ESOTERIC OR EXOTERIC. (30/09/12)

These two words have opposite meanings…..I love playing with similar sounding words. My favourite pair are oscillation and osculation. This is going to be an esoteric post. Esoteric means understood by a few….bear with me as the subject today is so esoteric it fails to include your host. I’m going to stop using these Eso and Exo words before I get them muddled up.

About a year ago I fell upon hard times and sold all my Olympus gear with the exception of an old E-3 and a prime 25mm lens.

As I’ve mentioned before finance should be available soon to allow me to get some decent equipment. I love editing stills….I hate editing video. I want a still camera. I want a Canon DSLR. I want a water tight one. So I’ll get an older top end model second  hand with three lenses. I’m also convinced that a view camera would provide endless entertainment. I love the look and build of this one. the Ebony RSW. Seems just right for a beginner. I also know someone who can’t work the one he has. Bit of a dumb cluck he is.

      If anyone wants to know more about it then go to ROBERT WHITE. It  is a basic large format camera. The rear standard, that's the bit where the film goes and the bit where one composes the image doesn’t move except fore and aft for fine focus adjustment. The front has no swing but it will shuffle up and down and tilt.  Posh light box is what it is.

I then started further research….ain’t T’internet a wonderful thing……No, it is bloody annoying. I found this little gem of a medium format camera…….

     This is it……Doesn’t look much, Doesn’t even give tilt. It’s ever so light though. It costs a paltry couple of grand.

get it usable like this…..

    And you quadruple the cost. The bloody handles are the thick end of eight hundred pounds a film back is almost a grand. It is drop dead gorgeous though. They are available through LINHOFF. Again think bottomless pit. None of this equipment comes cheap. All these cameras use Schneider or Rodenstock lenses. They do them in digital or analogue versions….Wowee! Thank God!… I’ll get one of each. What’s the odd ten grand here or there. Forget the digital bit I’m a realistic dreamer…..The digital back for this camera is almost forty thousand pounds it’s the Phase One IQ 180. It can spot a freckle at a thousand yards. The film backs for 120 and 220 are a mere thousand pounds. One would think that they could give two settings on the pressure plate for nine hundred odd quid. No they can’t this is pure esoteritamism. It’s dream world.

So to sum up. I keep my snappy happy camera, re purchase Posh Canon gear for every day.  Hire a Sherpa for large format gear carrying, Buy an Alpa medium format cos it is drop dead gorgeous, Buy a Land Rover to cut down on the walking. Hire two helicopters to ferry gear in and out from where the land Rover stops.  Hire two fit totty to advise on light levels…..Then I’ll miss the shot lusting after the assistants..Forget the latter. I‘ll guess as I used to. Film is forgiving with a ten to twelve stop dynamic range. Could always snap with the Canon and use the exposure settings.

I’ll go now I have woken from Esoteric……I suspect the fit assistants are more Exoteric. No matter it is only a dream.

Additional mega money would be required to show off the fruits of my labour……Seriously for a minute…..you still have a minute that is……look at big prints taken with big gear by big photographers and they are wonderful. The Internet does not do them any favours.

Have a wonderful week.

It’s a damn good job I’m broke but on a rainy day it’s good to dream.