New 4x5 Lenses, Embracing Digital, and Three Assignments
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ต.ค. 2023
- Correction: Karl Ramberg’s handle is @tangybirch, not his name like in the video. Apologies to Karl.
Website: www.bryanbirks.com
Instagram: / bryanbirks
Links
NYT Weapons Story: shorturl.at/gqzC3
NYT Wine Story: shorturl.at/asuzA
Lab: phtsdr.com/
How to Support
Patreon : / bryanbirks
Buy some film - bhpho.to/440407v - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
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I'm from Russia I don't understand anything in your videos. I am writing this comment using Google Translate))
But every video of yours makes me happy!
Examples of your photographs inspire, even without knowing the language)
👍🔥THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK! YOU TAKE PHOTOS WITH MEANING INSIDE
Get a small flash like a Godox AD200 a small soft box and a collapsible stand and you will get better flash images and with a super small foot print. It will drastically improve your work.
Will definitely look into it!
I second that opinion. A Godox AD200 or even a V1 + an umbrella + a small collapsible stand (and your backpack as a sandbag) + a trigger and you are gold
Take my comment with a grain of salt, as I do not currently shoot any 4x5 large format. I had done some serious research about it though, after Intrepid released their Mk 5 version of their field camera. They make a very decent camera, especially for someone who hasn't shot large format before, and it was a compelling case.
However, after doing my research about lenses, I determine that decent wide angle lenses are very tricky to shoot, and very expensive to cover 4x5. They're also generally quite big and bulky, unless you suffer with the f/8 versions, as you know. I think for me, my sweet spot for lenses was a 2-lens system consisting of 135mm f/5.6 and 210mm f/5.6 lenses from Fujinon.
These lenses are plentiful, decently made, allow a reasonable amount of movements, and can be found for prices under $200 for the 135mm, and under $300 for the 210mm, depending on the shutter they're attached to. These lenses provide both slightly wide-normal and short-portrait focal lengths, and they will not cause any focusing issues with the standard bellows on any folding 4x5 camera.
I think for assignments or important projects sending to a lab makes sense. For everything else processing at home is fine. I’m working on a long term project but I have time to go back and remake photos if I mess up home developing. Thanks for sharing your process!
Oh for sure. I started my project with home developing and only recently started sending it out.
Yeah man, that 135mm seems like a great fit for you. Those two roadside landscapes in the 90 and 135 are so drastically different. The 135 version is excellent. If it ain't broke...!
Well, there’s a lot that’s broke but lens choice isn’t one of them! Haha
I kind of fell out of love with my 90mm when I started shooting more with my 135mm. It wasn't as fast as yours but just as comically large.
The rear cell barely fit inside the lens board hole. Like what. Plus reaching the shutter speeds wasn’t fun because the front cell was so huge. Just too big all around.
I was one of the other photographers on the home wine making story! I've been watching your videos for a bit too so that's nice.
Heck yeah. Pleasure to "meet" you!
Between old cars and their owners on up to NYT assignments, you got the goods for sure. Enjoy your content!
Starting off strong with tool. Love it.
Greatest band to ever exist. Don’t @ me
For sure!
My 90mm has been sitting on my shelf for over a year
Sell it and buy film. That's what I did. Four boxes of Portra. *cries*
I considered trying different lenses for my Shen Hao but definitely enjoying making the most of 1 lens. I think passing film over to a lab for assignments as well as utilising digital is a good idea. I’ve just been given my first commission (finished college in June) and very happy I’ve been told I can use my 4x5.
Very nice! Who is the commission for?
@@BryanBirks it’s a commission to collaborate with a photographer in England who’s making work on the cost of living crisis here in the U.K., I’m making my portion in my home city, Dundee, in Scotland. There’s one other photographer been given the commission too. There’s an exhibition beginning in March and is scheduled to be seen in a few other places (as well as the BOP, run by the Martin Parr foundation).
Hi Bryan, Thanks so much for your insights into your current photography programme. Constantly evolving and making step changes are all positive signs of progress. Proud of you man!
Appreciate that! It’s been a long and winding road. Haha
For digital, try adapting vintage lenses. I use a Nikon 5.8cm f1.4 and it is awesome on digital for portraits. Helps keep that film-ish look
I've seen that one! Been digging deep on adapting lenses. It is a rabbit hole that's for sure.
Don't know how much to say. However to keep it simple; film captures emotion, digital captures memory.
Keep up the great work!
Thank you! Will do!
Congrats on the amount of times you are working with the NYT these days, that's great dude.
Thank you. Hoping they continue to come!
I shoot digital for work, film for personal projects and fun. Sometimes if a client has a lot of time I can shoot some film and get them dev. and I can scan them, included them with the keepers.
Time is the key for me.
For sure. Some things just aren’t possible on 4x5 either. So that makes it easy to decide. But if time wasn’t a thing then film would be the priority every time.
Hi Bryan, hopefully you get something out of these assignments. I have experience with this and it can be discouraging. Also, I understand the tricky nature of working with digital and film on the same shoot. My brain will go one way or another but not both. Yes, digital offers more flexibility, and I use it a lot, and sometimes prefer it, but when I go out with my 4x5, or 8x10, it is a completely different experience and outcome and when I am in that mode, I like it. Keep in mind that you owe the viewer nothing, shoot what you want. Shooting film while ignoring digital is a kin to being a carpenter and using a manual hammer all the time because you like the handle. In reality the electric hammer will get the job done faster.
Completely agree. I just need to focus on perfecting both. Or at least knowing both like the back of my hand. Film, I’m close. Digital, still learning a lot. Lighting, same thing.
Congrats on the your wedding. Long happy life together!
Thank you kindly 🍻
@3:11 is an absolutely stunning photo
Thanks. I was a pretty big fan of the wider one as well. It was interesting to compare!
I appreciate the honesty man. What a breath of fresh air. Are you on patreon?
I am indeed. Try to post some “behind the scenes” stuff but it’s mostly for monetary support. ✌🏻
@@BryanBirks I will support you there!
GFX has been well worth it in my experience
I’m eager to see your digital work evolve. I’m making kind of a similar move right now. Always shot on film but got myself a Lumix a while back and trying to learn developing those raw files. Would be great to hear your thoughts on editing and color processing in the future. I think the work on the weapons manufacturing looked super!
I’m eager to see it as well. I’ve been following along with some photographers that shoot digital that I admire. It’s interesting to see the work and what you can accomplish. At the end of the day it’s just a tool and a powerful one at that.
Glad you liked the photos! I’m sure it’ll be an ever evolving look as time goes on.
@@BryanBirksas someone who went back to digital due to film costs, id love to hear about your inspirations who are using digital! appreciate all the effort you put into your videos man.
@mattwang811 currently Mark Mahaney is a big one. He used 4x5 for the longest time but switched to all digital. He says it really opened up his creativity on assignments.
I feel you regarding limiting yourself to one prime. It's such a relief to not think about focal length etc. I just love to use my 35 1.4 GM on he Sony A1 - that beast can do everything I need and it's nice to know exactly where I need to stand to achieve a certain result and not try out a lot.
I really enjoy your vulnerable style of videos. It's great to hear your thoughts on your assignments too, even the things you felt didn't go so well. Thanks for another video; they're always inspiring me to try to shoot more and with purpose and meaning.
Thank you, Richard!
Great video, great shots. And lots of honesty as always. Really pleased to see the NYT is using you, must increase your exposure a lot.
Thanks a ton!
Thanks!
Thank you, Tyler! Means a lot.
@@BryanBirks of course, man! Always appreciate the no bullshit nature of your videos. I’ve been debating getting a new 4x5 lens as well. Have a 210 f/5.6 which is great, but I’d like something a little wider. I have a cheap little 90mm f/6.8 Schneider but it’s in rough shape and still fairly dark. A 135 might be a good call
@tylerhuttosmith the difference between 135 and 210 is pretty huge. 90 is very, very wide. It’s just not for me. But 135 is a great in between for landscape and portraiture
Superb and inspiring!
Glad you think so!
Bryan
I have used the Nikon 90- f8 for most of my 4x5 images. I know it’s dark but the Quality, size and weight are Excellent.
I think your perception of Wide angle was clouded by convention.
The geography of the US is So Large your 135 is most likely a 'wide angle’ for most landscapes.
You are right to stick with it 👍
Quality and size was what almost made me stick with it. So small and mighty. Haha
If you are in the mood to buy a 90mm next Time, try the Rodenstock 1:6,8 90mm Grandagon. You can focus on the groundglas and it´s not as Heavy as a 4.5 or 5.6 One.
Thanks
No, thank you!
Cool seeing those images from the 90mm (hope you got your money back). The only 4x5 lens I have is my Grandagon-N and then a few for 8x10, so I forget how massive those cells are compared to most other lenses. The 90mm photos are nice, but they feel almost uncomfortable compared to the 135mm ones. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Plus, hard to beat that Xenotar...
Fingers crossed on the lab as well. Botching color rolls put me off for a while, recently found a jobo on the cheap and have felt comfortable enough using it to get more color work in. Fuji chems are next step in hoping for more consistency vs the kits I've been using.
Slide 4x5 when? Maybe with more sponsors lol
I indeed did not get my money back completely. Haha Stuff is hard to sell right now. But I probably overpaid to begin with as well.
I’ve shot some slide in the past and definitely want to again. I quite like the rendition of it as I lean towards more contrast in my photos. But yes, the price is always a concern.
Another honest & really good video. I got an Pentax 645z medium format 50 mega pixel camera & even thought film has been my thing & keeps drawing me in.
I’ve looked at those a bit. Very intriguing. All of the GFX cameras are tempting. Luckily I have a friend who is allowing me some time in the near future. I guess we will see if the hype is real.
Great video! I'm really interested in your assignment work for NYT, would love to see another video dedicated to that topic.
Thanks! I’m trying to talk about each one but made dedicated videos on the first two. I didn’t want to make singular videos for each one because that would be quite obnoxious in my opinion. Lol In the future it’ll probably be like this but I’ll try to be specific with details on each!
Hi Bryan, great Video! Your style is cool.
Regarding 90mm lenses, I too have the Nikon 90mm f8 and the 90mm Grandagon f5,6 which both were very dark on the Linhof Technika but on the Chamonix both are easy to use and the difference between f8 and 5,6 is not that much.
I do like the rendering of the Nikon which was the reason to buy it and have it beside the Grandagon.
The Grandagon has a press shutter so I'm able to make multiple exposures without moving the camera while making the exposure, this is needed if you ant to make a long time exposure of water and wind without having the boring melted surface of water and branches.
Very interesting! Yeah, I just think I may be spoiled with using a f/3.5 on the ground glass. I definitely could have gotten used to it but 90mm wasn’t calling my name.
@@BryanBirks oh shit, it isn't a Nikon 90mm it's a Fujinon which I have
This is awesome, Bryan! Seeing those photos really makes me miss working on F-18s, especially as a civilian. It was cool doing 2 hours of prep work to only do an hour of real work then going to lunch lol
I was enthralled with the whole process. Looked way beyond my ability that’s for sure. I will stick to photos 😂
@@BryanBirks if you can put together an IKEA bookshelf, you can build an airplane lol
Limiting your gear is one of the best things you can do to have a more enjoyable shooting experience, in my opinion!
It just makes me feel more relaxed. Less overthinking is always a good thing.
shout out to Breadeux Pizza. Haven't had that place in years.
I've heard good things. It's a ways out from me tho. I literally drove out to Millstadt for the one photo and drove back. Lol where are you based again?
St. Joseph, sadly! Also would you be willing to do prints of one of your pictures from this video?@@BryanBirks
@@coreymagz3145I need to get down that way eventually.
Possibly! What photo exactly?
the 90mm one at 3:15! Also we oddly enough have a few great classic cars around here that your project could use, too. @@BryanBirks
With the GFX 100s + 80mm F/1.7 I have almost the same feeling than film photography, but film is really ahead, specially large format
I’ve looked at that lens quite a bit. A little pricey and might be a bit too tight for me. I’d definitely look into the GF 55 or the Mitakon 65mm.
@@BryanBirks 55mm is more versatile but 80mm is so sharp
Hey Bryan, loved hearing about your process and thoughts as usual! After many years using the P67 and 105 I finally got the GFX 50R and Mitakon 65mm. It’s damn close and I’ve been loving it!
Hi have u ever considered a digital setup that allows you to have movements? in order to match better your film work.
I haven’t really. I probably wouldn’t go through the trouble of movements and such with something like digital since I can just fix a lot of that in post. You can do that with 4x5 as well but it just fits in a bit better with the whole process of using a view camera.
@@BryanBirksTrue, it makes sense, maybe its just personal but matching the process of making the image through movements took me out of a drought since many times digital can become a little bit delusional.
I see a Bryan Birks video uploaded, I press play
He’s late again. But it’s okay.
@@BryanBirks the YT algorithm doesn't recommend your videos immediately after they are uploaded
All good. Still love ya
really nice work! which digital camera you use?
Lumix S1
Thinking to get a 135, my 150 is awesome, but I wonder always if I can get just a little more in my image.
That or just try to step back.
@@BryanBirksSometimes I find myself not able to step back all that much for landscapes when I'm hiking. It for situations where I just don't have much legroom really.
Since you do shoot quite a lot of digital work for jobs now, wouldn't it make sense to jump into GFX medium format?
That way you retain that "medium format" look which is consistence with your work.
It has been on my mind but aside from "the look" which is definitely close, I don't know if I see the benefit with the price right this moment. I think next year I will start looking more closely at something like a 50s and maybe adapting some lenses or going for the Mitakon. But a lot of the work I see isn't that different from full frame (to me at least).
@@BryanBirks Yeah it's certainly not a big jump compared to 6x7 to 35mm full frame. However, I think it comes down to the lens and how the photog compose and set the scene, does take some work to get the look tho.
Even PhaseOne with proper 645 digital sensor also can't fully replicate that 6x7 look.
@zKMotion definitely. I will say that black and white is there. I think the way it looks is very similar to film even in my own work.
The problem is color and not only colors but the way highlights and shadows look. There’s still a clinical nature to digital that I can’t get over most of the time.
@@BryanBirks yeah, in terms of colours there’s just no way around it at the moment I suppose. Even with dehancer, it’s a lot of work just to get the highlight roll off right.
Hello ，what's the camera you use for this video？😊
Lumix S1 and Sigma 35mm f/1.2
Hey Bryan , seems like it’s very easy for you selling LF lenses , which platform you use ?
eBay. But I had some trouble selling these. I definitely lost money. Haha
But you earned valuable experience 💪
How are you scanning?
My Lumix S1 with a Sigma 70mm macro lens. I use the high res mode and take two photos of the sheet. Then stitch in Lightroom. Works like a charm.
@@BryanBirks Great. Thanks!!
👍
Why drive 8 hours for a 30 minute gig?
Aren't there regional or small airlines serving the two cities? You could have been back at your home base by mid-afternoon and not been so rushed and tired that you screwed up the processing.
Looked at flights. Wasn’t anything that worked on such short notice and also didn’t want to pay the premium.
Digital back on 4x5 :)?
Maybe one day when I’m rich and famous.
re-upload?
Technical error! One frame was messed up and I knew I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror.
@@BryanBirks Oh man i totally get you. I spotted the frame 😂.
Btw this was the comment: I love your philosophy on keeping your gear minimal, but the choice between film and digital is a difficult one, also buying vs renting. love the digital shots with the flash. Love your channel and love seeing it grow! Sorry for bad English.
@@BryanBirks Brilliant video and I resonate with so many things you said! Keep up the good work! Your work really motivates me!
@@NirmalveerSinghI would shoot film every time if time allowed but some things are just too quick. Renting is nice to test things. Might have to rent a GFX it if I ever think I’m going to buy one.
Were you able to see my comments on orginal video?
I did not!
Thanks!
Thank you, sir!
@@BryanBirks ah sorry for the automated comment! I meant to thank you for all the inspiration so cool to see all your projects come to life
@@waylonboner Really appreciate that. Thank you again!