Editing View camera (section)

== Pros and cons compared to medium and 35mm formats ==

=== Advantages ===
* '''The ability to skew the plane of critical focus''': In a camera without movements the film plane is always parallel to the lens plane. A camera with tilts and swings lets the photographer skew the plane of focus away from the parallel in any direction, which in many cases can bring the image of a subject that is not parallel to the lens plane into near-to-far focus without stopping down the aperture excessively. Both standards can be ''tilted'' through the horizontal or ''swung'' through the vertical axes to change the plane of focus. Tilts and swings of the front standard alone do not alter or distort shapes or converging lines in the image; tilts and swings of the rear standard do affect these things, as well as the plane of focus: if the plane of focus must be skewed without altering shapes in the image, front movements alone must be used. The [[Scheimpflug principle]] explains the relationship between lens tilts and swings, and the plane of sharp focus.
* '''The ability to distort the shape of the image by skewing the film plane''': This is most often to reduce or eliminate, or deliberately exaggerate, convergence of lines that are parallel in the subject.<!--This could do with an illustration; much easier to understand--> If a camera with parallel film and lens planes is pointed at an angle to a plane subject with parallel lines, the lines appear to converge in the image, becoming closer to each other the further away from the camera they are. With a view camera the rear standard can be swung toward the wall to reduce this convergence. If the standard is parallel to the wall, convergence is eliminated. Moving the rear standard this way skews the plane of focus, which can be corrected with a front swing in the same direction as the rear swing.
* '''Improved image quality for a print of a given size''': The larger a piece of film is, the less detail is lost at a given print size because the larger film requires less enlargement for the same size print. In other words, the same scene photographed on a large-format camera provides a better-quality image and allows greater enlargement than the same image in a smaller format. Additionally, the larger a piece of film is, the more subtle and varied the tonal palette and gradations are at a given print size. A large film size also allows same-size [[contact printing]].
* '''Shallow depth of field''': view cameras require longer focal length lenses than smaller format cameras, especially for the larger sizes, with shallower depth of field, letting the photographer focus solely on the subject.
* '''Smaller apertures can be used''': much smaller apertures can be used than with smaller format cameras before [[diffraction]] becomes significant for a given print size.
*'''Low resale value''' is an advantage for buyers, but not for sellers. A top-of-the-line 8×10 camera that cost $8,000 new can often be bought in excellent condition, with additional accessories, for $1,500.

=== Disadvantages ===
* '''Lack of automation''': most view cameras are fully manual, requiring time, and allowing even experienced photographers to make mistakes. Some cameras, such as [[Sinar]]s, have some degree of automation with self-cocking shutters and film-plane metering.
* '''Steep learning curve''': In addition to needing the knowledge required to operate a fully manual camera, view camera operators must understand a large number of technical matters that are not an issue to most small format photographers.  They must understand, for example, view camera movements, bellows factors, and reciprocity. A great amount of time and study is needed to master those aspects of large format photography, so learning view camera operation requires a high degree of dedication.
* '''Large size and weight''': monorail view cameras are unsuitable for handheld photography and are in most cases difficult to transport. A folding bed field camera like a [[Linhof|Linhof Technika]] with a lens-coupled range finder system even allows action photography.
* '''Shallow depth of field''': view cameras require longer focal length lenses than smaller format cameras, especially for the larger sizes, with shallower depth of field.
* '''Small maximum aperture''': it is not feasible to make long focal length lenses with the wide maximum apertures available with shorter focal lengths.
* '''High cost''': there is limited demand for view cameras, so that there are no economies of scale and they are much more expensive than mass-produced cameras. Some are handmade. Even though the cost of sheet film and processing is much higher than rollfilm, fewer sheets of film are exposed, which partially offsets the cost.

Some of these disadvantages can be viewed as advantages.  For example, slow setup and composure time allow the photographer to better visualize the image before making an exposure. The shallow depth of field can be used to emphasize certain details and deemphasize others (in [[bokeh]] style, for example), especially combined with camera movements. The high cost of film and processing encourages careful planning. Because view cameras are rather difficult to set up and focus, the photographer must seek the best camera position, perspective, etc. before exposing.  Beginning [[135 film|35&nbsp;mm]] photographers are even sometimes advised to use a [[tripod (photography)|tripod]] specifically because it slows down the picture-taking process.