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Choosing A First Lens for Large Format

A few years ago, inPhoto Techniques, I published an article by Carl Weese about using a digital camera as a tool for large-format photographers. Carl made a great case, and it still seems like a good idea to me. I think it works well the other way around, too — not only is a digicam a good adjunct to a big camera for dedicated LF shooters, but a large-format camera is a nice occasional change of pace for somebody who shoots mostly digital. I mention all this because I was asked last week what focal length would be a good first choice for a mainly digital shooter wanting to get into large format.

A nice (and inexpensive) Anba Ikeda 4x5. Photo courtesy of Kerry Thalmann,who maintains a great webpage for large format fanshttp://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/.
First of all, I'd suggest getting only one lens. Lose your small-format assumption that you need to "cover all the focal lengths" or that you need to change lenses all the tim...

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