A Tale of Two Cameras - Portraits with a Sony A1 and a vintage 4x5 Speed Graphic and Aero Ektar.
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- Two cameras, two models, two very different looks.
Follow us on a beach photo shoot. First we capture action sequences with the Sony A1 and strobes to freeze action. Then we switch to a vintage 4x5 film camera and lens for super soft black and white portraits using a 4x5 Speed Graphic and a Kodak Aero Ektar 178/2.5 lens.
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Ektar shots are stunning. Have a Graphic and Ektar on the way...thanks for the inspiration.
Those are genuinely great photos. Absolutely incredible
Thank you for your kind words
Awesome, beautiful portraits! !! I love Aero-Ektar, it's bokeh and softness is out of this world. I'm using it on my Pentax 67 and GFX 50S .
Amazing. I’ve been looking to get the aero Ektar for my GFX too. How did you mount it to the GFX?
I shoot with a Sony a7riii and 4x5 crown graphic. Awesome video.
No contest. The Aero shots are so much better. Full of life and mood.
Yeah, the Aero tells the story with a voice like sweet honey!
.....bet so bring that Aero with you for a sports or fashion shoot with a lot of deliverables and see how much of a "no contest" it is lol
@@yusei151 Yes, it would require a special kind of creative director/editor to get on board with shooting with the 4x5/Aero Ektar for a commercial gig!
Wow! The 4x5 shots are just fantastic - absolutely stunning. More large format videos please.
Hi Russel - thank you for your kind words. I am, in fact, planning more large format videos. Let me know if there is anything specific that you would like to see. Thanks
Another great video Dave. Both cameras definitely have their place.
Hey Matt - Thanks so much. Keep shooting!
4x5 film negative is the theoretical equivalent of a 1100+ megapixel digital sensor (debayered) with 22 stops of dynamic range. Awesome stuff
Great shots Dave!
This quickly turns into a 4x5 video HAHA the speed graphic photos were stunning. Forgot you even shot the A1
Hi Peter, Thanks for watching.
Aero Wins. Of course, I'm a biased 4x5 shooter. :)
The Aero Ektar is certainly special. That look! Gotta give some love to the A1 as well. Sony created an amazing tool. The A1 capability is fantastic. Thanks for watching!
We are decorating our old house, top to bottom. The doors are rather loose and can not be kept open. I have good use for an A1, Z7, or similar from Canon as a door stop, if people have had enough of digital Zeos and Ones. Thanks.
Baaaahahaha! Seems to me, if you are decorating and OLD house, then you should consider an age appropriate camera. Linhof's are quite solid. It would be terrible misappropriation for the wondrous Sony A1. I am quite fond of my digital cameras as well as my film cameras. I just check my mood ring before I head out to shoot and grab the camera I happen to be feeling most connected with at the moment. Good luck with those loose doors. Careful what you let in!
Speed Graphic is amazing. I could invest the budget of the sony for films & papers! Great video
Old Speed Graphic + Old Aero Ektar + Film = Unreliable results. So many things can go wrong. And that frees us up. Not sure what you're gonna get? Then just go have fun and create. I love seeing the image instantly on the back of my Sony. It's reassuring. But it also sends me down the road in a different way than when I slip the dark slide back into the holder and move on to another image with the 4x5. Every image requires more consideration and thought with the big camera. I like that. Thanks for watching.
Put a roll film back on it, even if it's just to soften the learning curve?
@@kthschsslr Interesting idea. I have never used a roll film back on a view camera. Honestly, I never saw the point. But you are right about the learning curve. It's different for everyone, right? Prior to the digital era, I spent a lot of years working with a 4x5. First as a student and then in my own studio. When I decided to shoot with the 4x5 again, during the pandemic, it had been many years. Yet, my hands and fingers went right back to the camera like a long lost friend. Kinda like coming home again. But, the Aero Ektar? Well, you have to learn to work with it on its own terms. Once you learn, then it sings beautiful songs. Thanks for watching.
@@davewhite138
Have you tried instax wide in a 4x5?
I personally found it frustrating, the film is not to my taste.
But the subjects of the portraits acted like I was a magician at a kid’s show when I gave them the results.
A possible video idea, instant portraits of strangers, and their reactions.
I’m shooting alternative films with the ektar because I’m finding it very difficult to nail the focus.
Not frustrating when the film is less expensive.
I’ve been using a long loupe, I swear it’s beautiful on the ground glass, but somehow not in focus on the film.
I’ve fiddled and fiddled, to no avail.
( so far )
@@kthschsslr Agreed - focusing the Aero Ektar is tricky. I found that closing the aperture slightly helps very much to define focus. My lens is missing the aperture markings. So I don't know the actual setting, but I quite certain it is between f2.5 - f4. I still get that gorgeous bokeh and overall softness.
Your description makes me wonder if the ground glass and the film plane (when a holder is inserted) are possibly out of registration.
Regarding film, I stick with Ilford or Kodak. Reduces variables! I shot some portraits last week on TMY 400 (rated @ISO250) and they look great.
The 6" and 7" lenses are amazing at f/2.5, I wanna try the 12" version on a format larger than 4x5. I seems it'll shoot comfortably around 11x14, even though it is a heavy lens.
Good evening from Japan.
I've been watching your videos for reference.
I also recently purchased and ordered AE from Portland.
I'm looking forward to shooting with the SG/AE combination when it arrives!
I will look forward to seeing your photos. Please share. Have fun with the new camera and lens.
I love that Aero Ektar lens and the B&W images. Much better than the color shots butI have a bias towards B&W.
Yeah, me too. The Aero Ektar is special. But a challenge to work with. Much like large format film photography, you have to work with that lens on its terms. But I will say, the Sony A1 is a wonderful tool. The first digital camera I have really loved. And there have been many. The dynamic range of the camera and overall performance enables so much creative extension.
Hi Dave, please could you do some more 4x5 videos?
Thanks!
Haha! I just shot a new video today! If the film looks good (no point posting bad pictures), I will edit and post the video this week. Thanks.
Were all the 5x4 shots pretty much wide open? I would be interested to see how that lens goes at a range of f stops. Great shots.
Hi Chris - yes, mostly “wide open”. I have found the Aero Ektar, at least the one I own, to be a little soft overall when it is completely open. My lens has no aperture scale. So I stopped down just a bit and call it f4. I have found that I get better sharpness at the point of focus when stopped down slightly. I have not experimented with stopping Arero Ektar down. First of all, I would not know what actual aperture would be without the aperture scale. Also, this lens has a specific purpose for me. I shoot a lot with my other 4x5’s and more contemporary lenses that provide predictable sharpness. Thanks for commenting.
What type of film did you use and was there any post processing done to them? Great video.
Typically, I shoot either Ilford FP4 or HP5. Rated at 100 and 250 ISO. I also like the TMax films but can’t see the value of the added cost.
Great question about post processing. I tend to bring my scans into camera raw. I have better burn and dodge tools and I also tend to use clarity adjustments both locally and globally. I do this kind of post processing on both the scanned film and my digital captures. Most of this post processing is equivalent to darkroom work. But with much more advanced and precise tools. Thanks for watching.