Search found 139 matches

by Marizu
Sun Jan 13, 2013 1:29 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: Taking Pictures
Topic: Petzval character
Replies: 7
Views: 11026

Re: Petzval character

The expensive Petzvals tend to be the f/3 ones. I picked up a 12" f/4 for £450. For how much are the 8" f/4 selling now - £250? Good grief!!! :lol: I forgot to mention, projection petzvals have little (or nothing) in the way of lens shading so you need to shade them yourself or be very careful with...
by Marizu
Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:16 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: Taking Pictures
Topic: Petzval character
Replies: 7
Views: 11026

Re: Petzval character

Charles re 'projection lenses'. I would look at this from another direction. 95% of the petzval proj lenses that 'swirl' that I've seen during the past couple of years, say 50 +, are very short in fl - on average 5/5 1/2", ok they're fast but they're only really useful for quarter plate or 4 x 5 at...
by Marizu
Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:23 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Models for LF portraiture
Replies: 13
Views: 17825

Re: Models for LF portraiture

I wouldn't worry too much about using specific models. Just spend some time explaining the process and you should be good to go. When friends are round for cuppa, sit them in the garden and make a portrait. When you see your neighbour, ask them to sit for you. At a push, go and sit on a bench with t...
by Marizu
Mon Jan 07, 2013 3:51 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: If you can't make 'em good make 'em BIG!
Replies: 3
Views: 3695

Re: If you can't make 'em good make 'em BIG!

I use it all the time. Yeah, I know.you do. It didn't stop you buying that massive Hunter Penrose camera, though :lol: I suppose that if you are thinking about your image in terms of engagement, then if an image of 'appropriate size' is more engaging then is it a 'better' image? (Even at the cost o...
by Marizu
Mon Jan 07, 2013 1:06 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: If you can't make 'em good make 'em BIG!
Replies: 3
Views: 3695

If you can't make 'em good make 'em BIG!

Or make 'em red! This is something that I hear periodically but it is something that I don't really agree with. I'm mainly considering portraiture here, but I'm sure that it works for all genres. I always used to wonder how a painter decides which size of canvas to reach for when they are beginning ...
by Marizu
Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:37 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: National Portrait Gallery
Replies: 20
Views: 15070

Re: National Portrait Gallery

The style being consistent with the theme is a reference to the extreme sharpness of the in-focus areas - the skin rendition seemed to take one closer to the cellular level. I hadn't realised the fstop relationship between different formats was similar to the focal length relationship (ie 10x8 1/8 ...
by Marizu
Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:54 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: National Portrait Gallery
Replies: 20
Views: 15070

Re: National Portrait Gallery

That is why it came to my mind, Rob.
I have got to come clean and admit that I thought it was a photograph when I first saw it a few years back (for at least 10 minutes!) :lol:
by Marizu
Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:09 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: National Portrait Gallery
Replies: 20
Views: 15070

Re: National Portrait Gallery

I agree with Clive that long lenses may do the job for you. I'm not too sure about the long lens thing. Although people usually say that wider lenses "have more depth of field," my understanding was that is only the case if you made a picture with a wider field of view. If you constrain the field o...
by Marizu
Sun Jan 06, 2013 9:45 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: National Portrait Gallery
Replies: 20
Views: 15070

Re: National Portrait Gallery

The portrait (painting) of Paul Nurse referred to is only 1710 mm x 2710 mm in size, not 3m x 4m as described by John. Sure. I also think it unlikely that a photographer would mix up a painting with a photograph, although it is very 'photographic.' It was the only large facial portrait that I remem...
by Marizu
Sun Jan 06, 2013 7:36 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: National Portrait Gallery
Replies: 20
Views: 15070

Re: National Portrait Gallery

I'm going to stick my neck out here, but are you talking about the picture of Paul Nurse by Jason Brooks? He got a Nobel Prize for some kind of Cell Biology. http://benchmarks.rockefeller.edu/viewArticle.php?id=187&issue_id=89 If so... then that's a painting! No need for 8k on a Nocti. Just a few tu...
by Marizu
Sun Jan 06, 2013 1:11 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Import VAT and duty
Replies: 6
Views: 6353

Re: Import VAT and duty

I am not trying to dodge any tax here, but my experience is that stuff from the 'States that comes USPS is much less likely to be slapped with import duties than stuff that comes by a courier like FedEx. The couriers add a nice charge for administering the tax, which is the bit that upsets me. I'm a...
by Marizu
Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:19 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: RIP
Replies: 69
Views: 39173

Re: RIP

Martin Jan Köhler wrote:A lot of activity lately for a forum supposed dead.
Yep. Long live the rockin' wake!
by Marizu
Thu Dec 27, 2012 3:51 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: RIP
Replies: 69
Views: 39173

Re: RIP

It always seemed to me that participation in this forum dropped when we expanded the number of sub-forums. There are probably some metrics to refute or support this hypothesis. That expansion diluted the low posting rate across the sub-forums making some individual ones appear dead and removing much...
by Marizu
Sat Oct 13, 2012 12:26 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: The Heathrow gauntlet
Replies: 20
Views: 13146

Re: The Heathrow gauntlet

Charles Twist wrote:A lot of other kit that was top notch one hundred years ago has also hit the deck. Nice that we can take advantage of it.
I'm guessing that you haven't tried to procure a Dallmeyer 3B recently :?
by Marizu
Sun Oct 07, 2012 5:00 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: The Heathrow gauntlet
Replies: 20
Views: 13146

Re: The Heathrow gauntlet

Why? I do this routinely and have never had a problem. I have had my luggage go missing following a couple of flights. In both cases, the luggage was returned a couple of days later but there was a period of uncertainty. If anything goes missing from luggage, the airline will take no responsibility...