Large Format Photography Australia

Stayed a night in Kingaroy recently to visit the Bunya Mountains and managed to take this photo with my Mamiya Super 23. Sadly I can't use movements with my 90mm lens due to bellows restrictions, hence the converging verticals. Not sure how to get around this (Maris, did you have the same problem?). The scene also looks good with less contrast, a different interpretation i guess.

Those converging verticals look fine because you got the right hand edge of the silo group parallel to the picture edge. From that close to the silos I don't know of a camera and lens combination short of a Hypergon on a Sinar with bag bellows that could have straightened those silos.

It's years since I used a Mamiya Super 23 but memory suggests that the rear bellows was for tilt only and not shift. And you'd lose infinity focus with a 90mm lens. There was a "retractable" 100mm lens that enabled infinity focus when the rear bellows was used but I never got to see one. Using the rear bellows necessitated the ground glass focussing accessory (another thing to carry) and it was a damn chore swapping the roll film back off and on. I reckon the Mamiya was at its best as a straight on roll film press camera with nice rangefinder focussing.

I guess even the most versatile cameras have their limits. Oh well, thanks anyways Maris.

Yes I always remembered the ol' Ansel Adams tip of dealing with converging verticals, it was very helpful in the scenario.