Ari Tapiero ​Photography

Many photographers agonize over the sharpness of their lens, measuring things like lines per mm. They are endlessly testing their lenses, using USAF charts, unusual filters and something called an "optical bench". They then buy several samples of the same lens, test each one for a time, then keep the one they think is sharpest.
Instead of doing that, long ago I decided to spend extra $$ on good film holders, namely Toyos. Why? They are tough, they are overbuilt, they can stand the heat and the cold, and they will give you the same sharp results every time. Reliable.
I've used Fidelity, Riteway, and others, and the depth of their holders varies mot only from one holder to another, but even from one side to the other. But the Toyos are perfect, each one. I can count on getting crisply-focused, sharp images each time because the film always lies at the perfect plane, and the holders are so well-built that the film can't move once inside the holder; it always sits flat and square. If there is ever a botched sheet of film, the holders are easily removed from suspicion.
Is it worth paying $190.00 for a new 8x10 Toyo holder, instead of $90.00 for a Fidelity?
​Hells, yeah.

I'll be using this space to write about some gear that I have and that I would recommend, as well as some other stuff that passes through my studio.

I'm not a reviewer or writer by any stretch, but I do like quality products that are well-built and built to last. I don't mind spending extra $$ to get long-term satisfaction out of my gear: I like to know that it can withstand hard, daily use.

Paying a premium is worth it if it makes some aspect(s) of my work easier, better, more interesting, unique, less tedious, or just more fun. 

Watch these pages for my upcoming review of an 8x10 Gibellini camera.

​Thanks!