Need Advice on View Camera Movements :unsure:

[JustinWaldingerPhoto]

Hey everyone,

I am new to LF and am still understanding when to use certain movements such as front/rear swing, tilt etc. I took this shot yesterday, It is literally my first 4x5 chrome shot on provia 100f at f/32. In the shot I noticed that the pilars (highlighted in white) were not in total focus. After going online to find out the effects that certain movemnts had, I thought that this particular composition would call for a front swing movement to get the desired focus to be perfect. Is this a correct assumption? I would not want to alter the composition as it stands now, and if I were to do a front swing, would I focus on the pilars and stop down or focus on the power plant as I had done in this photo?

thanks in advance.

-j

[Kirk Gittings]

Hey everyone,

I am new to LF and am still understanding when to use certain movements such as front/rear swing, tilt etc. I took this shot yesterday, It is literally my first 4x5 chrome shot on provia 100f at f/32. In the shot I noticed that the pilars (highlighted in white) were not in total focus. After going online to find out the effects that certain movemnts had, I thought that this particular composition would call for a front swing movement to get the desired focus to be perfect. Is this a correct assumption? I would not want to alter the composition as it stands now, and if I were to do a front swing, would I focus on the pilars and stop down or focus on the power plant as I had done in this photo?

thanks in advance.

-j

You might try posting this on the LargeFormat Forum, a large community of VC users.

[PeterAit]

Hey everyone,

I am new to LF and am still understanding when to use certain movements such as front/rear swing, tilt etc. I took this shot yesterday, It is literally my first 4x5 chrome shot on provia 100f at f/32. In the shot I noticed that the pilars (highlighted in white) were not in total focus. After going online to find out the effects that certain movemnts had, I thought that this particular composition would call for a front swing movement to get the desired focus to be perfect. Is this a correct assumption? I would not want to alter the composition as it stands now, and if I were to do a front swing, would I focus on the pilars and stop down or focus on the power plant as I had done in this photo?

thanks in advance.

-j

I think a bit of tilt, as opposed to swing, would be most appropriate, with the top of the lens board going outward. Then focus on the 2nd or 3rd pillar and use a loupe on  the ground glass to verify focus near and far as you stop down.

[JeffKohn]

Maybe a bit of tilt _and_ swing, since your desired plane of focus is somewhat on a diagonal from bottom right to top left.

I don't use a view camera, but one thing I've learned using T/S lenses is that it's easy to over-do it on tilts; usually it doesn't take much.

[Rod.Klukas]

[quote name='JustinWaldingerPhoto' date='Feb 17 2010, 12:13 PM' post='347640']
Hey everyone,

I am new to LF and am still understanding when to use certain movements such as front/rear swing, tilt etc. I took this shot yesterday, It is literally my first 4x5 chrome shot on provia 100f at f/32. In the shot I noticed that the pilars (highlighted in white) were not in total focus. After going online to find out the effects that certain movemnts had, I thought that this particular composition would call for a front swing movement to get the desired focus to be perfect. Is this a correct assumption? I would not want to alter the composition as it stands now, and if I were to do a front swing, would I focus on the pilars and stop down or focus on the power plant as I had done in this photo?

thanks in advance.

-j
To make this shot first assess what you have for problems.  You have verticle subjects(posts) close that are 20% of the verticle height.  In that case tilt is precluded.  Next, as you surmised, can you swing.  Yes.
Swing is an axis movement so you would focus using the back if possible, on the nearest railing, as near the edge of frame as possible.  Next swing for the far end of the railing.  Go back and forth using focus for near and swing for far end of railing until both are equally sharp.
Now, hopefully, you have a MM scale on your focus mechanism.   If so, note where the focus is set, say, for example 30mm.
Now using your focus aid, hunt the background accross the river for the softest or most out of focus area.  Now focus it sharply.  Note on the mm scale where you finish with this sharply focused.  For example, say 34mm.  
For 4x5 multiply the total displacement near to far, by 5.  30mm-34mm=4mm X 5= 20.  F20 or F16 2/3 is your minmum F stop for a totally sharp image. Now refocus using the scale to 1/2 way between 30 and 34mm, or 32mm in our example.
So  for your image you meter and using the first shutter speed which yields at least F16 2/3, you will use the fastest shutter speed possible and the least amount of diffraction in your image, ie, the sharpest possible!
Rod

[JustinWaldingerPhoto]

To make this shot first assess what you have for problems.  You have verticle subjects(posts) close that are 20% of the verticle height.  In that case tilt is precluded.  Next, as you surmised, can you swing.  Yes.
Swing is an axis movement so you would focus using the back if possible, on the nearest railing, as near the edge of frame as possible.  Next swing for the far end of the railing.  Go back and forth using focus for near and swing for far end of railing until both are equally sharp.
Now, hopefully, you have a MM scale on your focus mechanism.   If so, note where the focus is set, say, for example 30mm.
Now using your focus aid, hunt the background accross the river for the softest or most out of focus area.  Now focus it sharply.  Note on the mm scale where you finish with this sharply focused.  For example, say 34mm.  
For 4x5 multiply the total displacement near to far, by 5.  30mm-34mm=4mm X 5= 20.  F20 or F16 2/3 is your minmum F stop for a totally sharp image. Now refocus using the scale to 1/2 way between 30 and 34mm, or 32mm in our example.
So  for your image you meter and using the first shutter speed which yields at least F16 2/3, you will use the fastest shutter speed possible and the least amount of diffraction in your image, ie, the sharpest possible!
Rod
[/quote]


Aye Carumba!

Rod, let me see if I understand you correctly:  First I focus with no adjustments (@zero) on the pillar that is closest to me (near the edge of the frame). Second, I swing the front element? Im assuming to the far end of the railing and focus the rear element till it is sharp. Third, I look for the the softest area in the background of that same region on my groundglass and then focus the rear element till that's sharp.   I should note the change in distance to get the soft part of the background in sharp focus, follow your formula and then everything should be in perfect focus!  

Unfortunately my view cam does not have a mm scale on the focus mechanism. How to overcome this?  

Is this close to what your describing?

-J

 

[roskav]

Wow you got the complete lowdown from Rod ...that's the way to do it! :-) I miss using the 4x5.

To approach it another way though... isn't there something nice about parts of an image being out of focus?.. It shows the technology for what it is .. a lens focusing an image on a plane.  Also, and forgive me for speculating, at f32 you would think that you could do better than that .. maybe not the closest pillar but certainly the other 2 with the power station also.  

What I really wanted to say though is that it is a lovely composition ... well done for your first.... have you checked out Mitch Epstein's "American Power" series?

http://www.mitchepstein.net/work/americanpower/index.html

He also has a bit to say about using large format.

Ros