[LargeFormat] The Large Format Advantage - Film Size (was Re: Batches*)

[Clive Warren]

At 16:26 20/09/2003 +0100, philip lambert wrote:
>Why does more film area mean more colour saturation?   The stronger the
>sunlight the more the colour saturation I can understand. Maybe the thicker
>the emulsion the more the saturation (but modern films are thinner?)
> >       For max detail in still life, architecture, landscape,
> > illustration, even portraiture, more film area means more
> > color saturation and detailed information/sharpness.  Cropping
> > is more free in darkroom with more area to work with as well.
> >
> >      As films have improved over the years the need for
> > really big negatives has decreased dramaticly.  Personally, I believe, if
>you are going to put a camera
> > on a tripod, bigger format is better.
> >
>
>Bigger may be better but you just said the need for really big negatives has
>decreased dramatically because of film improvements.    Digital is the way
>we shall all go - I read in today's Amateur Photographer that a certain Sony
>digital camera with a format the size of a postage stamp can give sharp A3
>enlargements. Handheld- no tripods needed.
>  I wonder if you and I would like such a print. It gets sharpened up
>digitally you know, unsharp mask, or photoshop something. No skill involved
>so ideal.
>
>But using a tripod makes for better results whether you are using 6x4.5cms
>or 6x 4.5 inches.  Or 10x8.
>I don't see how I could use a Sinar without a tripod- no way I could hand
>hold it. . I use a Nikon F3 or F90X in the hand but the results are best on
>a tripod.  Philip
.
I haven't snipped this message as it seems to deserve a new thread. Let's 
not go near the digital vs film views. Take the subject of film 
improvements and size. One of the main advantages of using the 4x5 (and 
larger) film formats over smaller formats, apart from the ability to make 
larger prints without noticeable film grain, is the increase in range of 
tones. Smaller formats simply do not have the ability to capture the range 
of tones that are possible using large format film sizes. This is still 
true today despite the improvements made in film technology.

Hand held large format photography is declining in popularity, however many 
fashion photographers still use old Graflex 4x5 SLRs similar to but more 
modern than the antique Tele Graflex that we discussed recently. Repro in 
magazines and posters is still going to be superior to smaller formats.

Rob Barker, Paul Owen and myself indulged in some handheld LF photography 
in Tintern last weekend in preparation for the forthcoming workshop :-)

Cheers, Clive.