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Steve Hoffmann's Nature and
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Table of contents for this page: IntroductionThis section could also be called "my struggle with 'P-ADS' (photographic attention deficit syndrome)". All kidding aside, I have enjoyed my photography hobby throughout the last 28 years. My occasional changes in interest between one film format and another and the introduction of digital technology have enabled me to explore and enjoy a broad range of photographic possibilities. Over the the last 10 years I have bought about 25% of my gear locally and the rest online from B&H. B&H is head and shoulders above the rest of the online photo dealers. B&H has a huge variety in their inventory and their customer service is the great. If the B&H web site says they have it in stock, you can be comfortable in knowing you will get the item within the stated shipping time. 
If you are just starting out in photography and don't already have a big investment in equipment, I suggest you read the section called Film Scanner or Digital Camera on my Digital Darkroom Imaging and Printing Tech Tips page. This article discusses the pros and cons of 35mm, medium format and large format film and digital camera and film and scan digital workflow. DSLR (Digital SLR) Camera EquipmentThe first time I was involved in photography was between 1973 and 1986. I used Nikon F2 camera bodies and Nikon lenses from 20mm to 500mm. I used Kodachrome 25 almost exclusively during this time period. In 1996 I decided to renew my interest in photography. My second entry into photography was with Canon equipment and primarily Fuji Velvia film. The reason I bought the Canon outfit instead of Nikon for my next photography kit was because I couldn't get the mirror lock up feature on a mid priced Nikon body. Mirror lockup is essential for macro and telephoto work. Canon SLR camera and lens designs are innovative and ergonomically friendly. I am no longer using film in any format. 6 megapixel and above DSLR images can be resized to the same dimensions as my 4000 dpi film 35mm film scans, and the DSLR images look better due to lack of film grain and other issues with 35mm film and scan workflow. My Canon 1Ds Mark II 16.7mp DSLR is capable of photographic output that may equal or exceed 6X9cm medium format camera image quality. The wide and fluid range of lens focal lengths available in a DSLR outfit along with the 1Ds Mark II's incredible image quality caused me to lose interest in large format photography. Check out my article called DSLR's vs. Film Scans along with 6 pages of comparison images. My current DSLR (digital SLR) outfit includes Canon 1Ds Mark II 16.7mp and the following Canon lenses: 16-35 f2.8 L USM --- 24-70 f2.8 L USM --- 70-200 f2.8 IS L USM --- 45 f2.8 TS-E --- 90 f2.8 TS-E --- 50mm f2.5 macro --- 100 f2.8 Macro USM --- MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5X macro --- 400 f5.6 L USM --- TC 1.4X II. Canon flash equipment: MR14 EX ring light --- 550 EX --- 420 EX. My lightweight travel kit consists of a Canon 400D 10mp (Rebel XTi) and 10-22 EFs and 17-85 EFs IS lenses all stashed in a Tamrac Velocity 6X shoulder holster case. Zoom lenses are very versatile but they also have some limitations. See the Photo Tech Tips section of this web site for my opinions on Zoom Lenses and Prime Lens. All of my Canon prime lenses and "L" zoom lenses have been good performers optically and mechanically. However, the 16.7mp resolution of my Canon 1D Mark II is causing me to consider using prime lenses more often. This camera can resolve more detail then some of my "L" zoom lenses are capable of producing. I have three Lowepro backpacks for outings that require some foot travel. If I need more than a two or three lenses I'll use my Nature Trekker AW and for outings that require less equipment, a Mini Trekker or a Micro Trekker. To secure my backpacks when traveling I'm currently using a product called Pacsafe. This device is basically a flexible wire mesh 'sack' that fits around the pack and draws up tight using a slightly heavier cable. This cable can then be looped around something like a bed frame or door hinge in a motel room and locked with the supplied keyed padlock. I use a Pelican Product's #1550 and or #1500 hard cases when traveling. I originally used the 'pick and pluck' foam inserts but shortly after using the foam inserts I got a couple of fairly large black blobs on images from my 1Ds Mark II. I suspect these were very small pieces of foam that were torn free during the 'plucking' of the foam inserts to make space for my equipment. I now use the padded divider insert system offered by Pelican Products. The dividers are a little more expensive but you can modify the dividers as needed to accommodate different groups of equipment. Also, as stated above, I don't want the possibility of foam particles landing on my DSLRs' sensors. These cases can be locked shut with a standard padlock. I use a braided steel cable and a 4 tumbler combo padlock to lock the cases shut and secure my camera equipment to something like a door frame hinge or bed frame in our room when we are out traveling. I can also lock the cases to a steel loop (part of the fold down rear seat latching mechanism) when the cases are in my car. This level of theft deterrent at the very least keeps someone from just walking off with my gear. TripodsI have three tripods. I use a Benbo #1 with a Bogen 3275 Junior Geared Head (Manfrotto 410) for short hikes in the hills, forest and desert. The Benbo tripod and geared pan/tilt head weigh about 10.5 lbs. This tripod is unique in design. Benbo tripods have a center pivot and locking mechanism. There is a substantial lever in the center pivot that frees up or locks all of the legs and center column simultaneously when you have the tripod positioned just where and how you want it. The Benbo will get the camera right down on the ground. It can "lean" up against a tree or put the camera just about anywhere you need it. Each leg and the center column can be positioned independently of the others. The two sectioned legs are water proof up to the sliding area because these legs slide up on a smaller diameter upper leg. This tripod is not for everybody. It takes care in the setup and positioning or you can dump your camera and lens. When used with understanding and care this tripod is unbeatable for macro work in the outdoors. It is not as tall as my other two tripods. The #1 Benbo with the Bogen 3275 geared head will put the eyepiece of a 35mm or DSLR camera at about 58 inches from the ground without center post extension. Benbo makes a taller version of this tripod too, the Benbo #2. In the magazine adds for this tripod they show the center post extended quite a bit to aid in the positioning of the camera. I have found that extending the center post more than few inches makes it very hard to get sharp images. The smallest wind, camera or handling vibrations take forever to settle down when the post is extended beyond 3 or 4 inches. The distance that you can extend the center post will vary a little depending on the weight of your camera and lens. The Benbo #1 tripod could support my 9 lb Toyo CX view camera when used in a traditional upright position with a suitable head. There four versions of this tripod including the Benbo Mini Trekker and Trekker Mk 2. The Trekkers are supposed to be outdoor and backpack tripods. However, in my opinion, they may be a little too light for anything other than small SLR's and DSLR's with normal to short telephoto lenses. I was using a Bogen super clamp with the ball head attached to the leg of my Bogen 3021 or 3051 tripods for those on the ground shots before I got the Benbo. The super clamp/ball head idea is OK, but trying to get it tight enough to not slowly pivot on the leg and still not crush the aluminum tripod leg was a real challenge. I recently got a new Bogen/Manfrotto 458B Neotech tripod which replaces my Bogen 3021. The 5 lb Neotech tripod has five locking positions for the angle of the legs. This allows the tripod to get very low to the ground for macro work if necessary. Each leg can lock independently of the other. The center post is two sectioned with a short top section. The Center post can also be mounted across the top of the tripod. This comes in handy if you need to point the camera down or get the camera closer to the subject than the tripod legs will allow. The 458B has a unique leg length locking setup. It is much like the much heavier Bogen 3051. To extend the legs you just pull them down to the length you need. The legs lock automatically at whatever position you extend them to. To collapse the legs or make minor length adjustments you push a button at the top of each leg and slide the leg up. The leg diameters are opposite of most tripods with the thickest leg section on the bottom. This suppose to help with vibration dampening and also helps to keep dirt and grit out of the sliding sections. You can use this tripod in sand, water or mud with little risk of getting crud in the actual sliding areas of the leg set. I am a tripod junkie and my biggest gripe with tripods is the time necessary to setup a tripod to proper height and level it and then collapse it after you are done. Setup, positioning and takedown are quick and easy thanks to the 'quick release' legs on this tripod. I originally used a Bogen 3025 3D head on my 3021 tripod. The 3025 3D head is very versatile and while it is not as quick as a ball head, this head can put a camera in positions that you just can't obtain with a ball head. Since I got the Benbo tripod, I don't need quite as much macro flexibility from my mid size tripod. I use a Manfrotto 308RC single lever ball head (not a currently available model) retrofitted with a 3413QR quick release on the 458B tripod for my zoo photography outings and people photography. The 3413QR uses small rectangular QR plates that are quite suitable for large DSLRs and long telephoto lenses. Even though the 3025 3D head can ultimately do things the ball head cannot do, I found that the ball head was much quicker and easier then the 3D head. I also use the 458B tripod with a Bogen 3275 Junior Geared Head for landscape work (Manfrotto 410). I use the 5 pound (plus head weight) 458B tripod for a general purpose tote anywhere tripod. The last of my three tripods is a Bogen 3051. I use this tripod with a Bogen 3275 Junior Geared Head for landscape work or a Bogen 3435 (Manfrotto 468) ball head retrofitted with a 3413QR quick release. The 3051 tripod and 3275 ( Manfrotto 410) geared pan and tilt head was my favorite combination to use with my Toyo AII view camera. The Bogen 3435 ball head also worked well with all of my Toyo 4X5 AII field camera. The 3051 tripod weighs about 15 lbs with the ball head and 16.5 lbs with the 3275 Junior Geared Head. Obviously, at nearly 17 lbs, this tripod is best for situations that don't require a lot of hiking. The 3051 does a much better job of providing sharp images with long focal length heavy telephoto lenses and high magnification macro setups. This is particularly true when using low ISO ratings that require slow shutter speeds. The 3051 also does the best job with any camera and lens in a breeze. The 3051 is also quite versatile and easy to use. It has levers to to control the tripod's leg length at the top where the legs join together. There is one lever for each leg and a lever that will actuate the release of all the legs together. This quick release lever system allow easy control of the length of the tripod's legs. All the legs can lock at any angle independent from each other too. The geared center column of this tripod makes positioning the camera for macro work easy. The newest version of this tripod has three sectioned legs. The last section is a screw collar friction release. Because of the quick release leg levers this tripod is very fast to setup and adjust for height, position and level. It is my favorite studio tripod. The 3051 can't get quite as low as the 3021 or 458B. My older two sectioned leg 3051 tripod (with Bogen 3435 ball head) can position a camera at about 62 inches from ground level without any center post elevation. The newer 3 sectioned leg 3051 can get close to 7 feet without any center post elevation. Strictly a studio proposition at this height since you'd need a small step ladder to get to your camera unless you play for a pro basketball team. See my Photo Tech Tips article for some tips on picking and using tripods and tripod heads. Those of you who have looked at the 'gear notes' for some of my photographs may have noticed that about 98 percent of my photographs were taken using a tripod. This is true even for my zoo animal photography. All animals have the ability to hold perfectly still. Predator or prey, this skill is necessary for survival in the wilds. The ability and willingness of animals to hold perfectly still from time to time allows me to use low ISO digital camera settings or lower ISO numbers (in the old days of film use, fine grained films). Low ISO ratings produce cleaner and more detailed images than high ISO ratings. In the best soft lighting conditions I can use slow shutter speeds between 1/8 and 1/60 of a second with the camera's mirror locked up. I focus the image and lock up the mirror. I watch the animal over the top or side of my camera and when they are perfectly still, I fired the shutter. If my timing is right, the resulting image is razor sharp. Every hair and whisker or feather is burned in fine detail on the image. With my Canon 1D Mark II's extremely clean images low light photography using ISO speeds up to 1600 is possible. I prefer to keep the ISO at 400 and under but ISO 1600 is very usable with this camera. Using a tripod can help you achieve technical excellence in your photographs. This is an important consideration if you are planning on making big enlargements from your photographs. FilmsWhen I first started out in 35mm photography 28 years ago I used Kodak's Kodachrome 25 transparency (slide) film almost exclusively. Kodachrome 25 was a fine grained film with fairly accurate color reproduction and good color saturation. Over the last 8 years or so I used Fuji Velvia and Fuji Provia F ISO 100 transparency films for almost all of my 35mm photography. Provia F is advertised by Fuji to be an extremely fine grained film. Provia F actually has a little finer grain than the slower ISO Fuji Velvia. In fact, I found that it was hard to see a really noticeable difference in grain structure between two nearly identical 16X20 inch enlargements made from Velvia and Provia F 6X9cm films. I suspect that the grain size difference might be more noticeable in 16X20 inch enlargements made from these two films in 35mm format. Provia F has undergone some minor tweaking since its introduction and the most current version has accurate color reproduction, maybe a bit on the cool side compared to Velvia, and good color saturation. My favorite film for landscape and scenic photography was Fuji's ISO 50 Velvia transparency film. Velvia has finer grain than my old favorite Kodachrome 25. Despite it's slightly larger grain structure, Velvia can actually resolve more line pairs per mm in both high and low contrast situations than Provia F. I rated Velvia between ISO 32-40. I like Velvia's slightly exaggerated color saturation, warmer colors and higher contrast for landscape photography. I have also used Fuji's Astia slide film now and then. Astia has very natural colors with much lower saturation and contrast then Velvia or Provia F. Astia also has very fine grain for an ISO 100 slide film. For people photography and product work, Astia would be a good choice. Astia's contrast range is just a bit too flat for my tastes for landscape and scenic photography. I used negative films sparingly in the past because I seldom got clean negatives back from the lab. For some reason C41 (print film process) always leaves many small spots and scratches on my film no matter what lab I take it to. Most people are getting 4X6 prints from their 35mm negatives and these little blemishes don't really show up with these small prints. However, with full resolution film scans these defects can be a nuisance and in the case of large optical/wet darkroom prints, very hard to deal with. Also, color balance is usually more of issue when scanning negative films due to the orange mask of each film brand being a slightly different color. Scanners have to make an educated guess when they remove the orange mask. The only scanning application that takes the differences in film base color into consideration is SilverFast. SilverFast has built in profiles for nearly all of the most popular amateur and professional negative films. With E6 (slide film process) the resulting slides or film strips are usually reasonably clean. A lot of professionals use transparency film and there is probably more pressure on the labs to keep their E6 chemistry clean and handle developed transparency film carefully. If you want to minimize the possibility of side to side scratches on your film, make sure your film processor is using a "dip and dunk" processor and not a roller feed operation. If you are scanning and printing digitally, you can remove the defects caused by dirty chemistry and sloppy handling in an image editing program. However, the amount of time involved to do this one blemish at a time in Photoshop can be very significant. If you are going to go the film and scan workflow, I highly recommend a film scanner that incorporated 'Digital ICE' or some other automatic defect removal solution. Scanners that have 'ICE' or other built in defect removal solutions will take care of spots, scratches and blemishes automatically during the scan. You frequently hear it stated that negative film (print film) makes better scans and prints. I just haven't found this to be the case. At least not for my tastes. The scans I get from slide films are very luminescent and seem to have great depth and color range. Prints from slide scans from my home inkjet photo printer or from commercial digital photo printers also have some of these same characteristics. Negative films scan and print very nicely too. However, it's hard to judge the accuracy of the colors in a scan or print from a negative. Because of the orange mask on the negative, you don't have accurate colors to directly compare your output to. ScannersThe first 50 or so images I placed on this web site were derived from Kodak Photo CD. From 5/26/97 through 7/1/98 we used a Hewlett-Packard Photo Smart slide/negative scanner for our web imaging from 35mm media. Our tests indicated that this very inexpensive consumer level device can produce scans equal to and in some cases better than the Kodak Photo CD. The new S20 PhotoSmart scanner is much improved over the one I used. From 7/98 to 10/01 we used a Nikon LS2000 slide/negative scanner for our 35mm digital imaging. The LS2000 scans slides and negatives at up to 2700 dpi. It has a 12 bit A to D converter with 36 bit color sampling and a rated Dmax of up to 3.8. The LS2000 produces noise free professional quality scans with high color saturation. The LS2000 can scan into RGB or CMYK color and supports ICC color profiles to insure accurate color renditions for specific output devices. 10/01 - We are currently using a Nikon Super Coolscan 4000 ED for our 35mm film scans. This scanner has an optical resolution of 4000 dpi. This very high resolution and a rated Dmax of up to 4.2 allow this scanner to make digital images from 35mm film scans that will make absolutely beautiful prints up to 12X18 inches. This scanner has a 14 bit A to D converter with 42 bit color sampling. The Coolscan 4000 has a set of scan enhancement tools that are unparalleled within its peer group of scanners. These features include the following on demand tools: multi-sample scanning when you need maximum Dmax, automatic scratch and spot removal, a feature that digitally minimizes the appearance of film grain in the scan and a color replacement technology for enhancing scans of faded film. Just like its predecessor, the Coolscan 4000 produces noise free professional quality scans with high color saturation. The Coolscan 4000 can scan into several different RGB color spaces or CMYK color and supports ICC color profiles to insure accurate color renditions for specific output devices. The software that powers the Coolscan 4000, Nikon Scan 3.1, has been significantly improved over the version used with my LS2000 (version 2.5). Nikon Scan 3.1 can now be used with the LS2000 too. See my review of the Nikon Super Coolscan 4000 ED I am using an Epson Perfection V700 Photo scanner for my 4X5" and 6X9cm film scans. This flatbed scanner probably has an optical resolution of about 2400 dpi although it can scan up to 6400 dpi without micro stepping the scan head (mechanical interpolation). In any case, the V700 has noticeably sharper output than my older Epson 2450. This scanner also has quite an improvement in dynamic range over my older Epson Perfection 2450 Photo. It scans dense transparencies with ease with very clean shadow detail. The V700 can connect as a USB 2.O device or as a FireWire device. It has a built in light source in the scanner's top lid and film holding templates suitable for 35mm, 6X6cm, 6X7cm, 6X9cm and 4X5" film. The templates lay on the glass and hold the film just off the glass. PrintersAlmost all home inkjet photo printers use dye based inks. These inks may become unstable in environments that are high in ozone and other air pollutants. Prints from my Canon S800 that were not matted and framed behind glass faded to an orange color cast in a matter of a few months. Epson's dye based inkjet photo printers are reputed to have the same problem with their cyan dyes. This early fading and color shift may not show up in your own home environment but if you send your prints around the country, beware! This fading issue relegated my Canon S800 to duty as a proofing printer only. I was unwilling to sell or give away prints that might not hold their colors for more than a few months. I currently have two photo printers. An Epson R1800 (up to 13" wide paper) and an Epson 4000 (up to 17" wide paper). These 7 color ink high resolution printers, the 4000 is 1440X2880 dpi and the R1800 is 1440X5760 dpi, use Epson's UltraChrome pigmented inks. UltraChrome inks make fade resistant color prints that should hold their vibrant colors for 60 to 200 years depending on paper type. They also do borderless prints on just about any paper size. Both the R1800 and 4000 ship with profiles that produce a very good color matching for each profiled Epson paper. Prints from Epson's 4000 display a layered look between adjacent areas of light and heavy ink usage. This effect is also known as gloss differential. Gloss differential only occurs on on glossy, luster and semi-gloss prints. It is most noticeable when viewing the print at an angle to the main light source that is illuminating the photo. There is no gloss differential with matte papers. If you are planning on selling or giving prints to friends or clients, you may want to consider this gloss differential phenomenon as a potential problem. Some people will notice it and find it to be unacceptable. The newer Epson printers using the new K3 ink set are reputed to have much less gloss differential but I've never seen output from K3 inks so I can't comment on whether or not gloss differential has been just mitigated to a degree or entirely removed with K3 inks. The Epson R1800 has what Epson calls a 'gloss optimizing' system for glossy, semi-gloss and luster papers. The gloss optimizer consists of one extra ink cart that basically covers the print area with a gloss equalizing ink. The effect is much like spraying the whole print with a clear overcoat. The R1800 gloss optimizing system does a good job of minimizing, if not entirely eliminating the gloss differential between adjacent areas of low and heavy ink coverage. The R1800 printer is a much better choice if you intend to do a lot of glossy, semi-gloss, luster or satin finish prints. Most Epson 4000 owners claim that Epson's luster paper shows gloss differential less than Epson's glossy or semi-gloss paper. My opinion is that luster paper doesn't minimize gloss differential very much, if at all, it just shows it differently than glossy papers. Both luster and semi-gloss papers are stippled (textured with very tiny dimples). I've found Moab Paper's Kokopelli glossy works quite well with my Epson 4000. If you want to produce prints from your digital images that will last, and don't want to print at home using a pigmented ink Epson printer or one of Canon's new pigmented ink printers, find a photo lab that uses Fuji Frontier, Noritsu, Chromira or LightJet printers. These laser and led exposure digital printers use photo papers and chemical process to produce photographs that are good for up to 60 years of fade free life. Or, you can matt and frame your favorite prints from your dye based ink home inkjet printer and hope for the best over time..:^) Toyo CX View Camera - Mini ReviewBetween 1998 and 2004 I owned and used 3 different 4X5" view cameras. The CX was my first view camera. This is a monorail view camera and not a field camera. This full featured and inexpensive entry level view camera seemed to be a good value and very sturdy in construction. The CX camera's movements all lock up tightly and the camera is quite rigid (see comments on focusing standards below). Even the best wooden cameras sometimes have problems in humid environments. I decided that the entry level wooden field cameras were just not robust enough for my tastes. Another consideration in buying the Toyo CX was it's ability to extend the bellows to 450mm. I'm fond of close-up work and most field cameras are limited in bellows extension. Also, the monorail on a standard view camera can help to facilitate close-up work. My Toyo CX's non-geared standards blocks and tripod mounting block make close-up work fast and easy. I set the camera bellows extension for the reproduction ratio I need and then position the tripod and camera at my 'best guess' distance from the subject. At this point I can move the whole camera assembly backward or forward (by sliding the monorail in it's non-geared tripod mounting block) to get rough focus. The last step is to use the camera's movements and micro geared focus to fine tune the composition. Close-up work with a folding field camera can be somewhat difficult and time consuming. Long bellows extension is also necessary if you want to use lenses of long focal length that are not a telephoto design. If you are considering a long focal length lens that is not a telephoto design, be sure to measure your camera's actual maximum film plane to lens board bellows extension. Don't trust the manufacturer's stated bellows extension. My Toyo CX with it's 18 inch (450mm) monorail is advertised to have 445mm of bellows extension but actually is only capable of about 390mm between film and lens plane. This is because the Toyo CX has a slightly recessed front standard. By removing both plastic end caps from the monorail I was able to get about 450mm of extension. I can only get this amount of extension by positioning both the front and rear standards mounting blocks about a 3/8 inch beyond the end of the monorail. This modification doesn't cause a loss of strength or rigidity because 80% of the length of each standard's mounting block is still clamped firmly on the monorail. This 'extra' full extension of the bellows provides for a little over 2X magnification for macro work with my Rodenstock 150mm lens. A little more close focusing range can be achieved by using the fine focusing adjustments to move the front standard forward and the rear standard backward. These "modifications" extend the camera's bellows to their absolute maximum extension while still allowing for reasonable movements on the standards. When choosing a view camera, the other variable you'll need to know is the flange focal length of the longest lens you'll ever expect to use. The flange focal length is the distance between lens board and film plane when the lens is focused at infinity. The flange focal length for non-telephoto designed lenses is usually just a little bit less (10-20mm) than the listed focal length of the lens. For telephoto designed lenses the flange focal length will usually be around 70-75% of the listed focal length of the lens. The Toyo CX "entry level" view camera is one of the few cameras I've found, other than the Linhof Technikardan and Canham DLC45, that will handle lenses from 90mm through 450 non telephoto with its standard bellows, rail and lens board. The CX handles my 65mm Rodenstock on a 12mm recessed board with just enough movements available to accommodate this lens's minimal coverage for 4X5. Almost all of the other popular view cameras made by Arca Swiss, Linhof, Horseman and Toyo need both a longer bellows and extension rails to handle this range of lenses. Many of these other cameras also need a bag bellows to handle lenses of 90mm and shorter. I do have a few minor complaints with my Toyo CX. The first problem is that the front standard tilt is very tight and it takes some back and forth work get the exact amount of tilt I need. Because the hinge part of the tilt mechanism is so tight, there is a tendency to either overshoot or undershoot the amount of movement you are trying to achieve. Tilt is what you use most often in the field and the lack of smooth easy movement in the tilt mechanism sometimes adds considerable time to getting the image properly setup. The tilt pivot hinges on the CX are not adjustable for friction at all. The other problem is that the fine focusing mechanism gets loose now and then which allows the standards to rock back and forth just a bit. I have to use a 2mm Allen wrench to tighten the 3 tensioning screws on each standard. This keeps the standards tight in the focusing V blocks and removes the back and forth play in the standards. The CX weighs a bit over 9 lbs which is a bit heavy for a camera that is used mostly in the field. These complaints are rather minor when you consider the versatility you get with this camera for about $500 USD. After using the Toyo CX for a little over a year I began to appreciate this view camera's generous movements when compared to most 'field' type view cameras. If you enjoy macro or architectural subjects, consider a camera with generous movements on all axis's and lenses with better than average coverage. My Toyo CX can be used as a 'reasonably portable' field camera. I remove the non-geared rail from my camera and the bellows and two standards compress easily. I use a 5" piece of thin PVC pipe that is the same diameter as the rail to keep the standards aligned when they are compressed. It only takes me about 20 to 30 seconds to assemble or disassemble the camera. The Toyo CX camera, rail, 5 lenses, roll film back, a box of Quickloads, Quickload holder, light meter, filters and many other small accessories actually fit (tightly) in a Lowepro Trekker AW back pack. However, after a few years of toting this 9 lb+ camera and doing the assembly/re-assembly drill, I decided it was time to purchase a field camera. Toyo 45 AII Field Camera - Mini ReviewBetween 1998 and 2004 I owned and used 3 different 4X5" view cameras. The AII was the third and last view camera I owned. I wanted a field camera that had smooth easy movements and was quick to setup and take down. I also wanted my field camera to retain most of the movements of my view camera. I rented a Toyo 45 AII for a couple of days and once I figured out the drop or incline bed technique of increasing rise or fall, I fell in love with the little back box. This camera is a pleasure to use. Setup and take down is very fast. The camera folds into a neat and bullet proof metal box. The AII has a metal 'flip up' focusing hood with leather baffles. The focusing hood assembly is hinged and can be flipped out of the way or easily removed if you want to use a regular dark cloth for focusing. When closed, the focusing hood assembly protects the ground glass. You cannot fold this camera with a lens mounted but I don't miss that feature since, more often than not, you require different lenses when you move from one photographic opportunity to another. Tilting the standards is a smooth and easy operation. Swings and shifts suffer a little from Toyo's overly heavy detent syndrome. The rather heavy detents can make setting very slight swing or shift movement a bit difficult. Technical setups for image composition are usually extremely fast. The only exception is when you do need to incline or drop the bed. You can set the tilt locks to have just the right amount of friction to hold the standard where you want it while adjusting your image and checking the results on the Fresnel equipped ground glass. The AII has a single lock that combines bellows draw position and front swing and shift. While the single front lock may sound problematic, when used carefully, this feature and the adjustable tilt friction allow you to move front tilt, swing, shift and focus almost simultaneously while watching the results on the ground glass. This feature can make setting up the front standard quick and easy. When you are happy with your composition, you only have two locking levers to secure the whole front end, and both are reasonably close to each other. This camera locks up tightly. There is no flex anywhere on either of the standards. The back is rotating and locks in intermediate positions without any vignetting. The rotating back is really useful for close-up work where tilting the camera on the tripod to a position between horizontal and vertical is a difficult proposition and almost always requires re-positioning the tripod to put the image back in the proper place on the ground glass. SPECIFICATIONS: The AII is a field camera and therefore has limited movements compared to a rail view camera. The total bellows draw on the AII is 324mm with double extension (front and rear standards extend independent of each other). It will take lenses down to 90mm (generous movements) and 65mm (minimum movements) with a flat lens board and 47mm with a recessed board. I have a 12mm recessed board for both my 90mm and 65mm lens. The recessed board allows me to take advantage of the 90XL's relatively large coverage and makes the 10mm of available rise/fall or shift on my 65mm easier to achieve without stressing the bellows. The 65mm can be used on the AII in horizontal film (landscape) position without having to drop the bed. Wide angles of shorter focal length would require dropping the bed to keep the lens from including the front extension of the bed in its field of view. The AII weighs 6 lbs. Front rise is 20.5mm and fall is 23.5mm. Extending rise or fall beyond the limited front standard movements must be accomplished by dropping or inclining the bed and re-leveling the standards. Front shift is 7mm from center each way. Swings are limited to 8 degrees either way, front and rear. There is no rear shift on this camera. The camera back can accept any standard Graflock accessory. Toyo VX125B View Camera - Mini ReviewBetween 1998 and 2004 I owned and used 3 different 4X5" view cameras. The Toyo VX125B was the second of the three view cameras that I owned. This camera is a combination field/studio camera and weighs just about 6lbs. As you might expect with a combo design, the camera was less than perfect for either technical or field use. It certainly was capable of both applications but the change in setups required to gain all that flexibility were time consuming and tedious. The VX125B has a 3 sectioned telescoping (intermediate locking positions - short, medium and full extension) monorail that can extend the camera standards to 325mm (325mm with supplied screw on end cap extensions). The VX125B can use lenses from 58mm (on a flat board) to 300mm or a 400mm telephoto design. The minimum focus with a 300mm lens or 400mm telephoto lens and standard VX rail (plus end caps) and bellows is about 9 feet. The monorail compresses to just under 5 inches (without end caps). This camera fits nicely in a backpack at about 12 inches tall, including the rail assembly, by 7.5 inches wide by 5 inches deep (monorail length). The standards and bellows are actually only about 3 inches thick when compressed on the rail. The VX125B basic setup is very fast. In fact, faster than many folding field cameras. Ordinarily you don't think of speed when you think of large format photography. However, there are times when you need to get the camera in position and setup for a photograph before the light fails. I'm aware of the view camera user adage that says "f16 and be there an hour early". However, it just doesn't always happen that way and setup time can be an issue. Also, the cumulative time and work involved in assembling and repacking a camera in a pack adds up and can lower your productivity for a day's outing. As an example, I'm not fond of carrying the camera mounted on the tripod. If I want to photograph a scenic subject from more than a couple of different vantage points, the disassembly/reassembly time of a rail type view camera can be significant. The VX125B has geared movements for rise/fall and shift and a lockable rotating back that doesn't vignette in intermediate positions. The geared movements and rotating back make precise image framing fast and easy. I find these features to be particularly useful for close-up work. The VX125B comes with a Fresnel lens. I purchased Toyo's accessory long bellows and standard metal 54mm tripod mounting block. I used the long bellows and metal tripod mounting block with the VX125B standards on my Toyo CX's 450mm monorail. Toyo's view cameras are very modular and many of their parts and accessories are interchangeable. All of the current Toyo rail cameras use the same size monorail. My CX camera's monorail worked just fine with the VX125B's standards. I could have used my CX camera's tripod mounting bock with the long CX rail and VX125B but I didn't want my expensive VX125B fastened to my tripod with reinforced plastic. The long rail and long bellows are necessary for the following applications: close-up work that requires larger than 1:1 reproduction ratio with a 150mm lens, portrait work or any other subject closer than 10 feet with my 300mm lens. Actually, I prefer a long fixed monorail for most of my close-up work. The sliding tripod mounting block and the ability to slide and lock the standards anywhere on the rail makes setting up for close-up work very easy. The Toyo VX125B has all the features and generous movements of a full featured precision studio view camera and most of the portability of a field camera. It can be risky buying a view camera without any hands on examination. You can't really know if the camera will fit your operational style and behave as you would like without using the camera or at least "playing around" with it for an hour or so. None of the local camera stores had a VX125 in stock. I had never handled a VX125. I bought it based on its advertised operational features and on recommendations from a couple of Internet contacts. I was very disappointed to find that the tilts on my new VX125B were just about as 'sticky' and tight as my CX camera's tilts. I was really hoping that I would get smooth easy to adjust tilts with this pro camera. The tight non-adjustable friction of the tilts on the CX was one of the major reasons I bought the VX125B. I tried to live with this problem for a few months. However, the longer I worked with the stiff tilts the less I liked the VX camera. It was just too difficult to make small incremental tilt adjustments without overshooting the correct position of the standard. I decided to try to fix the stiff tilt movement problem myself. The first area I adjusted was the tilt locking knob bolt. This bolt is slotted for a screwdriver or a "dime". I used a 2mm Allen wrench to loosen the set screw for the tilt locking knob bolt. When the set screw is loosened you can back off the tilt locking knob bolt which has a small washer for friction. I was only able to achieve a tiny improvement in lessening tilt friction even when the bolt was backed up until the washer was all the way off its seat. The next thing I tried was to use a spanner wrench to loosen the spanner nut located at the VX standard's actual pivot point. About a quarter turn was all it took to significantly reduce tilt friction. This got me in the ball park but the tilt detents were too strong and it was still hard to get 2-3 degrees of tilt because the detent would force the standard into "zero" position. I took off the plate that had the zero marking and then removed the spring steel detent. I put the detent spring in a vise and carefully bent it back so that it would have less pressure against the curved plate that had the detent notches. This modification also had the effect of lessening the tilt friction quite a bit more. After I did this modification I re-adjusted the spanner nut so that the front standard would not fall forward with my heavy 300mm lens. This last "retrofit" gave me exactly what I was looking for. The camera had a very light detent action and a smooth and light tilt action. Bending spring steel is not easy and if you try this modification on your own VX125, be ready to order a new detent spring just in case you overdo the bending. My main complaint with this camera is the relatively short draw of the bellows. I'm partial to the 'long view' and close-up work and removing the 250mm (325mm with the two accessory rail end caps installed) limited expandable rail and installing the 450mm CX rail and the optional long bellows turned out to be a fairly time consuming and occasionally (in the field) awkward proposition. I think this is the main reason I lost interest in this camera body. The speed advantage of this camera's basic setup time was greatly offset by the time consuming rail/bellows/end caps change drill. My CX goes from 90mm to 450mm of extension nearly instantly. When I purchased the Toyo VX125 camera, I chose it from my "short list" over the Arca Swiss F Classic, the Linhof Technikardan and Canham DLC45. At the time I was considering these cameras I owned a 450mm non-telephoto lens and needed at least 450mm of bellows draw. The standard VX bellows allowed for plenty of movement with my Schneider 90XL lens and the long accessory bellows plus CX rail accommodated my 450mm lens. The Technikardan was just a little flimsy when fully extended. I know Linhof makes a "macro rail" for the Technikardan that is suppose to add rigidity to the camera when the bellows is extended. The Technikardan's folding and unfolding procedure was tedious at best. The Arca Swiss F Classic needed a long bellows and a bag bellows to work well with my lens kit and some disassembly of the telescoping monorail for packing the camera away. After I took delivery of my VX125B I was happy to find that it was in fact quick and easy to setup and pack away. The Canham DLC45 at the time was a close second choice. The DLC45 at 4lbs 11 oz is light and quite compact, and unfolds from a nice rectangular package very fast. I didn't like the lack of rigidity in the back standard of the DLC45. I got the impression that the DLC45 was not going to be stable in a breeze with a moderate amount of bellows extension. If you push in a little on a DLC45's partially extended bellows, the rear standard actually flexes forward just a little.
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