In article
says... (some edits)
>I've shot 35 and 120 for a while, and am considering getting a 4x5
>in a few years. (...) The final image fidelity improves quite
>substantially as you move from 35 to 120, and again as you go to 4x5
>(...). Then as I look at the investment, I start to wonder if should
>skip the 4x5 step, and consider a 5x7 or 8x10.
In a word, NO! The 4x5 will give you very high image quality with good
choice of film, good technique, and fair equipment (This is one format
where compromises in equipment result in relatively slight compromises
in quality if you know how to work within the limitations of older
lenses, inexpensive cameras, etc.). I used to annually borrow friends'
4x5's to try, and after lugging 8 pound monorails and big tripods
into the woods for a few days, would gladly return them and decide that
4x5 was not for me. This went on for about 10 years (I am a slow
learner), until one friend bought a 1 1/2 pound Nagaoka. I fell in love
with it (and all its quirks), bought one, and was a happy 4x5er until
economics forced its sale. Next time around, I bought a similar Ikeda
5x7 (2 1/2 pounds) and the required (expensive) enlarger (good used 4x5
enlargers are common and affordable, unlike larger formats), but almost
immediately bought the 4x5 reducing back for the camera (running
expenses, awkwardness of film processing, weight of large holders, etc.
led me back to 4x5, and I sold off the 5x7 equipment). The larger
formats (5x7, 8x10, 11x14) do provide increases in quality (with large
increases in expense and difficulty), but unless you are prepared for
those (borrow or rent before buying), DO NOT GO ABOVE 4x5, IMHO!
BTW, a friend of mine, in his 70's, regularly takes out his 8x10
"lightweight" wooden Deardorff and takes wonderful landscapes. While we
were out shooting one of the many waterfalls around here, I tried
lifting his rig off the ground, but was unable to hold it in the air
for very long, let alone transport it to and from a site.
Hope this helps, but doesn't discourage you if you are really into
LARGE format....