I find it hard for people to grasp that these cameras actually aren't necessarily old. When I showed off my brand-spanking-new Chamonix 4x5 (with a Rodenstock lens from 1999'ish), everyone insisted that I had acquired some sort of Civil War era relic.
Thanks Derek, that is an interesting point! I think it's a sign of how technology is always moving forward at a rapid pace. To some folks a floppy disk looks like a 3D printed save icon and not an actual storage medium. If it's not from the last decade or so, it must be ancient technology.
Hi Mat. Great video. I was wondering how you got the G Claron lens to cover the whole film, as the stated coverage is only 444cm which is just over 17"? Surely for 8x20 you would need at least 24" of coverage, which is 600mm.
Thanks for the question. Schneider G-Claron and other process lenses have very conservative datasheets. These were lenses designed for process photography, where an ounce of light falloff wasn't allowed. Using these lenses in a pictorial setting there's a lot more image circle to be had beyond what's stated.
These 6 months just flew by - thank you for season 1. When will season 2 begin? Possible topics you might consider to cover: + Dos and Donts of LF photography + Checklists how to find out.... ...if a (used) item is worth the money ...if a service technician is trustworthy and skilled ...if film / paper / chemicals are expired + How to build up a local LF community in order to sharing resources --- Very lovely shots by the way, especially of Zill.
Thanks Olaf, it really has gone by quickly! I'm going to copy and paste your suggestions directly to "the list". These are great suggestions, thanks again!
Your 8x20 reminds me of my first 11x14...held together with rubber bands and liquid nails. ULF is such an adventure, it makes 8x10 feel tiny. Here’s another vote for LFF, belated congrats on your first season!
For the bridge shot, you're using the G-Claron 355, is that a hard mechanical vignette on the far corner there? Still, I'm impressed that it covers as well as that!
Hey Mike thanks for the question. That was caused by my not fully pulling the darkslide (I'd rather vignette than light leaks), the G-Claron @ f/22 covers up to 12x20. It's one of my favorite lenses for its size and versatility.
This was absolutely brilliant! I love those prints, especially of your dog and the one on expired paper. I'm weird that way ;-) Love LFF, so please keep them coming! Something with toning would be interesting perhaps. Just getting into that myself, but on baby 18x24cm format, lol.
Thanks Filbert! I like the idea of incorporating toning into some of the darkroom work. Might have to practice some more since I've only been toning with selenium for years. Thanks again!
I was interested, because this is so unique. I never saw that large of a size of film. It must be special order from Ilford. Can you just buy one box of film or is there a minimum order? How many sheets in a box? I was impressed by how sturdy this camera was for being so large. One film holder probably costs over $1000. I would guess the normal focal length of the lens would be about 600mm. What was the focal length you used? Back in the day of film I shot a lot of 4x5" and some 8x10. I won't even shoot 4x5 anymore, because the price of 10 sheets of Ektar is $65. I believe if you want to shoot film and still want swings and tilts buy a 6x9cm technical or field camera with a 120 back. Even if you pay quite a bit for the camera, film will be very cheap.
Hey Lonnie thanks for the comment and questions! The Ilford ULF special order is happening right now, and low/no minimum order quantities when placed with select dealers: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eUS6QF6Hq0A.html In the video I used my only two lenses that covered, 210 Super Symmar-XL and 355 G-Claron (wide and super wide!).
Great question! Bellows sag is a very real problem on most panoramic and ULF cameras and there are a handful of ways to treat it. There are specialty holders and rod systems out there, but I tend to stuff my dark cloth under the sag. It props them up reliably and doesn't hurt the exposure.
Thank you very much! Even though there was the least video of it, the Zill portrait also was the one that had the most time put into it; so glad it turned out how it did.
This has quickly become my favorite RU-vid channel, and I find myself excited every Friday to see what you’ve put together. I was inspired to get my darkroom set up again after watching for a few weeks, and hopefully I’ll have a free day to spend in there soon (we just had a big fun hurricane here in Louisiana yesterday, so I have to wait until the restore our power first, lol, but hopefully that will be soon). Can’t wait to see what’s in store for season 2!
I had to come back here and watch this one again for some tips. I just added a Canham 4x10 to my toolbox and the same advice given for 8x20 about looking on the edges for interesting compositional elements certainly apply to the smaller 4x10 size as well. Good stuff.
Gregg that new Canham of yours looks pretty slick! I don't want to take credit for that panoramic tip, that comes from Mr. John Powers; he's a fantastic B&W photographer specializing in 7x17" panoramic work in the Northeast Ohio area. Cheers!
This was really cool to see Ultra Large Format. I'd be curious to see some alternative developing methods. I've been following here since March and it's helped inform me on what to look for with large format and inspired me to shoot and develop. Getting to watch your videos has always made Friday a little more fun while working from home still.
Hi Vedat, there's a little bit of wiggle but as long as the standard is locked down it should be okay. The only way to completely remove slight shake from ULF cameras would be to add stabilizer rods that create another connection between the front and rear standards.
@@MatMarrash Yess, if one could do it than YOU! Ok I can't because I got only on 8x10 ...hmmm soo can't wait to see you here when shooting vertical in the next city! :-)
thanks for getting the sinar out, even if in this 'bodge' up 8x20" camera, great to see that it leaves the studio :-), looking forward to seeing it out more often.
So nice to see someone working in ULF - a very demanding discipline. Not just the technique, it’s learning how to compose a picture while immersed within the practicality of technique. Something that takes a long time to establish in muscle memory. I used to spend hours under a dark cloth looking at the ground glass screen, making minute adjustments of movements and focus. Very few photographers learn how to relax into all this. Perhaps a video on ULF psychology could take this issue further on. Maybe you could 3D your own 8x20in dark slides!
It's been a few years since I've used a borrowed 8x20 but it was a unique instrument and challenging to use. I think I would just as soon shoot with 4x10. So much easier and less expensive. But the 8x20 experience was memorable even though my photos weren't that day. I had to step to the left and right to get the full view of the focusing screen, it's so wide. The Korona was in excellent shape but heavy.
Great video I am just getting back to film and am trying to figure out what to do with the used chemicals luckily for me I just retired to the mountains but don’t know how to get ride of the east Thanks
Hi Ken thanks for the question. The most hazardous component that you'll want to make sure you collect and dispose of at a facility is the fixer (blix if you're doing color). If your home is on a septic system, flushing used fixer into that system could cause a septic backup.
Your channel is truly great and one can really see that you do it only out of passion! Can’t wait to see what’s coming in your season 2! P.S. Are you sure you didn’t swap your old and new paper prints? I was recently given a box of Ilford Multigrade RC that sat in a hot garage for a while and the contrast was 2-3 grades higher than the same paper but fresh
Thanks Adam! No swapping of the papers occurred, but I can confirm that the old paper was stored in not well temperature controlled conditions and the fresh stuff was brand new from Midwest Photo where they store it ~ 20C at all times.
Hi Matt, I know this is an older video, but, I am coming into one of these Korona’s as a gift from my sister-in-law’s Dad’s estate. I’ve made an 8x10 FrankenSinar and will probably do the same with this camera. It will need a new bellows and many repairs. I saw you were using what appears to be a 355 g claron. What was the other lens your were using?
Hey Peter thanks for the question! The other lens was a 210 Super Symmar-XL. It's a crazy wide lens on ULF and obnoxious to haul around but the look is outstanding.
LFF is great. Please keep them coming. Having spent 3 years with 4x5, I finally advanced to 8x10 this year and love it. End of season 1, looking forward to season 2. Well done.
Thanks Phillip and congrats on the move to 8x10! My condolences to your film budget, and hoping you enjoy what some refer to as "the perfect format". :)
Thanks Bill! Roll film panoramic format is super fun and has lots more films to choose from. That makes it the practical choice by far. But once you see the ULF ground glass and contact prints, it's all over. ;)
@@MatMarrash hadn't even thought about the ground glass aspect, gotta be amazing. picked up some direct positive 4x5 and some multi grade to experiment with paper negatives and contact printing. gonna modify a spare bathroom. absolutely obsessed with large format at the moment
Man, that is so cool! All of those frames you shared are really fantastic. Was the film for this format ordered during Ilford's special order or is it available all of the time? What about the darkroom paper?
Thanks Madison! The film is one that you can order once per year through the Ilford ULF program, but the paper is regular Ilford FB Classic Glossy, picked that and the blotter book up from MPEX 20 minutes before shooting the video.
II love "LFF". I look forward to Friday's to see what you will be bringing. I know it takes a lot of effort and planning to do this so thank you for all of this. Enjoy your time off from the channel. I hope to see it come back when you have recharged your batteries
The first time I found this episode, I was a bit confused early in the video. 8x20??? Very cool, but why? And then you mentioned long dogs. Ahhh, now it makes perfect sense. You can do a 1:1 life size full-body portrait of Struedel with that! The ingenuity in making this old camera work again is inspiring. Thanks Mat!
Thanks David! Initially Lauren wasn't happy that I was adding another camera to the kit, then I pitched her the idea of making 1:1 portraits of Strudel. It was smooth sailing from there!
I love your ingenuity to make a modern 8x20. I love the format and happy to see someone else using it (and promoting it). Everything is harder the larger you go (and more expensive). Nothing is better than a contact print. What lens did you use? Nikkor 450mm? Don't you have a Scneider Super Angluon 210? That will cover 8x20. Great composition and pictures especially the one of your dog. Love that one. Thanks for going ULF
Thanks Michael! The first two shots were done with the Schneider Super Symmar-XL 210 and the last two were with a 355 G-Claron. I've got two more lenses that will cover 8x20, but I'll save them for some other videos. ;)
Loved this video - although you're not telling me it's hard to photograph a sight hound on a sofa. They don't call greys and their like the fastest couch potatoes for nothing. Missing my old girl - grey / ridgeback cross - she liked her sofas and wherever we were - those were her sofas. Oh that 16x20 film size is impressive. So I went and had a look how much a box of it was. $843 for 25 sheets of FP4. Wow. Is it really that sort of price ? I think I'll start with 4x5 :-)
Thanks Richard! Zill's a bit wary of cameras, sometimes even snarls if I get to close with a lens . The hardest part of that shot was convincing her we weren't taking a picture of her. Once she hit that spot on the couch, it was lights out! Love sighthounds and could see myself doing a whole series on dogs with long snoots. :)
Always a great show Mat! I’ll probably never shoot 8x20 but it’s always fun to watch your show no matter what you’re talking about. How about a show (or several) about Scheimpflug principles and the most common scenes where movements are needed to get everything in focus. There are some videos about it but they usually just describe that the camera can rise or tilt etc but they don’t usually talk about what kind of scenes will require certain movements. There many different scenes where different movements will have to be used and it’s a bit challenging knowing when to apply them to various situations. Anyway, just a thought. Keep up the great work!
Thanks David! Camera movements are an integral part to using a view camera, and will be revisited periodically. I like the idea of practical applications instead of textbook examples!
I just have discovered your channel this week. You made a amazing job. I hope someday we will met and talk about LF photography. I started it with my Crown Graphic at the begging of the pandemic. Now I just got my hand on a 8x10. I can’t wait to try it! Keep up the good work!
Awesome Mat! I have been looking forward to seeing some of you 8x20 work. Are you stuck having to use the Korona holders or would Chamonix holders work? I am going to get a half frame dark slide for my 11x14 so I can shoot some big panos.
Thanks Joby! I'm looking into other holder options since I think everything else is in good shape. Richard Ritter can also make custom holders, but not sure how many I'll need (I always want more!).
Thanks Nico! Yeah the lighting was something I glazed over in this video, but setting up something like that is its own topic entirely. Thanks for the suggestion!
I’m interested in your workflow cadence from camera on the tripod to shutter exposure. Why? Because LF is prone to multiple human errors so do you have ideas, techniques that error-proof us from our mistakes?
Thanks for the question! Early on in the series I did a short episode on "doing the dance" with large format: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FuDLIqcRsiE.html Otherwise, the best technique I can recommend is tons of practice!
Thanks so much Mat. LFF serves as inspiration for me. I want to see you create ULF cameras out of rooms like Brendan Barry. You have a great way of simplifying information for people like me which goes a long way to keeping me going. Thanks so much for the channel.
Thanks for a great and inspiring series. One camera and three lenses now, thanks to you. Would love to see something on focusing. Also, and unrelated, what product do you use in your amazing hair?
Thanks Alan, and sorry for the GAS! Hmm, focusing is an interesting topic, but I may need backup for shooting something like that. Also, Got2B Glued has been my product of choice for years.
@@MatMarrash Good luck. I admire your engagement to achieve perfekt pictures! I am active in photography over 50 years (as an heavily engaged Amateur). Now after ending my professional career I plan to intensify my photography. Your work my help me a Lot!
Congratulations on a successful season 1 of LFF. It's a series that was definitely needed by the growing LF community and one that I recommend all beginners to watch in order to get them acclimated. Each show has been great. One future episode suggestion I could make is possibly a show on dealing with LF image making in bad weather, cold, wind (within reason), light rain, how to deal with the elements to make a successful shot happen while still protecting the gear. As we head into Winter here in the northern hemisphere and Spring in the southern, I know a lot of LF folks who might get a lot out of some tips around that.
Thanks for the great suggestion and kind words Gregg! I really like the idea of discussing shooting in varying conditions and will try to work that into upcoming episodes. Thanks again!
Love these LFF episodes! After shooting 4x5 and 8x10 for 40 years, I've toyed many times with the idea of 11x14. Would love to see a video and get your thoughts on this format; and, how you would compare the effort involved vs 8x10. Thanks!
Thanks Alan! For advice on 11x14, I might recommend reaching out to Mr. Joseph Brunjes. He has worked with 11x14 far more than I have: www.josephbrunjes.com/index As for the effort involved, it seems silly, but as soon as the film gets a little larger, the effort goes up considerably (let alone price!). Beyond 11x14, scanning options begin to dry up and possibilities for enlarging become scarce. There may have to be a deep-dive video "So You Want to Shoot ULF..."
@@MatMarrash Thanks, Mat. Yep, I'm aware of the challenges moving up from 8x10; ergo, why I haven't actually made the move after all these years. I already have a couple of lenses that would work fine for 11x14 which is why I never really looked at anything larger. Thou, to be honest, I have drooled occasionally over 14x17. ;) A video covering the considerations when moving up to ULF would be great! Thanks, too, for pointing me to Joseph's website; definitely will check it out.
Thanks Terry! Were she not so nervous I would have shot a little more video while setting up that shot. Of all the pictures made for this video, that shot took the longest!
What would be cool is if they made a "4x5" in the same fashion...make it a 4x10!! It'd be easier to handle and you'd still get that panoramic looking negative.
There are several 5x7/4x5 bodies out there and a few ULF sizes that have easy to switch out backs, but the only trade-off with multi-format is the size increase versus dedicated sizes.
Wow! I love the pano look to the 8x20 and I really love the shot of your greyhound, it's a perfect format for her. I'm wondering why you decided to mount the bellows onto the standards sideways. It obviously works either way so just a matter of curiosity.
Thanks Michael! By mounting the bellows did you mean attaching the frame of the 8x20 to the Sinar standard? For some reason I've always locked in my Sinar bellows side to side and lens boards bottom to top.
@@MatMarrash No, I just noticed at about 6:45 that the bellows tension loops and the front standard tension hook are turned to the side instead of on the top where I'm used to seeing them. I've always just used them to fight droop when the extension gets a little long.
@@Michaelnapierphotography Oh yeah that is some interesting placement. Now that you mention it, this is the only camera where I've seen it on the side. I can say it came in handy when focusing with the really short 210mm lens!
I wish I could get my greyhound to be still that long !! I love LFF, I’ve not ventured into large format yet but hopefully I will find a camera soon. Thanks
Thanks Paul! The secret to getting your greyhound to stay still is to offer them the most comfortable piece of furniture from every room of the house. ;)
Haha not even close. The camera cost less than a Sony mirrorless (but needed some work!) and the equipment is the accumulation of many Craigslist darkroom giveaways.
