Large format photography is an "artisanal" endeavour. It's the photographic equivalent of pottery, bread making or growing your own vegetables. Comparisons to medium format digital photography are interesting -but not what large format is about. Large format is about mastering the process and getting a product that has taken more time, skill and effort.

What separates film from digital, especially in large format, is in its rendering. This is most noteable in the high values. Sensors still bloom in extreme (for example the Sun in the final image) highlights. As always, there are ways to manage light in any work flow, but film has built in tolerances. If your work flow never demands these extremes, so much the better for digital. Digital has without a doubt more advantages overall, hence it being a no brainer for most photographers. I like to be challenged with film. Digital removes the factor of being clever, hurdles are removed, and in the end the practical finds its way into your work. Pulling it off with large format is a prize worthy of the game.

Hi Hugh, welcome to the Intrepid large format club. Once you have messed-up your first few sheets, you will learn to relax, forget about the world and concentrate on taking beautiful images. The rest will come later. Enjoy.

Thanks - great idea. I sold my Linhof 45S and lenses years ago. I'm glad I had a few decades with that camera and the frame of mind it placed me in, when photographing. Something that continues to inform me, using my mirrorless Sony cameras today.

I got my Sinar P2 for $500 on eBay. It broke the ball head off my $50 tripod, I end up having to buy the Sinar tripod head. As crazy as it seems, I carry that camera everywhere. It's more of creating an image rather than taking a photo. The process requires discipline and patience and the results are magnificent. I also don't "cheat" by using a digital camera, I trust my lightmeter.

Truth be told: I sold my 4x5 after I got a 60MP PhaseOne - and then I sold my 8x10 when I switched to the Fuji GFX 50S. The resolution is more than enough for my needs and should I need more pixels I'll rent a 100S. The things that dissuaded me from keeping film cameras are dynamic range, colour reproduction, long exposures and finally portability and convenience - and image quality. No ISO400 film is as clean and crips as a modern sensor at ISO400 and you'd rarely chose to shoot a film at ISO 3200. Yet with digital 3200 is not an issue at all with still higher dynamic range, better colour reproduction etc than any film could deliver. Sure, sometimes I miss the "feeling" of the darkroom but honestly... so long as that's the only thing I miss about it, I think I made the right decision.

To me the thing that shooting 5x4 brings to the photographic experience are firstly tonality - the tonal roll off is exquisite, Secondly swing, tilt and rise mean you can not only control perspective but you can place the plane of focus wherever you want.Thirdly it really y makes you more aware of the picture taking process, not just because of the slower way of working but also at the cost per frame. Last time I shot 5x4 chromes I think I was paying just under $20 AUD per frame (cost of film and D&P). Nothing like having skin in the game to focus the mind. Oh and as an aside. When Aget shot his sublime photos of Paris he wasn't using the latest and greatest technology of the era. He resolutely used the out dated albumen process which meant he had to coat the glass plates himself and had to put up with the resultantly long exposure times. In his easy " Archive of Visions, Inventory of Things - Eugène Atget's Paris, Andreas Krase states that Age used an 18x24 cm camera and would regularly pound the streets with 20Kg of equipment. So perhaps a modern 5x4 with celluloid emulsions isn't so bad.

Large format reminds me shooting a Leica M in that it requires intentionality about every variable; no spray and pray. I’m looking forward to hearing the word “Scheimpflug” in an upcoming episode.

Seriously Hugh, check out Bryan Birk on KZfaq. He's a young guy doing great work, challenging himself with this medium as he goes to small towns taking simply excellent portraits with an Intrepid 4x5. He is honest, skilled and shoots with intent and great integrity. He's turning into a pretty decent documentary video maker too.

I started in film pics over 30 years ago, so I'm a bit of a youngster here :D Ended up in digital and now I'm back to film. Why? I find digital soulless. Despite all the tech wizardry and such of digital photography, it's become nothing more than just hit a few buttons, point and shoot and viola, there's your picture...sometimes after taking several hundred iterations of the same damn scene!!! Spray and pray isn't photography!!! Neither is sitting in front of a computer for hours on end processing what should already be a final product out of your camera. So long as you got things right to begin with. Now, I'm no luddite and I still use digital cameras. They have their place and sometimes the sheer convenience of being able to check out your pics is good. But, if I want to "take a picture", put the effort into creating an image that I spent time in getting ready to record, I use film. Film will slow you down, especially LF photography. There's no hit a few buttons and bam. No spray and pray. No point and shoot. No hundreds of iterations of the same pic. Maybe a bit of processing if you have a hybrid workflow, but you can still setup another darkroom if you should choose. Which you'll most likely find out that you will do. Simply because of the price of getting it done "out of house". Yeah, it might be a lot of futzing around but that's because you've gotten used to the "bam-bam-bam" and convenience of doing things digital. You're used to everything done yesterday and at 1000mph. Get used to the snail's pace of LF :D Like another poster said, screw up your first few sheets, but just take things as they come and forget about everything else. Live in the moment of taking the picture.

Welcome to the world of large format. I've been shooting 4x5 since 2000, starting with a light field camera (Tachihara Fiel Stand 4x5, and no, that's not a misprint, they've called their "Field" camera "Fiel" for decades), then in 2008 I bought my "last camera," an Ebony 45SU, a more sturdy field camera with some studio camera features. It will outlive me, easily, by a century or more. Some day, if I ever move into a place with the space, I'll get a Sinar ("see-naar" if you want to make your Swiss viewers happy) studio camera, but, other than the fact that it uses the same film holders and can use the same lenses, is, I'd say, more different than a Leica M10 and a Sony A1, even though they both have the same sized sensors. For anyone who's also considering entering the world of large format, I'd highly recommend going to largeformatphotography (dot) info, and reading the articles on the main page, then going to the discussion forum and reading along. About every week or two someone posts "I want to start large format, what camera should I buy?" so if you're thinking of asking that, a quick search will get you the past dozen or so responses. One theme that you'll pick up on is that most people will suggest that you start either with the camera that they started with, or with the one that the ended up with, and that's not necessarily good advice. It's like seeing that Hugh uses digital, and saying "I want to get a digital camera, which one should I buy?" without any context or extra information. Could anyone who's familiar with digital cameras answer that question? No, you'd have to ask the inquisitor many questions to figure out what they need, and most people would still recommend the camera that they use. If you read the threads on the LFPI forum, you'll eventually get to a post or two from Bernice Loui where she points out that the proper sequence of questions is: What do you want to photograph and what kind of prints do you want to make? What lenses will best suit your intended subject and output? What camera will be appropriate for your subject and lenses? Since you can use (almost) any large format lens with (almost) any large format camera, the camera is the last thing to think about, not the first. Two extremes would be: "I want to hike and take the grand landscape photograph" vs. "I want studio portraits with shallow DOF." The former would be best suited with f/8 or f/9 or slower very compact lenses, and a lightweight folder such as the Intrepid. The studio portrait shooter would be best served with large, fast, f/5.6 or faster lenses and a studio monorail camera strong enough to handle them, and the Sinar that you mention (especially with a Sinar shutter that lets you use very fast, very large, portrait lenses that don't have their own shutter), would be a great choice. There are many, many, cameras in between the lightest field camera and heaviest studio camera. My needs are in between, but I mostly shoot in the field, which is what led me to a mix of lightweight lenses (such as the 200mm f/8 Nikkor-M) for when I'm putting everything in the backpack and heading out to shoot (along with a Fuji 125mm/5.6 and a Fuji 300mm/8.5 as my compact lens trio). I also have a few fast, older, single-coated Tessar lenses, such as the Fujinar 210mm f/4.5, which are better suited for shorter trips or photographs at home. Since the non-folding Ebony is more sturdy than a folding field camera (at the cost of maximum bellows), it fits both of those needs well. I don't carry both the 200mm and 210mm lenses at the same time, that would make no sense, the point is I pack the lenses that fit the subject I want to shoot that day. I've always hated the term "crop factor," and since the ratio of 4x5 inch (actual image around 96x120mm) is...wait for it...4:5, while the ratio of 24x36mm is 2:3, it's never straightforward to answer the "lens equivalence" question. Do you crop 4:5 to match 2:3 (then you'd compare 120mm to 36mm, or 3.33:1 ratio)? Do you crop 2:3 to match 4:5 (then you would compare 96mm to 24mm, for a 4:1 ratio)? Do you not know until you're home and have had time to think about it? In that case, you'd compare the ~153mm diagonal to the ~43mm diagonal, or 3.5:1, or if you're old enough to do fractions in your head, use 7/2 or 2/7 to convert 24x36 to 96x120. For the super common 210mm lens, double 210, divide by 7, you'll get to 60mm, which is why it's such a popular "long normal and good for portraits too" focal length. Or, like most people, you start with a 150 and go from there. I exclusively used a 150 in college when I took a large format class (in the late 1980's), I hated that focal length, so I've never bought one after starting LF again years later. I do have a 165mm that's just right. Did you really buy new film holders? I didn't know anyone did that! The quantity and quality of used ones out there are enough to get you a dozen or so for a good price if you need it. Fidelity, Lisco and Riteway are the most common, Toyo is great too, and there are some newer holders being made, but so many good used ones are available. You will soon curse whoever decided that 25 sheet boxes make sense, since that's 12-1/2 holders, and honestly, I'd pay the same amount for a 24 sheet box just to avoid being annoyed at that extra sheet. I've rambled enough. I'm curious to see how your journey works out. By the way, you can fit that Fuji GFX onto the back of the Intrepid. It might be a bit too heavy for the Intrepid, but there are graflok back to digital camera adaptors out there (Fotodiox makes many) that let you use your mirrorless or SLR camera on the back of a large format.

it's going to be interesting to see how this pans out. comparing it to the fuji isn't fair, they can both do things the other can't. When you get your head around the movements of 4x5 you will see with a different eye, the fuji is just a big digital camera, magnificent but not comparable, two different tools

Hi Hugh. Also from me a warm welcome to the LF-World. Hope you will like the experience, the way of getting to be one with your shot before you press the shutter (btw. The collar of the cable release can be twisted for instant unlock ;-) ) I just startet with LF not to long ago and still love every second of it. Just being in the process while it all happens. And although no LF camera can be described as small my whole outfit with four lenses 65, 105, 180 and 240 never was smaller with any other camera I owned. So even size is relative .... But the greatest thing of all: Even with 20, 30 or 40 years in photography there are still things we can experience for the first time :-) So enjoy every second of your journey :-)

I worked as a staff photographer for a magazine and freelanced back in the 70s and 80s and we used whatever camera was appropriate for the job, 35mm, medium format, or 4x5, and these were various brands of cameras. I have favorite images from each format and for the same reason…the image captured the moment. In the end it’s not really about the camera, it’s about your interpretation of what you see and what you do with it, not the camera, be it digital or film. There is no right or wrong, everyone should choose what works for them!

Great to see you rejoining the film world. Almost got the same combo you have but my lens is the 135 Apo. Try it with T-Max to really blow your mind

Hello me once more, As some one who work 95% of the time with 5x4 tec.. cameras and the odd time 10X8 tec.. camera and how shoot only digital switching between full frame and medium format digital systems. Personally I think film days are now for ART house imaging and are a amazing place for students to lean the craft of photography. Using 5x4 / 8X10 technical camera well is a lot harder than in looks. When used with a PhaseOne back, Hasselblad Back or adapted to Fuji they can give just amazing results. So good luck and have fun. Keep well, keep safe and enjoy life.

I use my Canon PowerShot S100 for metering. When the Canon is set to ISO 400, the exposure is dead on. In addition, the Canon displays a histogram and it allows one to zoom in on any section of the picture, Check the highlight areas, check the shadows. The camera has a black and white mode and the aspect ratio can be set to 4:5.

I am new to the GFX100s and let me tell you I am blown away already. Easily the best camera I have had...and I am now 61 lol.

You'll hate your first 5 photos or so and then something magic will happen. Then you'll be hooked. Once you bag your first LF photo that really takes your breath away you'll be chasing that feeling.

Welcome to large format. I’ve been using my Intrepid mk4 for a year and as you’ll discover the process of shooting is extremely satisfying , maybe more than anything I’ve ever shot before (except my M10D). Large format forces you to think about every aspect of the image your going to make. As you describe the loading framing focusing and shooting is a ritual which you need to master. But the process... I can come away with no image at all but be totally satisfied as the journey is the thing. Embrace the futz great results in large format requires that attention to detail.

Really interested in this series. Bring on the next episode!

hi Hugh from beautiful Mexico. You can enlarge the heck out those large format prints and make 'em wall sized if you so fancy. I dwelved that idea years ago, but kinda stayed out of it due to cost, and needing to upgrade everything. Back then i stuck with 35mm and that was it. Now... in 2021, I use a cellphone mostly! (due to sheer convenience!), but the quality is lacking especially with videos. If you don't watch your settings, you can get a very grainy outcome! We did a cat video not long ago (we're a family type channel), and you can see this in that video! Let's face it, most cellphones these days are made in China usually at very low costs/quality, regardless of the name. Bring back the good 'ol days anytime, when most everything was quality made! :--D Thanks for the great video, and flashbacks with the pix :-D

Eagerly awaiting follow-up episodes and images!

If you're shooting outdoors, just use the sunny f16 rule. In full sunlight, set the shutter speed to the reciprocal of your film speed, and the diaphragm at f16. From there, you can run your shutter speed or f-stop up and down, while compensating for a change in one with a complementary change in the other. Partly cloudy? Open up 1/2 stop. Light overcast, 1 stop. And so on. I shot 20 36-exposure roles of 50 ISO film in Europe this way, and missed only two exposures, while shooting in just about every outdoor light condition you could imagine. Practice with a digital camera set on manual exposure to get the hang of it and learn how to judge the light. This was a valuable ability back in the day when the only thing in the camera that used a battery was the meter. Battery pooped out? No problem, just use the sunny f16 rule! (Not so important now that a battery is essential to the camera's operation. A lost art.)

Actually, even though they are no longer being made but can still be found, the Ebony 45SV/45SV Ti are superior to Linhoff. I’ve used the Linhoff, I’ve owned an 8x10 Deardorff, 4x5 Deardorff Special, 4x5 Wista, and now an Ebony 45SV Te. I can change the normal bellows out for the bag bellows for maximum movements with a wide angle to avoid vignetting. I also have both front and read shifts, which in most field cameras only one of the standards can shift. The Wista can have (not all) rear shift only.

Hugh, Sincerely, thank you so much for undertaking this project and video series. I will definitely be watching every episode. The arrival of the GFX 100S has spurred an ongoing discussion about currently attainable “best” image quality between me (a lifelong full frame landscape photographer, currently with the Nikon D850) and a friend who has frequently shot the American Southwest, first with a variety of large and medium format film cameras and then the Hassie X1D II. Studying full resolution samples from the GFX 100 series has definitely given me a greater appreciation for the subtleties of tonal range and color quality that digital medium format can deliver and gotten both me and my friend into a conversation about how far can we take image quality now and what is reasonably achievable with all the choices we have today. Plus, I frequently produce large (24x36 & up) prints of my images, so resolution and detail are more than just hypothetical topics for my work. Anyway, long story short, our recent conversations had taken us to precisely the issue you are now exploring: would large format film produce even better results that the latest medium format digital? So, you are doing the heavy lifting for us. Thank you! Thank you!

I did some 4x5 in college back in the 70's with a used Orbit rail type I found. Pretty much least expensive you could get. There is no reason why you cannot process your film at home. There are processing tanks similar to those for medium format film for 4x5. If you are sticking with B&W, don't forget to get some filters. Esp. a red and probably a yellow. I look forward to seeing what happens. I've been using Fuji cropped sensor for some time and am excited about the new 100mp Fuji. I'm hoping a 50mp comes out that's a little less expensive. I also would like it to have the adjustable viewfinder. I always enjoyed shooting while looking down into my twin lens reflex.

Hint; the focus image is on the front side (inside the camera) not the back side of the glass... some 8x loupes are set for contact focus... view camera loupes can be adjusted to focus on the grid lines or texture of the front side for more precision.

I have been a Hasselblad user for years (H5D and now X1D). I recently discovered the 4X5 (Horseman rail). I'm just beginning to master the beast. Buckle up, it will be painful sometimes, but Wow when it works! I went further this summer with a Linhof 617 panoramic (fix lens) where you have to approximate everything because there is no ground glass. that's what I call living!

In many ways I prefer working with 4x5 to working with digital cameras. I like the simplicity, the smaller number of choices, and the big viewfinder. Nevertheless, I use GFX (100 megapixels) for almost all my work now. For what I do, the results are just better, and I can be more productive. But what moved me over to digital in the first place was wanting to switch to color from the black and white I'd always done. The cost of 4x5 color film and processing was just too much, especially since I wanted to be loose and experimental. My Toyo became a vending machine that took $20 bills. I have NOT sold the 4x5, as I've sold off all my other old cameras. I hope to use it again someday.

Switch to largeformat and using the gfx for digitising the negs. Best of both worlds...

Thanks for that episode. I recently got back into large format photography having not used a 4x5 camera since I was at art college and working commercially in the 1980s. I brought a Wista 4x5 field camera which as I'm sure you know is a Japanese copy of a Linhof. I was lucky to find a photographer locally who had experimented with Large Format but not enjoyed the experience so it was a complete kit including lens and film holders plus a 120 film back. So far I've take around 20 frames in over two months, of colour and B&W, limiting myself to 4 frames per trip. I have enjoyed the more thoughtful and slow process of photography. The limitations can be both inspirational and very annoying but on the whole I come back from a trip having experiencing some kind of photographic ZEN. I decided to hand process the film both colour and B&W and scan the images on an Epson V800. This allows me to be involved directly from composition to the final print. I'm trying to think of a particular project now which will push me to use it more and master it as a tool. I look forward to seeing your journey. Love the channel!

Okay, super excited about this series!

Exciting! A proper drum scan of those negatives should yield at least 400 megapixels, so large format film is still resolution king. Plus endless highlight latitude, which is very satisfying after working with digital cameras.

I've always carried in my head a quote which I thought was from Danny Lyons (cannot verify) that "shooting with a Leica is like having a pistol in your pocket, but using a 4X5 is like having an axe across your shoulders." Digital photography has felt like "digital capture" to me whereas using a view camera was like sculpting with light. Just seems more tactile. For real giggles I like shooting with my 4X5 "Santa Barbara Lenseless" 4x5 pinhole camera!

I've been working with 4x5 off and on for a couple of years now, and while I don't get hives, all the "futzing" can still get me a little discouraged. I just keep messing something up. Like forgetting to stop the lens back down after opening it up to focus and compose. But...when things go right, the final image can be astounding, and that's what keeps me coming back.

A great idea for a series, looking forward to more. I started on my own in 4x5 with just books(!) and KZfaq video guides, it's not that difficult with some practice. You'll make mistakes, a holder will have a light leak or you'll crack the seal while removing the dark slide, you'll put the film in backwards, etc. Just don't start with color transparency film! BTW, since you mentioned it, on both my cable shutter releases you can screw the little round piece in place so the release returns automatically and doesn't stay in the extended position. You may have a different type, or possibly it might be broken, but give it a try or get another cable for a few bucks, it's worth it to put less stress on the lens shutter system. Enjoy!

It is said 'every picture tells a story' and I say "yes it does it is just that the story it tells is different for everyone".

I always look forward to watching your videos, and this one was particularly timely and inspiring. While my feet are firmly planted in the digital era with an impressive collection of modern Leica bodies and lenses, I have recently started to reminisce over the good old film days. I have a beautiful Ebony 45SV TE and 135mm Rodenstock lens which I purchased new almost 20 years ago. I enjoyed using it for a number of years until I went totally digital. Now you had to show up with your Intrepid and hives and shove me over the cliff. To me, there was nothing more satisfying (in the photography world of course) than taking a sheet of film out of the daylight developing tank after the final rinse, hanging it to dry and marveling over how each tonal zone fell exactly where I wanted it to...beautiful shadow areas and no burned out highlights. I’m in heaven just thinking about it. I still have all my darkroom equipment and intend to start putting it to good use again. I’ve got to go now before the B&H order desk closes.

Great video! I used to use a digital camera to meter but now use a spot meter. If you use a digital camera you have to be aware that you are using a medium where most of the latitude is in the shadows to produce a reading for a medium where most of the latitude is in the highlights. I have always felt that digital camera exposures are weighted (by in camera software) to preserve highlight detail, In my experience successful large format negatives depend on getting the shadows right so I would always add a stop of exposure from a digital camera reading and concentrate on those zone 3 shadows.

I've used a similar camera (Chamonix 45N-1) for years, and still have a freezer full of film. The camera is ready for use, but as I got older I found it harder and harder to carry; I don't mind the process, just the weight of the system (I only shoot color).

I missed this when it was first posted. I hope you do more segments on large format.

Can't wait for the next episode! 😍

Intriguing. I look forward to the upcoming episodes. 50 years ago, I shot with a Graphlex camera and processed (B&W) the negs. Also shot transparencies and had them processed. Since the setup for 4X5 is quite involved and there being only so many exposures that can be made when there are a limited number of film carriers, one tends to be quite choosy and careful, which can be good in our fast paced world. More recently, a friend bought a Wanderlust 4X5 (a Kickstarter project) and I helped him with that, so that was fun. In case you want to develop your own negatives (which I somehow....futzy as it can be...doubt...) there is a nifty light tight developer tank made by Stearman Prints Ltd (was also a Kickstarter project some years ago...) that makes it somewhat easier - kinda like 35mm tanks were "easy". Google them if you are interested.

Hi Hugh. Thanks for a superb essay! I'm going through many of the same arguments you present. LF vs digital are two separate animals all unto themselves. Whether from my Leica R4s, or my 500Vs the detail of richness and sharpness seem far above anything a DLSR can produce. When I think of taking my 7 pound DSLR kit out for a day, I think of the images of Ben Horne, or Scott Walton, or some of the other large format photographers where clearly, the image is superior, IMHO. On the other hand, many films that I have shot do not have the dynamic range of today's digital wunderkinds. So, I guess it is a trade off. It depends on what you want to shoot, and the time it may take to get the exposure you are looking for. LF is certainly more contemplative. For those of us north of 50, weight too becomes a factor. 50 megapixels and several pounds of glass can give your back fits. That said, I am looking forward to your second installment with great anticipation.

Very much looking forward to this adventure Hugh!

In the 90's my speed Graphic 4x5 with Kreuznach lens was a beauty but I eventually sold it - the digital bug allowed for unlimited experimentation so I never went back. For not much money, I recently found a mint Pentax 645D (with the last of the great Kodak CCDs) and legacy glass. I'd found my sweet spot at last. Still I love following the contemporary practitioners of large format film photography.

Amazing Hugh ;)) the experience with the100 megapixel Fuji made me pick up a plaubel monorail with lenses from 58 to 210 mm. Now I'm deep into shooting and developing (b&w) large format for the first time.

This will be an interesting watch. Using a 5x4* is quite a different and more satisfying experience than digital or smaller format film photography. Once you are more familiar with the equipment and establish a routine / rhythm it really isn't as complicated or fussy as it might first appear. The only real downside, apart from the cost of film etc., is lugging everything around - I see a small trolley in your future, and quite possible a proper light meter too. Note * I'm a Brit and for some odd reason we have always said / used 5x4 rather than 4x5.

So you found out that you could match exposures from your mirrorless to the medium format fairly accurately ? Good to know

Hello Hugh, great to see someone accomplished jump into the deep end. My advice is to practice setting up your rig and spend time examining the world from under the dark cloth. Get to grips with front and back movements - they are a blast. Accept that duff exposures is the price of admission.

Great project and good luck with the futzing. You will find plenty of that but hopefully will find it all worthwhile in the end. I look forward to part II!

For the Video Test are you going to use 1800 cameras for a 1 minute 30FPS test *rotating mirror and synchronized delayed shutter release required) or go the Stop Motion animation route?

And let's not forget testing the actual ISO of the film so that you can set the ISO on whatever you're using as a light meter.

I'm very much looking forward to this series. I have been toying with the idea of going into Large Format photography but have questioned whether the work required would be worth it when there are great MF digital cameras out there. You brought up all my concerns in your video, and I'm am very curious about your conclusions.

I think I already know where this is going but I’ll follow along. Film vs digital is centered more on the experience than the results, whatever floats your boat. I just hope this doesn’t degenerate into a digital vs film argument, they’re both legitimate means of artistic expression.

The local photographer where I grew up. He and his view camera define the place even now, no small deal in a town already rich in history. The FMS legacy said to me as a child, that photography was very much something worth doing. But also that if you *see* things differently to the rest, then stick with it. Through the camera your vision may prevail. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Meadow_Sutcliffe

You can easily remedy the inverted image by mounting the camera upside down.

Hi Hugh, I have a Sinar F2 and the same lens that you have purchased. My experience with 4 X 5 is that there are a myriad of ways to screw-up. Which with transparency film and processing can get expensive. Mine's gathering dust while I use my Sony A7RM4 and Hasselblad X-1Dii.

Hugh, the links you mentioned to other YT videos on the film process are not in the show notes. I have an Intrepid and have yet to put it to use, looking forward to the futzing.

I guess the biggest difference is the large format camera's ability to do tilt and shift. Fuji promised a tilt/shift lens, that'll be immensely useful for the format.

Such a cool idea for a new series. I grew up with medium format camera in hand but never ventured into large format. Then digital arrived and I haven't looked back; not to say that I wouldn't......depending of course on the conclusion of this series. Hurry up with the next installment please! Oh wait-that seems counter intuitive, doesn't it. Carry on.

I got goosebumps before clicking this video. Very intrigued

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Schleimpflug = futzing maximus. You will need a bucket of hive cream. Nothing beats the tonality of large format. Hopefully you can find someone in New York with a large format enlarger and do some exhibition grade prints. Failing that have the negatives scanned using a Hasselblad Flextight scanner. Either way the prints will be sublime. Have you considered Kodak TMax 100 by the way? Enjoy. I will watch with interest.

This isn’t a fair comparison. Digital sensors now will blow film out of the water in resolving power. But large format photography is a process. It’s zen. You make a print of a large format image, frame it, and admire it quietly over a glass of wine or a mug of coffee in the morning.

Not usually a fan of the "this is the first time I've used this type of camera video," but unfortunately the serviceability of the view camera has been too much forgotten. Light meter apps were very popular a few years back, so you might be able to stick to that very emphatic "NO!" Good luck, and looking forward to seeing the results.

Good on you, Hugh! This is going to be an exciting series. No regular Light Meter? Ok, I am a bit nervous! Not the same, LOL, but I do have to take my Yashica 44 out every year or 2 & do some 127!

Thanks.

fine video from a old film guy great content

Don't forget to allow for reciprocity failure if you are making longer exposures - anything much over 1 second. HP5 is 1.31 eg 2 seconds raised to power 1.31 = 2.5 seconds.

This is so great, welcome to the modern analog world! If you want something close but not as fussy I can’t recommend the 6x9 Fujica G690 medium format enough.

4 sheets of 4x5 film is a lot. Or I should say plenty for an outing. You better like your subject enough to drop a sheet on it, especially if you go to color at $5 a pop. CatLabs 80 is good practice film. $30 for 25 sheets. Not a bad deal.

Very excited for this!!

Oh - another thing. You may regret the objection to using a light meter. Digital cameras do not meter to suit film. Nick Carver is THE master in metering for film and shoots large format. Check out his website and YT channel.

So .. 4x5 8x10 are Hard the rewards are Many and varied. Having used high res digital and LF I can say film has something hard to define? Digital is clinical and polished, with resolution. Use both as you wish Enjoy the moment🖖

INTERESTING I've just been looking into how you might be able to get a medium format look on 35mm mirrorless cameras, then I come across this. The 80mm F2.8 lens on the Rolleiflex 6x6 cameras works out to a 44mm F1.5 lens due to the 0.55 crop factor. You could get a similar look with the Tamron SP 45mm F1.8 or the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8 or the manual focus Irix 45mm F1.4 Dragonfly which has the closest matching aperture. Or you could use a Kipon focal length reducer/telecompressor and use 645 lenses directly on E mount. Or perhaps a telecompressor could be built into the lens itself so you don't even need the adaptor. In terms of image size, with the 60 MP Sony sensor you could then upscale that to get an even bigger image if you want to. But I just find it interesting that you just happened to choose a 4x5 format 150mm f5.6 lens, which just happens to work out to a 45mm F1.7 on 35mm. LINK: Kipon focal length reducer kipon.com/kipon-start-to-deliver-two-smart-adapters-for-using-electronical-mamiya645-mount-lenses-on-sony-e-mount-cameras/

1° spot meter. You’ll find you need it.

I could never go back to portraits without movements

You can lock most of those collars but once mounted to a grip I at least have fallen into the habit of releasing it by sliding my thumb past it. But then all my photos look like I've used lead weighted toilet paper as a shutter.

Wow, i am shocked that you jumped into LF. I love your videos. On one hand, you are the last person I expected to try LF because the LF “dance” appears to be the antithesis of the design concepts you rightly espouse. It is utterly frustrating, and I am curious if you find it as rewarding as I do. I returned to photography as a hobby 6 months ago, but I had no interest in buying a new digital camera. Instead, I bought a 4x5 camera, and I am having a lot of fun. Will you enjoy it? The suspense is killing me. Be warned, you will be developing your your own film very soon -it is inevitable. Thanks for this series.

I have the Shen Hao 4x5 and the GFX100 and I find myself shooting more with the 4x5.

Very cool. I am really curious about the conclusion of your journey. I suspect I would never personally venture in the 4X5 film cameras, although I have been intrigued by the concept since I so one up close being used by a fellow photographer in the swamps of the Upper Everglades. The GFXs do the trick for me, although it would be nice if Fuji would start to give us some T/S native lenses to play with....BTW glad to send you some Benadryl to complete your exploration safely.

This remind me when I made my first pinhole camera.........

Now I have to go rewatch 'Naked City' on VHS.

:/ I am so interested in seeing the comparisons for the photos of these wonderful pieces of machinery!

I think wrestling with the film in and holder with my eyes closed in the dark bag would be the thing that beat me or maybe the number of steps to remember with my memory fading these days or wrestling with the film,,,, Ah I've done that one,,, what day is it? :-)

Hehe the ufos have landed 🤭😉

Looking forward to the series. You speak a lot of “intent”. Now you will discover just how deep your resources are in chasing intent. Be patient. Give it time. All this futzing will instead become a meditative process , where the process itself is a part of the art you strive to create. There are plenty of inspiring KZfaqrs like Ben Horn and Bryan Birks. Good luck.

The one statement that should follow "focus" and precede "remove the dark slide" "remove the dark slide", is, "close the lens" "close the lens" lol

I’m so distracted by the white seamless and QVC framing, miss the moody bat-cave. 🤪

Hi Hugh, congrats on the Intrepid and good luck on your LF endeavor :) I'm not sure if you're familiar with Ben Horne but you should definitely check out his channel: kzfaq.info Although he mostly shoots 8x10", the results he gets from drum scanning are out of this world. Check also Michael Strickland on Instagram (@mstricklandimages). I know he's US based and he provides excellent drum scanning services.

God you are the coolest and best

Simplicity does not mean it's easy 😅

intrepids are the lowest quality large format camera currently on the market. worst possible choice when comparing 4x5 to a gfx100 and a huge waste of money. one of the biggest advantages of shooting large format is the availability of extremely high quality used photo gear at dirt cheap prices.

.. somehow .. it reminds me Bob Ross. Subscribed.