[pure-silver] Re: Large Format Tilt

4x5 & 8x10 cameras have been my mainstay since 1959. I can tell you without reservation that using tilt (back or front - I prefer back) to change your DOF plane is BEST accomplished by a good loupe and trial and error. After some practice, it becomes second nature. An easy way to start is to focus on the near, focus on the far, then set the FOCUS KNOB half way between where it was at near and at far. NOT the ground glass focus half way between near and far. The focus knob PHYSICALLY half way between the near and far positions. You can do this with feel, without looking at anything. Then start some tilt and check near and far focus with your loupe. Some focus knob adjustments will also have to be made, but after doing this for awhile, it just becomes second nature and the DOF that you want is achieved quickly and easily.
One day while standing in Keeble and Shuchat Photography, I listened to a guy that had just bought a 4x5 Sinar (I don't remember the model - but it was the one with all of the precision knobs and levers, all with precision graduations thereon. He was explaining how he meticulously followed the instructions for focusing on the near, noting where it was on the GG and the numerical value on the focus knob, focusing on the far and also noting these values, then after some math and via an X:Y graph chart, set the front standard tilt to the numerical value given in the chart, and after processing the film, it was not in focus! Tim Schell (KSP guru) then said "the only way to achieve focus using front or back tilt is to do it visually. Pay no attention to charts/graphs/numbers/etc. Do it visually and work out a method that works for you. A good loupe will do more for you than anything else."
Back in 1959, when I learned view camera movements, my camera was a Graphic View II. There are no markings whatsoever on the camera. Everything is done by the seat of your pants and I soon learned how to do it instinctively. Which is, as far as I am concerned, the only way to do it. Because of this, I can use ANY camera that has movements. Of course, with a good loupe/eyepiece. 

:-)

Jim


At 02:48 PM 11/29/2007 +0100, C.Breukel@xxxxxxx wrote:

Since the list is pretty quit I thought I might ask a bit off topic
question.

I have been playing with Bob Wheeler's VadeMecum
(http://www.bobwheeler.com/photo/Software/software.html), which is a set
of usefull programs for the (LF) photographer which runs oa on a Palm
device. You'll need a certain amount of basic knowledge of LF techniquet
understand the programs.

It is nice to play around with it, I am less certain if I would use it
in the field, we will see.

Anyway the program I like the most is called Tiltb, this program helps
you to find the amount of tilt (in degrees or top movement) needed to
get something in front of (A), and something at the back (B) higher up
in focus.It is based (not novel) on measuring, by back focusing the
difference between A and B on the rail, and the difference between A and
B on the groundglass. Both distances and the distance from the camera to
the tilted plane are fed into the TiltB program, which gives you the
degree tilt or the amount of topmovement of the front standard.

Since I use mainly an old Linhof Technika III in the field, I cannot use
back focus (it hasn't), but I assume I can use front focus for that,
right?

A more difficult part is how to measure the amount of top movement. A
Tech III has no front tilt, only back tilt. A way around this is to do
back tilt, and drop the bed (making front and back parralel again, and a
front raise. So now the back tilt is turned into a front tilt.

I now measure the amount of top movement by measuring from the back
panel (actually box), somehow I have the feeling that this is not
entirely correct.

OTOH I did some testing of this procedure in my living room, and the
resulting tilted plane nicely brought the desired subjects in focus,
have to print the negatives yet though,

Best,

Cor
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