Large Format Photography

Large format photography is the oldest form of photography, and still has a large following today. It is largely film-based, and is characterized by the use of individual sheets of film that are 4x5 inches (9x12 cm) or larger. The camera designs remain mostly unchanged since the beginning of photgraphy in 1839, except for the use of more modern materials in many newer large format camera models. Many large format cameras are still made of wood. Many current large format photographers use older cameras to produce excellent photographs, sometimes replaciing the antique lenses with modern ones, although there are many excellent older lenses.

The design of a large format camera is fairly simple; a front standard that holds a lens/shutter combination, a rear standard with a viewing ground glass with a spring loaded opening that holds a film holder (which places the film at the same plane as the ground glass to keep the film in proper focus), and a light tight bellows that connects the front and back.

The advantages of a large format camera far outweigh the inconveniences of using the camera:

• The main reason to use a large fomat camera is sheer film size. With film, the larger the negative or transparency, the more detail you can see in the final print. Obviously, if you enlarge to wall size, looking close will give you the same image detail as a smaller print from a smaller negative. Extremely large prints are made to view from a distance, where the detail of the overall print can be very impressive.
• Most large format cameras have extensive movements (controls) to allow the photographer to correct perspective, depth of field, shape of objects, etc. A skilled photographer will use these to his advantage to achieve the ultimate image.
• A wide range of lens/shutter assemblies from a variety of companies that, using the proper lens boards, are universally interchangeable, limited only by the format of the camera. There is a limitation based on film format, but a lens made for an 8x10 camera is perfectly usable on a 4x5 camera, provided there is enough bellows length to focus. A lens made for 4x5 cannot be used on an 8x10 camera because it is not made to cover the larger area.

There are some inconveniences associated with large format photography:

• What many consider an inconvenience of large format photography that those of us who use larger cameras think of as an advantage is the time factor. There is no fast way to set up a camera and quickly take a picture. Large format photography makes the photographer slow down and consider every minute detail of the photograph.
• The upside-down image you see on the ground glass can be considered an inconvenience, but after awhile, you get used to it, and think of it as normal. I was asked once how we deal with an upside-down transparency, since that is how the camera exposes it. I told him after we develop the film, we turn it over. He was still confused.
• The weight and bulk of the equipment is something nobody really cares for. Hiking with 30-40 pounds of equipment (camera, lenses, light meter, film, film holders, tripod, etc.) can be a major inconvenience. I read an article written by an 8x10 photographer who said sometimes he feels that "If it's more than 100 yards from the car, it isn't scenic". Perhaps he needs to lighten his load with a 4x5 camera.
• The cost per sheet of film is a limiting factor on how many shots of each scene you photograph. This is not as inconvenient as it seems, as it makes you consider each shot carefully before releasing the shutter. I generally take two shots of each view I want to capture.
• Loading film in the dark is even less fun than it sounds. Each film holder holds one sheet of film on each side, and the film comes stacked in a light-tight box. You need a REALLY dark room or a film changing bag to load film holders. Some photographers use "Ready Load" film sheets that slide into a holder like a Polaroid sheet, but I have had problems with the film not being held flat, so I don't use them. I was taking some 4x5 shots once for a customer who was a film processing lab owner. He told me he had never loaded sheet film into film holders before, and asked me if he could go into the darkroom with me and watch how i did it. You'll get it in about 5 minutes.

What I use

I have a Cambo studio setup for 4x5 and 8x10 that I rarely use these days. Most of my photography is field related, and studio cameras are not well suited for this.

The 4x5 camera I use most is a Chamonix 45-N1. This is made largely of walnut hardwood lacquered matte black, with aircraft grade aluminum hardware, and a carbon fiber base. This camera is as rigid (or more so) than all-metal cameras I have tried. I prefer the all-black camera for its non-reflectiveness. It also does not draw attention from bystanders and passersby as another camera I have (a Shen Hao 617 panoramic camera) that has a fine furniture showpiece look to it. It's hard to get work done when everyone is looking at and asking questions about your camera. The questions are usually "How OLD is that camera?" (the answer - it is a fairly new camera that is still made today), or "Is it digital?" (the answer - anything but!). The best questions to date are "Where do the batteries go?" (they dont!), and "Why don't you use a smaller camera?" (because I don't HAVE to!").

Chamonix 45-N1 Front	Side View	Rear View w/ Ground Glass	Wide Angle Configuration
Click an image for a larger view.

For lenses, I mainly use Large Format Nikkor optics. I have a Caltar 210mm f6.3 lens, which was made by Rodenstock.

I prefer wide angle lenses, as I do with my other photography, but I always carry one longer lens in my bag, a Nikkor 300mm f9. I usually prefer lenses with a large maximum aperature for focusing on the ground glass, but large aperature 300mm lenses are extra large and heavy, not fitting into my bag very well. The 300mm f9 lens is a favorite of backpacking photographers, being very small and light due to its Copal No. 1 shutter. Most 300mm and longer large format lenses are in Copal No. 3 shutters, the largest commercially available today. The 300 f9 lens is actually much smaller and lighter than either of my wide angle lenses, and fairly easy to focus with, despite the f9 maximum aperature. The photograph at the top of this page is a bit misleading, as I forgot to change lenses on the view camera before stretching it out for the shot. The lens on the camera is the 90mm f4.5 (see the Wide Angle Configuration photo above for the way the camera would look focusing with the 90mm lens).

As a side note, I can interchange three of these lenses between the Chamonix 45-N1 and the panoramic Shen Hao 617 camera. Both cameras use Linhof Technica style lens boards. The Nikkor 65mm lens cannot be used on the Shen Hao camera because the lens will not cover the film format and the ends of the film frame would be dark because of vignetting.