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Ok guys-for those who still come to this site and who asked for follow up as to how my experience with LF and BTZS was going.
I returned from Fred's course with a good understanding of BTZS, and all of my personal film curves loaded onto the Palm Pilot. My first 4x5 efforts at home were characterized by some flare on each of the sheets. After talking to Keith Canham, we determined that I was not pushing the film carriers into the correct position. However, each of the exposures were correct to my eyes. In between my CPP2 failed because of a faulty transfer gear ( mounted wrong by the previous owner ), and I had to wait for a new gear from Omega. My resolve was sorely tested ( who needs this new stuff when my 35mm makes great images? ), but I spent some time re-reading Phil Davis's book so as to drive home the basics of incident light metering. . The transfer gear finally arrived, I mounted it correctly, and that particular problem was solved. I recently took some 4x5 frames using TMax 400, and my Schneider 210 lens. Results were great!!! Negatives have tons of detail, and seem just about right. The subject was a dead tree with tones of gray and deep black, but distinct highlight areas of the bark in direct sunlight. So, the SBR was rather high. Metered in different areas of the shadows so as to gain experience as to how different exposures looked. There could be just a tad "too much contrast" in a few of the negatives ( I'm adjusting to the some-what "flatter" appearance of correctly exposed negatives ), but hard to say without making some test prints. I'm setting up the camera quicker, and getting into a routine. So far, so good.
Interesting that at the State Park where I was taking my pictures many people looked at me as though I was crazy. Camera, tripod, dark cloth, palm pilot, lots of muttering and walking around with a meter-geesh, who is that idiot? I invited a few of the curious to look under the dark cloth at the image on the ground glass, and most were both grateful and amazed. Too bad that I am a Grandpa with 6 Grandchildren-otherwise some of those attractive young ladies might have had an invitation to go into the dark room as well ( Nah! Just kidding ).
At any rate, lots of fun-and isn't fun what we are supposed to be having?
Elliot
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