Some Links for Large Format Lovers

Wow. A 4x5 Point and Shoot. Could make getting those big images from the wildest places a bit easier on the backpack. BTW... they are announcing an 8x10 PS soon, so you really big film lovers should bookmark this site.

Welcome to Fotoman: "Fotoman 45PS
A very compact 4x5 field camera, CNC machined from a solid billet of T6000 series aluminum. Light weight with helical focussing (verifiable via groundglass), accepting standard film holders as well as Fuji and Kodak Readyload holders, and the Polaroid Film Holder. Add the optional Back Spacer, and you can use the Grafmatic Film Holder as well insert-able roll film holders. Lenses range from 47mm to 150mm."

Here is a nice collection of articles, how to's and reviews for large format shooters.

Large Format Photography . Info
(also known as LFphoto.info for brievity)Non-commercial community of large format photographers, includes a repository of primers, how-to articles, user's reviews of equipment, and an active discussion forum.

Ken Rockwell has a very rich site of reviews, how to's, images and more.

"The 4 x 5 view camera remains unsurpassed for landscape photography"

and

"Digital still can’t touch large-format film for the full-page reproductions that have made Arizona Highways famous"

Peter Ensengerger, Arizona Highways Director of Photography, November 2005 here.

Alain Briot answers the question... Why 4x5?

I was once asked, during an interview for the Video Journal, (Issue 1, Number 1), why I decided to use a 4x5 camera. My immediate answer was the one you would expect: I use 4x5 because of the superb detail available from such a large original, the superlative lens quality, the movements afforded by a view camera, and so on. In one word: quality.

Ahhh... but read on for a really considered discourse.

For the DIY Guys...Designing and Building a Large Format Camera

My book Building a Large Format Camera is an 85 page manual with instructions and plans for building a 4 x 5 inch monorail camera with friction focusing. The book has 30 step-by-step drawings, 23 sketches and 11 photographs, a wealth of references to relevant literature and numerous useful addresses in the US and Europe. Most drawings are to scale and may be scaled up for an 8 x 10 inch camera. The book is available by order direct from me. [Details >>]