I have been shooting the 90mm SW for about three years and it is my most used lens. That one and the 210 I also have a Nikon 65mm but really want the 150 so that is my next lens to buy.
The 150mm Nikon doesn't come up too often, more so the 8x10 SW version at f/5.6 and it is so expensive 😫. Its the only Nikon lens I don't own from the 65mm to 450mm.
This is how you make art with a camera. A normal pros are using a small computer that has a lens in front of it that we then take the data and put it in some form of another computer in order to generate a digital image. As such I feel that film is true photographic art at its best.
Film certainly renders light quite differently than a digital sensor, that is for sure. The lack of instant feedback and modern conveniences definitely makes it feel like more of an art to create an image, and I think the challenge of doing so is the thing I've been enjoying the most!
IMO you nailed that shot on Provia 100 given the lighting conditions. Velvia 50 would have really loved that light but it ain't easy to get in 4x5. Have you done any highlight exposure tests with reversal film? You can bracket expose a bright white textured surface and look for the shot where there is no more detail. Then you can meter the brightest highlights in your scene and know if they will go over not.
Thank you! I haven't done those tests yet, but I do have a couple rolls of 35mm that I need to use up and was considering doing that with them. Roll film seems to make sense for those types of technical tests
Hey Chris, great job and congrats on the new lens. It looks like a winner. I'm jealous of that little canyon area. Looks wonderful and has abstracts for days. Just the kind of place I love to shoot. When you return there, if you shoot B&W again (and if your lab offers it) consider doing some plus development. An N+1 or N+2 would give you more tonal separation and more local contrast. You did great in post and they look just fine (it's amazing what we can do so easily now with a scan compared to the darkroom) but I think you'd like seeing what expanded development can do. When I saw the first thin neg I wondered if maybe you needed some bellows extension given how close you were to the foreground, but the reciprocity explained it. Well, again, great job and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the "handful" of new lenses!
Thanks Scott! I've been a scaredy-cat about trying N+ development, haha. I'll have to get over it and give it a shot, I've been sending everything to North Coast so they'll do it no problem
@@ChrisDarnell what’s fun is to do N, N+1 and N+2 all on the same scene like you had there and then compare and see the difference. You slap ‘em all down on the scanner and make a proof sheet and see how they look side by side. Especially when you’re in testing mode anyway, it’s a good time to do it. BTW, I’m sending some stuff to North Coast tomorrow! Was out in the rainy forest this morning. Take care!
Chris, isn't it amazing when you set out to do a test shoot and come back with images that go far beyond your expectations! The lens is certainly an excellent purchase. Looking forward to your future tutorials. Cheers!
I’ve just ordered my first 4x5 and checking out lenses to use and came across your channel, really great lens reviews (this and the Nikon 150) and I’m impressed by what I’ve seen. Thanks for the lens reviews, pal! However, just browsing your channel and it looks like a really interesting channel to watch! Looking forward to seeing your other videos now. Thanks!! 😀
Chris, I was surprised you didn't put a bag bellows between that Nikkor 90mm lens and the back. Something to watch out for is including the end of your camera's monorail in the shot. Been there / done that! OOPS! When I was composing the shot wide open with my Nikkor 90mm lens,, I didn't see the tip of the monorail. But when I stopped down and exposed the shot, it materialized. Fortunately, I could crop the shot and the client didn't care. But, lesson learned. The best way to avoid that mistake is to use a short rail and move the front standard forward to the very end. Then move the rear standard toward the lens. That way the wide angle lens will *always* be forward of the end of the rail. Terry Thomas... the photographer Atlanta, Georgia USA
Great idea on the monorail there, that sounds like a mistake I would totally make, haha. So my 90mm lens copy came mounted in a recessed Linhof board so I'm able to focus with my normal bellows, although it does restrict me quite a bit on movements so I recently picked up a bag bellows but I haven't shot with it yet.. I think I'll take that out and give it a try in the near future!
@@ChrisDarnell One thing I ran into with my 90mm or 75mm lenses pushed all the way forward on the monorail was when I moved the rear standard forward, a whole lot of unused monorail was sticking out behind everything. Even the shortest monorail that Cambo sold was too long. I kept hitting the extended end with my chest or shoulder while trying to compose or focus. So I bought a spare monorail from an eBay seller and had a machine shop cut it to a length that I liked. You might want to do something similar for your Toyo. Terry Thomas... the photographer Atlanta, Georgia USA
Using a spot meter, If you placed that specular high light in zone 9 the rest will follow 8,7,6 that your average middle bump 1/2 stop over exposed your whites will be pleasant Zone 6 whites. It takes time and repetition, slide 4x5 are tough but once you iron out your techniques, you will have a well thought out planned photo shoot
Nice work Chris. You did what you set out to do with the new lens. You know the photographer is the most critical judge of his or her work so enjoy the process and congratulate yourself on the results. Looking forward to more videos. Thanks guy...
Just came across your site today. The falls and the second B&W of the rock wall were both very well done.Look forward to seeing more of your experiences.
Got that Nikon lens a while back which I use on my intrepid, I’ve not tried it at F45 yet, good to see the results at that aperture. Must try that technique where you focus closed down to a smaller aperture.
I’ve been working with my Nikon 90mm all the way open at f/4.5 about 95% of the time but it’s those times when you have a close object that also has depth that I’ve found myself chasing my tail trying to place the plane of focus. In those cases I’ll stop down to f/8 or even smaller and make the last 5% focus tweak. That’s typically been the last thing I do before locking everything down and making the exposure
Thank you for a great video I learned quite a bit I'm a professional photographer and I have a lot of experience with medium format film but I think I'm ready to try and tackle large format. The detail that comes out in the negatives the transparencies and the prints just always blows my mind.
Thank you for watching! I agree the detail is incredible, that was the most rewarding thing to me when I saw my first exposures and solidified large format in my mind
Just wanted to say regarding exposure... rules for film and digital are pretty much inverted. It's very difficult for film to recover shadows, but very easy for film to recover highlights. If it were me, I would've exposed for the shadows on the rocks, but that's just me. With digital the inverse is true, and you can pull detail from super dark shadows, but not from highlights. There are some good videos on UA-cam explaining this. Film overexposed by ~6 stops can typically be developed and scanned back to perfect exposure, but underexposed film is getting into more dangerous territory and there's very little information down there.
Excellent. You'll have to buy some carpet fitter knee pads for your next ground level shots👍. You seem to be getting on with the camera movements ok? Keep up the good work.
Hi Chris, thanks for sharing this video. The photos are great, given they were test shots, I particularly liked the second black and white image. I recently bought the Nikon 90mm lens and can`t wait to use it. I find your work a joy and look forward to seeing the results of your other lenses.
Merci beaucoup pour ta vidéo, je sais maintenant que je peux acheter ce Nikkor W 90mm, par ailleurs la photo que tu as faite en Provia 100 est extraordinaire , félicitation ! pour le B&W je préfère les résultats avec du FP4 + ou Du Trix 320, mais ce n'est qu'une histoire de goût ! Un grand Bravo à toi pour cette démonstration !
Merci beaucoup d'avoir regardé ! Récemment, j'ai découvert que j'aime aussi beaucoup Tri-X, je n'ai pas encore essayé FP4 mais j'ai l'intention de le faire dans un avenir proche. Bonne chance dans votre recherche de 90 mm et prenez soin de vous !
the rocks look good, and don't fret, if the neg's thin, just dodge & burn the print, and/or multi-grade filter it, to adjust contrast; also a selenium toning might work with this (see Ilfords' video with Rachael Brewster Wright), this video is of a wedding shoot, and the bride has tattoos, but look at the treatment, generically, and you will see what I mean, it goes a nice seinna, this would be great here.
Thanks Chris, the last shot is my favorite, recovered nicely from the thin neg. I picked up some good tips from you here as well, stopping down a bit to focus and keeping T-Max reciprocity in mind, didn't know it fell off so quickly.
Thanks Bill! Yeah the official TMax data sheet shows to add +1/3 stop for exposures 1-10 seconds long, although I've seen a few alternate reciprocity charts out there based on other's experiences so it seems some of that is open to interpretation and preference. My approach has been to go with the official Kodak recommendations until I gain my own experience. Either way, it's something I wasn't paying attention to. Although I can't blame all the thin negatives on that alone, a good chunk of that is my metering technique as well, haha 😣
one other trick, if you can't hear the timer, do a multi-exposure, as a single 4 second exposure is equal to four 1 second exposures, so that the shutter times itself, and could also be more accurate, as it is the 'slow' gears inside that do the timing, not the stopwatch + your reaction time + the mechanics action time! all to close the shutter, might be minute, but still an extra delay on closure of the shutter.
Very nice Chris. I was particularly impressed with the final shot of the rock ledge with the small rocks in the cracks. With the latitude of the scene, the sharpness was excellent from near to far, at least on my monitor. I was surprised there was no apparent softening in that scene.
Thank you! I believe it would, in the past I've been able to get a 75mm to focus on an Intrepid 4x5 so I don't see why this one wouldn't. You might want to get a recessed lens board along with it though to give you a little more freedom for movements
Thanks for the video. I shoot scenics with a 90mm f/5.6 Fujinon on a 4x5 inch large format monorail. I also flank my 90 lens with a Fujinon 135mm f/5.6 and a Schneider 65mm f/8 Super-Angulon. What other lenses do you normally carry with your 90?
I liked the first b&w shot it’s had more range of contrasting textures although the contrast could have been higher. Are you using a spot meter and the zone system and adjusting your exposure that way? I have the f8 version of this lens and love it although it is a little darker. The Nikons at least have a 235 mm image circle though so you can really move the lens around and even shoot them on 5x7 which gives you a 18mm equivalent on 35mm. 2 1/2 stops light fall off though so you have to have a centre ND. Regards Gerry
Thanks Gerry! I am indeed using a spot meter and a sort-of modified version of the zone system, although I haven't experimented with any of the push/pull processing techniques or anything yet. I think that will be a particular focus area for me in the future at some point when I have the time to get more into developing at home
Nice work. I loved the photograph of the rapids. I liked both of the ones of the lines in the rocks. I think the second may have had a little more point of interest, but I’m having a debate with myself now whether a photograph can just be of line or texture or if it needs a subject.
Thanks Jim! I agree, and I'm also currently going through some exploration on what constitutes subject matter. I think it tends to make me a bit unsure about compositions but its also helping me learn!
Loving these videos! I’m just getting my setup together (Cambo monorail so far). Looking forward to getting out to the mountains and getting some landscapes soon!
Considering how new you were with the camera at that point, you really nailed the movements beautifully! That alone is something to be really proud of. And sounds like you’ve learned to always check your reciprocity factors with each film you get from now on ;-) Just found your channel as I’m thinking of getting the 45-G since I can’t justify the 125-LX at the moment and wanted to see if anyone had done a field use review of it…. Really loving your vids
yes it looks easy, but it does take some maths, or, with some cameras, sinar f2's for example, have a calculator 'aboard', finding the 'angles' and the f stop, just by focusing on one part, for or aft, then zeroing the scales, then move to the other point, tada!, the calculator has figured what dof is, and the 'plane of focus' so just set and forget, a bit like the ballistic computers for long range shooters, all the hard stuff is done for you, just select the subject, set as per calc. and shoot, the shutter that is!
Hi Chris I have your exact same model of Toyo 4x5 monorail. Its a beautiful very strong steady in its movements, no flimsiness in it, monorail camera which I love. I have the Schneider super angulon f 5.6 90mm lens which has the same image circle of 235 mm as your Nikon @ f22. Both lenses should allow for lots of camera movement without vignetting. But there's not much bellows extension at infinity focus and camera movements might be difficult, consequently. A recessed lens board or bag bellows is probably a better option for this lens. I think the Nikon is a better lens I think because it opens up to f 4.5 and even if you don't want to shoot at this aperture it will make it a lot easier to focus on the ground glass
Thanks Tony! I recently picked up a bag bellows for my camera and I have been meaning to take it out and give it a try. You’re absolutely right, camera movements are pretty restricted but my Nikon copy actually came mounted in a recessed board so that bought me back some movement. I agree that the bag is probably a better option on tricky scenes though; here soon I hope to get out with mine and see what kind of crazy compositions I can twist the camera into 😀
I love your video’s. You are so relaxed and calm. I have the same light meter but i dont really understanding how i can het the best results with color film. Can you give me some advies how you meter a scene of make a video about it maybe? I do mostly meter for the darkest part in the frame and then schange it about -2/-3 stops. No idea if this is the correct way. Looking forward to your next video!!!
Thank you! I definitely plan to do a video on metering at some point, probably a few in reality but the truth is it's a topic that I still have a ton to learn about myself. It may take me some time to feel confident that I have enough experience to communicate a reliable technique to others so I apologize for the delay, but those videos are certainly coming in the future. For now I can tell you that where I am in my own personal learning is trying to teach myself to recognize middle tone (zone 5). Once you can consistently place middle tones it's all about using the meter readings to visualize in your mind how the darker/lighter tones in the scene will fit within the dynamic range of the film you're shooting with and adjusting accordingly. Your trick of metering the darkest parts and then placing those at -2/-3 is all about trying to appropriately place the middle tone, which is where the orange mark on the Pentax meter is. That will work on some scenes, but you'll run into trouble when trying to photograph something that doesn't really have much for dark tones in it. That is less of an issue on negative films with lots of dynamic range but it becomes really problematic on color slide film where it's a lot less forgiving. For example in this video I photograph that rock wall along the creekside which is made up almost entirely of middle gray tones; if you metered that and placed those tones at -2/-3 on color slide film you might find that the entire image came out underexposed and parts of it would be pure black. In fact, the TMax black and white film I was shooting came out underexposed for this exact same reason, but because the film is much more forgiving I was still able to salvage an image out of the negative. That would have been a disaster on color slide film; and the mistake I was making here is related to not being able to accurately place the middle tone at zone 5.
@@ChrisDarnell thank you for your clear and elaborate explanation. Haven't been able to test it much in practice yet but have been able to take 2 pictures via the way you explained it and the results were actually very good!
great shots, but one thing I noticed, the Rail hasn't got the cap screw on one end, esp. important when you point that end down!!, as this acts as a safety in case you accidentaly release the rail-clamp, instead of the fine focus knob!!- saves the standard carrage!!
Great observation Andy, haha. I actually didn’t receive the end cap for my monorail; I have the one for the extension but not for the base rail. I suppose I’ll have to keep an eye out for a replacement before tragedy strikes.
@@ChrisDarnell yes, but researching these "sinar" or like monorail cameras, these extensions have the same caps, so you can 'borrow' the one off the extension, and use it for the base.
GOOD :) Light fall off using a modern wide angle on 4x5 with modest camera movements often does not require a center to correct for inherent light fall off of any modern view camera wide angle lens. Do apply a GOOD high power magnifier (20x or ideally a high quality microscope) to get some idea of the amount of information recorded on the color transparency film. This might amaze and surprise. And why folks at the beginning of the view camera journey need to stay with modern lenses from Rodenstock, Fujinon, Schneider, Nikon in known accurate shutters in good condition. While there are folks interested in view camera for the "vintage" aspects making images with century old lenses, camera, process, it all comes down to image goals. Primary to using ANY view camera is the basics which is best learned using known properly functional gear and film materials. Once these foundational skills have been learned good, using any view camera and it's related image producing process is much the same.
Thanks! I had heard that about light fall-off on the Nikon 90mm and was hoping that would be the case, but it was nice to see that confirmed in the exposures. I think the best loupe I have is 10x, but I agree it's quite amazing what detail is captured!
@@ChrisDarnell Light fall off is enforced by the laws of Physics that is used to design and produce these view camera wide angle lenses. No manufacture escapes this way of Nature. Nikkor did not make center filters to compensate for this innate light fall off, Schneider, Rodenstock did and they work fine with this Nikkor 90mm if needed. Reason why 90mm became such a popular wide angle focal length for 4x5 is the trade off of light fall off, angle of view and large image circle allowing ease of applying camera movement. These modern 90mm lenses easily cover the next film format up which is 5x7 or 13x18cm. 4x ground glass magnifier is not enough, 10x is a bit much, 7x is about ideal. Calumet and Horseman distributed a 7x loupe made by Peak years ago. These work good, this is the GG loupe that has used since the late 1980's to this day for view camera work. Do consider re-mounting this 90mm lens into a standard flat lens board in place of the recessed lens board. Flat lens board makes the lens much easier to use. Recessed lens boards are required for field folders that cannot compress enough to make a 90mm lens focus on the field folder. With a monorail camera like your Toyo, a recessed board is not really needed. Do consider a bag bellows as it will allow full camera capability of this 90mm. Bag bellows can help much to reduce flare (contrast reduction) due to stray light flying around then bouncing around inside the camera bellows. The larger internal area of a bag bellows gives the internal stray light from the lens image circle a place to go reducing the amount of this stray light hitting the film.
I have been shooting the 90mm SW for about three years and it is my most used lens. That one and the 210 I also have a Nikon 65mm but really want the 150 so that is my next lens to buy.
I've been looking at that 210 for a bit myself.. the 150 is one of the few I recently picked up 👍🏻
The 150mm Nikon doesn't come up too often, more so the 8x10 SW version at f/5.6 and it is so expensive 😫. Its the only Nikon lens I don't own from the 65mm to 450mm.
This is how you make art with a camera.
A normal pros are using a small computer that has a lens in front of it that we then take the data and put it in some form of another computer in order to generate a digital image.
As such I feel that film is true photographic art at its best.
Film certainly renders light quite differently than a digital sensor, that is for sure. The lack of instant feedback and modern conveniences definitely makes it feel like more of an art to create an image, and I think the challenge of doing so is the thing I've been enjoying the most!
Those are some great shots Chris. Look forward to seeing some images from your other lenses. 👍
Thank you!
IMO you nailed that shot on Provia 100 given the lighting conditions. Velvia 50 would have really loved that light but it ain't easy to get in 4x5. Have you done any highlight exposure tests with reversal film? You can bracket expose a bright white textured surface and look for the shot where there is no more detail. Then you can meter the brightest highlights in your scene and know if they will go over not.
Thank you! I haven't done those tests yet, but I do have a couple rolls of 35mm that I need to use up and was considering doing that with them. Roll film seems to make sense for those types of technical tests
daaang, that's a beautiful location. Thanks for sharing your photo adventure.
Thanks for watching Frank!
Hey Chris, great job and congrats on the new lens. It looks like a winner. I'm jealous of that little canyon area. Looks wonderful and has abstracts for days. Just the kind of place I love to shoot. When you return there, if you shoot B&W again (and if your lab offers it) consider doing some plus development. An N+1 or N+2 would give you more tonal separation and more local contrast. You did great in post and they look just fine (it's amazing what we can do so easily now with a scan compared to the darkroom) but I think you'd like seeing what expanded development can do. When I saw the first thin neg I wondered if maybe you needed some bellows extension given how close you were to the foreground, but the reciprocity explained it. Well, again, great job and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the "handful" of new lenses!
Thanks Scott! I've been a scaredy-cat about trying N+ development, haha. I'll have to get over it and give it a shot, I've been sending everything to North Coast so they'll do it no problem
@@ChrisDarnell what’s fun is to do N, N+1 and N+2 all on the same scene like you had there and then compare and see the difference. You slap ‘em all down on the scanner and make a proof sheet and see how they look side by side. Especially when you’re in testing mode anyway, it’s a good time to do it.
BTW, I’m sending some stuff to North Coast tomorrow! Was out in the rainy forest this morning. Take care!
2nd wall composition does it for me!
Thanks Ricardo!
Chris, isn't it amazing when you set out to do a test shoot and come back with images that go far beyond your expectations! The lens is certainly an excellent purchase. Looking forward to your future tutorials. Cheers!
Thanks Jay!
I’ve just ordered my first 4x5 and checking out lenses to use and came across your channel, really great lens reviews (this and the Nikon 150) and I’m impressed by what I’ve seen. Thanks for the lens reviews, pal!
However, just browsing your channel and it looks like a really interesting channel to watch! Looking forward to seeing your other videos now. Thanks!! 😀
Thanks Olly and welcome!
Excellent results. Good to see you are enjoying your LF experiences in the field.
Thanks Gregg!
Great work! Have the same 90mm and it is a lot of fun to shot with. Keep up the awesome work!
Thank you!
Slide film looks so amazing in large format!
Sure does, thank you!
Another great video Chris. I’m slowly putting together a 4x5 kit and videos like this are both enjoyable to watch and educational. Thank you.
Thanks Matt! Good luck on your kit!
Chris, I was surprised you didn't put a bag bellows between that Nikkor 90mm lens and the back.
Something to watch out for is including the end of your camera's monorail in the shot. Been there / done that! OOPS! When I was composing the shot wide open with my Nikkor 90mm lens,, I didn't see the tip of the monorail. But when I stopped down and exposed the shot, it materialized. Fortunately, I could crop the shot and the client didn't care. But, lesson learned.
The best way to avoid that mistake is to use a short rail and move the front standard forward to the very end. Then move the rear standard toward the lens. That way the wide angle lens will *always* be forward of the end of the rail.
Terry Thomas...
the photographer
Atlanta, Georgia USA
Great idea on the monorail there, that sounds like a mistake I would totally make, haha. So my 90mm lens copy came mounted in a recessed Linhof board so I'm able to focus with my normal bellows, although it does restrict me quite a bit on movements so I recently picked up a bag bellows but I haven't shot with it yet.. I think I'll take that out and give it a try in the near future!
@@ChrisDarnell One thing I ran into with my 90mm or 75mm lenses pushed all the way forward on the monorail was when I moved the rear standard forward, a whole lot of unused monorail was sticking out behind everything. Even the shortest monorail that Cambo sold was too long. I kept hitting the extended end with my chest or shoulder while trying to compose or focus. So I bought a spare monorail from an eBay seller and had a machine shop cut it to a length that I liked. You might want to do something similar for your Toyo.
Terry Thomas...
the photographer
Atlanta, Georgia USA
Very nice work. Great to admit you're learning, and I a newbie, are learning with/from you.
Thanks Darryl!
Using a spot meter, If you placed that specular high light in zone 9 the rest will follow 8,7,6 that your average middle bump 1/2 stop over exposed your whites will be pleasant Zone 6 whites. It takes time and repetition, slide 4x5 are tough but once you iron out your techniques, you will have a well thought out planned photo shoot
Nice work and great info. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Nice work Chris. You did what you set out to do with the new lens. You know the photographer is the most critical judge of his or her work so enjoy the process and congratulate yourself on the results. Looking forward to more videos. Thanks guy...
I'm definitely my worst critic, so it's nice to be reminded from time to time. Thanks Wayne!
Just came across your site today. The falls and the second B&W of the rock wall were both very well done.Look forward to seeing more of your experiences.
Thank you!
I wish I could take photos like that! 4x5 is not as easy as it looks! Keep up the great work.
Thanks Edwin! Definitely not easy, haha!
Hi Chris. Your doing what I will do again in the future. Have multiple toyo’s 4x5s.✅like your show. With lots of different lens to try.
Thanks Mike, best of luck and I hope all goes well!
Got that Nikon lens a while back which I use on my intrepid, I’ve not tried it at F45 yet, good to see the results at that aperture. Must try that technique where you focus closed down to a smaller aperture.
I’ve been working with my Nikon 90mm all the way open at f/4.5 about 95% of the time but it’s those times when you have a close object that also has depth that I’ve found myself chasing my tail trying to place the plane of focus. In those cases I’ll stop down to f/8 or even smaller and make the last 5% focus tweak. That’s typically been the last thing I do before locking everything down and making the exposure
Thank you for a great video I learned quite a bit I'm a professional photographer and I have a lot of experience with medium format film but I think I'm ready to try and tackle large format.
The detail that comes out in the negatives the transparencies and the prints just always blows my mind.
Thank you for watching! I agree the detail is incredible, that was the most rewarding thing to me when I saw my first exposures and solidified large format in my mind
Really been been enjoying your videos Chris, keep it up!
Thanks Jake!
Props for shooting slide film!!
Thanks! There have certainly been ups and downs.. haha
Great work Chris! I really like the image at 14:33. Looks like the new wide angle lens is a keeper!
Thanks Brian! I think so.. it's been great to work with!
Just wanted to say regarding exposure... rules for film and digital are pretty much inverted. It's very difficult for film to recover shadows, but very easy for film to recover highlights. If it were me, I would've exposed for the shadows on the rocks, but that's just me. With digital the inverse is true, and you can pull detail from super dark shadows, but not from highlights. There are some good videos on UA-cam explaining this. Film overexposed by ~6 stops can typically be developed and scanned back to perfect exposure, but underexposed film is getting into more dangerous territory and there's very little information down there.
Yeah totally overexpose all your slide film by atleast 2 stops and just recover the highlights in post 😂
Excellent. You'll have to buy some carpet fitter knee pads for your next ground level shots👍. You seem to be getting on with the camera movements ok? Keep up the good work.
Thanks Kit!
You channel popped up in my feed, I like what you doing Chris, subbed! 😉
Thank you Craig!
Hi Chris, thanks for sharing this video. The photos are great, given they were test shots, I particularly liked the second black and white image. I recently bought the Nikon 90mm lens and can`t wait to use it. I find your work a joy and look forward to seeing the results of your other lenses.
Thank you Duncan! Congrats on the 90mm, it's been a fantastic lens!
Fine work Chris try looking up the masters of photography on tube it is a true treasure.old analog guy here peace.
Merci beaucoup pour ta vidéo, je sais maintenant que je peux acheter ce Nikkor W 90mm, par ailleurs la photo que tu as faite en Provia 100 est extraordinaire , félicitation ! pour le B&W je préfère les résultats avec du FP4 + ou Du Trix 320, mais ce n'est qu'une histoire de goût ! Un grand Bravo à toi pour cette démonstration !
Merci beaucoup d'avoir regardé ! Récemment, j'ai découvert que j'aime aussi beaucoup Tri-X, je n'ai pas encore essayé FP4 mais j'ai l'intention de le faire dans un avenir proche. Bonne chance dans votre recherche de 90 mm et prenez soin de vous !
the rocks look good, and don't fret, if the neg's thin, just dodge & burn the print, and/or multi-grade filter it, to adjust contrast;
also a selenium toning might work with this (see Ilfords' video with Rachael Brewster Wright), this video is of a wedding shoot, and the bride has tattoos, but look at the treatment, generically, and you will see what I mean, it goes a nice seinna, this would be great here.
Thanks Chris, the last shot is my favorite, recovered nicely from the thin neg. I picked up some good tips from you here as well, stopping down a bit to focus and keeping T-Max reciprocity in mind, didn't know it fell off so quickly.
Thanks Bill! Yeah the official TMax data sheet shows to add +1/3 stop for exposures 1-10 seconds long, although I've seen a few alternate reciprocity charts out there based on other's experiences so it seems some of that is open to interpretation and preference. My approach has been to go with the official Kodak recommendations until I gain my own experience. Either way, it's something I wasn't paying attention to. Although I can't blame all the thin negatives on that alone, a good chunk of that is my metering technique as well, haha 😣
one other trick, if you can't hear the timer, do a multi-exposure, as a single 4 second exposure is equal to four 1 second exposures, so that the shutter times itself, and could also be more accurate, as it is the 'slow' gears inside that do the timing, not the stopwatch + your reaction time + the mechanics action time! all to close the shutter, might be minute, but still an extra delay on closure of the shutter.
That's a great idea, and also one to remember for the next time I forget my stopwatch!
Very nice Chris. I was particularly impressed with the final shot of the rock ledge with the small rocks in the cracks. With the latitude of the scene, the sharpness was excellent from near to far, at least on my monitor. I was surprised there was no apparent softening in that scene.
Thanks Philip! It's been a fun challenge to see how much I can get in focus with movements, I'm happy you noticed!
Beautiful shots! I'm thinking of getting into 4x5 and would want a wide angle lens. Would this work on the Intrepid model?
Thank you! I believe it would, in the past I've been able to get a 75mm to focus on an Intrepid 4x5 so I don't see why this one wouldn't. You might want to get a recessed lens board along with it though to give you a little more freedom for movements
Thanks for the video.
I shoot scenics with a 90mm f/5.6 Fujinon on a 4x5 inch large format monorail.
I also flank my 90 lens with a Fujinon 135mm f/5.6 and a Schneider 65mm f/8 Super-Angulon.
What other lenses do you normally carry with your 90?
Lately I’ve been carrying my Nikon 150mm f/5.6 and a Fujinon 300mm f/5.6; I suppose my approach has been to have a wide, medium, and a longer option
I liked the first b&w shot it’s had more range of contrasting textures although the contrast could have been higher. Are you using a spot meter and the zone system and adjusting your exposure that way? I have the f8 version of this lens and love it although it is a little darker. The Nikons at least have a 235 mm image circle though so you can really move the lens around and even shoot them on 5x7 which gives you a 18mm equivalent on 35mm. 2 1/2 stops light fall off though so you have to have a centre ND. Regards Gerry
Thanks Gerry! I am indeed using a spot meter and a sort-of modified version of the zone system, although I haven't experimented with any of the push/pull processing techniques or anything yet. I think that will be a particular focus area for me in the future at some point when I have the time to get more into developing at home
Fine shot's and I know this is a bit sacrilegious to you shooting 5x4 but the B&W shots look suitable for a pano crop :-)
Haha, it can certainly be hard to cut off all those hard earned pixels but I think I agree. Thanks Andrew!
@@ChrisDarnell LOL but you have them to burn :-) I'm waiting on my first drum scans on some 6x7s, can't wait.
I bought a 65mm just for Pano crops :)
Nice work. I loved the photograph of the rapids. I liked both of the ones of the lines in the rocks. I think the second may have had a little more point of interest, but I’m having a debate with myself now whether a photograph can just be of line or texture or if it needs a subject.
Thanks Jim! I agree, and I'm also currently going through some exploration on what constitutes subject matter. I think it tends to make me a bit unsure about compositions but its also helping me learn!
Loving these videos! I’m just getting my setup together (Cambo monorail so far). Looking forward to getting out to the mountains and getting some landscapes soon!
Thanks Tyler! Congrats on the Cambo!
@@ChrisDarnell thanks man! If you’re ever out near Denver feel free to reach out!
Tyler,
PM me. I may have some Cambo parts you can use.
Is your monorail square or round?
Terry
@@AtlantaTerry its square and I have no idea how to send a PM on UA-cam. I've googled it and nothing seems to work
Considering how new you were with the camera at that point, you really nailed the movements beautifully! That alone is something to be really proud of. And sounds like you’ve learned to always check your reciprocity factors with each film you get from now on ;-)
Just found your channel as I’m thinking of getting the 45-G since I can’t justify the 125-LX at the moment and wanted to see if anyone had done a field use review of it…. Really loving your vids
Thanks Bernard, that's really kind! Between reciprocity and bellows extension.. seems I'm always forgetting one or the other, haha!
yes it looks easy, but it does take some maths, or, with some cameras, sinar f2's for example, have a calculator 'aboard', finding the 'angles' and the f stop, just by focusing on one part, for or aft, then zeroing the scales, then move to the other point, tada!, the calculator has figured what dof is, and the 'plane of focus' so just set and forget, a bit like the ballistic computers for long range shooters, all the hard stuff is done for you, just select the subject, set as per calc. and shoot, the shutter that is!
Hi Chris I have your exact same model of Toyo 4x5 monorail. Its a beautiful very strong steady in its movements, no flimsiness in it, monorail camera which I love. I have the Schneider super angulon f 5.6 90mm lens which has the same image circle of 235 mm as your Nikon @ f22. Both lenses should allow for lots of camera movement without vignetting. But there's not much bellows extension at infinity focus and camera movements might be difficult, consequently. A recessed lens board or bag bellows is probably a better option for this lens. I think the Nikon is a better lens I think because it opens up to f 4.5 and even if you don't want to shoot at this aperture it will make it a lot easier to focus on the ground glass
Thanks Tony! I recently picked up a bag bellows for my camera and I have been meaning to take it out and give it a try. You’re absolutely right, camera movements are pretty restricted but my Nikon copy actually came mounted in a recessed board so that bought me back some movement. I agree that the bag is probably a better option on tricky scenes though; here soon I hope to get out with mine and see what kind of crazy compositions I can twist the camera into 😀
@@ChrisDarnell Good luck. You can use the recessed board and bag bellows together. Its a great set up you have.
Nice shots! Now try a 75mm...
I love your video’s. You are so relaxed and calm. I have the same light meter but i dont really understanding how i can het the best results with color film. Can you give me some advies how you meter a scene of make a video about it maybe? I do mostly meter for the darkest part in the frame and then schange it about -2/-3 stops. No idea if this is the correct way. Looking forward to your next video!!!
Thank you! I definitely plan to do a video on metering at some point, probably a few in reality but the truth is it's a topic that I still have a ton to learn about myself. It may take me some time to feel confident that I have enough experience to communicate a reliable technique to others so I apologize for the delay, but those videos are certainly coming in the future.
For now I can tell you that where I am in my own personal learning is trying to teach myself to recognize middle tone (zone 5). Once you can consistently place middle tones it's all about using the meter readings to visualize in your mind how the darker/lighter tones in the scene will fit within the dynamic range of the film you're shooting with and adjusting accordingly. Your trick of metering the darkest parts and then placing those at -2/-3 is all about trying to appropriately place the middle tone, which is where the orange mark on the Pentax meter is. That will work on some scenes, but you'll run into trouble when trying to photograph something that doesn't really have much for dark tones in it. That is less of an issue on negative films with lots of dynamic range but it becomes really problematic on color slide film where it's a lot less forgiving. For example in this video I photograph that rock wall along the creekside which is made up almost entirely of middle gray tones; if you metered that and placed those tones at -2/-3 on color slide film you might find that the entire image came out underexposed and parts of it would be pure black. In fact, the TMax black and white film I was shooting came out underexposed for this exact same reason, but because the film is much more forgiving I was still able to salvage an image out of the negative. That would have been a disaster on color slide film; and the mistake I was making here is related to not being able to accurately place the middle tone at zone 5.
@@ChrisDarnell thank you for your clear and elaborate explanation. Haven't been able to test it much in practice yet but have been able to take 2 pictures via the way you explained it and the results were actually very good!
I am looking for a Schneider 90mm Angulon as it is lightweight. I use a Schneider 135mm 4.7 lens as standard.
I haven't tried any of the Schneiders yet, but they've definitely been on my radar!
Insane to get that low??? As a paraplegic that's where a lot of times I'm focusing my 4x5 and 8x10!
Oof, I deserve that one fair enough!
great shots, but one thing I noticed, the Rail hasn't got the cap screw on one end, esp. important when you point that end down!!, as this acts as a safety in case you accidentaly release the rail-clamp, instead of the fine focus knob!!- saves the standard carrage!!
Great observation Andy, haha. I actually didn’t receive the end cap for my monorail; I have the one for the extension but not for the base rail. I suppose I’ll have to keep an eye out for a replacement before tragedy strikes.
@@ChrisDarnell yes, but researching these "sinar" or like monorail cameras, these extensions have the same caps, so you can 'borrow' the one off the extension, and use it for the base.
GOOD :)
Light fall off using a modern wide angle on 4x5 with modest camera movements often does not require a center to correct for inherent light fall off of any modern view camera wide angle lens. Do apply a GOOD high power magnifier (20x or ideally a high quality microscope) to get some idea of the amount of information recorded on the color transparency film. This might amaze and surprise.
And why folks at the beginning of the view camera journey need to stay with modern lenses from Rodenstock, Fujinon, Schneider, Nikon in known accurate shutters in good condition. While there are folks interested in view camera for the "vintage" aspects making images with century old lenses, camera, process, it all comes down to image goals. Primary to using ANY view camera is the basics which is best learned using known properly functional gear and film materials. Once these foundational skills have been learned good, using any view camera and it's related image producing process is much the same.
Thanks! I had heard that about light fall-off on the Nikon 90mm and was hoping that would be the case, but it was nice to see that confirmed in the exposures. I think the best loupe I have is 10x, but I agree it's quite amazing what detail is captured!
@@ChrisDarnell Light fall off is enforced by the laws of Physics that is used to design and produce these view camera wide angle lenses. No manufacture escapes this way of Nature. Nikkor did not make center filters to compensate for this innate light fall off, Schneider, Rodenstock did and they work fine with this Nikkor 90mm if needed. Reason why 90mm became such a popular wide angle focal length for 4x5 is the trade off of light fall off, angle of view and large image circle allowing ease of applying camera movement.
These modern 90mm lenses easily cover the next film format up which is 5x7 or 13x18cm.
4x ground glass magnifier is not enough, 10x is a bit much, 7x is about ideal. Calumet and Horseman
distributed a 7x loupe made by Peak years ago. These work good, this is the GG loupe that has used since the late 1980's to this day for view camera work.
Do consider re-mounting this 90mm lens into a standard flat lens board in place of the recessed lens board. Flat lens board makes the lens much easier to use. Recessed lens boards are required for field folders that cannot compress enough to make a 90mm lens focus on the field folder. With a monorail camera like your Toyo, a recessed board is not really needed. Do consider a bag bellows as it will allow full camera capability of this 90mm. Bag bellows can help much to reduce flare (contrast reduction) due to stray light flying around then bouncing around inside the camera bellows. The larger internal area of a bag bellows gives the internal stray light from the lens image circle a place to go reducing the amount of this stray light hitting the film.
Knee pads from a dollar store make low-level shots more comfortable.
That's a great tip!