Large format describes large photographic films, large cameras, view cameras (including pinhole cameras) and processes that use a film or digital sensor, generally 4×5 inches (10×13 cm) or larger. The most common large formats are 4×5 and 8×10 inches (20×25 cm). Less common formats include quarter-plate, 5×7 inches, 11×14 inches, 16×20 inches, 20×24 inches, various panoramic or "banquet" formats (such as 4×10 and 8×20 inches), as well as metric formats, including 9×12 cm, 10×13 cm, and 13×18 cm. Above 8×10 inches, the formats are often referred to as Ultra Large Format (ULF) and may be 11×14, 16×20, 20×24 inches, or as large as film, plates or cameras are available.
The Polaroid 20x24 camera is one of the largest format instant cameras currently in common usage, and can be hired from Polaroid agents in various countries. Many well-known photographers have used the 235 pound (106 kg), wheeled-chassis Polaroid.
Ansel Adams' photographs, and those of the other Group f/64 photographers, demonstrate how the use of front (lens plane) and back (film plane) adjustments can secure great apparent depth of field when using the movements available on large-format view cameras.
A tripod is typically used for view camera work, but some models are designed for hand-held use. These "technical cameras" have separate viewfinders and rangefinders for faster handling.
In general large format camera use, the scene is composed on the camera's ground glass, and then a film holder is fitted to the camera back prior to exposure. A separate Polaroid back using instant film is used by some photographers, allowing previewing of the composition, correctness of exposure and depth of field before committing the image to film to be developed later. Failure to "Polaroid" an exposure risks discovery later, at the time of film development, that there was an error in camera setup.
Large-format photography is not limited to film; large digital camera backs are available to fit large-format cameras. These are either medium-format digital backs adapted to fit large-format cameras (sometimes resulting in cropped images), step and repeat Multishot systems, or scanning backs (which scan the image area in the manner of a flat-bed scanner). Scanning backs can take seconds or even minutes to capture an image. When using a Sinar Macroscan unit and 54H data files, over 1 GB of data is produced.
Large format, both film-based and digital, is still used for many applications, for example: landscape photography, advertising photos, fine-art photography, scientific applications and generally for images that will be enlarged to a high magnification while requiring a high level of detail.
Recordation of historic resources for the National Park Service (NPS) documentation programs: the Historic American Buildings Survey, the Historic American Engineering Record, and the Historic American Landscape Survey (HABS, HAER and HALS) requires large format film-based photography. 4×5", 5×7", and 8×10" large format film formats are the only acceptable formats for inclusion in the HABS/HAER/HALS collections at the Library of Congress. 4x5 and 5x7 are generally used in the field (5×7" is preferred for very significant buildings) and 8×10" is generally utilized for photo-duplication of historic photographs, documents and blueprints. Through HABS/HAER/HALS, buildings and sites of historic significance are recorded with large format cameras and black and white film and using techniques that document the key features of the historic resource with special care not to distort the angles and views. This rectified photography can be accomplished with large format cameras by keeping the film, lens and subject perfectly parallel. Smaller format cameras need to be tilted to view high or low subjects, but the same subjects can be captured by shifting the lens element of a large format camera up or down to keep the film, lens and subject planes parallel.
HABS/HAER/HALS also requires the increased resolution of large format film. A sheet of 5×7" film has almost twice the resolution of 4×5" film, and 4×5" is almost 16 times larger than a 35 mm film image (24×36 mm). This added negative size not only allows for more detail, but the large format polyester film is also far more durable than acetate 35 mm stock. HABS/HAER/HALS requires that all submissions to the Library of Congress include the original film (archivally washed) and it must also include contact prints on fiber-based paper – these contact are the same size as the film being submitted, 4×5", 5×7", 8×10" and the large size allows people to readily see the prints, while 35 mm contacts would be too small and would require magnification.
In the printing industry, very large fixed cameras were also used to make large films for the preparation of lithographic plates before computer to film and computer to plate techniques were introduced. These are generally referred to as a 'process camera' and consist of vertically-mounted models for smaller work and horizontal units mounted on rails for very large works such as maps and plans.
National Park Service Website, HABS/HAER/HALS Standards & Guidelines , link to article
HABSPHOTO "HABS/HAER/HALS/CEQA NEW 2010 GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING HABS/HAER/HALS DOCUMENTATION" ,link to article
Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Architectural and Engineering Documentation HABS/HAER/HALS Illustration Standards , link to PDF document
de:Großformatkamera ja:大判カメラ pl:Aparat wielkoformatowy ru:Большой форматThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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