Roll Film Adapters & Viewer Mail - Large Format Friday

[@extremelydave]

I can only speak for myself but I say loudly YOU ROCK MAT!!!! 2 things that make your videos fun to watch are the obvious mutual love of film, but also your personality..... positive without being a loudmouth cheerleader... I have not watched a single one of your videos without learning something and I shoot mid format ! Film is film so anyone can learn here.. Keep shooting!!!

[@malcolmrendle6622]

I second what Dave Nelson says, really enjoy your videos, and how you make LF loook so simple whilst getting fantastic results, particularly your woodland shoots, your compositions are so good for what is accepted as a challlenging enviroment. I have learnt so much about LF watching your videos, making the transit from medium format a lot easier.....keep up the good work

[@eicas_11]

Hey! I know Jesse, he's a friend of mine. I sold him some Polaroid Pro100 4x5 a few months back, maybe that 4x5 print he sent you is from that box. Either way it's cool to see friends in random places around the internet.

[@MatMarrash]

What a small world! Well stay tuned, the film ended up making some fantastic instant portraits! :D

[@jessewisdom8253]

Can't wait to see how the Polaroids turn out! I'm in Kentucky, not Tennessee, so I'm closer than you think ;)

[@MatMarrash]

That's threateningly close Jesse, fingers crossed I'll be cracking and peeling soon!

[@brineb58]

Have fun is the best advice!!! I have a 6x9 roll holder on my little Gaphlex camera that I use as a point and shoot ... zone focus and run with it ... I also have a Horseman 6x9 roll holder that has been adapter to use m=with my Polaroid 600 SE ... it's all fun!!!

[@ChristopherMay]

4:48 - Even his mailbox is large format! Fun stuff this week, Mat. Speaking of the FPP, another roll film adapter that works with any spring back is the Adapt-a-roll 620. These were made for 2x3, 3x4 and 4x5 cameras. They can take 120 on the supply side but need a 620 take-up spool. Thanks to the FPP, these are pretty easy to find. I use one of the Adapt-a-roll's with my 2x3 Busch Pressman C. It's great for those times when I want to go large...but not too large.

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Chris, never heard of the Adapt-a-Roll thanks for the tip! Also glad to see something the FPP 620 spools solves!

[@ljames43230]

A subject near and dear to my heart Matt. I started out with that same back because I didn’t the ability to develop the 4x5 sheets. I still use mine from time to time.

[@lrrowley]

Really loved this video! It was fun to see you get so excited over the stuff that was sent in. I also want to see you shoot medium format on your LF camera! That panoramic stuff would be pretty cool

[@MatMarrash]

It's a fun change of pace and you'll be seeing some more of it on the channel soon! :)

[@GreggObst]

In addition to a wider variety of film stocks you can shoot with a roll film back you are also taking advantage of the sweetest spot on most lenses, the center. An additional advantage of roll film backs over exposing 120 in a medium format camera is you can use all the movements on the LF camera, something lacking on most medium format cameras. I love my Horseman 6x12 and 6x9 backs and they are what I'll be using this fall when the leaves change and I can shoot Ektar more affordably as 120 rather than 4x5. I still have a 5 roll pro pack of Provia 100F in 220 that I plan on shooting in the 6x12 before it gets too expired. Canham's 4x5, at least the wood version, can also take roll film adapters despite not having a universal/Graflok back. On the Canham, you just slide the ground glass protector in and then sliding the Horseman roll film adapter under that. I verified that on my Canham 5x7 with the 4x5 reducing back.

[@michaelsherck5099]

Seeing you excited and happy really makes for a great Friday. Thanks!

[@MatMarrash]

I appreciate it Michael! :D

[@philipdahl9001]

Thanks for the kind words about my postcard! This was kind of a blast from the past for me. I participated in a couple of postcard exchanges about twenty or thirty years ago(pre internet). It was a fun way to get original work from others and also a way to show some of my photos off.

[@MatMarrash]

The postcard looks great, thanks again! :D

[@andyvan5692]

YES, matt, it is still LF, as you put the film behind a camera with bellows and the standards, aka tilt_shift for EVERY lens!!, but one notable omission here, LINHOF, who make a roll film holder for their tecknika cameras, which is special, as it has a ring for the super/master tecknika rotating backs, but this does the same thing, but they also had another one of these roll film holders, which has the metal sheet on the outer frame, to fit the "universal" mantra, to use the "Grafflock" systems. there was even an "aero" camera linhof had, which used roll film exclusively!!

[@Frantixj]

Nice packages! Cant wait to see the results :)

[@MatMarrash]

The pressure's on now, gonna have to do Jesse some justice with those awesome sheets!

[@unpocodeluz_atill]

Hi Mat. I recently bought a 4x5 Cambo Calumet monorail camera, because I need to take some pictures with a non parallel focus plane. As I don't have a 4x5 enlarger, I printed some 3D files to make a 6x9 120 film adapter. I'll try it this weekend...

[@MatMarrash]

Ariel thanks for the comment and congrats on the new LF setup! It's amazing how 3D printing has breathed new life into the world of LF and aging parts. Good luck!

[@chilecayenne]

Hi Matt!! Well, you started my Friday off on a good step again! Thank you! I got started with film with medium format with a Yashica Mat 124 and a Hassy 501CM. Then Nick Carver got a bug in my brain till I got a Shen Hao 6x17 dedicated view camera. I"m currently learning this...I have the basics down, but need to learn about movements, etc. So, I'm watching you and learning view camera usage and in the next year, I plan to save and buy a 4x5 LF camera. Anyway, I'm kinda coming into it in a strange way, but this sure is fun. I don't shoot much 35mm, unless it is pano...currently a swing lens HorizonT....but hope to have a PressPan in the near future. I like film, but I like it in the unusual formats and aspect ratios (anything but regular 35mm). OH well, I'm rambling, thanks for the videos....learning a lot!! CC

[@chilecayenne]

@@careypridgeon Hey, you can't go wrong either way and you have to go the path that fulfills you! :) I love the Shen Hao 6x17...I"m setting up to scan it maybe using a GFX100. My thought is that I could easily print these in a 3:1 aspect ratio, much like I see Nick Carver do. I"ve got a few that should look too at 2'x6'.... I couldn't do that with dark room prints.

[@chilecayenne]

@@careypridgeon Normally I can't either, but a combination of a lucrative contract and stumbling on a 99% new used camera deal, I lucked out. and I figured well, heck as long as I have this, I could theoretically get close to drum scan levels of film scan. Right now, I'm putting together a 44" high copy stand and going to try to shoot 6x17 in one shot. I might even try pixel shifting to get a 400MP image of 6x17 film in one go...will see what happens. But anyway, again, I got lucky. I was using a Epson V600...that 850 should do VERY well. Good luck and save up, in the future if you decide to pull the trigger on the Shen Hao 6x17, I can promise you will not regret it! Me? My next is to get some Patterson tanks and teach myself film development and maybe in a year to try some 4x5...like you mentioned, I already have lens for it (due to the Shen Hao). Nice chatting with you...good shooting! CC

[@AlexLuyckxPhoto]

What a great haul! And yes, all hail the FPP, I know I wouldn't have been inspired to keep going with film photography and your influence in getting into Large Format and of course HP5 and Pyrocat-HD (the good stuff)!

[@MatMarrash]

Alex, it's crazy to think it's already been that long! FPP and the entire film photography community have become such a huge part of my life.

[@frankzappa3834]

Cheapest way to shoot your LF cameras are Agfa or Fuji X-Ray film! Plus most are Ortho or orthopan, so developing by inspection is on the table!

[@ammartaibi2623]

Fomo and adox are pretty cheap too

[@MatMarrash]

X-ray is always an option!

[@andreshernandez]

Thanks for the info Mat

[@MatMarrash]

You bet!

[@derekkonigsberg2047]

I got a roll film adapter (120, 6x7) to go with my Crown Graphic when I first got it, because I simply didn't have an easy way to get 4x5" film processed at the time. Later on, I continued to use it whenever I used that camera in "handheld retro press photography" mode simply because it made the whole experience more practical. Unfortunately, the adapter developed some frame alignment issues, so I won't use it anymore until I manage to get it fixed/replaced.

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Derek I've heard of this happening before with some longer panoramic backs. Is it an issue of the metal frame that attaches to the Graflok back or some other part of the back?

[@derekkonigsberg2047]

@@MatMarrash I'm guessing something with the winder mechanism. The first frame is against the starting edge of the film, and the second frame sometimes runs into it. After that it's usually okay. If I ever plan to use it again, I'll likely get a new one or get mine professionally checked out.

[@pmvult]

Thanks from a Portugal follower :)

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks for watching and love to see such a diverse worldwide audience!

[@andrewbroekhuijsen6770]

Got kinda discouraged about the cost of roll film adapters for my 4x5, so I ended up 3D printing one. Works great, and now I can shoot 6x9 on my Intrepid :D

[@MatMarrash]

3D printing has done so much to revitalize the film photography niche, great work!

[@andrewbroekhuijsen6770]

@@MatMarrash Yeah, been meaning to send you a darkroom tool of my own design that I 3D printed. One of these days I'll get around to it haha.

[@davefaulkner6302]

I've bought some common (6x6,6x9) adapters for around $100, so I don't think they're that expensive compared to a lens, e.g. Are You looking on e-Bay for used camera Japanese shops? I get the best results that way.

[@monodistortion]

I think you're due for another trip to Japan to shoot some large format!

[@MatMarrash]

I haven't been back to Japan since I started my LF journey, it needs to happen soon!

[@terrywbreedlove]

I bought a 65mm for my 4x5 mostly to shoot panoramic landscapes with. I can load the film and print it in my enlarger just like normal and have the freedom to crop as needed at that time. Question do they make enlarger film holders for these 6x12 negatives that fit in a 4x5 enlarger or is this to wide ?

[@craigfouche]

I shoot 6x12 and scan my negs, edit then send off to a printer for printing. Its way easier especially in colour.

[@tjh44961]

Terry, I have a Beseler 45 MX, and even back in the 80's, the largest negative carrier I remember being cataloged by Beseler was 6x9 (other than the 4x5 of course). 12 cm is about 4.7", so if you or a friend have a 3D printer, you might be able to print one.

[@terrywbreedlove]

@@tjh44961 Thank you I have the Beseler 45 as well. Might be fun to figure something out

[@MatMarrash]

Hey Terry that's a great question. I've never seen a Beseler carrier larger than 6x9, but there's always the option to use a 4x5" glass holder to lay the negative flat. If need-be you could do some light masking of the borders to cut down on flare.

[@Bunnyisms]

I have a miniature format (135 format) camera body with a bellows unit with movements. I think about this sometimes when I'm setting up movements on it. You get swing and shift or tilt and rise depending on the orientation of the bellows unit, and I guess you get extra points if you're trying handhold it while using movements. I still think my regular view camera is easier to set up movements on 😂 What I really want to see is a dedicated bellows unit with movements for the Nikon Z cameras and bellows dedicated lenses. The flange distance is so short. That should give a lot more space for movements even with shorter lenses. A lot of the universal units have a lot of extra adapters that steal length from the bellows. On my other 135 miniature format camera body, at infinity with the bellows lens your movements are really limited. It's just like using a superwide at infinity on my regular view camera without a recessed lensboard

[@Ravaxr]

That sounds like a very interesting camera. Who made it?

[@Bunnyisms]

@@Ravaxr Your best luck if you're serous about it might be to find the Novoflex bellow units, they have more movements than what I have and are a lot more flexible overall. They're also currently made. The BALPRO T/S has movements on both the front and rear standards. They have shift and swing or if you turn it sideways, rise and tilt. There is also a dedicated Schneider Kreuznach Apo-Digitar 90mm f4.5 that mounts to the front. I don't use this setup myself, but it has a lot more advantages than my setup. There were three Schneider Kreuznach Componon-S lenses that may also fit in the system. The lenses replace the front adapter on the bellows unit with a lens board with a lens mounted in it. There's also the Rolleiflex SL66 which is a medium format camera with tilt movements. I personally don't use that either. With the Novoflex, I think it's likely that you can focus to infinity with the Schneider Kreuznach lenses, but you will have more luck with a mirrorless body with a short flange distance

[@MatMarrash]

Novoflex makes some pretty neat bellows, tilt/shift, and tripod accessories!

[@markusklein6309]

Mat, I have a wooden Wista 45DX. Does this have a Graflog compatible back in the sense that you are talking about?

[@timdarklighter]

If you can rotate the back between horizontal and vertical by popping off the entire back (wood piece + film holder), then you likely have a spring back (aka a Graphic back). Here's a B&H product link to what a Graflok back on your Wista looks like: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/162352-REG/Wista_214535_Graflok_Back.html. Had I known enough about backs when I bought my 4x5 Burke and James camera, I would have looked again for something with Graflok back.

[@williamorford6966]

Hi Markus. Look at the Wista Universal RFB or the slot in backs such as the Cambo’s. The DX doesn’t have a Graflex back.

[@markusklein6309]

@@williamorford6966 Thank you!

[@oudviola]

Wista made a series of RFB's for different cameras. There is one for the 45DX, I got it recently. It slides under the ground glass so has some metal cross braces that the wooden frame of the back rests on, to avoid scratching the glass. I found mine via eBay if I recall. Good luck!

[@MatMarrash]

Thanks William and Mark for helping out Markus with his question! Seconding Mark's suggestion for a roll film adapter that slides under the ground glass. The shots that I included of that type in the video were Calumet roll backs, which can still be had for about half the price of the Horseman and Sinar backs out there.

[@davefaulkner6302]

I'd say that using a 4x5 with a 120 adapter is either LF or the best damn MF camera you can buy. People call LF cameras mere "boxes" but only these cameras have the ability to place the lens exactly where you need it. I'm singing to the choir, I'm sure.

[@andyvan5692]

good find matt, that film envelope style is same as the PN film from polaroid, has a special holder, with a lever to process, look at Nick Carver's website, he just got some of this film, and SHOWS some pitfalls and precautions of using these film types; but great to see you can put other film stock into those envelopes, means the 504? holders can last a lot longer "in-use". By the way PLEASE watch this video, before you start exposing this film, *spoiler ALERT*: he had a light leak in his holder, and is a gas seeing how he reacts to this, and a gaff he made in the field shooting it.- hint there are 2 videos on this, he also makes an "amateur mistake" while shooting, is also great watching, if you don't mind a few curse words a little close to swearing!!- but check the HOLDER first!!, esp. if you are thinking of putting some rare stock through it!!

[@stuartbaines2843]

I imagine most viewers of the channel will understand your thoughts on LF 😅 Roll film backs are a useful alternative to sheet film when £$ are a concern. 👍

[@MatMarrash]

It's really nice to be able to run through a roll and not commit to an entire box of film. Something I'd missed from roll formats.

[@crocato]

❤️ ❤️ ❤️