large format

magicbastarder

one of those things i've always filed away in a 'would love to try' box; there's currently one for sale (w/o lens) on adverts.ie, and i'm half tempted. who here has played with them?

Fajitas!

I have. They're lovely. If you like to slow down your process as slow as you can get and control every little thing, you'll love using one. If you're easily frustrated though, you may be in trouble...

Also, you're really going to have to be in a position to develop/print/scan yourself, noone around Ireland really deals with 4x5 anymore, and if they do, you can expect to pay a fortune. I think that spot in Abbey St. still devs E6 large format alright, but I couldn't give you a price.

Speaking of price, it *is* expensive business... The camera itself is only the start.

And if you've any thoughts of 4x5 instant... You may take out a mortgage!

Fajitas!

Oh, Re the one on Adverts, if Monosnaps is the chap I think he is, he's a good bloke, you'd be buying a solid piece of kit off of him.

And don't worry about the lack of lens for the moment, make yourself a lensboard and start playing with zone plates and pinholes. Zone plates are amazing things.

magicbastarder

well, the one on adverts is a horseman, which i understand is a heavy oul beast, but ffordes in the UK have plenty of other cameras secondhand. would have to sort out a lens too, obviously.
and i love slowing things down; one reason i am giving it a tiny bit more consideration at the moment is that i'm considering getting an epson perfection scanner, and the 700 can take 4x5.
would also have to invest in a decent tripod too - i expect my manfrotto wouldn't be up to the job.
it's just thinking out loud at the moment...

Fajitas!

The Horseman's a beast alright, but it's fantastic quality. If you're looking at lightweight, have a look at the older Speed Graphics, make sure they have tilt and shift full working, they're handy for taking around and have plenty of function.

DaireQuinlan

I'll have to get myself an actual 8x10 one of these days, with movements. Foamcore doesn't really cut it.
What does a 4x5 enlarger look like ? Are they gigantic ? Thats the thing that attracts me to 8x10, it's probably the smallest format that you can actually contact print and have a decent size print. The holders are expensive though, and the film is about 4 times the price of 4x5, which makes sense i suppose area wise :-)

sineadw

I get to play with one in September. Can't bloody wait..

magicbastarder

a friend of mine has a 10x8, but a) it's in the states and it's not really worth me paying for him to have it shipped over, and b) the shutter doesn't work. he thinks it may just be a spring.

is there anywhere these days where you might be able to hire large format cameras?

TinyExplosions

The OH here has one, and it's a mighty beast, but doesn't get taken out much these days, as with out a car, getting it anywhere can be a right pain!

Actually, just spoke to her there, and she'd be willing to rent it out if you wanted to take it for a spin -pm me if you're interested

magicbastarder

was dropping some film into the fuji centre today, asked about large format. they don't sell it, but they will process E6 and b&w; €5 for a plate in E6.

jpb1974

I believe you can develop 5x4 film at home using what's known as the "Taco" method.

Never tried it but I've been Googling it... comes ups on the largeformatphotography forum quite a bit e.g.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=61238

magicbastarder

kathy gunn said there's a place in mullingar which processes E6. but i can't remember the name of it. anyone know of it?

edit: never mind, found it:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=60234306&postcount=5

Brndn

I don't think that Hand's do E6 anymore, I dropped a roll in there last Friday but ended up getting in xpro'd. But try, give them a ring, they're nice chaps.

magicbastarder

reply from hand imaging:

The cost of processing 35mm and 120 film

35mm € 5 plus vat
120 € 10 plus vat

We also process 4x5 sheets € 3 each plus vat

Our process is C41 only
we do not process E6 or B/W

If you have any other questions you can give us a ring at *******

not cheap. €10 plus VAT for 120 C41?

DaireQuinlan

get yourself a print drum and start doing it yourself. A drum that holds a couple of sheets of 4x5 shouldn't be too expensive, I got one a few weeks ago on ebay for 8x10 and I think It set me back about 10 sterling or something. Uses 40ml of solution per sheet which is nothing.

jpb1974

get yourself a print drum and start doing it yourself

'Print Drum' brings back some strange search results on eBay... none photography related.

I was also told to look for something Orbital... wrote it down and can't feckin find it now.

You have any eBay links you could share?

Cheers

DaireQuinlan

do a search for "processing drums" or "jobo drums" or "paterson" and filter the results or something, look specifically in the photography section or the "darkroom and developing" section. The one you were told about is called the 'paterson orbital' system. It's not a drum, its more like a covered tray which you wobble around the place. They're all designed to take as little chems as possible and to allow daylight processing (once you've loaded the film or paper in darkness of course). Some of the paper processors reportedly aren't completely suitable for film though.