Got the Phillips 11x14 Compact, many questions

I just got the R.H.Phillips 11x14 Compact series. The full bellow extension is 30.5 inches.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5174/...8bbe0656_z.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5055/...32b2faeb_z.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5092/...d7a3a384_z.jpg

I'm looking for my first lens for all purpose. Any recommendation is appreciated. My narrow list are Nikon 450mm, G-Claron 355mm, RD Artar 19".

I just order the HP5+ film. I'll use the Pyrocat HD on tray for Platinum and Lodima or normal contact print on FB paper. What grade of Lodima should I test to get the density that work best with Pt/Pd? Starting time, dilution to try on tray.

That's impressive.

Enjoy it.

-Laura

Ohhhh just beautiful..... At first reading the title I thought you bought a "compact" camera. LOL. Now, that's really a 'compact' 14x11. :)

Beautiful and so compact. Grin.

That is an awesome camera!

Jeff

Dick Phillips makes beautiful cameras. Congratulations on a great lightweight beauty. Any of the lenses you listed are great for this format. Depends on how much you want to spend. I just picked up a 19" Red Dot for $80.00 in a barrel. Seller didn't state that it was in an aluminum barrel or I would have paid more. I don't need shutters as I shoot slow film and have had great success with inexpensive process lenses and x-ray film.

Beautiful "Compact" camera!

Great camera. Dick Phillips made the best and will still help you in retirement with repairs if needed. At 7x17 I only need a bit more coverage than your 11x14. My favorite and most used lenses are:

600mm Fuji C
450mm Nikkor M
12 inch (300mm) gold rim Dagor (lots of movement)
250mm Wide Field Ektar

My mentor with the 7x17 camera used a 305 G Claron, but I needed move movement. His best 7x17 friend used a 355mm G Claron for the movement, ignoring the size and weight. I could never find a 355mm G Claron and was very happy with the look of the Dagor. The 12” Dagor (300mm) has become my primary lens.

Enjoy your new camera.

John Powers

Beautiful camera. Congratulations! Any of the three lenses you mention are good choices for the format. I have a Nikkor 450-M and a G-Claron 355. Both will cover with more than enough room to spare. Another option would be a Kodak Commercial Ektar 14". It is a bit faster, making for a brighter image on the ground glass for easier focusing. It also has beautiful transitions from in-focus to out-of-focus, and has very pleasing out-of-focus areas.

A negative which needs no contrast agent to print well in platinum usually prints well at a grade 0 on standard variable contrast or graded silver-gelatin paper. I don't know how this would translate to the contrast grades of Lodima (which I have never used), but I would be inclined to think that the Lodima grade 2 would be more comparable. If your goal is to save money by evaluating your prints on Lodima first, I don't know that it will save you any money over just printing in platinum to begin with.

I would go with lodima 3 and some grade 2 for flexibility. For my look I prefer grade 3 more often, but mileage may vary. I would also try efke film as it is less expensive but still a very nice film to work with. The lodima is a joy to work with...enjoy your new ulf!