View camera

The view camera is a type of camera with a very long history (some modern examples are often mistaken for antiques), but they are still used today by professional and amateur photographers who want full control of their images. The view camera is basically a light-tight assembly comprised of a flexible mid-section, or bellows, attached to a device that holds a film sheet, photo plate or digital imager at one end (the rear standard) and a similar one that holds the lens at the other end (the front standard). The front and rear standards are not fixed relative to each other (unlike most cameras). Movement of the front and rear standards allows the photographer to move the lens and film plane independently for precise control of the image's focus, depth of field and perspective.

View camera operation

In operation a view camera has the photographer open the shutter on the lens to compose and focus the image on a ground glass plate on the rear standard. As the ground glass image is sometimes difficult to view in bright light, the photographer may use a "dark cloth" to cover the rear of the camera to assist in composition. A Fresnel lens is also a great help as this lens considerably brightens the ground glass image (albeit with a slight loss of focusing accuracy), or a high quality loupe may be employed for critical focus on the ground glass. The lens may be stopped down to help gauge depth of field effects and vignetting, but is generally opened to its widest setting to aid in focus.

Related Topics:
Ground glass - Fresnel lens

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To take the photograph, the ground glass, held within a metal frame, is displaced using springs and a film holder is inserted. The shutter is then closed and cocked, the shutter speed and aperture set, and the darkslide of the film holder removed, revealing the sheet of film. The shutter is then triggered, the exposure made, and the darkslide replaced into the film holder.

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Most sheet film holders are interchangeable between brands and models of view camera, adhering to a single standard. There are special film holders and accessories that fit in place of a standard film holder, such as Grafmatic, which could fit six sheets of film in the space of an ordinary two-sheet holder, and some light meters have an attachment that inserts into the film holder slot on the camera back that allows the photographer to measure light falling at a specific point on the film plane. The entire film holder/back assembly is often an industry standard Graflex back, removable so accessories like roll-film holders and digital imagers can be used without altering focus.

Related Topics:
Grafmatic - Graflex

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