5:45 a bellows extension of 1x the lens' focal length would be infinity focus (more or less). you're using an extension 2x the focal length, which is a 2 stop difference. it works just like f-numbers, because you're changing the f part of the equation. 1.4x the infinity focal length is 1 extra stop, 2.8x is 3, etc..
“That’s not the tilt...” I’ve done that while composing a time or two... er... or maybe more. Thanks for your share of that beautiful camera. The pictures you showed us from it are wonderful, and I’m stunned you got the crab to sit still long enough to compose a shot with it. Another great video.
Just binged watched most of your youtube videos and loving them ... got a bid on a few cameras on eBay now and will be dusting off some of my old gear, all your fault ;) !!! Keep up the amazing work.
I find these old field cameras very intriguing... Kind of compact considering the size of the negative and very simple mechanically. And the craftsmanship on that wood looks impeccable. Enjoyed the video, been watching a lot of your videos lately. Looking forward to the next one!
Thank you so much for the mention Oli! Really looking forward to see what you can achieve with the Pro400H. And as always, great vid! Seeing you scouting and finding such peculiar places is quite motivating to seek for new locations.
What a wonderful looking camera . Thank you for telling us all about it. I was amazed to see you captured a great close up shot of a crab with it. I am pleased you persevered and found the old pier . It was a cracking shot you got at 6:52 thanks for sharing I look forward to seeing what you have to share next time.Take care :D Teddy
Gorgeous camera, gorgeous work. What I especially like is the absolutely delightful lack of "equivalence" BS discussions - just pro work, interesting equipment and great models.
I love you man. Coming from a dude that runs a channel I appreciate the way you have a good balance between talking head and in the field shooting , especially making the effort to find that pier. I recently explored and documented on film an abandoned prison, it was scary but I think it will make a great project for a book or zine . Keep doing what you're doing bro.
@@olitography that's a good question and I imagine that's the first thing to consider before coming up with a book. I would probably call it "the belly of babylon" considering all the stories I found upon researching the place. Here's a link to my Flickr album of the place if you'd like to check out. flic.kr/s/aHsmp48foo
Really love your videos. This one is so inspiring. It really makes me want to go out and shoot tomorrow. I think I just might do that. Thank you and please keep the videos coming. One quick question, how much does that Wista weigh? It looks pretty light compared to some of the cameras that I have in the same format.
My friend had a Wista. . I always wanted the Tachikawa. I took one look at the size of a 5x4 enlarger and baulked. I did think about a roll back and getting a 47mm Schneider 6.8 w/a lens for a Technical camera 5x4 camera and then wasn't sure I could use the movements with it.
Excellent exploration of probably my favorite piece if kit in 61 years’ photography. But at about 4:22 as you pull the dark slide, it appears that the white side was *in* toward the unexposed film. Or, it may have been a re-enactment for the video. But perhaps worth mentioning that white-side-out darkslides have traditionally indicated unexposed film. After exposure, replace the dark slide black side out so you know not to double expose and which to develop. Thanks again for fine work.
I was taught, so long as you knew a system and stuck with it, it doesn't matter, a few of the guys I assisted as a kid would say that an unexposed negative is black but an exposed one was bright, the assistants would write on them with china graphs. (date/iso/Exp) so my habit became the reverse. I tried doing it the other way and lost frames. So now I do it my way in there memory.
wow, what a nice camera; PS: as a tip, what you are describing in the latter part of the video, with regards bellows, is bellows compensation, that is the 1/2 stop you said, accounting for bellows draw, and the light loss it causes; the equations are a reference to Magnification ratio; and (I presume here), to effective apature the actual apature to put into the exposure triangle, calculated by lens focal length, and the difraction/vignetting the lens does at difering focal distances, lens covering circles, as opposed to the apature opening, and other factors.
@@Autorange888 not at normal movements, but ANY lens can vignette, it occurs when, you have a bigger sensor than the image circle of a lens, or at infinity distance, if you move too far up down left or right; also having a lens shade, esp. compendium style out to far, into the image area, that darkens the frame edges, technically a vignette to.
@@andyvan5692 Vignetting is hard to see. The 19th century photographer Atget made countless pics of old Paris and used vignetting as part of his compositions.
I have the same in Rosewood and 6 lenses to go with it. I bought it from Teamwork years ago ( more like a couple of decades ). TBH, I am a bit apprehensive about taking it out now given the usual British weather having looked at the price of them nowadays. Lovely beautiful piece of work. Thanks and well done. PS: And thank you even more for not talking irrelevance too much and doing a bit of photography, unlike a lot of the ' Vloggers ' .
Thanks for the kind words, it’s sad to think you don’t use the camera for fear of it value, after all it is a tool. In terms of using rather than talking about cameras., pictures are the point of cameras :)
@@olitography No don't get me wrong, I do use it but I am very careful when I take it out. Wood and British rain do not mix very well. I have quite a few Medium format cameras that are more suited to ' bad ' weather use.
@@lensman5762 I have used my Wista 4 X 5" rosewood in foul weather and really, it's none the worse for it. It's my favourite camera. Ié an umbrella in the tripod bag.
The two links above don't work. :( I really enjoy your video content, I do so enjoy the technical highs and lows of each camera but more than that you give them a chance to shine again. Like an old dog nobody wants to play with anymore suddely hearing a voice say, "Here boy... Who's a good boy then!"
@@olitography once I return to Scotland (been away for 27 years) I'm dying to get in to wet plate collodian process. (thinking I'll build my own camera... So many good people out there share scematics and plans)
safe to say that the gate and "no trespass" sign is to avoid liability to the hapless, careless and reckless. knowing this, i would take personal responsibility and trespass. (i wouldn't go unprepared, alone, in bad weather, a rising tide, etc)
Hey I came across a bunch of camera stuff doing a junk job. One of them looks like the one in the video but it is larger. It currently has an Alphax 12 inch F:6.3 Carl. Meyer. Anastigmat. No.0A 501. I also have an old Kodak camera. And few others. Just looking for direction if anyone can help
Nice review. I actually went ahead and bought this same camera partly because of your review. It was also very cheap. I would have loved an Ebony.. Before getting this camera I was using a Linhof rail camera. It was heavy and so solid. I couldn't carry it except from my car but I love using it. The Wista DX feels like it is really lightweight and doesn't have a solid feel at all. I shot at F64 for a few seconds and got some terrible camera shake. I will need to work on that, maybe hold down the tripod. It is good for carrying out on hikes and it is pretty to look at. Not a bad camera, but still don't know if I am in love with it..
Would imagine that shake is more a grip than camera problem, if hiking with a heavy tripod isn’t ideal, possibly a wind brake might help. I think for any slow gear exposure I’d use a heavy tripod. I used the the one in the video for 1/69th plus exposures on FP4
@@olitography Thanks for the reply! I've only taken it out once, so I will have to experiment. I don't want to have to use a heavier tripod, but I suppose if I want shoot slower exposures it may be the answer.
Fun video and beautiful images. I have a Wista 45DX, supposedly Ebony but not sure as the wood doesn't seem quite that dark. I love using it. The bellows developed lots of pinhole light leaks at the corners, I spot-sealed them with liquid electrician's black tape, easy and kind of fun to do. The focus knob on mine is a bit sticky, but totally usable. My one complaint is the front standard tilt. The detente is a bit too large, so when I need just a little bit of forward tilt, the standard tends to slip back into full vertical in the detente. I need a third hand, one for tilting the standard, one for locking it in place, and one to hold the magnifying loupe on the ground glass! Any suggestions?
i'm not sure about the front moment, the Linhof in comparison is more accurate there as it has no indent. Some helping hands for soldering with a clamp might help you with the focus magnifying glass
The bellows of the Wista is made of paper, after a couple of years in wind and rain you need another bellows, that is not a problem. The lupe; you could get a sucking lupe, push it onto the glass and it sticks to it, removeable without damage to the glass whatsoever.
wow! just stumbled onto your channel whilst surfing large format guff. I have just been given a Mamiya C220 and now eager to use it. The pier? I'm in Tilbury and this location looks familiar. any chance you can disclose the location so I can go have a look? I've just subscribed by the way.
“This works by darkening the blue sky, giving a greater visual separation between the darkened sky and the white clouds on the final print. A yellow filter will also give improved penetration of haze and fog.” So yeah Increased penetration.
Increases overall contrast. It will turn the colour yellow light and darken the colour blue. Shade has blue so use a yellow filter on a cloudy day to increase contrast or use it on a sunny day to darken skies and increase contrast further.
![The Wista Field 45 Large Format Camera [ A Walkthrough its Functions ]](/img/n.gif)
5:45 a bellows extension of 1x the lens' focal length would be infinity focus (more or less). you're using an extension 2x the focal length, which is a 2 stop difference. it works just like f-numbers, because you're changing the f part of the equation. 1.4x the infinity focal length is 1 extra stop, 2.8x is 3, etc..
“That’s not the tilt...” I’ve done that while composing a time or two... er... or maybe more. Thanks for your share of that beautiful camera. The pictures you showed us from it are wonderful, and I’m stunned you got the crab to sit still long enough to compose a shot with it. Another great video.
That particular crab was dead chill.
Just binged watched most of your youtube videos and loving them ... got a bid on a few cameras on eBay now and will be dusting off some of my old gear, all your fault ;) !!! Keep up the amazing work.
i take full responsibility
I find these old field cameras very intriguing... Kind of compact considering the size of the negative and very simple mechanically. And the craftsmanship on that wood looks impeccable. Enjoyed the video, been watching a lot of your videos lately. Looking forward to the next one!
The camera is not old, it's brand new field camera having all movements you'll need.
Thank you so much for the mention Oli! Really looking forward to see what you can achieve with the Pro400H. And as always, great vid! Seeing you scouting and finding such peculiar places is quite motivating to seek for new locations.
I'm really grateful that people took the time and the effort
What a wonderful looking camera . Thank you for telling us all about it. I was amazed to see you captured a great close up shot of a crab with it. I am pleased you persevered and found the old pier . It was a cracking shot you got at 6:52 thanks for sharing I look forward to seeing what you have to share next time.Take care :D Teddy
I had one of these in cherry wood back in 2002. A beautiful camera that took stunning pictures; and for some crazy reason I sold it.
Phoenix, AZ.
Beautiful camera
Gorgeous camera, gorgeous work. What I especially like is the absolutely delightful lack of "equivalence" BS discussions - just pro work, interesting equipment and great models.
Thank you i get board of people waxing on about cameras and not pictures for ages
Great video! Enjoyable mini adventure, beautiful camera. You have excellent relaxing narration.
Thank you
I love you man. Coming from a dude that runs a channel I appreciate the way you have a good balance between talking head and in the field shooting , especially making the effort to find that pier. I recently explored and documented on film an abandoned prison, it was scary but I think it will make a great project for a book or zine . Keep doing what you're doing bro.
Thanks Ray we all need a bit of love, The prison sounds awesome, if you could sum the experience up it up in one headline what did it say to you?
@@olitography that's a good question and I imagine that's the first thing to consider before coming up with a book. I would probably call it "the belly of babylon" considering all the stories I found upon researching the place. Here's a link to my Flickr album of the place if you'd like to check out.
flic.kr/s/aHsmp48foo
Amazing video and gorgeous photos!! Thank you!
The last shot was the 💣
Thank you
Haunting location! Brilliant!
Glad you enjoyed it
I've got a Kodak brownie ... I cant wait to use it
Really love your videos. This one is so inspiring. It really makes me want to go out and shoot tomorrow. I think I just might do that. Thank you and please keep the videos coming. One quick question, how much does that Wista weigh? It looks pretty light compared to some of the cameras that I have in the same format.
I will have to put it on the scale, but it is lighter than say the Linhof Teknika
My friend had a Wista. . I always wanted the Tachikawa. I took one look at the size of a 5x4 enlarger and baulked.
I did think about a roll back and getting a 47mm Schneider 6.8 w/a lens for a Technical camera 5x4 camera and then wasn't sure I could use the movements with it.
Why would you not be able to use the movements? because its such a wide lens, would be a very cool effect
Amazing. Great camera and great photographer.
Excellent exploration of probably my favorite piece if kit in 61 years’ photography. But at about 4:22 as you pull the dark slide, it appears that the white side was *in* toward the unexposed film. Or, it may have been a re-enactment for the video. But perhaps worth mentioning that white-side-out darkslides have traditionally indicated unexposed film. After exposure, replace the dark slide black side out so you know not to double expose and which to develop. Thanks again for fine work.
I was taught, so long as you knew a system and stuck with it, it doesn't matter, a few of the guys I assisted as a kid would say that an unexposed negative is black but an exposed one was bright, the assistants would write on them with china graphs. (date/iso/Exp) so my habit became the reverse. I tried doing it the other way and lost frames. So now I do it my way in there memory.
wow, what a nice camera; PS: as a tip, what you are describing in the latter part of the video, with regards bellows, is bellows compensation, that is the 1/2 stop you said, accounting for bellows draw, and the light loss it causes; the equations are a reference to Magnification ratio; and (I presume here), to effective apature the actual apature to put into the exposure triangle, calculated by lens focal length, and the difraction/vignetting the lens does at difering focal distances, lens covering circles, as opposed to the apature opening, and other factors.
When using modern lenses for 4 X 5" there is no vignetting.
@@Autorange888 not at normal movements, but ANY lens can vignette, it occurs when, you have a bigger sensor than the image circle of a lens, or at infinity distance, if you move too far up down left or right; also having a lens shade, esp. compendium style out to far, into the image area, that darkens the frame edges, technically a vignette to.
@@andyvan5692 Vignetting is hard to see. The 19th century photographer Atget made countless pics of old Paris and used vignetting as part of his compositions.
I have the same in Rosewood and 6 lenses to go with it. I bought it from Teamwork years ago ( more like a couple of decades ). TBH, I am a bit apprehensive about taking it out now given the usual British weather having looked at the price of them nowadays. Lovely beautiful piece of work. Thanks and well done. PS: And thank you even more for not talking irrelevance too much and doing a bit of photography, unlike a lot of the ' Vloggers ' .
Thanks for the kind words, it’s sad to think you don’t use the camera for fear of it value, after all it is a tool. In terms of using rather than talking about cameras., pictures are the point of cameras :)
@@olitography No don't get me wrong, I do use it but I am very careful when I take it out. Wood and British rain do not mix very well. I have quite a few Medium format cameras that are more suited to ' bad ' weather use.
@@lensman5762 I have used my Wista 4 X 5" rosewood in foul weather and really, it's none the worse for it. It's my favourite camera. Ié an umbrella in the tripod bag.
The two links above don't work. :( I really enjoy your video content, I do so enjoy the technical highs and lows of each camera but more than that you give them a chance to shine again. Like an old dog nobody wants to play with anymore suddely hearing a voice say, "Here boy... Who's a good boy then!"
I fixed the links thank you, its a shame no one wants to use Large format anymore it is by far the best res of any film or digital format
@@olitography once I return to Scotland (been away for 27 years) I'm dying to get in to wet plate collodian process. (thinking I'll build my own camera... So many good people out there share scematics and plans)
The Wista is not an oldie camera, it is a modern, new field camera.
safe to say that the gate and "no trespass" sign is to avoid liability to the hapless, careless and reckless.
knowing this, i would take personal responsibility and trespass. (i wouldn't go unprepared, alone, in bad weather, a rising tide, etc)
The fence was more of a hazard, going around worked in the end.
Hey I came across a bunch of camera stuff doing a junk job. One of them looks like the one in the video but it is larger.
It currently has an Alphax 12 inch F:6.3 Carl. Meyer. Anastigmat. No.0A 501.
I also have an old Kodak camera. And few others. Just looking for direction if anyone can help
Where are you based?
What film do you what but can not find ? I have a shoo close by that has old and new film
I don’t know that there is I used to shoot a lot of E6 but it doesn’t date all that well. If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear?
Had this and loved it. Sold for a Linhof as it did not have a Graflok back for 120 film backs and digital backs
You got that wrong. The Wista has the international Graflock back, and Wista makes excellent 120 film holders size 6 X 7 and 6 X 9.
@@Autorange888 the one I had did not
@@shootprocessprint That does surprises me!
Nice review. I actually went ahead and bought this same camera partly because of your review.
It was also very cheap. I would have loved an Ebony..
Before getting this camera I was using a Linhof rail camera. It was heavy and so solid. I couldn't carry it except from my car but I love using it.
The Wista DX feels like it is really lightweight and doesn't have a solid feel at all. I shot at F64 for a few seconds and got some terrible camera shake. I will need to work on that, maybe hold down the tripod. It is good for carrying out on hikes and it is pretty to look at. Not a bad camera, but still don't know if I am in love with it..
Would imagine that shake is more a grip than camera problem, if hiking with a heavy tripod isn’t ideal, possibly a wind brake might help. I think for any slow gear exposure I’d use a heavy tripod. I used the the one in the video for 1/69th plus exposures on FP4
@@olitography Thanks for the reply! I've only taken it out once, so I will have to experiment. I don't want to have to use a heavier tripod, but I suppose if I want shoot slower exposures it may be the answer.
The Wista is preferable to the Ebony?
What about the Chinese alternatives of Chamonix and Shen Hao?
I thought the Wista came in Ebony and Rosewood and that, that is an aesthetic choice. I’ve not used the others.
@@olitography The American models seem to be Wista copies, The front of the Chamonix needs to be locked prior to proceeding.
Fun video and beautiful images. I have a Wista 45DX, supposedly Ebony but not sure as the wood doesn't seem quite that dark. I love using it. The bellows developed lots of pinhole light leaks at the corners, I spot-sealed them with liquid electrician's black tape, easy and kind of fun to do. The focus knob on mine is a bit sticky, but totally usable. My one complaint is the front standard tilt. The detente is a bit too large, so when I need just a little bit of forward tilt, the standard tends to slip back into full vertical in the detente. I need a third hand, one for tilting the standard, one for locking it in place, and one to hold the magnifying loupe on the ground glass! Any suggestions?
i'm not sure about the front moment, the Linhof in comparison is more accurate there as it has no indent. Some helping hands for soldering with a clamp might help you with the focus magnifying glass
The bellows of the Wista is made of paper, after a couple of years in wind and rain you need another bellows, that is not a problem. The lupe; you could get a sucking lupe, push it onto the glass and it sticks to it, removeable without damage to the glass whatsoever.
I have the rosewood version. But I don't call it 'massive'.
wow! just stumbled onto your channel whilst surfing large format guff. I have just been given a Mamiya C220 and now eager to use it. The pier? I'm in Tilbury and this location looks familiar. any chance you can disclose the location so I can go have a look? I've just subscribed by the way.
It’s the Old BP fuel Pier, at Bee ness, stay safe
Thanks for another excellent video. Were you able to put the 120 film back underneath the ground glass? Or do you have to remove the glass?
The wista requires you to remove the entire back plate, I’ll be using the 120 back with the Linhof I think
@@olitography No you don't remove the entire back plate, lift it right side and insert the roll film holder, it's that simple.
@@Autorange888 i wish you the best of luck with that.
Lovely video. Whereabouts where you taking photos?
Kent mostly
What lens were you using?
Two lenses I think, lens 1 Symmar 5.6 180mm 2 symmar 5.6 150
What do you need a yellow filter for?
“This works by darkening the blue sky, giving a greater visual separation between the darkened sky and the white clouds on the final print. A yellow filter will also give improved penetration of haze and fog.” So yeah Increased penetration.
Increases overall contrast. It will turn the colour yellow light and darken the colour blue. Shade has blue so use a yellow filter on a cloudy day to increase contrast or use it on a sunny day to darken skies and increase contrast further.
Great camera. I love wista. But if you want the top end cash cow then it would be the Ebony. A different league all together
The American models are rebadged copies of the Wista.
Bull - Buy An Old Kodak Camera - Solid Mahogany - Real Cheap. Made In Rochester New York
And did you buy an oldie Kodak?