2 Mar
2005
2 Mar
'05
3:26 p.m.
Tony Duell wrote:
I will take a look. I'd like to make a camera one day, even though I've
got plenty of commercial ones around (much as I like making computers,
even though I've got plenty of those too).
You can get a second-hand large-format camera for a few hundred pounds,
and about the same for a lens/shutter. In other words less than a good
digital camera. Sheet film is not cheap, but then again nor is the
equipment and supplies to print from a digital camera. And the quality is
nothing short of spectacular.
Large format cameras are really suitable for taking snapshots (although
they were used for newspaper work in the 1950s and before). If you want
to take snapshots, well, I'd use a 35mm camera, you'd probably get some
digital thing. But if you want to take top-quality pictures of static
subjects (architecture, landsapes, classic computers, etc), then large
format is, IMHO, the only way to go.
-tony
Well, until some custom component fails and you
can't get a replacement,
anyway. One good thing about the old, mechanical, film cameras is that
most parts could be made in a good home workshop (and they don't tend to
fail anyway).
I'm just reading the "Lindsay's technical books" catalog and the
book
"Simple Large Format Camera Construction" by E A Hover looks like nice book
to have around. See www.lindsaybks.com for more details.