Basics and Applications: Creative Large Format

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If you own or use a Sinar large format camera, or are even remotely considering one, this book is essential reading. Published by Sinar AG and written by Urs Tillmanns, Creative Large Format isn’t just a textbook on view camera technique; it’s a system-based manual that reflects the precision and modular thinking Sinar built its reputation on.

Content and Structure

The book is elegantly organized, beginning with foundational principles of optics, image formation, and the unique properties of large-format photography. Where it shines, especially for Sinar users, is in the detailed explanation of camera movements: tilt, swing, rise, fall, and shift, and how they can be precisely applied to control focus and perspective.

Sinar users will appreciate that the book assumes a level of sophistication and intention. It doesn’t waste time explaining general photography basics. Instead, it delves deeply into applied technique, often utilizing specific Sinar components and cameras (such as the Sinar P2 or F2 series) to illustrate concepts. Movements are diagrammed with clarity, and there are step-by-step use cases for everything from still life to architectural photography.

System-Specific Strengths

As a Sinar user, what stands out most is how seamlessly this book aligns with the camera system’s design logic. The modularity, precision gearing, and interchangeability of Sinar equipment are echoed in the book’s examples and methodology. It offers a methodical approach to thinking about image construction, including calculating Scheimpflug angles and understanding depth of field with Sinar’s depth of field calculator and tilt scales.

The included diagrams and images, while dated, remain entirely relevant for anyone serious about mastering view camera control. If you use Sinar accessories, like the zoom back, various filters, or asymmetrical tilt standards, you’ll find references that make the concepts not just theoretical but genuinely practical. Their perspective on the then-approaching electronic (digital) age is a step back in time that’s not only entertaining (at least for me) but surprisingly accurate.

Practicality & Tone

Tillmanns writes with clarity and respect for the reader’s intelligence. He doesn’t oversimplify, nor does he get bogged down in an overly academic tone. The Swiss-German precision in his language mirrors the experience of working with a Sinar: deliberate, methodical, and accurate.

Final Thoughts

Even three decades plus after its publication, this book remains a cornerstone for anyone working with large-format equipment, especially with Sinar gear. It’s less a general photography book and more a masterclass in the logic of applied view camera technique.

While it may not cover modern digital workflows or scanning techniques, the foundation it lays is timeless. If you’re a Sinar user, Creative Large Format isn’t just helpful, it’s part of the system.

Highly recommended.