What format do you shoot?

Jamie R · Oct 18, 2004

Wow! Thanks for the replies everyone.

Looks like 35mm is still the most popular format here, with 35mm format users aspiring to use medium format.....and medium format users aspiring to use large format....and 5x4" users aspiring to use 10"x8"

Voodoocat - I use a Sinar monorail too. I wonder why you are planning on selling yours - too heavy? I had a field camera but it was imprecise and lacked decent movements so the only thing I could do was tilt the lens for landscape and shoot at f64 for pin-sharp images. It was far more convenient though. I shoot 5"x4" sheet film and crop off half an inch top and bottom on the grid-screen. I prefer it that way; the light-fall out isn't as noticeable on the screen, and the wide-skirt of the lupe can then read the edge of the 'square' image better. The 'dead' inch on the 5"x4" sheet can then be used as a working margin for printing 100% of the image. Just me, that's all. It's not a technique that would suit anyone else.

Soulreaver - there are plenty of affordable 6x6cm vintage cameras if you're looking to try medium format inexpensively.

voodoocat · Oct 18, 2004

I have an old Norma. It's a beautiful camera. It's the cadillac of cameras... but it is too damn heavy. I would get far more use from a camera I can take out in the field and fit in a backpack. I don't really need all the movements.

Mitica100 · Oct 18, 2004

6x6
6x4.5
35mm
4x5 (occasionally)

oriecat · Oct 18, 2004

mostly 35mm
recently a lot of 120 in my Holga or TLR
newly polaroid-ing, whats that - 3.25 x 4.25?

terri · Oct 18, 2004

oriecat said:
mostly 35mm
recently a lot of 120 in my Holga or TLR
newly polaroid-ing, whats that - 3.25 x 4.25?

It is for 669, but you can quickly move up from there, Orie! :wink:

I use mostly 4x5 sheet film now. It's the Polaroid version of format-sickness. :LOL:

ksmattfish · Oct 18, 2004

voodoocat said:
I would get far more use from a camera I can take out in the field and fit in a backpack. I don't really need all the movements.

Keep the good lenses you have and get a Super Graphic. It's mostly made of aluminum so it's pretty light, and folds up very compact for a 4x5. No back movements, but it has front swing, shift, rise, tilt, and a drop bed.

I do find myself looking at the Shen Hao field cameras, but even though they are pretty cheap (as new LF cameras go), I figure I should spend that moola on a new lens, since the Super Graphic really does cover about 99% of my LF needs, and I have a heavy monorail if I need pretzel twisting DOF action the other 1% of the time.

voodoocat · Oct 19, 2004

Well with the student discount I can get the Toyo for $550 which isn't all that bad. It's only 3.2 lbs and feels wonderful in my hands

fadingaway1986 · Oct 19, 2004

35mm & Digital here..

DocFrankenstein · Oct 19, 2004

Fully digital. Before I was absollutely sure that film had cooties...

Now I'm thinking of getting an 35mm SLR body for BW and true wide angle.

Corry · Oct 19, 2004

DocFrankenstein said:
Fully digital. Before I was absollutely sure that film had cooties...

Now I'm thinking of getting an 35mm SLR body for BW and true wide angle.

Film does have cooties. You just have to build up a tolerance!

ksmattfish · Oct 19, 2004

voodoocat said:
Well with the student discount I can get the Toyo for $550 which isn't all that bad. It's only 3.2 lbs and feels wonderful in my hands

I love those Toyo field cameras, of course, they are all originally based on the Speed Graphic design.