thanks for the question. There are a very small handful of niche manufacturers making large format sensors. The price point is not for the faint of heart. LargeSense makes an 8x10 digital sensor with some pretty cool results. There's also many folks going the DIY flatbed option, but there are practical limitations there due to the nature of how the scanner captures light.
What do you do in a situation where you want to photograph a building, but you're a bit close and have to tilt the camera up...How do you combat the converging lines you're going to inevitably end up with? I've seen some close up shots from the likes of ansel adams where he's looking up at a building, but there's no converging lines.
Slow down there. If this was the first look at movement well then yes. Good video. I hope on your content planning spreadsheet you have some more entries to cover camera movements. You'd no sooner done one than you were off to the next. Yeh - for sure some of the movements are sorta obvious but others are there (I think) for specific scenarios. I'd also like more on why sometimes you move the rear standard and sometime why the front (or heck - even both). I know it's meant as bite size videos but I'd have liked to have seen more examples of scenes that need specific movements. The boxes on the table may not have been the best props to use. The section on perspective changes needs a video of it's own. Keep up the good work though . And yeh - cool tee.
Hey Richard, it's a challenging balance, but this isn't the last you've seen of movements on this channel. Thanks for the input!
today jimmy neutron taught me about film photography.
Is there any advantage to front rise vs rear rise and the same with shift, what advantages are there to a moving rear standard?
Great question! Shifts (rise & fall included) have equal weight when applied on the front standard or rear standard. But remember, movements on the rear standard shift in the opposite direction since the image circle is projected 180 degrees flipped.
@@MatMarrash thanks man, was wondering this for a while, couldn't get a concrete answer
Just one more thing, is there any advantage to base tilt over normal tilt?
@@theonlygoggin There is a slight advantage to having base tilts, but most of the time they'll accomplish the same task. Tilting from the base will allow you to focus to the furthest point you want, and tilt the front to achieve focus on the near point you want with little/no refocusing required. If you start applying multiple movements, this advantage disappears.
That hairdo is large format :-D
But can it go ultra-large format?!
Is that video sponsored by Sinar? 😆
It SHOULD be! Sinar if you're reading this, I LOVE your cameras. Oh and Arca-Swiss ain't half bad either. ;)
am I lagging wtf