Where does modern digital LF start?

That's an interesting notion but… I can put something like this adapter on the back of a view camera and use a digital camera to "scan" the scene, giving a 5" x 4" composite image with no negative.



Unfortunately, the owner of this forum, along with several members, would deem it sacrilege because it is mandated that film and only film can be used to take the image, even if the first thing you do with the neg is to scan it or, heaven forfend, to digitise the 5" x 4" neg on a light box with a digital camera.

Where do LF folks go for advice and discussion on this kind of hybrid process?

Photrio, for one.

The "owner of this forum" is well within their rights to decide what is in- and out of bounds, and "sacrilege" isn't on the table. You are free to participate or not, donate or not, as you see fit.

The alternative would be be start a forum of your own focused on topics that most interest you.
 
Yes, I use an Arca Large Format camera together with large coverage lenses to take 'tep and repeat' Large Format images. The technique has its limitations but is effective enough in some situations. My main reason for doing so is because fitting shutters to the myriad (30++) of old barrel lenses I own would be far from cost effective and trying to use a Copal 3 in front of them is possible but fraught with difficulties. So a digital step & repeat system is the only way I have of producing Large Format images. The capture medium is IMO irrelevant as there are (very expensive) large format scanning back available for 10s of 000s and way beyond my budget.

To answer your second question, at present there are few resorces about digital large format because it seems to be a niche within a niche. I just get on with experimenting myself and am happy to share any info I have if anyone wants to query how I'm going about things.
 
Unfortunately, the owner of this forum, along with several members, would deem it sacrilege because it is mandated that film and only film can be used to take the image
This is not unfortunate at all. I created the forum as a film based forum starting with a negative the size of 5x4.
Where do LF folks go for advice and discussion on this kind of hybrid process?
You are already an active member of https://www.digitalmonochromeforum.co.uk where you are free to showcase, discuss digital and even film photography of all sizes.

You own an Ebony large format camera, why not dust it off, load some of your Across 100 and show us your results
 
Might we be slithering gently downhill towards personal comments?

Returning to the original question, I do not see how membership of any forum can influence format size, in any medium.
 
Yes, I use an Arca Large Format camera together with large coverage lenses to take 'tep and repeat' Large Format images. The technique has its limitations but is effective enough in some situations. My main reason for doing so is because fitting shutters to the myriad (30++) of old barrel lenses I own would be far from cost effective and trying to use a Copal 3 in front of them is possible but fraught with difficulties. So a digital step & repeat system is the only way I have of producing Large Format images. The capture medium is IMO irrelevant as there are (very expensive) large format scanning back available for 10s of 000s and way beyond my budget.

To answer your second question, at present there are few resorces about digital large format because it seems to be a niche within a niche. I just get on with experimenting myself and am happy to share any info I have if anyone wants to query how I'm going about things.
There are other options for adding shutters to barrel lenses.
A camera with a focal plane shutter is one, I think Graflex models are most common. Sadly the Thornton Pickard Ruby Reflex model I picked up needs servicing & is slighlty smaller than 5x4 to make matters worse it came without film holders.

Thornton Pickard (and others) also made a range of lens mountable shutters (both lens board mounting & before the lens)

I've had some limited success using 2 dark slides as a galli shutter & there are a range of DIY approaches from a simple guillotine shutter to Arduino controlled affairs. Eventually I plan to explore these options more fully as I like the extra movements of a monorail.
 
There are other options for adding shutters to barrel lenses.
A camera with a focal plane shutter is one, I think Graflex models are most common. Sadly the Thornton Pickard Ruby Reflex model I picked up needs servicing & is slighlty smaller than 5x4 to make matters worse it came without film holders.

Thornton Pickard (and others) also made a range of lens mountable shutters (both lens board mounting & before the lens)

I've had some limited success using 2 dark slides as a galli shutter & there are a range of DIY approaches from a simple guillotine shutter to Arduino controlled affairs. Eventually I plan to explore these options more fully as I like the extra movements of a monorail.

Mike and some others have seen my shutter collection, there's a few more since then. I'm put something together for a Post on another Forum but was planning post it here as well.

Most useful though is a larger Gitzo front mounting shutter with flash sync, I bought a different French front mounting shutter yesterday, now in the post from Spain.

Ian
 
My problem is the variation in my lenses from dimiutive 4.4" Cooke to 15" Grubb which vary in diameter from an inch to 4"+, some of which have extending front stops, washer stops for the front and so on. Not easy to fit shutters to or to fit onto shutters. I have a Copal 3 ready for front mounting via a third Arca standard, which I will use for some but for others a Sony camera is much easier.
 
A while back Steve at Chroma Camera was working on some sort of front-mount shutter of the falling-plate type, I don't know if that will end up being available commercially.

If you can manage with "only" a ~50mm open aperture then the japanese Shanel 5A and 5B shutters are not expensive, and give you flash sync and speeds up to 1/100th. I have a 18" cooke apotal hanging off the front of mine.
 
Mike and some others have seen my shutter collection, there's a few more since then. I'm put something together for a Post on another Forum but was planning post it here as well.

Most useful though is a larger Gitzo front mounting shutter with flash sync, I bought a different French front mounting shutter yesterday, now in the post from Spain.

Ian
I look forward to reading that, but I expect most options will be too expensive for my limited budget :(
 
It's certainly what I wouldn't have expected after seeing your other work.
 
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