Info 26 sinar Borderline aspects of the bellows camera by Carl Koch sen. , master of photography On stand Hand-held/on stand Large format up to 8x10 " SINAR handy 4x5" and rollfilms 4.5x6, 6x6, 6x?, 6x9 and 6x 12 cm Dual format 4x5" a D t:: } Standard accessories: • Viewing aids, also to turn the image upright • Fresnel lens and rollfilm-format frames 4.5x6 cm up to the panorama format 6x12 cm • Holders for sheet films, rollfilms and polaroid material • Filter holders and viewfinder sinar For the ultimate image. Stand/hand camera This article addresses professionals - Rollfilm characteristics The scaled-down oellows camera with photographers who most of the time full movements is thus approaching The greater resolution of rollfilms (up to take pictures for clients rather than for usability limits. 100 line pairs/ mm) makes smaller pic­ their own pleasure. ture formats utilisable. That distinction is significant also for With suitable cameras higher film those who design professional speed (up to ISO 400/27°) in turn allows Still a stand camera cameras. While the amateur can mobility and hand held camera appli­ . photograph as the spirit moves him, With this camera you still have to ob­ cation. the professional must cope with what­ serve the image on the focusing screen The wide range of rollfilm picture sizes, ever comes his way. Hence the profes­ while adjusting the camera settings. from 4.5x6 through 6 x6, 6x7, 6x9 sional camera must be similarly verc Hence the smaller view camera re­ to the 6 x 12 em panorama format satile, especially a large-format or view mains as tripod-bound as larger ver­ (1 3f4x2V4 up to 2V4x 4 1/2 in .) makes this camera. sions - especially as you still have to in­ material versatile, and calls for the use We are here concerned particularly with sert a film holder after focusing. of the medium format. borderline aspects of that versatility - A finder system might ease matters - On the other hand this also makes such as sheet film and rollfilm use, and but does not affect precision problems. higher demands on camera precision. stand versus hand-held operation. Bellows cameras are primarily profes­ sional modular view cameras for the More mobile cameras 4x5 in./9x12 em, 5x7 in.l13x18 em and Focusing Shorter-focus lenses on smaller film 8x 10 in.l18x24 em film sizes. With its To benefit from the smaller image size formats, however, extend depth offield. adjustable standards and bellows this and higher film resolution, focusing You can use larger working apertures - is normally a studio-bound stand cam­ must be more exact - difficult on the often a real gain. era. scaled-down screen of a smaller cam­ This important fact plus the higher The preferred taking material is sheet era. As this also uses lenses of shorter speed of rollfilms help to make the film, loaded and unloaded in the dark­ focal length, the mechanical focusing handy medium format camera as room. Large-size instant picture mate­ movement is reduced - again demand­ popular as the stand camera because rial (which needs no darkroom) is be­ ing higher precision. Further, the result­ of extended mobility. coming increasingly popular. The lon­ ing negatives must be enlarged more. Larger lens apertures on the other hand gish exposure times and heavy equip­ again increase precision requirements ment oblige the photographer to use in camera construction. this camera type on a stand. So does the need for changing film holders be­ View camera movements tween focusing and exposure without The fully adjustable view camera has upsetting delicate camera adjustments two separate standards, each with five such as perspective control and/or movements (two swing and tilt jOints, sharpness distribution in inclined two shift joints and one fine focusing planes (Scheimpflug). drive - a total of 10 "interfaces). Even A generation or two ago manufacturers with best possible workmanship the tried to scale down this view camera to scaled-down adjustable view camera rollfilm formats. Using the same config­ cannot overcome the problems of the uration with bellows and full move­ separate standards and their 10 ments of the standards, such cameras mechanical connections. thus switched from customary sheet Moreover, the tilt or swing angles (e.g. film to more easily handled rollfilm. for sharpness distribution control) be­ Significantly, these compact view come smaller with shorter focal lengths cameras did not manage to replace the (and shorter camera extensions) and larger models or indeed to slow down call for still greater focusing accuracy their growing popularity. Let us look at on the smaller screen. So we obviously the reasons. have tolerance problems. 2 sinar For the ultimate image. What the market wants Despite the limitations discussed more mobile and compact medium­ The specifications below show how (mechanical tolerance and restriction format professional camera. this could be met. to tripod use) the market still wants a Specifications for a professional medium-format rollfilm camera based on the above consider­ ations (SINAR handy) Applications 1. Dual use as a stand and hand camera (in the studio and on location). 2. Dual use of sheet film and rollfilm (4 x5 in . and rollfilm sizes). Design features 3. Sweeping reduction of the ten camera adjustments to two (one shift and one focusing movement) and elimination of the two separate camera standards. These are of course the interfaces subject to mechanical tolerances in the view camera with movements. The aim was to achieve a sufficiently precise and rigid camera body to match the high resolution of type 120 and type 220 rollfilm. 4. Universal lens board with built-in direct shift. 5. Lenses with helical focusing mount of increased extension for a wide focusing range. 6. Screen and/or finder viewing. 7. Screen focusing with optical aids. 8. Versatile in application yet relatively compact camera body. This is not a new list of requirements. Existing 6x7 cm to 4x5 in. rollfilm cameras with shift lenses meet at least some of these points. But there remain shortcomings in terms of professional application, especially re­ lating to items 1 to 3 and 8 of the above specifications. These, too, must be satis­ fied. Item (1): Without needing a special camera, this Item (2) : The dual 4x5 in. format further includes the useful 6x 12 cm Dual rollfilm and sheet film use Where a 4x5 in. hand camera uses the rollfilm panorama size - hence a full A choice of both film types in one and same picture size as a fully adjustable range. The dual-function 4x5 in. format the same camera back in a stand and in 4x5 in . view camera, we have a com­ also provides the alternatives of tripod a hand camera is another multifunction plete dual-function hand and stand use in the studio and hand-held shoot­ aspect - in economy and versatility. camera. Even the camera back with its ing out of doors. (Dual film types hardly affect the bulk viewing aids remains the same (see il­ weight of the camera.) lustration). 3 sinar For the ultimate image. Item (3): Item (8): our compact medium-format camera Reducing mechanical tolerances Compactness and versatility this focal length range also covers a • The rigid precision body (as in a At first sight making a medium-format range of reproduction scales of about rollfilm camera) has just a single di­ camera compact with a rigid body ap­ 1 :2.5. With faster rollfilms and larger rect shift' of the lens board, switch­ pears to reduce the extension of this working apertures, made possible by able from upright to horizontal for design. the rigid construction, most exposures two directions. can then be hand-held. So we have a In fact a selection of focal lengths from more mobile camera, still with a lens • An extended focusing range is avail­ 47 mm to 120 mm is realistic and needs shift and high resolution (up to 100 line able directly on the lens. no bulky lens mounting assembly. For pairs/mm). But that is not all ... , For more exact focusing this scaled-down camera does without the swings and tilts. Sharpness distribution control with swings and tilts is in any case more appropriate to the large-format stand camera with longer camera extension and greater swing and tilt angles that are easier to set exactly while you view the image on a large focusing screen. Image sharpness is obviously not determined by the best but by the poorest link of tolerance. The high resolution of type 120 and 220 rollfilms (up to 100 line pairs/mm) also permits appropriate enlargement of the image. Further, as the rollfilm is a continuous length it can accommodate frame sizes from 4.5x6 cm through 6x6, 6x7, 6x9 and up to 6x12 cm. In special cases even longer image sizes are possible. For professional photography, rollfilm ideally complements larger-format sheet film. The nominal frame length of 12 cm is the perfect interface between the film types, as it covers 6x12 cm on the one hand and 4x5 in. on the other. In terms of camera design, any 4x5 in. view camera will take rollfilm in suitable rollfilm magazines. However, smaller image sizes not only call for the higher rollfilm resolution but also matching high precision of the focusing, swing and tilt adjustments for a consistently high standard of definition (final image sharpness always depends on the weakest link). The fully adjustable view camera has at least 10 movement interfaces. Inevitably these introduce mechanical toler­ ances that set limits to scaling down of a camera. The same applies to focusing aids - especially to the use of tilts and swings for sharpness distribution control in inclined planes (Scheimpflug).