Ok...that’s fully worth the effort, props sir!
I “Van Halen”-ized a Nikon F100 and a pair of Leicas for a project on Kodachrome in 2010 at BM, still gotta get that book out....
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Source for silly big film rolls.
- Thread starter Laird Knox
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Ok...that’s fully worth the effort, props sir!
I “Van Halen”-ized a Nikon F100 and a pair of Leicas for a project on Kodachrome in 2010 at BM, still gotta get that book out....
That’s a pretty sweeping statement.
I do, however, enjoy using a camera that is over a century old.
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I playa-ized a pair of D800s.
One can make an argument for shooting 8x10...it DOES give you a lot more resolution than 4x5, and I consider it at least an imminently practical size. At least most common emulsions are available off-the-shelf(not special order) in 8x10-or at least nearly everything available in 4x5 is also available in 8x10.
Still, though, when you get right down to it 4x5 will get you impressive-looking obscenely large prints. The cameras and lenses are significantly smaller than 8x10, and both the film and the processing(the latter whether you're doing it yourself or sending it off) is 1/4 the price. I can shoot and pay for processing a box of 4x5 Velvia for about $150 total(knock that down to about $120 if I process it myself, which I usually do), while a 20 sheet box of 8x10 Velvia is well north of $300. Processing that box of 20 sheets is around $200 at most commercial labs(vs. $80 for 4x5). A $40 Arista 1 qt. E6 kit will do 32 sheets of 4x5, but only 8 of 8x10, so get into buying an $80 1 gallon kit...
Still, though, at current prices I'll likely end up with an 8x10 kit one of these days. A 4x5 transparency is jaw dropping enough-much less an 8x10. A completely grain-free 8x10 contact is also appealing, although you have to hunt for grain even with a film like TXP-320 when it's enlarged to 8x10.
Still, though, when you get right down to it 4x5 will get you impressive-looking obscenely large prints. The cameras and lenses are significantly smaller than 8x10, and both the film and the processing(the latter whether you're doing it yourself or sending it off) is 1/4 the price. I can shoot and pay for processing a box of 4x5 Velvia for about $150 total(knock that down to about $120 if I process it myself, which I usually do), while a 20 sheet box of 8x10 Velvia is well north of $300. Processing that box of 20 sheets is around $200 at most commercial labs(vs. $80 for 4x5). A $40 Arista 1 qt. E6 kit will do 32 sheets of 4x5, but only 8 of 8x10, so get into buying an $80 1 gallon kit...
Still, though, at current prices I'll likely end up with an 8x10 kit one of these days. A 4x5 transparency is jaw dropping enough-much less an 8x10. A completely grain-free 8x10 contact is also appealing, although you have to hunt for grain even with a film like TXP-320 when it's enlarged to 8x10.
I have gone back and forth on the idea of 8x10, I have three lenses that will cover it, a Jobo 3005 drum that will process it (I have 5x 3010 drums too) but my three enlargers are all standardized as LPL 4550 XLG’s so I can’t enlarge it.
I did a test at a friends’s place years ago in which we did a contact print from 8x10 and then the same shot done on 4x5 printed to 8x10 and hardly saw a real difference. It was smooth, great tones but if I can’t go beyond an 8x10 from that expensive sheet of film and all that heavy gear then there really is no point for me, especially considering how portable and affordable 4x5 is.
One of my 4x5 cameras is a Sinar P2, I almost bought the 8x10 conversion kit for it recently but I thought about that small print size and passed.
I did a test at a friends’s place years ago in which we did a contact print from 8x10 and then the same shot done on 4x5 printed to 8x10 and hardly saw a real difference. It was smooth, great tones but if I can’t go beyond an 8x10 from that expensive sheet of film and all that heavy gear then there really is no point for me, especially considering how portable and affordable 4x5 is.
One of my 4x5 cameras is a Sinar P2, I almost bought the 8x10 conversion kit for it recently but I thought about that small print size and passed.