Large Format Digital Photography

maxotics wrote:

My goal is to create camera for me, and any other large format photographers who are interested, to have a digital option that provides near the same feel as large format film.

This was my goal as well, although I ended up going in a different direction than you did, as I am more focused on having in-camera movements available -- rise/fall/shift/swing/tilt -- than I am with creating huge files.

To that end, I modified a Toyo VX23D to accept an A7R on the back and various medium and 35mm-format lenses on the front. To make composing and focusing easier (as well as to further recreate the "large-format experience," because the monitor allows me to flip the image I see upside down and reverse it left-to-right and it's about the same size as the one I see on the ground glass of my 8x10), I also added a 12.5" external, 4K HDMI monitor:

Like you, I also take multiple files to create a single, final file, but instead of using a long lens and stitching the files together to increase effective resolution and create a wider FoV, I generally use wide-angle lenses and median-blend together between 7-17 files, depending on the circumstances and conditions, to reduce noise and increase the effective signal-to-noise ratio.

For my purposes, the A7R's 36MP files are usually large enough, but because I typically photograph late at night, using long exposures at base ISO, and often during the hotter times of year -- I live (and photograph) in the Phoenix metropolitan area, so during the summer months, the ambient temp is often 100 degrees or higher, even well past midnight -- excessive noise is a huge problem for me.

(So much so, in fact, that I'm even considering adapting a dedicated astrophotography camera with an actively cooled sensor to my terrestrial photography, but I'm reluctant to do so until I can try one first and determine its suitability for my purposes due to the added cost, weight, bulk and additional complexity this approach will entail...)

Surprisingly, perhaps, there are many 35mm format lenses that project oversize image circles sufficient to allow for rise/fall/shift movements of as much as 15mm when used with a 24x36 sensor. More typically, movements in the range of 4-8 are possible, but in most situations, these are sufficient for my purposes, because I'm using them solely to correct for geometric distortions, such as keystoning, and not to stitch together large files from lots of smaller ones.

Of course, I always have that option available simply by changing lenses, although with my camera, the process of capturing the original files will be quite a bit slower than with yours, as its rise/fall/shift movements are all finely geared. Horses for courses and all that...

You mention you're starting a new project using a Graflex camera ... I take this to mean that in addition to creating large files, you'll be adding at least front movements to your repertoire?

In any event, good luck with your project and I look forward to seeing your results from it!

P.S.: For those occasions when I need only rise/fall/shift movements, not tilt or swing, I also have a modified Cambo WDS that I use with the same A7R and lenses, as well as a Cambo Actus, which I use on those occasions when having a small and portable camera is the most important criterion...