How to Use the LomoGraflok 4x5 Instant Back for Large Format Instant Photography

Large format photography already demands patience and precision. The LomoGraflok 4x5 Instant Back adds a new dimension: instant results. You get to see your image within seconds on an Instax Wide print, which makes the entire process of shooting large format more interactive, more fun, and significantly more instructive for anyone learning to work with 4x5 film.

What Is the LomoGraflok 4x5 Instant Back?

The LomoGraflok 4x5 Instant Back is an accessory that attaches to any 4x5 camera with a Graflok-compatible back, including the popular Intrepid 4x5. Instead of loading a film holder with sheet film, you attach the LomoGraflok, load a pack of Fujifilm Instax Wide film, and get instant prints directly from your large format camera.

This opens up a genuinely unique shooting experience. The large format lens and bellows give you tilt-shift capability, beautiful compression, and image quality that no 35mm or medium format instant camera can approach, while the Instax film gives you a physical print in your hand within seconds of shooting.

What You Need to Get Started

• A 4x5 camera with a Graflok-compatible back (such as the Intrepid 4x5)
• The LomoGraflok 4x5 Instant Back
• Fujifilm Instax Wide film (available in our Fuji collection)
• A light meter

How to Meter for Instax Wide Film

Instax Wide film has a fixed ISO of 800. Set your light meter to ISO 800 and take a reading of your subject. Large format shooting typically involves stopping down your lens significantly to get adequate depth of field, so make sure your shutter speed and aperture combination reflects the ISO 800 sensitivity of the Instax film rather than the ISO of whatever sheet film you usually shoot.

Overexposure is the most common mistake when shooting Instax in large format setups. Instax Wide does not have the latitude of color negative film. Expose it within a stop or so of correct and you will get clean, well-rendered prints. Push it and you lose detail in the highlights.

Step-by-Step: Loading and Shooting

1. Remove the ground glass from your 4x5 camera and attach the LomoGraflok back in its place using the Graflok springs.
2. Load your pack of Instax Wide film into the LomoGraflok following the instructions in the box. The first frame ejects a blank protective sheet.
3. Compose and focus your shot on the ground glass before attaching the LomoGraflok, since you cannot see through the back once it is attached.
4. Close the dark slide, set your exposure, and trip the shutter.
5. Press the eject button on the LomoGraflok and watch your print develop over the next 90 seconds.

What Can Go Wrong (and How to Avoid It)

Light leaks are the most common issue. Make sure the LomoGraflok is seated fully against the camera back with no gaps. Any light entering the camera body after you open the dark slide will fog your frame.

Double exposures are easy to accidentally create if you forget to wind to the next frame before shooting again. The LomoGraflok does not advance automatically, so you need to remember to eject the previous print before your next shot or you will layer two exposures on one frame.

Focus is set before you attach the back. Whatever you had in focus on the ground glass is what will be in focus on the Instax print. Make sure your focus is where you want it before attaching the LomoGraflok.

Why Shoot Instant on Large Format?

For learning large format photography, the LomoGraflok is invaluable. Seeing the result immediately helps you understand the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and the large format image in a way that waiting for sheet film to be developed simply does not. It accelerates your learning and makes the process more enjoyable.

For finished work, an Instax Wide print from a large format lens has a quality that is genuinely different from any instant camera. The lens rendering, the depth of field control, and the ability to use movements (tilt and shift) produce images that no dedicated instant camera can replicate.

Pick up the LomoGraflok 4x5 Instant Back and start experimenting with large format instant photography.