4x5 Camera Recommendation, Please

[shadowfox]

I have tried Press, Monorail, and Field 4x5 cameras.

And you know what I found? for learning and using, monorail is the best.
Most sturdy, lots of movement, and cheap (less than $100 for my used Calumet 4x5).

Definitely go B&W and develop yourself, a Uniroller rotating unit and a non-leaky Unicolor 8x10 paper drum is the easiest way to do it.

 

[chachi]

Processing sheet film in a tray in a totally dark room is good for the soul.

yes yes yes

 

[Beemermark]

Tachahari (sp?). However I would look very hard at a monorail. A monorail isn't really that much worse than a field camera to set up and use. If your back packing 10 miles into the wilderness get a field camera, otherwise get a monorail. You get a lighter package with way, way more movements.

 

[snip]

Does anyone have experience with the Toyo 45 rail system? It seems there are a few on the Bay right now, and they seem only slightly more expensive than the Crown Graphic. I realize you sacrifice mobility, though some here disagree it's really all that hard to travel with a small rail camera.

I carry mine in a Bergen together with all the other stuff I need, Tripod, Climbing gear and food & water for a prolonged period of time, tent and stuff too.

With one rail and the bag bellows on it's very manageable.

//J

 

[nikon_sam]

Alright you guys...stop with all the talk about Ektars, Xenars and Raptars...I don't need the competition when shopping on Ebay...
I bought an Ektar 127mm 4.7 less than a month ago and am putting it to the test as we speak...still looking for something in the 180 - 203 range..
Like most have already said I too have joined up over at the Large Format site...30 days do go by fairly quick and one could do some serious shopping there...
I do own other more modern lenses from 75 - 210 range but I'm looking for an older "Tessar Design" lens for a certain look that the older stuff gives...
Also looking at the Rear lens on the Ektar you can thread a filter on it...something in the 30.5mm size...I do have an older Tiffen lens shade and Series VI filter holder that you push on rather than thread in for the Ektar...
And just one more thing...You can also use 120 roll film with the right back for your 4x5 camera...one could have the choice of shooting 6x6, 6x7, 6x8?, 6x9 and 6x17...
Do your homework and then make an educated decision...you'll hopefully never regret buying a 4x5...

 

[venchka]

You forgot 6x12.

Right on! Buy a 4x5 camera with a Graflock-International back. All of those accessories are fun. Roll film backs. Grafmatic holders. Fuji instant film and QuickLoad holders.

Sam, my 127mm Ektar is finally going back on the Speed Graphic where it belongs. I can use the rangefinder again. I got the nicest little, and I do mean petite, Fujinon-W 125mm 1:5.6 lens that takes the same 46mm filters that I carry for te rangefinder lenses.

 

[Nokton48]

Here's a nice Sinar Norma (under $500) with three extra boards, and an extension rail. Finest in the world quality.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Sinar-N...9316QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVWQQsalenotsupported

 

[nikon_sam]

^^^Nice find...If I was looking for somewhere to start that would be a good place...
It's got some nice features and what looks like a whole bunch of movements too...

 

[Al Kaplan]

There is plenty of old to ancient glass out there that hasn't been mentioned yet! Everything from recent offerings (and older) from Rodenstock to Carl Zeiss, Meyer Optik, a British company or three, Komura, Congo, Nikon, Fuji and so on from Japan, and Bausch & Lomb Optical was a big player pre WW-II in the U.S. If you have a Speed Graphic with a focal plane shutter you can use arial camera lenses designed to cover 5x5 inch roll film as well. The 7" (178mm) Kodak Aero Ektar has a speed of f/2.5. There were also extreme wide angle lenses designed for arial mapping. Your journey has yet to begin!

 

[Nokton48]

The Sinar Norma is kind of like the Leica M2 of 4x5 Monorails. I have four of them and most of the original accessories. The Erector Set of cameras, built by a loving machinist.

 

[FrankS]

Speaking of LF lens options, the focal plane shutter of my Speed Graphic, while adding a bit of depth and weight to the camera, will allow me to play with those really old and funky lenses with no shutters. (lenses in barrel, or barrel lenses)

 

[Frank Petronio]

I've had Normas too, they are great and sometimes people don't know what they are selling and they go for under $500. Also older Linhof and Arca-Swiss monorails (not the latest models) sell for very reasonable prices and are superior quality to the Toyos, Cambos, and American-made monorail cameras.... (Linhofs are probably the finest of the lot but Sinars are the most plentiful to find parts for.)

 

[Nokton48]

I have a friend who has a massive Linhof collection, in fact, that's his thing. I've compared the Linhof Bi-Kardon to the Sinar Norma (in use). He does think Linhofs were designed by meticulous German engineers who were not photographers, Yes, they have many wonderful and unusual features. The Sinar Norma has handled every single assignment in thirty years without a problem, and there are nearly a hundred accessories for the camera. Linhof isn't even close, let alone available.

 

[sevo]

Yep, the system integration of the sinars is much better - there are more than a dozen different Linhof view cameras, with many parts only compatible across two or three models, while it pretty much boils down to two sinar systems across their entire history, with quite a bit of cross-compability between them.

 

[Trius]

re monorail vs field: How many really need the extra movements? For most of us a field camera is easily sufficient. As for solidity that has never been a problem for me wit the Toyo 45A. The reasons I like it are ongoing support from Mamiya/Toyo and very rugged construction.

As for lenses, there are so many great options, often quite inexpensive these days. I shoot with Fujinon. The 240 apo is on my radar, but consistently sells for > $500 on that site.

 

[venchka]

Same here

Same here

re monorail vs field: How many really need the extra movements? For most of us a field camera is easily sufficient. As for solidity that has never been a problem for me wit the Toyo 45A. The reasons I like it are ongoing support from Mamiya/Toyo and very rugged construction.

As for lenses, there are so many great options, often quite inexpensive these days. I shoot with Fujinon. The 240 apo is on my radar, but consistently sells for > $500 on that site.

We must have the same radar system. I'm patient. 2009 is the year of the Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125mm EBC. I hope 2010 will be the year of the Fujinon A 240mm lens.