Frank Petronio photographer

The Cameraholic

May 25, 2005

LateIy I’ve been known for using large-format film cameras, so it may surprise you to learn that I currently own just four small cameras: a Nikon D300 digital SLR with 24/2.8 AF-D and 50/1.8 AF-D lenses; a 35mm film Olympus XA; a Treo 650 Smartphone, and a moldy old Polaroid SX-70. My wife has a Panasonic DMC-FX10 and a gummed up Nikon FE. My youngest daughter has a Fisher Price toddler camera and my older kids use cheap Kodak digitals. I also have a cheap Canon digital video camera that comes out once a year for dance recitals and such. I mostly use the Nikon D300.

Since I have little self-control or discipline, I have found that I need to limit my equipment choices to only a few items or otherwise I am conflicted about which format and gear to use. What works best for me is to take a camera — whether it be a 4x5 or Leica or a digital — and dedicate myself to it for a period of time so that I can build a coherent body of work with a consistent look and style. Using the same camera helps me do this.

What follows is a chronological list of cameras I’ve owned since childhood. Cameras listed in bold are still in my possession. I also write about how I travel, lighting gear, and related topics at the bottom of this page, so scroll away….

Kodak Instamatic 110 (when I was ten or twelve years old)

Canon AE-1 35mm (bought when working at Alta)

Olympus OM-1 35mm (My first wife Nina found this under the chairlift at Sugarloaf.)

Wista DX Cherrywood 4x5 with 180/5.6 Nikkor (I learned it all with this camera.)

Rolleicord 120

Olympus XA 35mm (a sentimental favorite)

Olympus OM-1n 35mm with cheap no-name zoom and wide lenses

Kodak DuoFlex 620

Wista Rittreck 5x7 with 90, 135, 210 Rodenstocks (One I really miss - traded it for a Wista SP to save weight. Now these cameras sell for $4000. Dumb!)

Nikon FM-2n 35mm (three bodies) with 24/2, 55/2.8, 85/1.4, 180/2.8ED lenses, Md-12s, NPC ProBack (I shot $150K worth of jobs with this. And it all fit into a Domke F2 bag too.)

Fuji 690 GW II 120 (I was very productive with this, it had a great sharp lens.)

Nikon S2 with 50/2 Nikkor 35mm

Korona Banquet 7x17 with 19 inch Ross (a wobbling beast)

Wista SP 4x5 with 65/8 Angulon (sweet)

Zenit 35mm (gave to Audrey M.)

Canon Xap Shot digital (first on my block!)

Mamiya 6 (three bodies) 120 with 50, 75, 150 lenses and NPC Proback (great idea, nice lenses, lousy bodies)

Nikon N-60 and 28-85 zoom 35mm (P.O.S.)

Hasselblad 501cm (pair of bodies) 6x6 with 50 and 120 CFE lenses and several backs (too fancy to use outside. I sold this system to Tom Hussey.)

Olympus Stylus 35mm (given to Meagan, Jan. 08)

Rollei 2.8E2 Planar 120 (sweet)

Sinar F 4x5 with 135 Sironar (old Sinar Fs are junk)

Nikon F3HP (pair of bodies) 35mm with MD-4s and 24/2, 85/1.4, 180/2.8 lenses plus a FM body with NPC ProBack (another money maker I should have kept)

Calumet C2 4x5 with cheap lens

Ricoh GR-1 (great little guy)

Santa Barbara Pinhole 4x5

Kodak DCS 420 digital (with external hard drive and SCSI)

My Papa’s original Polaroid SX-70

Graflex Super Graphic 4x5 with 135 Symmar-S and 90/6.8 Angulon (nice set)

Fuji 690 GSW III 690 6x9 (too wide for me at the time)

Fuji MX-2700 digital (shot a billboard with this 2mp camera)

YashicaMat G 120

Olympus Stylus 35mm

Sony FP-3 digital (My worst screwing as it cost $2400 and it was a terrible camera. I hate Sony cameras.)

Lubitel TLR 120

Leica SL 35mm (D. A. G. replaced prism, great bright finder)

Leica SL-2 35mm with 28, 50, 90 lenses (I’m really sorry I sold it now. The lenses are better. Really.)

Konica Hexar Silver 35mm

Pinhole Resource 4x5 WIde

Fuji 6800 digital (shot a book with this 4mp camera)

Graflex Crown Graphic 4x5 with 127 Optar (as good as anything, only $175)

Rollei 2.8F Planar 120 (My favorite favorite, made many photos with this baby. Rolleis are the most beautiful cameras.)

Sinar Norma 4x5 with 90/6.8 Grandagon, 135 Sinaron-SE, 210/9 Ronar lenses (A very nice camera I would buy again. Woody Packard got mine running up to speed.)

USSR Horizant 35mm (fun when it worked)

Leica IIIc with Summitar (Fun to shoot Kodachrome with a pre-War camera.)

Brooks Veriwide 100 6x10 with Russian finder

Leica M2 with 50/2 Summicron collapsible (beat to hell but it worked great)

Rolleiflex 2.8F Xenotar

Brooks Veriwide 100 6x10 with Leitz finder (Avoid these cameras! They have nice lenses and lousy film transports. Great idea though, I wish they were better executed.)

yet another Olympus Stylus 35mm f/2.8

Graflex Crown Graphic 4x5 with 150 Sironar-N and 75/5.6 Grandagon-N lenses (75mm lenses are too wide for 4x5, IMHO)

Noblex 150UX 6x12 rotating lens panoramic (pretty nice, made $1000 on resale)

Arca-Swiss 4x5 Model C (great value)

Bilora Bella 6x6 (a toy)

Linhof Kardan Super Color ST 4x5 with 90/6.8 Grandagon and 160/5.6 Wollensak Pro-Raptar (very inexpensive)

Linhof Technika IV with 90/6.8 Grandagon-N and 180 Sironar-N (Stripped of RF and leather, modified with a Graphic focus hood and bellows. A very tough camera.)

Leica III with 50/2 Summitar

Kodak DCS 520 with 28/2.8 and 85/1.8 EOS lenses (A cheap way to get into digital.)

Konica Hexar Black 35mm

Nikon D70 with 18-70 DX, 20/2.8, 24/2.8, 35/2, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, and 180/2.8 AF-D lenses (Not all at the same time. Of the lenses, the 24/2.8 is the sharpest. The 18-70 is very good for a compact zoom. And the 50/1.4 would be good except for its six-bladed aperture creating ugly hexagonal flare. Nikon (and Canon) should make a couple of nice, professional quality, compact DX AFS prime lenses, like a 24/2 and 60/1.4. And a rectilinear 18/2.8 and compact 30/1.8.)

Another D70 body for back-up.

Arca-Swiss Discovery with 90/6.8 Sinaron-W, 90/4.5 Grandagon, 180/5.6 Sinaron-SE, 240/5.6 APO Sironar-N, and 300/5.6 Sinaron lenses (This is the near perfect view camera, although it can be rather cold feeling compared to a warm camera like the Linhof Technika or Sinar Norma. The design is rather hard and unforgivingly Swiss.)

Polaroid 110 modified to use 4x5 film by Dean Jones (not Willam Littman)

Noblex 150 Pro 6/150 F (Which is less expensive than the other versions while giving up very little capability.)

Rollei 2.8E Xenotar

Rollei 2.8E3 Xenotar (Both of these were dogs, be careful when buying Rolleis.)

Leica M6 Classic with 35/1.4 Summilux ASPH (The very best lens I’ve ever used. And I got it for only $2200 for lens and body. I miss it now. Somehow I made better pictures with it.)

Konica Hexar Black 35mm (A great value and better than a Leica in many ways.)

Leica II with 50/3.5 Nickel Elmar (quite lovely to fondle)

Linhof Technika IV with 90/6.8 Schneider Angulon and 210/6.8 Rodenstock Geronar (Perhaps my best 4x5 set-up in terms of practical everyday usability.)

Leica M6 Classic with 40/1.4 Voigtländer (Such a crappy lens!)

8x10 DeGolden Busch (Hoo boy, what a boat anchor!)

Nikon D70 with 35/2 AF-D lens (a great lightweight combination)

Nikon D2X with 14/2.8 Sigma, 28/1.4 AF, 17-55/2.8 DX, and 60/2.8 AF-D lenses (The $250 35/2 proved to be sharper than the $1600 28/1.4. The expensive 17-55/2.8 zoom is clunky, the Sigma is crap, and the 60 is really slow to focus at normal portrait distances. The D2X is a fine camera, although it is a bit too much lug around casually.)

8x10 Fatif (very nice for $200) with 12” Calumet in Acme ($100) lens

8x10 Arca-Swiss A with 300mm Schneider Xenar in a Copal 3 shutter (An excellent lightweight 8x10 outfit and a great value.)

Another Nikon D70. I have owned four D70s so far, they are great.

4x5 Graflex RB Super D SLR, modified with a Graflock back, using either 190mm Ektar or 180mm Voigtländer Heliar lenses (A wonderful portrait camera for tall people with excellent vision, although I miss the 8x10 more in hindsight. I shot a lot of out-of-focus portraits with this camera because it is hard to focus in darker situations. Once the sun came out I did much better.)

Another Polaroid 110B modified to use 4x5 film by my friend Dean Jones. This is a great travel camera with a couple of Grafmatics, excellent for environmental portraits and outdoor photos.

Graflex Crown Graphic 4x5 with top rangefinder and a 150/5.6 Schneider Xenar. These cameras are pretty much bullet proof and still very inexpensive (>$300). One of the best values in photography.

Anba-Ikeda 5x7 Field Camera with a 8.5-inch Kodak Commercial Ektar. This is a super lightweight outfit.

4x5 Sinar F with 210/5.6 and 300/5.6 Rodenstock Sironar-N lenses. While a Sinar may not be as finely crafted as a Linhof, or as nicely designed as an Arca-Swiss, they do have the advantages of being solid, cheap, and plentiful. Twenty years ago, when this gear was popular with studio photographers, it was frightfully expensive. Now it is one of the best bargains in photography.

Nikon D80 with 35/2 AF-D and 50/1.4 AF-D lenses. This camera goes everywhere and I shoot with it handheld, sometimes using supplemental tungsten lighting. The fast 50mm lens makes me feel like I’m cheating when I do portraits. Honestly, I don’t understand why anyone (other than a sports or wildlife specialist) needs any more than this in a DSLR? The performance improvements between the D80 and D2x are fractional at best — the rest is marketing.

4x5 Sinar F2 with a Wollensak Verito 8 3/4-inch f/4 diffused focus in an Alphex shutter. I also used a few different Schneider Symmar lenses in Prontor Professional shutters. While I found the Verito not to my taste, I heartily recommend Tim Sharkey at Lens N2 Shutter for custom lens mounting. He knows everything about view camera optics and is a true craftsman.

4x5 Crown Graphic with a Schneider 135/3.5 Xenotar and Linhof Grip for handheld work.

Agfa Isolette 6x6 folder, restored by Jurgen Kreckel of Vintage Folding Cameras. These are very compact, simple, and inexpensive medium format cameras. I used up the last of my 120 film with this little toy ;-)

Linhof Super-Technika V with a cammed Schneider 135/3.5 Xenotar in a Linhof Compur shutter. (During 2007 I used a 150mm f/5.6 Linhof Symmar-S in a Prontor Professional shutter.) The Linhof combines the solid stability of the Sinar with the ability to shoot handheld using a rangefinder, like the Graphic — all in a compact package that I can actually manage to fit into my carry-on luggage. I had this camera set-up at Marflex Service and they did an excellent job. One modification I had done was to replace the Linhof focusing hood with a metal focusing hood from a Crown Graphic. The hood is stiffer, easier to use, and more durable.

To be honest, most of my photos could be done with the much less expensive Crown Graphic rather than the Linhof. But I love the Linhof ;-)

I also bought a 210mm f/5.6 Symmar-S in a Prontor Professional shutter but sold it after a few months because I never used it. The intent was to have it just in case I needed to do a more traditional commercial portrait, but screw that…. For going wide, I think I prefer stitching multiple photos over using a wide angle lens. So I am more or less a single lens user, and the 150mm on 4x5 suits me well. It distorts faces and figures just enough to be slightly odd, without looking too strange. The rangefinder is very accurate with this lens as well, even at close range torso-shot distances wide open. The Linhof is heavy to handhold but well balanced, so I can shoot sharp photos handheld in a tungsten-assisted interior at 1/30th second at f/5.6, using ISO 320 film. In most medium-sized rooms I can add enough bounced light to shoot white people at 1/125th at f/8.

Over the Summer of 2007 I got idealistic and tried several Leicas. First I used a slightly dinged-up Leica M6 with a 50/2 Summicron-M and an older 35/1.4 Summilux. The Summilux was too small and stiff for my fingers to operate easily, and after a few rolls I sold the kit. Then I met my friend Ed Lopez and he let me try his digital M8 and I fell in love. Trying to rationalize spending $7000 on a M8 outfit was hard, so I decided to try 35mm film once again. I found a lovely 1949 Leica IIIc that had been professionally repainted to black while also being cleaned, lubed, and adjusted. I paired it with a clean Summarit 50/1.5 and the results were dreamy, soft yet sharp photos. Shortly afterwards I found a clean M6 with a nice 35/2 Summicron. But after shooting for a few weeks I realized that my lowly little Nikon D-80 was still faster and more effective as a photographic tool. Using a 35mm film scanner just wasn’t that appealing either . And when my Leica lust cooled and I could compare the results objectively, the digital files from the Nikon were nearly as good as those from the Leica M8 (which costs 6x more). I love Leicas and maybe someday I will come back to them, but for right now I need to save money and make photos.

When I sold the Summarit and IIIc I accidently interchanged the buyer’s addresses and sent the body to Japan and lens to Denmark… instead of the reverse. So I may end up with that camera again (if everyone is honest), which frankly, I kind of miss. I may get an Elmar lens instead just to have a more compact camera. I kind of like just using the local mini-lab for processing and not-so-shabby automatic scans to CD for $6 per roll. (note: no Leicas left, I sold them all.)

For a tripod I am using the new four-section Gitzo 3540XLS carbon-fiber tripod with a vintage Linhof 3-D head (I gave up on the Arca-Swiss quick release system because I don’t own that many cameras and using a tripod screw isn’t that big a hassle). This Gitzo/Linhof combination is the finest tripod I have ever used. I also use three Lowel Tota-Lights, and several small silver umbrellas. Oftentimes I will simply bounce lights off the walls. Most of my grip gear is from Lowel because it holds up really well (except for the time I was shooting drunk and fell off the bed onto a stand… ouch).

All of my grip gear is packed into a 33-inch Lightware Cargo case. The advantage of the Lightware case is that it is lightweight, which allows more of the 50-lb. limit for checked baggage to be used for gear. However it doesn’t have rollers, which add weight. Usually I take a stripped down light kit packed into a smaller Domke sling bag, which helps me organize things in the larger case. I’ll also toss in clothing and toiletries, and have even packed a large skateboard and pads into the Lightware case.

I carry my cameras and film fit in a Think Tank “Airport Antidote ” backpack, which is sized to carry a laptop and still fit underseat in a regional “puddle-hopper” plane. I also carry a Timbuk2 Commute laptop courier bag, as I need additional room for paperwork, portfolios, drugs, and books. In a pinch I could get everything I need into the backpack.

Earlier I used a Pelican 1510 carry-on with rollers for the cameras, but a latch failed in the middle of a trip and left me worrying about the case flying open for the rest of the week.

One time I flew the TSA took apart one of my lightstands to search inside the tubes… Air travel is rough these days.

I bring a Harrison Pup Tent for film changing, along with six loaded six-sheet Grafmatic film holders. Previously, I used the Calumet Changing Room (which is more ergonomic than the Redwing model that I also tried, at the same price point and quality). I got the Harrison Pup Tent because it is larger and has a flat bottom, which makes loading more holders in one session easier. So far the Harrison has held up well, with none of the flaking material problems that some people have reported.

When I am out shooting I leave the Linhof open and ready to grab, and have a daypack with several Grafmatics and a Polaroid 545i holder. I usually use my Nikon D-80 with the 35/2 lens as a light meter, although I also have a tiny Gossen Digi-Flash meter that works well. In the side panel of the pack is a loupe, spare digital battery, and a baggie with a spare cable release, Polaroid coaters, lens wrench, microfiber cloth, flashlight, and a small level.

For 4x5 film I like Ilford HP-5 but I have had quality control issues with the packaging and even the size of the film, none of which have ruined a shoot but been slightly disturbing. I also use Polaroid Type 52 for proofing, and I try to discipline myself from using it too much because it is expensive. For the occasional color shot I like Kodak Porta 400NC. For 35mm I’ll use whatever Kodak 400 ISO color negative film is handy. All of my sheet film is processed by Edgar Praus at his lab in Rochester. I shoot a lot of film, often 4-8 sheets per set-up, and I used over 1500 sheets during the Summer of 2007.

I scan the 4x5 on an Epson 4990 (complete with a cloudy glass platten). Frankly I think there is way too much mumble-jumble and hocus-pocus spoken by photographers about scanning and digital conversions. I just make sure to hit a white and black point and put my tones where I find them pleasing, using Photoshop’s Curves, Layers, Burning and Dodging and anything else to get the job done. I do everything on a laptop screen and get decent prints from my Epson. I think part of my success is that I’ve been using Photoshop since Version 1.0, and can pretty much adjust a scan without actually using the monitor (I look at the numerical values and Histogram). And I think I can make lovely black and whites from digital camera files. Most of the complainers and naysayers are simply rationalizing their prejudices….

My moods vary… as I write this (October 2007) I am thinking that a cheap Crown Graphic would be a lighter, more carefree camera than the Linhof. I was on a pier out on Lake Ontario earlier today and a wave splashed the Technika. And while all I had to do was to wipe off the water, it scared me all the same. I know that I’m a gearhead, but I actually am kind of relishing how simple and sparse I can get while still doing professional quality photos, as opposed to merely accumulating a pile of pro gear that sees little use.

In November 2007 I bought a Graflex Crown Graphic with 135/4.7 Schneider Xenar for $500 — which was high — but it is a clean, late-model top rangefinder edition from a well-respected dealer. Photos made during November and December were made with this camera. The Crown is so much lighter than the Linhof, and the lens is fine. I also picked up a Nikon 18-70/3.5-4.5 DX lens for the D80. Finally I have something wide enough for the odd industrial job.

December 2007: I decided that I really like the Technika way too much, so I stripped it down to make it lighter and more compact. The Multi-Focus finder is replaced with a wire frame. I think the wire frame works great with a normal lens and it save weight and space. The expensive Multi-Focus finder is useful if you have several lenses and not much sense for what they cover, so some photographers use it as a slightly ridiculous previewing device. I also replaced the Ergo Grip for a hand strap, but then I went back to the bulky Ergo Grip because I really like it and it feels more secure (now I have the option to use either.)

I also switched to Kodak Tri-X Professional after getting several boxes of Ilford HP-5 with packaging problems. First I had several boxes that were not safety interleaved — the two outer boxes were inserting into each other rather than reversed, which made the boxed film more prone to light leaks (it was fine). Then I got a batch of 4x5 film that was cut short by 5mm on the long end. I told Ilford about both problems, they seemed indifferent, and I started to fear that the next problem might be more serious. So I went back to the Great Yellow Father (Eastman Kodak Company) and good old Tri-X. And I have to admit, the Tri-X has nicer highlights and overall range than the HP-5, at least for the way my lab (Praus Productions) does it (using a Jobo and XTOL).

I did shoot some 4x5 Portra 400NC in the studio recently. It sucked and I have a hard time getting pleasing fleshtones and neutral greys (together) from my flatbed scanner. I might just give up on color film. Digital color seems so much more in control — I forgot about cross curves and such but those scans reminded me all too well of them.

January 2008: I just got a well used Leica M6 from a National Geographic photographer; a worn 35/2 Summicron v.3 is on it’s way from Europe, and a hazy old 50/2 Summicron is coming down from Canada. I have a couple of bricks of Kodak TMY (T-Max 400) to shoot and I got another Konica-Minolta Dual Scan IV film scanner (my third time) and a copy of VueScan software. I am going to shoot 40 rolls and see where I am with the Leica. I have a feeling that 2008 may be a small format year.

That said, I just shot with the “new” 135/3.5 Xenotar and it was pretty wonderful to gain 1.5 stops over the previous lens. The old Compur shutter also has more aperture leaves, so the opening is more like a circle, compared to the modern Prontor that had a hexagonal opening when stopped down (as do the Nikon prime lenses — their major downfall imho.) So stay tuned, I think I may have some old school state-of-art equipment duking it out for my favor this Winter.

I know I shouldn’t ever sell the Technika now that I have it the way I want it. Please kick me if I do (same for the old Olympus XA). All the other gear is fugitive, easy to replace, and always for sale ;-).

February 2008: So the Leica experiment was great fun — I actually bloodied my fingertips during one shoot from winding too fast — and I can’t think of a better camera to actually shoot with. But then I had to wait for the film… and then I had to scan it (I scanned 80 frames in a day on the Minolta!) And when I looked at the scans I loved their grain but I also realized that it was pretty harsh grain all the same. And I missed the fine detail I could get from the digital shots. And the easy control of the ISO. And so I made another rash decision and swapped the Leica stuff for a new Nikon D300 and older manual focus Nikkor 50/1.2 AIS. And while I miss the Leica, the initial tests of the new digital are inspiring — and a lot more practical — I should be able to update the blog a lot more frequently. I also picked up yet another $190 Nikon 18-70/3.5-4.5 AFS DX, a sleeper bargain of a lens, for those times when I might need to shoot some odd job.

Note that I could have bought a full frame Canon 5D for the same money… but I think the Nikon interface and build quality is that much better. It really is a nice camera and the older metal lens is such a pleasure to use after years of using plastic auto-focus toy lenses (not that they weren’t fine performers). I figure that I can shoot at ISO 800 easily and the new Auto ISO feature seems to be really nice so far.

I had a Panasonic LX-2 for a few weeks too. I guess it is the best of the compact digitals but I hate those things! I can’t deal with all those little buttons — I rather use my Treo cell phone for crappy pictures. (Actually Martha has the small 7mp model Panasonic that seems friendlier — shooting “RAW” on the LX-2 model is absurdly slow anyway.)

Since I was in such a gearhead tizzy I also put the Linhof and Xenotar up on eBay and went out and bought another mint, late model, top rangefinder Graflex Crown Graphic 4x5 with a nice Schneider Xenar in a Compur shutter. After flying out to LA I realized that the Linhof is just so much heavier, and honestly I like the way the Xenar is sharp in the center and soft on the edges — where the Xenotar is sharp overall but has lower contrast than a modern lens. I will miss the nice rounded aperture of the Xenotar’s shutter — and the extra stop of speed — but I mostly shoot the Xenar wide open anyway, and I rarely get bad bokeh from the 4x5 even when I stop down. I rarely need movements and the Crown’s rangefinder is spot on, at least this one’s is. Of course I know this is somewhat of a rationalization — the price difference is about $1200 between the two cameras — but it makes my pack a lot lighter and less valuable, which ultimately are good things.

The photos of Meagan, Aimee, and Nerlande were done with the previous Crown Graphic I used this Fall — I think they represent well — so onward Christian soldiers… Sah-Yoh-Nah-Rah to the German gear (mostly) and Hello to what gets the job done most efficiently… for now.

I still have the Olympus XA that I bought in 1982…. I’ll shoot off the rest of the film I bought for the Leica… I often add vignetting to my photos so the lens does just fine, although the XA’s electronics do act up sometimes….

I can finally get everything into one carry-on that won’t break my back… Crown, XA, D300, Treo cell phone — that’s it!

Early Summer 2008: Bought, used, and sold a Leica IIIc with 35/3.5 and 50/3.5 Elmars. I used it to shoot in Florida and with Jessalyn in March but in the end I decided that it was too much of an overlap with the digital, and really a distraction rather than an asset. Still it was a fun camera and I did get some nice vintage-looking photos with it. The image quality of the lens is fine except for my mental exposure meter being a bit funky… along with the flare and grainy film, the photos are quite “crunchy” to spin it nicely.

While the manual focus 50/1.2 was nice on the D300, I decided that I was missing a lot of shots because I wasn’t focusing accurately enough, especially for any rapid movement in low light stuff. My eyes are going…. But instead of getting the same Nikon 50/1.4 AFD that I’ve had several times before, I opted for the $100 Nikon 50/1.8 AFD. And now I am of the opinion that it is the best 50mm lens ever. I thought that its plastic construction would be a huge negative but now I see it as a positive — it is so lightweight that it focuses faster. It is also quite sharp and compact as expected. But the best part is that when I shoot wide open at f/1.8 it has just the “right” amount of depth-of-field to have a lovely transition from sharp to blur while holding focus on both eyes when the subject’s head is turned slightly. I am getting more “keepers” than I did with either the /1.2 or the /1.4AF lenses. Of course I try to only shoot this lens wide open, and had I shot with the other lenses at f/1.8 I may have gotten similar results. But the current Nikon AF primes have ugly hexagonal apertures which make for lousy bokeh — so I try to only shoot them wide open so the aperture is rounded. Oh and did I mention it only cost $100 new? Sweet.

There is an internet rumor that Nikon will release a “professional” 50/1.4 AFS lens with more aperture blades and better build quality. I’d jump at that, as I would any new “professional” prime lenses in the “normal” 20 to 50mm range.

I have things pretty stripped down at this point. With Polaroid going away I have been trying to ween myself off the Type 52 film — it is also over $4 a sheet — but damn nothing else really is as good for testing. But at least I won’t have to carry the heavy 545i holder and the bulky film anymore, which saves some weight.

July 2008: Swapped the Nikon 18-70 AFS DX zoom lens for a smaller, faster, more compact Nikon 24/2.8 AF-D. Surprisingly the bokeh of the 24mm lens is quite nice. Also it has a field of view of a 35mm lens on a 35mm film camera, so it feels “almost” like the Leica/35mm combination that I like so much.

I also bought an inexpensive used Leitz Tiltall tripod in black.

August 2008: Sold all my 4x5 gear, including that wonderful and expensive Gitzo tripod. I will be using the Nikon D300 for awhile while I assemble a new 8x10 camera outfit. I have access to several other Crown Graphics should the need arise to do some more 4x5 work, but I think my models project has drawn to a “soft” close with the New Mexico trip (I’ve done some casual shoots since, but New Mexico time was really the end point for a multitude of reasons.)

What I have concluded from all of this is that the camera you use doesn’t matter — of course you want something of decent quality so it doesn’t fail, but it doesn’t have to be a Leica (or even a Nikon) — it is so much more important to use your camera as often as possible if you want to really become a photographer. But if all of your photography money is tied up in cameras, it prevents you from having the resources to have experiences.

To close, here is a link to the ultimate in camera porn.

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