How Large Format Cameras Work - types of camera and movements

Large format cameras are pretty self explanatory for the most part; they're cameras that are able to shoot with a large negative size. The most common sizes are 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, and the most popular, 4x5. A 4x5 negative has 13x the area of your standard 35mm film, allowing a far higher image quality - this is the reason most users of large format cameras choose to work with this equipment.

Simply, a large format camera is a box with accordion style bellows that allow for light to pass through a blacked out tunnel and on to the film. 

Of course, there is more to Large format cameras to that, but their functions and abilities vary from camera to camera.

The View Camera

These are the most versatile of all large format cameras, but are also split into two main groups; field and monorail. 

Flat bed cameras are the form of most early cameras, it's biggest selling point being that if folds up into one box. This makes this option a favourite with those who are travelling to take their images as they're much more portable than a monorail camera. However, by choosing this option it does often mean that only the front standard has controllable movements (explained below), although now the line between the two types are getting more blurred, with each sharing qualities of the other camera.

Monorail cameras, on the other hand, don't generally fold up as a Flat bed does, making it not so favourable to those who have to carry their equipment long distances, especially as they're also much heavier.

The primary camera support is a rail, and attached to this rail are front and rear standards supporting the lens and the film. The rail it sit upon allows these standards to move to your preferred placement.

Often, you're also given the option to change the position of the standards in different ways, called movements.

The most common movements are;

- Rise and fall; raises and lowers the standards, therefore moving either the lens plane or the film plane. This can help with taking images of tall subjects and making the perspective more even; often we have a larger base and a thin top because of the angle, however this can help make the lines parallel

- Shift; This is similar to rise and fall, but the horizontal version. If your tripod is up against something and you can't get it any closer, you can shift the lens left or right to position the image where you desire with more ease.

- Tilt; this tilting the lens or film plane up or down. You can angle the front standard upwards if you're shooting something of notable height to make the vertical lines parallel to the film, reducing distortion. You can also tilt the front standard forwards. This helps emphasise size. 

- Swing; This means pivoting the plane on the standard. The plane will no longer be parallel to the standard, but perhaps now parallel to the subject which would otherwise be at an angle.

- Front Base Tilt; this is perhaps a little less common, as it's a bit more difficult to pull off and is mostly only possible on newer cameras. This is when the front standard itself actually tilts, instead of just the plane resting on it. This creates a tilt shift effect. but unfortunately also means that you must refocus every time a change is made because the distance from the subject is also moving.

As you can imagine, all of this takes a lot of consideration and mechanical perfection, and so large format cameras are not for your quick snapshots. Especially not ideal for sports photography!

However, because of the higher level of mechanical perfection needed, the images are often more well thought out and considered than those that are digital.

It's very important that after making these adjustments everything is locked into place or the standards may flex or tilt, meaning your image isn't as you composed it to be. The back locks must be secure enough to withstand the pressure of the insertion and removal of film holders and dark slides without shifting, but also not so tight as to damage the threads on the locks.

Press Cameras

Press cameras are far far less common. As the name suggests, they were built for those working in the press during the early to mid 20th century. They were intended for hand-held use, making them more portable and easier to set up. They were similar to flat bed cameras, only they included a viewfinder, and often a rangefinder.

However, as technology has progressed, these have seemed to die out a lot faster then view cameras. They were first replaced by press medium format cameras, then 35mm cameras which offered press photographers much more freedom and portability than it's predecessors. Today, press photography is taken using digital cameras as they offer much more ease and many more abilities (such as a continuous shutter).

http://licm.org.uk/livingImage/Lens_Movement-Rise_and_Fall.html