Snapshot Part the Third

In  the past couple of blog posts I have discussed the Snapshot camera from Chroma Camera and how it suits my way of shooting, by simplifying the process.  Zone focus really gets rid of a lot of baggage from Large format photography.

I should say that if anyone would like the full Large Format experience of ground glass focusing, loupes, dark cloths etc, I would suggest that you buy something like an Intrepid 4x5 or a Chroma Carbon Adventurer.

There are some downsides to the Snapshot as previously discussed.  For me those downsides are worth sacrificing for mobility and lightness.

Now I have taken delivery of the Lomography LomoGraflok 4x5 Instax back.  This back will attach to a standard Graflok attachment system and allow Fujifilm Instax Wide instant photographs to be taken. And the device is a thing of wonder.  I've shot 3 packs of 10 exposures using the combination and I am enthralled.

Most of the photos that you see from Fujifilm Instax are a bit soft and a bit, well, rubbish to be honest.  That is down to the cameras that are able to shoot Instax film. All of the cameras produced by Fujifilm that shoot this film are "fun" style cameras that are designed to be thrown in a bag and taken to the beach or a party.  Not one of them has decent glass. This tells you where the intended demographic lies for Fujifilm.

Large format users have long lamented the demise of Polaroid Peel Apart film for 4x5. 8x10 is still available from Polaroid for large format users. The regular integral film from Polaroid doesn't have a back for 4x5 use.  What Lomography have shown is that there is a market for using instant film with a Large format camera.

The Instax Wide film is an integral instant film, that is each shot carries it's own chemicals and ability to produce a single photograph. So there is no reason why Polaroid couldn't do this themselves. Whether they will is quite another conversation.

The downside to using a Snapshot for Instax is that the LomoGraflok back puts the film plane 19mm further back than the normal film plane.  To get over this the LomoGraflok comes with a spacer that fits behind the ground glass.  The insertion of that spacer puts a huge amount of stress on the Graflok springs on the Snapshot.

To overcome this issue, Steve at Chroma has designed a Graflok Spring back that moves the film plane back by 19mm and allows both the LomoGraflok and normal film holders to be used.  If the Graflok Spring back is used the spacer bars on the Snapshot will need to be 19mm shorter, also.

However once you have your setup, the Chroma Camera Snapshot, Chroma Graflok Spring back and LomoGraflok Instax back are a really usable combination.

Now as I don't use the Ground Glass for focusing, I have recalibrated by lens and use the LomoGraflok and Snapshot as a Compact style Instant camera.

Now I have Lightness, mobility and Instant photos, what more could anyone want?