4x5 and other large format stuff …

4x5 is the entry point to what is commonly called large format photography. Individual sheets of lfilm are pre-loaded onto holders, and are loaded into the camera and exposed one at a time. Each 4x5 neg is 20 square inches in size (compared to a 35mm neg, which is about 1.5 inches sq.), When printed — assuming you have properly focussed the image — a 4x5 is loaded with detail.

Shooting LF cameras takes time. There is no rushing a 4x5 shot. There are a lot of steps. The image comes to you through the ground glass upside down and backwards. There are no internal light meters. It is technical, but at the same time, remarkably simple…

I’ve had a few 4x5s over the years, including an Area Swiss (nice camera but prone to vibration), a Horseman 4x5 (super solid but quite heavy, and now, a Linhof Kardan Super Color… All my 4x5s have been monorails. I have never been able to find a decent field camera, (the kind that fold up), in good shape at a decent price.

I don’t mind hauling a monorail camera around. I have a large photo backpack that allows me to carry the camera with the standards on the rail and a lens attached. Setting it up is quite fast. The geared focus and expansive shifts and tilts makes monorail worth the weight. The long bellows allows me a good range of lenses, from 90mm wide angle to a 360mm telephoto.

My favourite lens, though — or at least the one that has led to more successful pics than others — is a 135mm f5.6. It’s equivalent to about a 45mm lens on a 35mm system, so kind of a normal perspective… It’s sharp and easy to work with…

4x5 is what I shoot the least, but only because it takes commitment…