Michael Keller (keller@wvinter.net)
Sun, 31 Jan 1999 16:36:33 -0500
But there is a tremendous amount of used gear, beat up, that you can buy at decent
dollars. With large formats you don't need the best lenses, esp if you are contact
printing. And you don't need all the movements, nor even the most precise
movements, if you are doing landscapes, or even doing studio work if your time is
your own (eg you can screw around all day getting the set up right).
Modern gear is great when your time is costing money and you need be able to set
up, precisely, and get the shot. If you don't mind slightly rickety, slightly ugly
cameras (I like em!), you can get into large format for under a grand.
My 5x7 Deardorff doesn't have front swings, but I never need that. It's a bit
rickety, and it's been refinished badly, but it cost me under $300. I make my own
lensboards, and my most expensive lens is a 115 Grandagon (which has appreciated
in price since I bought it). BUT I also have a 210 Caltar, a 13" Wollensak ($100)
and a 15" process lens in barrel ($35) that I added a Packard shutter to ($25).
That's REAL ugly.<g>
Richard Lahrson wrote:
>
> It is shocking what an 8 X 10 outfit can total up to in dollars. Today,
> a lot of this gear is designed for the professional studio and has a multitude
> of features and accessories that only serve to confuse someone who wants to
> work more simply. A lot of Edward Weston's photographs were made with a
> $5.00 lens he bought in Mexico. He used what tools were available in
> that era such as the old style wooden tripod with "non-stop" leg ajustments.
> For working outside in rough terrain. In that era, these tripods were
> what was available. Today, small companies make similar tripods. But
> they are very expensive, more beautifullly made, something you would be
> better off bringing to a photo "gear show" than using.
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