4x5 Large Format Film

 

The wide-open expanses and fine detail of most western landscapes always seem to call for a finely detailed print. At the time of my switch to large format, digital cameras were improving but still remained out of my price range. Canon's EOS-IDs Mark II was running approx. $7,000, and medium-format cameras with digital backs (such as Hasselblad's H2D-39 with its then-sky-high 39 MP sensor) were even more (~$30,000).

For those who are unfamiliar with large format photography, LF cameras (both view and field types) allow for the use of film much larger than the standard 35mm (which is actually 24mm x 36mm).  A 4"x5" sheet of film provides nearly 15 times the resolution of a given scene compared to 35mm film.  A quality drum scan of 4x5 film can yield well over 1GB of non-interpolated 16-bit data. The extra imaging area allows for better tonality as well.  In addition, unlike conventional cameras, the lens and film of both view cameras and field cameras are not fixed parallel to each other. This allows for various tilts, swings, and shifts of the lens relative to the film to correct for distortion and to extend the area of focus beyond that controlled by the aperture.

So why don't more photographers still use large format cameras?  They're bulky and heavy.  Not so good for backcountry fastpacking, but only the bulk is really a problem when working from a vehicle.  I filled an old suitcase with egg-crate foam to hold the camera flat (w/ the bellows removed and both standards turned parallel to the rail), and that worked relatively well.  It took a while to set up, but most of my shots were slow-paced landscapes, so rarely was that an actual problem.  I used my Minolta as a light meter anyway, so if conditions changed quickly I had a backup 35mm camera at the ready.

With most large format cameras, everything has to happen from a tripod.  Trying to compose an upside down and backward image on the ground glass was difficult at first.  But as time went on, it became much easier to balance the composition of the scene when viewed abstractly like this. 

I took some of my still-favorite photos with this setup.  Each exposure required deliberate, thoughtful setup and execution, resulting in an artistry to the photographic process that was mostly new to me.  Working in large format taught me more than any other equipment-defined phase in my photographic life.  Because of the weight, however, I found myself leaving this gear behind on all of my backpacking trips and many other trips as well.  I cherish the images I was able to make during this period, but I'll regret forever the ones I wasn't prepared to make.  In the right circumstances, or with more field-appropriate gear (field camera instead of a monorail, carbon-fiber tripod instead of the hulking Manfrotto 3221W I was using, etc.), large-format photography is simply unmatched as a photographic process.

Equipment

Cambo 45N

Rebadged as a Calumet SCN, this camera was everything it needed to be: a light-tight frame to hold the lens and the film holder. All movements were friction-based and solid. It was durable, elegant in its own way, and about as portable as a table saw. Though I probably would have been better served with a field camera, this monorail came cheap and allowed for a much greater range of movements. For a review, click here.

Rodenstock APO-Sironar N 210mm/5.6

One of many examples of fine German optical engineering. This lens was at the lower end of Rodenstock's line, but was still of very high quality. Also rebadged as a Caltar II-N, this modern lens was multicoated to reduce flare, apochromatically corrected, and very sharp. Copal 1 shutter, a 6-element/4-group plasmat design, 67mm front threads, a fully mechanical design, and equivalent in terms of field of view to a 70mm on a 35mm camera. What a fun lens to work with!

Field Use

I took some of my most prized photos with this setup.  Each exposure required deliberate, thoughtful setup and execution.  I carried with me a simple laminated rectangle of cardboard with a central 4:5 area removed and a string (to establish a fixed distance from my eye) to use as a framing guide when traveling.  If a shot looked promising, the setup would begin:

  1. Determine the necessary camera height and position

  2. Set up the tripod

  3. Mount the camera on the tripod

  4. Rotate the standards perpendicular to the rail

  5. Attach the bellows

  6. Attach the darkcloth

  7. Compose and focus the scene

  8. Insert the filmholder

  9. Meter the scene

  10. Determine and set the optimal aperture/shutter speed for the scene

  11. Verify the previous meter reading

  12. Activate the shutter

Development

For those of you interested in exploring large format photography and curious about the chemical development process, here's the approach I formerly used.  I've since sold all my large format equipment and use a Nikon Z7 exclusively.

My favorite films during my large format period were Fuji Velvia 50, Fuji Astia 100f (both color reversal ['slide'] films), and Ilford Delta 100 (black and white negative film).  Color reversal film was sent to A&I Photo Labs in Los Angeles and Ivey Imaging in Seattle.  Ivey, I believe, is now closed.  In any case, I never attempted to self-process reversal film and never had any interest in color negative film.  I learned to develop black and white film at home, as described below.

Jobo Rotary Processing Tank #2521

I purchased this tank as part of Jobo's #4341 Sheet Film Tank System Kit.  The kit contains the tank (a 6-sheet, single reel daylight tank), one reel #2509n, and a loader base and guide.  I considered many of the other tanks on the market as well as trays, but when I was working in Yellowstone NP I didn't have access to a well laid-out and completely dark place for development, so a daylight tank was a must, and the Jobo worked great.  The tank is made to fit onto one of Jobo's rotary processors, but they cost WAY more than what I was prepared to spend.  Jobo doesn't recommend hand inversion with this tank as it takes about 1.4 liters of developer (at capacity).  The developer I used (Pyrocat HD from Photographer's Formulary) cost $0.59/L at that time, so I would've used hand inversion anyway.

Processing Process:

I used Pyrocat HD because of its ability to separate fine tonal gradations in the highlights and because it was very inexpensive. And not in that order.  The staining action of pyro was rumored to have little effect on tabular grained films compared with traditional emulsions like Tri-X, Bergger, and Efke 100, but I didn't have the comparative experience to know.  Even if true, however, Pyrocat's low cost was enough to offset whatever staining benefits I failed to realize with Delta 100.  TF-4 Fixer is an alkaline fixer and was recommended by others for the fixing of staining developers such as Pyrocat.  I used Ilford's Ilfostop citric acid stop bath at 1/3 strength.

Pyrocat HD comes as a collection of pre-measured dry chemicals.  These are mixed in distilled or deionized water to form stock solutions A and B (or in propylene glycol in the case of solution A), which are then further diluted with water to form the working developer solution.  Though various dilutions are available to increase activity and to slow things down for stand development, I used the standard 1:1:100 (1 part A, 1 part B, 100 parts water).  The following development times are for Ilford 100 Delta; the post-development times (fix, wash) should work well for most other films too.  A 5 minute presoak, recommended for use w/ Pyrocat, is omitted as Ilford's Delta films have an incorporated wetting agent in the emulsion.  I tried both ways, and the results were equally good.

  • DEVELOPMENT: 11 minutes - continuous hand inversion for the first 60 seconds, followed by inversion every minute thereafter for 10 seconds each.

  • STOP BATH: 30 seconds or so – Ilfostop (Ilford's citric acid stop bath) mixed to 1/3 normal strength.

  • FIXER: 6 minutes - TF-4 alkaline fixer: 30 seconds of inversion every minute.

  • WASHING: Three complete changes of water according to Ilford's washing scheme:

    • fill (tap water)

    • 5 inversions

    • 5 minutes of stand time

    • refill (tap water)

    • 10 inversions

    • 5 minutes of stand time

    • refill (distilled water + small amount of Ilfotol Wetting Agent)

    • 20 inversions

    • empty

    • 5 minutes of stand time

  • REMOVE FILM; hang to dry.

The Jobo tank's capacity is roughly 1.4 liters which, when slowly hand inverted, allows for sufficient agitation. The book that explains most of this, by the way, is Anchell and Troop's The Film Developing Cookbook. Another one to try (I haven't) is Gordon Hutching's The Book of Pyro. To my knowledge, neither book has been updated since the debut of Pyrocat by Sandy King in 1999. My last recommendation is John Schaefer's Basic Techniques of Photography, Book 1. It's the best general photography book I've found, and I've flipped through quite a few. For current info on Pyrocat HD, check out Sandy King's articles on Unblinking Eye, the Azo forum, and at his personal website.