After several years of shooting with 35mm SLR's, and after having read a few books and articles on view cameras, I decided it is time to give large format a try.
As a novice, the number of choices when it came to equipment was bewildering. I felt totally overwhelmed. After some research, it seemed that I could get a decent 4x5 view camera for about $400 or so, used. And after further research, I found that Calumet has a model, the Cadet, for $399, new, and they will even credit the full purchase price if you decide to trade up to a more advanced model within five years after purchasing the Cadet.
You can purchase items a la carte, or in packages. The particular package I selected is called the "normal package", because it comes with a normal lens (150mm, equivalent to about a 45mm lens in the 35mm format). For $689 you get the camera body, lens, lensboard, exposure calculator and a booklet on large format photography. I also purchased a package that came with six film holders (each holder has capacity for two sheets), a dark focusing cloth, a cable release, and a lens cleaning kit.
There are a number of accessories available, which are mentioned elsewhere in this review.
As you read this review, keep in mind I wrote it as a total newcomer to this medium. If you are also a newcomer who is considering entering this field, then perhaps you will already be familiar with some of the dilemmas I faced.
The Cadet is a monorail camera, with tilt, shift, raise/fall and swing on both standards. The lensboard is not of a standard size, but they're not terribly expensive. You would want one lensboard for each lens so you can leave them mounted all the time.
The rear standard can accept a
variety of film holders, including 4x5 sheets, Polaroids and roll film. You can
position the ground glass and film holder for portrait as well as landscape
orientation.
The bellows are not removable, though there are two choices: standard or wide
angle (bag). The standard bellows extends from 60mm to 390mm, the bag bellows
from 35mm to 240mm. For really wide angle lenses, the tripod mount piece can be
taken off the rail and slid ahead of the front standard (or behind the rear
standard).
There are knurled knobs to adjust bellows extension and fine focusing, these
movements are friction controlled. Smaller knurled knobs control rise, fall,
tilt, swing and shift. There are detents for the swing, tilt, and raise/fall
movements. The photo at left shows the detail of the front standard shift/swing
knob. Immediately below the L bracket you can see the front focus control
knobs.
As a brand new large format aficionado, I was a bit intimidated by the unpacking exercise. I've bought many 35mm SLR's in the past, and it's usually a matter of opening the box, loading some film, and start playing with it, keeping the manual handy.
A view camera doesn't have nearly as many features as a modern, computer controlled SLR, but it seems to take a lot longer to get comfortable with it.
Dealing with the movements appears to be the most complicated point, since there are so many possibilities. Perhaps more experienced photographers would've had an easier time getting set up to take the first photo after unpacking the camera, but I took an entire day just going over the various controls and their functions. Then I spent another day playing with composition. The image appears on the ground glass upside down and left/right reversed, which is rather disconcerting at first. I got used to it pretty quickly, though, and since it forced me to spend extra time checking for what's where on the frame, I am more pleased with the final results. The ground glass isn't terribly bright, but it's a lot bigger than a 35mm viewfinder, and it's great to be able to look at the edge of the frame in detail. The grid that's imprinted on the glass helps keep everything perfectly horizontal/vertical.
This is not a camera that can be hand held, you will definitely need a sturdy tripod. Inserting and removing a film holder is not a task that can be done with extreme finesse, lightweight tripods will be extra prone to move while doing this. Spend some time reading about tripods, and then pick the heaviest one with which you feel comfortable. The tripod mounting piece, a rectangular block, is probably sturdier than it looks. The rigidity of the whole assembly depends on this piece, which seems to need a fair amount of tighening.
The basics are simple enough: set up the tripod, mount the camera on the tripod, mount the lensboard on the camera, compose, focus, meter, stop down the lens, check focus again, load a film holder, check to make sure the shutter is closed, cock the shutter, remove the dark slide, wait 30 seconds for vibrations to dissipate, do one last check, fire the shutter (you are using a cable release, right?), reinsert the dark slide, remove the film holder, go to step 1. Well, OK, it's more than two steps, and there are plenty of opportunities to make mistakes, but proceeding slowly is the key here. Use a checklist if you need to, I certainly had to think twice before taking each step.
Perhaps one of the more mystic tasks is the film loading. It's a far cry from popping a 35mm cartridge in the camera, closing the cover and start shooting, but on the other hand, the whole philosophy of large format seems to be Slow Down, Take Your Time. Dust control is the key here. Keeping a can of compressed air handy is a good idea. Practicing with a scratch sheet of film is key to successfuly load the film in the complete darkness.
Sports are out, for the most part. Landscapes, on the other hand, are usually in no hurry and will hold still for you. Humans should be warned about the unusal amount of fidgeting that goes with getting ready for a shot, and you should choose patient friends and relatives at first. Pets like turtles and snails make good subjects, chihuaha dogs don't. See "Slow Down, Take Your Time" above.
There are plenty of choices: color and black & white negative film (pan, ortho and infrared), slide, Polaroid, and a number of alternative process materials. It's interesting to note that some film designations may match their 35mm counterparts, and yet be totally different animals. For instance, Kodak Tri-X 400 in 35mm is a very popular film, but it's different from what comes labeled as Tri-X in the 4x5 world (even the speed is different, 4x5 Tri-X is rated at ISO 320).
The cost per frame is a lot more expensive than 35mm: bought in boxes of 25 sheets, Tri-X retails for about $18/box. A single roll of Tri-X 135-24 reatils for about $2.49. Not counting the processing, that's a six-fold price difference. On the other hand, since you'll be a lot more careful while shooting each frame, you'll be very likely to improve your keepers:throw-aways ratio enormously.
There are many books and web pages on this subject, you would be well advised in reading those materials while you wait for your camera to arrive in the mail.
Worth mentioning, however, are a few accesories you will need:
Most 35mm cameras have some sort of light meter built-in. Some are very sophisticated multi-zone meters, some are nothing more than a single sensor, but they give you at least a starting point. The Cadet has no such built-in feature, so you will need some sort of light meter. To keep costs down, if you already have a 35mm SLR with a decent meter, use it, particularly if it has a spot metering mode. If not, choose the center weighed mode (if available), mount the longest lens you have/can borrow. This is rather awkwards at best, so get a light meter as soon as you can. I've been using a Minolta Spot F, and like it a lot.
The transition to sharp focus isn't as snappy as on some 35mm SLR's, and the ground glass isn't all that bright, even under the focusing cloth. Having a focusing loupe really helps with checking focus in the corners, particularly when you stop down the lens. A slide viewing loupe may not be useful for this project, since the image is formed on the back of the ground glass, and is a few milimeters away from the surface on which you're mounting the loupe. You need a loupe made specifically for this purpose, they're also known as "continuous focusing loupes".
There's never enough of these. Each holder has room for two sheets, so plan accordingly. The six I got with my kit is the smallest reasonable number, I think. As stated above, you take a lot longer to expose each frame, but you don't want to get caught short while on a trip. There are ways to load film in the holders while out on the field, but then dust control can be a real problem.
The Cadet is a great way of entering the large format. The kit comes with several items that you can continue to use if you decide to transition to a more advanced camera later on, and you get full credit on the price of the camera if you trade up to another Calumet camera. In my dealings with Calument, I found them to be friendly and willing to spend time on the phone with you answering all kinds of questions. This is important, in case you need support later on.
Warren S. Kehr , May 02, 1998; 04:34 P.M.
Darron Spohn 
, June 13, 2000; 05:21 P.M.
jaco van lith , April 16, 2008; 07:28 P.M.
jaco van lith , April 16, 2008; 07:30 P.M.
