Large format cameras?

[Tony Montana]

hi, i was wondering how much do those cameras that shoot super models cost? anyone know the bands? i want to get a closer look at them.

 

[maxelhombre]

Well that depends on the photographer and who his sponsor is (if any). I know some pros that shoot Pentax, Mamiya, Bronica, and Contax. I've even seen a few people do magazine shoots with 35mm, it all depends.

More than likely though, they're shooting with a Hasselblad. This has been the standard in medium format photography for decades.

These cameras are not cheap, but the quality is well worth it if it's what you're doing for a living.

 

[ozziegn]

I have no idea about the large format cameras but I do know that the medium format cameras that my local shop carries are in the $3K to $4K price range so I can only imagine the large format would run ya more than that.

 

[Joves]

Definitely Hasselblad but as, stated they arent cheap. You can go to http://dpreview.com you may find some udeful links there. I hope you are making a living off it.

 

[maw]

i used to work in the film lab at college. we had one of those big large format cameras. you know, the type that sits on a big wooden tripod and you have to duck your head under a blanket to take the pic.

if i recall, the negative was 8x10. i had to assist our senior photogrpher with it one day. we where photographing buildings on campus. it would take almost 20 minutes just to setup for each shot. it felt downright silly lugging that beast around, but DAMN, those prints were just stunning!! you would make billboard sized prints from those negatives.

 

[Mr_Bucket]

All the cameras people are posting except the poster before me are medium format cameras.

Large format are good becuase you can tilt and shift the lens on it and the negatives are huge for insane enlargements

 

[Tsar]

I just finished using a Sinar P2, a 4x5 version, for my current photo assignment. The camera itself is $7,865 from B&H with no lenses, and no remote shutter release which itself is another $300. It's an amazing piece of camera equipment to say the least.

Having tilt, shift, rise and fall, and swing on a large format camera is great for adjusting perspective and focus. You can get some really cool effects using the different movements.

Here at RIT, each studio has one P2, three lenses (90mm, 180mm, 240mm), flash sync cord, remote cable release, etc. Keep this in mind, there are 30 studios with that setup.

I've also used Mamiya and Contax 645 cameras, and they're an absolute pleasure to work with.

 

[blip]

Do photographers of supermodels even use large-format cameras? I always thought that they used smaller cameras to allow them to quickly change their shooting position.

Could be completely wrong though. That was just always my impression.

 

[torment]

I watched the Sports Illustrated show with Anna Kournikova on ESPN2 and the photog was using a medium/large format camera.

 

[maw]

Originally posted by blip
Do photographers of supermodels even use large-format cameras? I always thought that they used smaller cameras to allow them to quickly change their shooting position.

Could be completely wrong though. That was just always my impression.

my cousin is a pro photographer. he likes to use medium format for in studio model shoots. I believe his favorite is a Rolei(sp?) twin-reflex, though he also has a Mamiya 645. He mostly sticks with 35mm for outdoor stuff though, a Nikon F100 and F5. i guess they are easier to lug around.

 

[Tsar]

Originally posted by blip
Do photographers of supermodels even use large-format cameras? I always thought that they used smaller cameras to allow them to quickly change their shooting position.

Could be completely wrong though. That was just always my impression.

It would depend on the photographer and the subject matter. If you have a model thats relatively stationary, then you could easily use a large format camera. I think a lof of the pictures for the current SI Swimsuit issue were shot with a 4x5. You can shoot somewhat quickly with a large format camera. If you dont change your setup for every shot and you have constant lighting, you can probably shoot anywhere from 4-6 pictures a minute.

I'd bet most pro's shoot medium format or digital. Medium format offers a nice median between large negative size, ease of use, and overall speed of workflow. A lot of pro's are now using either digital backs on medium format camera, or using a high megapicel digital SLR like a Canon 1Ds, Nikon D1H, Kodak DCS Pro. While film is still very prevelent, digital is on its way to becoming the norm.

 

[maxelhombre]

Actually, many pros have gone to digital meduim format especially for studio work where equipment isn't exposed to the elements. Very few supermodel shooters would be using true large format cameras because you're looking for interesting angles, shadows, poses, etc for the buyer to choose from. Large format would be too slow and too costly.

 

[jasonf]

Since we're talking about supermodel shoots, I'll just toss out that photographers often use *huge* focal length lenses in order to make the model appear flatter.

 

[jasonf]

Hmm, since I can't edit my post...

If you're interested in doing model-type stuff, Mamiya has a nice entry level medium format. It won't set you back too much and it's really a pretty nice device.