Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

Are there photographers out there crazy like me who do landscapes with a 4X5" view camera or a converted 6X8cm film camera utilizing a scanning back? I live in New England area of the USA.

MrPhotog

I’ve been seeing a lot of conversion backs on Pinterest.

These typically use a 35 mm dslr or mirrorless body on a sliding arrangement.

Focus is thru the lens, then the aperture is selected and the lens opened. Exposure is from multiple overlapping images as the digital camera is moved from side to side. If the camera has a built-in panorama mode the result is a strip.

A simpler approach is to mount the digital camera in the center of the 4x5 back and use the view camera’s rise/ fall movements and slide movements—on either the front, or back, or both— to “paint” portions of the image in the digital sensor.

Assuming the view camera is in a horizontal mode, Using the digital camera vertically, and sliding it left to right gives a roughly 1.5” x 5” strip. Three of those can be combined (stitched) in post processing to give the roughly 4x5 frame.

I say ‘roughly 4x5’, because this may vary by camera brand. Since you are not using a 4x5 film holder, the actual area you can capture should be a bit larger—possibly 4.25” x 5.5”

Since the area covered is about 13 times the size of a 35 mm full frame image, the result would have 13 times the (mega) pixels, so a 40 mp camera would yield 520 mp images.

I’m in the slow process of designing and then building two such adapters for my current view camera. One for the center of the image and another for the top and (reversed) bottom strips. This could take me awhile. In the meantime I’m buying wide angle lenses for 4x5 cameras. I see that lenses with broken shutters are going at bargain prices, and those in barrel mounts are just a bit more. Since I’m using the digital camera’s shutter it doesn’t matter.

Other possibilities:

This link is for a flatbed scanner project that uses s 50 mm lens.
https://pin.it/1bzNntj

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

A few maybe but they're crazy.

Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

I to am working on an adaptor in my spare time which I have little of. My 35mm mount for the Nikon/Toyo 4X5' doesn't stay level and is a pain ... I finally used two tripods to get fairly good results but I'm not going into the field with 2 tripods. I have some Tripod head attachments for doing panos that I have some ideas that need doing, maybe tomorrow or maybe next week...Something to think about and do some sketch work at Dunkie's at 5am.

BebuLamar

I think to use a 35mm with sliding back the Nikon Z would be a good one as it has shallow lens flange. But I would be more interested in a scanning back which can make use of the entire 4x5 area. It would be generally of lower resolution than the 35mm camera approach but I like it better.

Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

It's more a case of the resolving power of the lens. True if you don't have to move it, the BL scanning back, vs. the 35mm camera which has to be moved 8 times, 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom, 7 moves after the first placement the less distortion not to mention you don't have to consider the nodal point.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I've done a few using an Arca Swiss 4x5 and a Fotodiox shift stitch back.

Edit: Per Ysarex's assessment, I'm probably crazy.
--Bob

Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

Well said friend.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

How is this any different than using a digital camera to make multiple images and then combining them to make a high megapixel composite image?

Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

It's cooler!

Bill_de Loc: US

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MrPhotog

I'm curious about how you get only 8 positions?

It seems to me that would cover (at best) only 3" x 4", or a panoramic format of 2" x 6"--which would be reduced to 5" by the camera design.

With a sliding back on a 4x5 view camera, using my Sony in pano mode, I'm expecting to get three strips: top, middle and bottom, all are 1.5" x 5", and there is a 1/4' overlap, which should make stitching easier.

With individual snaps with a digital camera oriented vertically, there would be three rows with 6 snaps on each row to cover the 5" width, and a small overlap. total 18 images to merge.

If the digital camera is horizontal I'd get 4 snaps to a row with about 1/3" overlap, and need a minimum of 4 rows with no significant overlap to get close to 4" coverage (16 snaps) but more likely 5 rows (20 snaps) to get good overlap and possibly a bit larger than 4x5.

I'm not worrying about the nodal point of the lens. I'm thinking that stays the same whether the camera has a single large sheet of film, multiple small pieces, or an electronic sensor moving around taking samples from different locations.

What I am concerned about is the possibility of vignetting at the edges of the frame when using wideangle lenses.
The mount for the digital camera will probably get in the way of light coming from an extreme angle. A flatbed scanner would give the best results in the edges and corners.

Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

Sure but did you come to fish or cut bait?

BebuLamar

It's different. With a sliding back you move the sensor only to capture different parts of the large image formed by the large format lens.