4x5 Large Format Film
- Canon 5D MKII with 35 Nikkor-PC lens4x5 Large Format4x5 Large Format Film
THE CAMERA:
Digital versus Large Format (4×5) for photographing Architecture. Prior to 2005 I had mainly used the 4×5 format in shooting in Architecture however I made the switch over to digital full frame sensor Cameras such as Canon’s EOS 1Ds Mark II and more recently the Canon EOS 5D Mark II came on the scene. There are still times when I feel that large format is the correct tool for the job with it’s selection of fine optics to pick from and 4×5 transparency films. Currently I’m shooting with the Canon 5D Mark II and with it’s 21 mega pixels and it’s best wide angle lenses the 14mm f2.8L lens and it’s 17-40 f2.8 L is a formidable foe and one that’s hard to beat even with the option of 4×5 large format. If you are interested in doing this for a living you will then need to use the right tool for the job and not feel that the (4×5) is still “gold standard” of the industry. In the majority of applications the 4×5 is simply too much camera and is too slow in regards to turn around time when the client requires his images in only a few days. The exception to this would be magazines however even then a well handled Canon 5D MKII with high quality lenses is capable of quality far exceeding the needs of any magazine.
I still will,on occasion, use a 40 year old 4×5 Calumet Field camera with 47mm and 90mm lenses with an Epson V500 scanner amd “MF” glass tray film holder for 4×5 negatives. My current gear, until something else better comes along, is the Canon 5DMKII with both 14mm and 17-40mm lenses, and about 3,200 watt seconds (Alien Bees) of lighting………oh yea least I forget my faithful assistant (wife) who helps me remember what I usually forget to bring with on a shoot a 1,000 miles from my studio. With these two sets of gear I can handle most anything that comes up with quality that usually always is higher than my clients expectations. For additional reading on this subject please check out Digital tools for Architectural Photographers by Richard Sexton on Luminous-Lightscape.
