My Wide Angle MF Camera

I have a Horseman 6x12 back for my 4x5 camera. It is a nice back. I perfer using roll film to sheet film. The Horseman has a lever advance and a mechanical stop and so does not use a little red window for trying to find the number on the paper back of the film. However, it is no substitute for my 6x12 camera, which I perfer as I can handhold it as well as being quicker to use.

The nice thing about 6x12, if you run a darkroom, is you only need a 4x5 enlarger. You need a 5x7 for 6x17. A 5x7 enlarger and the required 210mm enlarging lens are hard to come by.
 
Finder: This is good advice. Thanks. It may be the least expensive route for me to get the 6x12 back for my Linhof. The Horseman back is costly.

Raid
 
Yes, after the Linholf 6x12 back ($2000+), the Horseman comes in (a distant) second. The Chinese backs are the least expensive. I have never used one. It does use a little red window. I have never heard good or bad about them which would lead me to believe they do the job they are designed for. (But they are not a complex piece of equipment.)
 
I need to check which focal length lens works and which does not with a 6x12 back. I have only one lens for my Linhof.
 
Raid, any 4x5 lens will work with a 6x12 back. Unlike the 6x17 format back for a 4x5 camera, the 6x12 format fits the film gate - the 6x17 uses an extended film gate that can vignette focal lengths from about 180mm and up.
 
I have a Brooks Veriwide XL with the original 47/5.6 Super-Angulon. I replaced the large, leak-prone original back with a modern Horseman 6x9 back (this requires an adapter plate from the Graflex system). The result is a small and reliable package.

The original 47/5.6 Super-Angulon on the Veriwide is a stunning performer. Somewhere I have Schneider's calculated MTFs and they seem identical to those of the current Helvetar and Digitar. The 47/5.6 was recomputed at some point after lanthanum glass became unavailable. The 47/5.6 has more coverage than the 47/8 (just covers 6x12, I believe), so dark corners are less of an issue, although there is normal fall-off as with any wide-angle lens.
 
Fuji G690 + 50mm lens: superb lens (21mm FOV equiv.), big negative, sturdy and easily handholdable camera.

GL690-50.jpg


You can crop 6x9 negatives to 28x84mm to get a 3:1 panoramic view without sacrificing image quality: a picture 50cm/20in. long will only require 6x enlargement.

Cheers,

Abbazz
 
Hello, I have the older Brooks Veriwide 100 with 47/8 lens. The size of the image on film is 56 x 92 millimeters. The camera is amazingly compact for that size negative - smaller (less volume) than a Mamiya 6 with 75mm lens in collapsed position!
 
I have a Linhof 617s with a Schneider 90mm f/5.6 Super Angulon. It is a manual camera - no meter or batteries. Heavy but rock solid construction and makes awesome transparencies.

Steve
 
Chris, I think the 55mm wide-lens version of the Plaubel Makina 67 meets that criteria.

Then both the Fuji GA645 (60mm lens) and GA645W (45mm lens) extend their lenses to shooting position when turned on, and collapse them automatically when turned off, making for a fairly flat package.

But over all smaller I think are the two previous non-folding Fuji GS645S and GS645W models, no collapsing, yet very light and compact to carry. Same 60 and 45mm focal lengths, but this 45 is slower at f/5.6 and it's scale focus only. I think FrankS has the latter, and I have the former as well as a GA645Wi.

There's some more useful info here: http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/fujirf.htm
 
I've just acquired a GW690 from KEH which I'm itching to get to try. It was a BGN but, apart from the bad dent in the filter ring, it seems in immaculate condition. Need to really try it this weekend in case its got any other issues.

Question for anyone, any ideas what size lens cap would fit over the lens since the filter ring is so bent in one place that there is no chance of getting a filter or screw-in cap on it at all?? I'm tempted to see if I can knock out the dent at all, I'm just hoping it doesn't affect the edge of the photos, hopefully not.

If its OK, my 135W RFH back for my SQA may be going back on Ebay since I've just sold my 40mm lens as was hardly using it - and before the prices drop any further!! I also have a Bronica RF645 and 45mm lens, which is a great combination, albeit on 6x4.5 but takes great photos.
 
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