I just started using a large format camera after many years of 35 mm and MF. I adore the long process of setting up my big camera for a shot. Like extra-long foreplay instead of a quickie! Both can be satisfying in the end. Its not about the superiority of one or another... its the entire act of creating.
But, Valerie, you've actually nailed it perfectly. For me it's about the process. I enjoy creating my 5x7" photos much more than I have enjoyed capturing them on 6x7cm.
And in the 2 years I'm using LF, I think I have learned (and gained) much more than in the 6 years of small/medium format shooting. And I'm still enjoying this learning process.
I wonder what the difference in the American description of 8 x 10 to the UK use of 10 x 8 has on this in relation to the "repressed sexual inadequacy" that Dave refers too. Is it significant that across the pond the smaller size comes first?
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Since there is little to be gained in terms of image quality ...
Um, that's where you lost me. What's "smaller format"? 35mm? half-frame? 6x7? If you're shooting 8x10 and not noticing any gain in terms of image quality, work on your technique instead of pondering other people's sexual inadequacy.
I've come to realise that Dave Miller has a lot in common with Barry Thornton who he admires - well maybe not a lot in common just a little - his scorn for LF. Reading Thornton's Edge of Darkness, I can see the same envy for those who have mastery of larger formats. Thornton was an SL66 user and makes sure you know that.
Almost same vein of dismissive comments: "Since there is little to be gained in terms of image quality over smaller formats, and much is lost in the way of portability and spontaneity, it seems to me that the possession of a large camera, such as a 10x8 can only represent a form of repressed sexual inadequacy. Would anyone care to comment?"
Well it's generally accepted that LF cameras are 5"x4" and larger so what should we really be saying, or asking.
Well it's generally accepted that LF cameras are 5"x4" and larger so what should we really be saying, or asking.
Ian
Se my first post in this thread. 8x10 has its place as do all formats. But I seriously question the need for 8x10 for the work that most people do. But I also think you have to remember that most people on this forum are enthusiasts and not professional jobbing photographers. As such, anything goes. Who is to say that someone else should not be using 8x10 if they are into old cameras and lenses and enjoy using them. Trying to pass that off as "a form of repressed sexual inadequacy" is immature in the extreme.
Incidentally I met Barry Thorton on a couple of occasions at workshops he gave. He was a pedant and prone to ranting at his students. I pulled out of a series of his workshops because of his attitude. I know of others who didn't see eye to eye with him or his methods. However, he was very willing to share his knowledge with others if they obeyed his dictatums. In the greater scheme of things there are many ways to achieve the same thing and understanding where others are coming from is a life skill which some never master.
But I seriously question the need for 8x10 for the work that most people do.
True. I do 4x5 because it's the largest format that you can enlarge with reasonable equipment and also because a well put together 4x5 setup rivals similar MF or even DSLR setups in terms of weight - you can't get a 90 or 150mm lens that weighs between 150-200gms for those.
8x10, on the other hand is the sweet spot for contact printers - the ideal compromise between contact print size and portability.
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