Re: good 4x5 prints; hand made books; backpacking larger format cameras

[Steve Shapiro <sgshiya@redshift.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe Portale" <jportale@gci-net.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca>
Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2001 3:56 PM
Subject: Re: good 4x5 prints; hand made books; backpacking larger format
cameras


> I vote for the handmade books.
>
> > Joe and someone else (sorry, I lost the message) mentioned handmade
> > books--do y'all mean books that someone else made by hand, and you buy
> them
> > and mount pictures in them, or do you  make your own hand bound books?
I
> > would like to learn to do that.  Also the presentation box with mounted
> > prints in it is a good idea for small prints I think.
> >
> > I wonder if there is a big difference between the "presence" that a 5x7
> > print has and that of a 4x5 print. I would like to get a larger camera
and
> > I'm trying to decide between 8x 10 and 5x7 format for my larger camera.
I
> > carry my camera around my neighborhood in a backpack; how much heavier
is
> an
> > 8x10 camera than a 5x7 or 4x5?  The 4x5 and all its gear is not heavy at
> all
> > to me, at least for my relatively short outings of an hour or two.
>
> I don't see much of a presence difference between a contact printed 4x5
and
> 5x7.  There will be no doubt that the 5x7 will be visually bigger, even
from
> a distance, but the intemacy is still there. The 8x10 seems to be the
point
> of departure for the get back viewing.
>
> I usually lug around an old Ansco 8x10 camera that weighs 20 pounds,
couple
> of lenses, other doo dads and a heavy tripod in a backpack. With the
peanut
> butter sandwiches, it comes in around 50 pounds. But, I'm 6' and weigh in
at
> 240 pounds of rippling middle ageness. (Or would that be rippling
> flabbi-nesss?)
>
> There are plenty of 5x7 and 8x10 that weigh much less. Usually what you
give
> up for in weight of the camera must be made up for in the weight of the
> tripod. I do not think that with an 8x10 you can get away vey light.  If
you
> are really interested in moving to 5x7 watch Ebay. Every now and then a
5x7
> press type box camera shows up. These were made by Kodak, Seneca, Burk and
> James(?) and a couple of other manufaturers. These are great! They are
like
> a Speed Graphic on steroids. Some even come with a little wire frame
"action
> finder". I have one, it is simply one of the coolest cameras in my
> collection. I have seen them go on Ebay for around $300 with a lens. Oh
yes,
> these cameras are very light.
>
> Joe
>
>
> >
> > --shannon
>
The 5X7 format is often referred to as 'the gentleman's format' not to
gendrify the species, to be sure.

To keep in mind, the circle of ilumination as the light strikes the film
plane is no better or no more clear that can be had from 4X5; and this
circle of confusion is no better with anything but a better lens.  'What is
a camera but a light tight box.  One that supports a lens and hold film.'

I have found gratification with the 5X7 and would immediately go for the
lightest Senica while I do own a Kodak D-2 with 5X7 and 4X5 backs.

My most often used camera is the 8X10 Kodak Master with the best of my
selection of lenses.  Though I almost always end up jumping out of the car
and taking up the Graphex with the 203 Ektar or 10 3/4 inch Meyer Plasmat.
It's fun when I have Poloroid film and the 127mm Graphex 'combat camera'
from a successful Ebay auction comes in handy forhand held 4X5s but I always
have my 35mm around my neck to make pictures of the set ups that give me a
thrill to look at late at night before an expedition of photography.

By the same token, making choices that is, Wil Giles portfolio of a dozen
4X5 contacts "Pearls" sells well out of the Ansel Adams gallery for $7,500.

It's choices.  Doing the art is the bread of the artist.  And the best
camera is the one you're using while not thinking of another.

Then, there's developers, depending on what was exposed that day; and
finally the weight of the book stock to consider how to seperate the pages
when making signatures.

Steve S. Carmel, CA