Calumet?

Hi All,

I'm a "casual" photographer... I invest more time than the average hobbyist
photographer into learning photography but I'm not a professional
photographer. Better yet, I'm a software engineer that once had dreams to be
a professional photographer.

I started photography in the late 80's with 35mm and my own B&W darkroom.
Recently I've jumped into the digital bandwagon with a sonalta d-slr. All
good until I came to an exhibition of a fellow photographer (Dana Neibert)
and realized that film is still used a lot, especially for commercial stuff.
He showed his crown graphic, and that got me thinking.

Now I want to start shooting large format (4x5), but on a budget, since I'll
still shoot digital.

From what I've researched, the calumets are a very good starter camera
(cheap), and then I've bought one on ebay (one of the old CC-403 I believe,
it's the gray one) for about $100 bucks (body only). The price is ok, so if
I need to re-sell it, I won't loose any money.

My question is if this is a good camera to start (and start buying stuff for
it) or should I spend a bit more (and I really mean a bit) and start with a
calumet 45 model (the black one, with square rails).

I will mostly do stuff in my studio, and I don't care for convenience if I
need to take a few shots outdoors (that's why I don't care for the folding
models such as the crown graphic)...


Cheers!

Padu

In article rs.com,
"Padu" wrote:

My question is if this is a good camera to start (and start buying stuff for
it) or should I spend a bit more (and I really mean a bit) and start with a
calumet 45 model (the black one, with square rails).

Better yet buy a used Omega View D or E in good shape! Built like tanks
and were actually made by Mamiya. Used price maybe 300 dollars, and
you'll have money for film, paper and chemicals.
--
George W. Bush is the President Quayle we never had.

Sure, hundreds of photographers learned how to use a view Camera with these
old Calumets. Very durable equipment. If it's bellows are light tight and
it locks down solidly, save your money for the lens board, lens (get
something with some coverage so you can use the movements), dark cloth,
holders, tripod, hand held meter, filters, and ... the darkroom that you're
going to want to build to process it all yourself.

Lots of better places to spend some money. You can always upgrade the
camera itself if you wish, and as you said, you'll get your $100 back out of
it when/if you choose to sell it. No one will be able to tell if your
pictures were taken with the Calumet, Sinar, Bender or an old graphic ...
.... ... I've never found a reason to upgrade from my old Calumet and it's
still going strong after 20 years.



"Padu" wrote in message
ervers.com...
Hi All,

I'm a "casual" photographer... I invest more time than the average
hobbyist photographer into learning photography but I'm not a professional
photographer. Better yet, I'm a software engineer that once had dreams to
be a professional photographer.

I started photography in the late 80's with 35mm and my own B&W darkroom.
Recently I've jumped into the digital bandwagon with a sonalta d-slr. All
good until I came to an exhibition of a fellow photographer (Dana Neibert)
and realized that film is still used a lot, especially for commercial
stuff. He showed his crown graphic, and that got me thinking.

Now I want to start shooting large format (4x5), but on a budget, since
I'll still shoot digital.

From what I've researched, the calumets are a very good starter camera
(cheap), and then I've bought one on ebay (one of the old CC-403 I
believe, it's the gray one) for about $100 bucks (body only). The price is
ok, so if I need to re-sell it, I won't loose any money.

My question is if this is a good camera to start (and start buying stuff
for it) or should I spend a bit more (and I really mean a bit) and start
with a calumet 45 model (the black one, with square rails).

I will mostly do stuff in my studio, and I don't care for convenience if I
need to take a few shots outdoors (that's why I don't care for the folding
models such as the crown graphic)...


Cheers!

Padu

"Fred Leif" wrote in message
...
[SNIP]

Lots of better places to spend some money. You can
always upgrade the camera itself if you wish, and as you
said, you'll get your $100 back out of it when/if you choose
to sell it.

Good advice. Remember that in large format you are much less 'locked in' to
a 'system' than with smaller formats. If you want to change cameras in
future, a change of lens boards is all you need. Many accessories are
interchangeable too, with only a few things like binocular viewers tending
to be restricted to a single make.

This means it's much easier to change your camera/brand choice when and if
you ever want to 'upgrade', and carries a much lesser financial penalty,
compared to doing so in smaller formats. The Calumet should be a good place
to start: save the rest of your budget for tripod, film holders, a Polaroid
back, film, and, of course, a lens or two.


Peter

The Omega View was the finest camera that I ever owned. It had the
smoothest action of any view camera out there. I use a Crown Graphic
now. It takes a lot longer to set up and lacks the extreme movements
but that is not a problem.

Gregory Blank wrote:
In article rs.com,
"Padu" wrote:


My question is if this is a good camera to start (and start buying stuff for
it) or should I spend a bit more (and I really mean a bit) and start with a
calumet 45 model (the black one, with square rails).


Better yet buy a used Omega View D or E in good shape! Built like tanks
and were actually made by Mamiya. Used price maybe 300 dollars, and
you'll have money for film, paper and chemicals.

For studio work, the Calumet CC-40x cameras will do just fine!

it more (a

Nermal spake thus:

The Omega View was the finest camera that I ever owned. It had the
smoothest action of any view camera out there. I use a Crown Graphic
now. It takes a lot longer to set up and lacks the extreme movements
but that is not a problem.

Why do you say the Crown Graphic takes longer to set up? I have one, and
I realize it lacks some of the features of monorail cameras, but I don't
really see why it should take longer to set up. (Assuming you don't have
to switch between portrait and landscape orientation, which would be
faster on a camera w/a revolving back; but then, not all monorails have
that feature.)


--
Don't talk to me, those of you who must need to be slammed in the
forehead with a maul before you'll GET IT that Wikipedia is a
time-wasting, totality of CRAP...don't talk to me, don't keep bleating
like naifs, that we should somehow waste MORE of our lives writing a
variorum text that would be put up on that site.

It is a WASTE OF TIME.

- Harlan Ellison, writing on the "talk page" of his Wikipedia article
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Harlan_Ellison)

Nope Omega made by Toyo imported in the US by MAC (Mamiya
America Corporation), they are nice and can be had cheaper
than an older Graphic View or Calumet CC (go figure). And
it's a "system camera--some models have interchangable
bellows, sliding roll film backs and other goodies.
darkroommike

Gregory Blank wrote:
In article rs.com,
"Padu" wrote:

My question is if this is a good camera to start (and start buying stuff for
it) or should I spend a bit more (and I really mean a bit) and start with a
calumet 45 model (the black one, with square rails).

Better yet buy a used Omega View D or E in good shape! Built like tanks
and were actually made by Mamiya. Used price maybe 300 dollars, and
you'll have money for film, paper and chemicals.

In article ,
darkroommike wrote:

Nope Omega made by Toyo imported in the US by MAC (Mamiya
America Corporation), they are nice and can be had cheaper
than an older Graphic View or Calumet CC (go figure). And
it's a "system camera--some models have interchangable
bellows, sliding roll film backs and other goodies.
darkroommike

Gregory Blank wrote:
In article rs.com,
"Padu" wrote:

My question is if this is a good camera to start (and start buying stuff
for
it) or should I spend a bit more (and I really mean a bit) and start with
a
calumet 45 model (the black one, with square rails).

Better yet buy a used Omega View D or E in good shape! Built like tanks
and were actually made by Mamiya. Used price maybe 300 dollars, and
you'll have money for film, paper and chemicals.

Ok a minor detail Most of the older goodies should be usable on the
Newer Toyos and vice versus.
--
George W. Bush is the President Quayle we never had.

My old Crown Graphic does take longer to set up...it is not a problem
since I do not use it that often. It is much more portable than a view
camera. The movements are more limited than a real view cameras can
live and work around that though.

Up till a few years ago I used it for macro work with short focal lenses
on an old Compur shutter (35 mm, 55 mm, and 90 mm). I still love
working with large negatives.

I use 35 mm and 2 1/4 for macro now: no one processes color film in the
large format.



David Nebenzahl wrote:
Nermal spake thus:

The Omega View was the finest camera that I ever owned. It had the
smoothest action of any view camera out there. I use a Crown Graphic
now. It takes a lot longer to set up and lacks the extreme movements
but that is not a problem.


Why do you say the Crown Graphic takes longer to set up? I have one, and
I realize it lacks some of the features of monorail cameras, but I don't
really see why it should take longer to set up. (Assuming you don't have
to switch between portrait and landscape orientation, which would be
faster on a camera w/a revolving back; but then, not all monorails have
that feature.)