Book on medium and large format photography

[Bart Heirweg]

Does anyone know a good book about medium and large format photography for people thinking of making the switch? I want to try and understand the medium better, to see how it works, what equipement you need, ... So I need a book that explains everything very well, starting from the basics. If that book would be landscape/nature photography related it would be even greater.
I have been looking on Amazon but I have the feeling that I don't find what I need and some of books aren't available anymore.

Thanks in advance.

[dalethorn]

Michael Langford - Basic Photography and Advanced Photography.  For medium and large format - this is what you need to cover all the basics.

[joneil]

IMO, better than a book, start here
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/

  If you do a search on the forums there, you will find plenty of discussion on which are the best books to buy.  The topic seems to come up on a regular baiss  every month or two.  

  Also, I find you cannot lump MF and LF together.  This is from direct, personal experience.  They are very different animals.  I still own and use my Mamiya, and I have 4, 4x5 cameras, in addition to my 35mm and my digital SLR.    

 In medium format, you are still shooting with a roll or film or a digital back.  In large format, you are shooting one sheet at a time.  You are also playing with movements, and that's a whole new kettle of fish.  Not hard to learn, or at least not as hard as some may make it out to be, but it does require a different mindset.

[Bill Lawrence]

Try Jack Dykinga's "Large Format Nature Photography".  Not as much on the technical details of using a view camera as some manuals on the subject, but great about using a view camera for landscape work, and lots of great images.  Highly recommended.

For actually learning the ins and outs of using a view camera, I liked Leslie Stroebel's "View Camera Technique".  I picked up a ~20 year old copy cheap off that auction site.  Since the camera I learned on was roughly 60 years old, I figured the book couldn't be too far out of date. . .

Steve Simmons' "Using the View Camera" is also pretty good.  You'll get more detail in Stroebel, but this is a pretty quick read and will give you the basics of camera movements.

Also a second to check out the website largeformatphotography.info  - lots of great information.

Cheers!
Bill