Greetings from Dorset!

[Kintokoba]

Hello folks

I'm about to immerse myself in large format photography, given the VAT hike and the lack of real ISA incentive these days I'm likely to buy something in the next couple of days.
Expect a few laughably novice questions soon!

I've always been a 35mm kind of guy with journalistic inclinations, currently I shoot the majority of my images on a FED half frame so its quite a big step into the relative unknown of large format!

I was teetering on the very brink of bidding on a Toyo 10 x 8 field camera yesterday but bailed out due to an alarming lack of knowledge (lenses, shutters and lensboards mainly).

Anyway, hello from sleepy Dorset!

Mike

[Joanna Carter]

You're very welcome Mike; I hope you find answers to your questions.

Don't forget that we are a friendly bunch who are often known to organise get-togethers, be they the Spring and Autumn Workshops or simply a few of us finding a local place to meet.

[DJ]

I vote for Dorset being the next Workshop location then.... Wonderfully photogenic county.

And welcome Kintokoba! The move to LF is daunting for sure, but after seeing that immense viewfinder under the darkcloth... well, you're hooked

[Kintokoba]

Thanks folks! Dorset is indeed quite lovely, my rural re-location is partly responsible for my large format transition. I've taken a few landscapes and have wished I'd done them properly, nature put on a show and I just hand held with a Nikon D200...shameful behavior

[joolsb]

and I just hand held with a Nikon D200...shameful behavior

Yes, but the important thing is that you have repented of your sin and started to make amends. Not only that but you are prepared to fully embrace the faith of LF. We welcome you.

[Joanna Carter]

and I just hand held with a Nikon D200...shameful behavior

Yes, but the important thing is that you have repented of your sin and started to make amends. Not only that but you are prepared to fully embrace the faith of LF. We welcome you.

Oh, and by the way Mike, we have more than our fair share of oddballs here

[Kintokoba]

Oddballs are good I manage a reasonable take on eccentric myself, I'm forgoing digital capture after all

I'm trying to figure out if the Epson V750 is worth the extra cash from the V700, by my reckoning about £150. As for fluid masks it's over my head....

Cheers!

[Joanna Carter]

I'm trying to figure out if the Epson V750 is worth the extra cash from the V700, by my reckoning about £150. As for fluid masks it's over my head....

Personally, I couldn't see the point in getting the V750, but I already had the complete Monaco EZColor software, along with the monitor colorimeter; and I found the Epson driver to be perfectly adequate for getting scans into Photoshop.

The only hardware difference seems to be that the V750 has an extra anti-reflection coating n the lens.

[Kintokoba]

Thanks for the help Joanna, I'd be distraught if I wasted money that I could have used to better effect in my studio building.
Cheers!

[Peter B]

Thanks folks! Dorset is indeed quite lovely, my rural re-location is partly responsible for my large format transition. I've taken a few landscapes and have wished I'd done them properly, nature put on a show and I just hand held with a Nikon D200...shameful behavior

You've landed in the right place Mike, cos there are few/no digital hang-ups here and many of us use digi for the lesser things in life! You're also lucky in having an LF dealer close by in Robert White of Poole, although I note that callers are by appointment only. http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/contact.asp

I've only ever dealt with them by phone, but they are a friendly and knowledgeable bunch.

[Kintokoba]

I always imagined that treasure shops had windows that one pressed their noses up against...Robert White's is a drab looking unit on an industrial estate

[Joanna Carter]

I always imagined that treasure shops had windows that one pressed their noses up against...Robert White's is a drab looking unit on an industrial estate

Not so much a treasure shop, more an Aladin's Cave

[Peter B]

I always imagined that treasure shops had windows that one pressed their noses up against...Robert White's is a drab looking unit on an industrial estate

Calumet in Aberdeen was like that many years ago, but it gave them good interior space for setting up lighting equipment and similar space-hungry kit. And of course being an industrial estate also meant you could park at the door!