Choosing a View Camera
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Introduction
One if the biggest hurdles to getting started in large format photography is that often people contemplating buying their first view camera have no idea of how the thing is actually used in practice, and thus have very little idea of what format they'll like, how much of some movement is enough, how much bellows draw is needed, and so on.
In theory, a large format camera is nothing more than a light tight tube; you put the lens (and shutter) at one end, the film at the other, and all the camera does is hold the two in the same relative position and keep in the dark.
That's the theory. In the real world, where large format cameras are actually used to make photographs, there are myriad details that determine whether a particular large format camera is a thing of beauty and a joy forever, or a frustrating evil instrument of Satan that you will want to hurl forcibly into the nearest deep body of water after attempting to use it.
Before you buy, you'll want to consider:
- format size
- movements
- bellows
- camera type
- type of camera back
- size/weight/cost
- minor features
- new/used
Format size
View cameras (that is, cameras with movements) come sized to use a large variety of film sizes, from 120/220 roll film to sheet film in a huge assortment of sizes. Generally speaking, there are persuasive reasons why you want to stay as small as possible: size, weight, cost of equipment, cost of film, etc. Generally speaking, too, as you increase the size of the film, you improve tonality and sharpness.
roll film - 6x7, 6x9, 6x12 - There are a considerable number of cameras available that use roll film backs that take 120/220 film. This has the distinct advantage that roll film can be more easily available, you can carry far exposures in a smaller, lighter package, and the film may be easier to process and more suitable for the eventual use. The smaller negative may not offer enough resolution to provide the sharpness and tonality to do very large prints but it's still way better than 35mm.
4x5, 9x12 - 4x5 is probably the most popular format for sheet film, since it's a reasonable compromise between size and hassle for many people. 9cm x 12 cm film is slightly different from 4x5 film, but although it takes different film holders, the external dimensions are the same. Europe seems to use 9x12, North America 4x5.
5x7 - 5x7 seems like it would be a wonderful format, but alas, support for it seems to be dieing. Kodak have announced they have discontinued all 5x7 film except Tri-X, and Fuji films are difficult to find in 5x7 in the US. This is a shame, since 5x7 is loved by many. You can contact print a 5x7 negative to get a reasonable size print, but the camera is only slightly larger than a 4x5 camera. Enlargers for 5x7 are not impossible to find.
8x10 - The 8x10 camera borders on the realm of 'very large'. Compared to a 4x5, an 8x10 camera is large and heavy. Film holders are large and heavy. Still, there's no arguing with the quality of the resulting negative.
very large - Yes, there are people who use cameras larger than 8x10. 12x20, 11x14, 8x20, even 16x20. If you want advice on these, I can't help you much. Think big. Think heavy. Think expensive. Think of hiring an assistant to help move/setup/work the camera.
Movements
When you read large format camera reviews, they're going to give you a lot of details about movements. Typically, they'll tell you that the camera in question has (for instance) front axis tilt of 90 degrees forward and back. While in some proof-theoretic sense this is interesting, in actual fact, you'd never use even a fraction of that much front tilt. Like so many things in life, once you have adequate movements, more doesn't really help.
Some terminology may help - the things that hold the lensboard (with the lens/shutter mounted in it) on the front of the camera, and the part on the back of the camera that will hold the film are both called standards. The one in front is the 'front standard', and the one in back is the 'back standard'.
View camera movements can be broken down into categories:
- swing - rotating either front or rear standard about a vertical axis. If it's the front standard, the lens rotates about a vertical axis; if it's the rear, the film will rotate about a vertical axis.
- tilt - Tilt is just like swing, except that the axis of rotation is horizontal.
- shift - sliding either the front or rear standard horizontally.
- rise/fall - sliding either front or rear standard vertically.
So we have tilts and swings, which rotate the standards, and we have shifts and rise/fall, which move them horizontally or vertically without any rotation.
People who have no experience with movements may find the entire idea of cameras that flex peculiar. What are they good for? Well, it boils down to two things: image/perspective control, and moving the plane of focus. People who use view cameras extensively find movements mind-bogglingly useful.
A full treatment of movements would fill a book. In fact, it has filled several. The one I recommend is Leslie Stroebel's "View Camera Technique" or perhaps Stroebel's "View Camera Basics". Both should be available from your library, or from online booksellers like amazon.com.
Since it's probably better to read one of those books than read any explanation of movements, I'll glide on to the real question: "How much of each movement is really needed?"
The answer, alas, is not cut and dried. If you plan to do architectural photography, or tabletop product photography, then you probably want as much of each movement as is practicable.
On the other hand, if you do landscape photography, as I do, then you need only modest movements. My Linhof Technikardan, for instance, gives virtually unlimited front tilt and swing. In years of using this very flexible camera, I suspect I've never used more than 20 degrees of front tilt or swing.
For landscape work, likewise, shifts are of limited utility; you can use them to avoid turning the camera just to make fine framing changes.
On the other hand, I've pushed the fairly considerable limits of rise/fall of the Linhof.
Two religious issues surround movements:
- axis tilts versus base tilts
- 'yaw-free' cameras versus 'yaw-full' cameras.
The first issue boils down to a simple preference. I've used base and axis tilts, and prefer axis tilts (which is what the Technikardan provides). You, too, will have a preference. The odds that we can correctly predict your preference prior to your using a view camera for about a year are almost exactly 50%.
I've never used a yaw-free camera, so I can't really comment on that. I don't find the issue of yaw to be a big deal, but suppose it might be if you do tabletop work.
Bellows
Recall that a view camera (well, actually, ANY camera) is a light tight tube with the lens at one end and the film at the other. The camera exists to keep them in the right places relative to each other, and to keep out the light that would jump in between.
In a view camera, the 'keep out the light' part is handled by the bellows, typically an accordion pleated contrivance made from fabric, plastic, leather, or some combination of the three.
A bellows must have the following properties - it must stretch (when you focus the camera), it must flex (when you apply movements), and it must be opaque.
If you use short focal length lenses, then the accordion style pleated bellows won't work, because it won't compress to become short enough, and because it won't flex enough. The solution is called a 'bag bellows', which is just, well, a bag with frames to attach to the front and rear standards. Think of it as an accordion pleated bellows with only half a pleat and without any creases.
Some cameras don't have interchangeable bellows. In some cases, this can be a problem - if, for instance, you want to use a bag bellows but can't change the bellows, you're stuck. Some regular bellows are so flexible it doesn't matter - the bellows on the Canham DLC45 is an example.
A major bellows issue is length - if you plan on using short lenses, you need to worry about the minimum bellows draw. This will be a function of how close the two standards can get (a mechanical function of the camera design) and how much the bellows can compress.
If you plan on using long lenses, you worry about maximum bellows extension. Unless you use telephoto lenses (and most view camera lenses are not telephoto design) you'll need bellow extension as long as the focal length just to focus at infinity. To focus closer, you'll need more.
Camera Types
View cameras come in two basic types: monorail, and flatbed cameras.
A monorail camera has front and rear standards which slide along a long rail. Monorail cameras are very flexible, with virtually unlimited movements, but are bulky, often heavy, and consequently hard to transport without risking damage.
Flatbed cameras have the front and rear standards which slide together or apart on a bed. Typically, the rear standard and the bed form a hard case which encloses the entire camera when the camera is folded. This makes them very robust and makes them easy to transport. Flatbed cameras typically offer fewer movements and less of the ones provided than a monorail camera.
Many photographers use the terms 'flatbed camera' and "field camera' interchangeably. I like to use the term 'field camera' to refer to any camera that's sufficiently lightweight and can be folded compactly enough that you'd consider using it in the field. That includes most flatbed cameras, but also some monorails such as the Arca-Swiss, which can be reduced to a surprisingly small package, as well as cameras like the Canham DLC45, which is sort of a cross between a triple-extension flatbed and a monorail camera, and even the Linhof Technikardan, which is essentially a monorail camera that folds very small.
Minor Features
Naturally, there are a large number of what appear to be minor features which can make the difference between a good camera and a great one. A short list of such features might include:
- levels - having levels attached to the front and rear standards to reflect when that standard is vertical is a real convenience. Keeping the rear standard vertical prevents convergence, so I generally make sure it's level to start.
- zero detents - One of the things I really like about the Linhof Technikardan is that it has zero detents for tilts and swings. These greatly simplify and speed up zeroing the camera so that you're always starting from a known situation.
- independent movement locks - some cameras suffer from what I call 'field camera disease', which is that one knob or lever locks more than one movement. On a Wisner Technical Field, for instance, the same knobs unlock both shift and swing, so that if you unlock one, you risk disturbing the other. Ick.
Type of back
There are really two issues having to do with the type of the back on the camera.
The first issue is how you go about changing the camera from horizontal (aka 'landscape') to vertical (aka 'portrait') orientation. With some cameras, you turn the entire camera on it's side, not very convenient. With some cameras, you remove the back, rotate it 90 degrees, and reattach it (this is known, for reasons which escape me, as a 'reversing' back). Finally, some cameras allow you to rotate the back to any orientation you want - such a back is called a 'rotating' back.
The second issue is how the film holders attach to the camera back. With 4x5 cameras, generally the ground glass is spring mounted, and you pull the ground glass frame away from the camera and insert the film holder underneath. The spring loaded ground glass frame then serves to hold the film holder tight to the camera back.
On cameras with a 'graflok' back, the spring loaded ground glass frame can be removed, and film holders with slots in them (like the polaroid holder, grafmatics, or roll film holders) can be attached using slide out tabs which lock it in place.
Materials
Large format cameras are made from a variety of materials, ranging from wood and metal (the two most common) to ABS (for the Walker Titan) and carbon fiber composite (for the no longer manufactured Infinity).
What the camera is made out of will affect the size, weight, and rigidity. You want the camera to be rigid. Unless you use the camera ONLY in the studio, you want it to be light. Metal cameras might have a slight edge on rigidity. Wood cameras may have a slight edge on weight. Metal cameras can be less than rigid, and wood cameras can be heavy. You'll need to assess each camera you examine.