Ello all!

[christian.rudman]

Completely new to the LF arena in terms of using the cameras, but I have been doing a considerable amount of research for a while now. I know it is no where near the same thing as large format, but I feel as a good entry I have been shooting on medium format film for a few years now with my trusty RB67, which I just sold in order to upgrade to a new field kit. I had bid on (with an undisclosed auction site), and just lost, a Wista 45N kit including a couple Fujinon lenses which broke my heart to no end.

However, I do see this as a great opportunity to learn more about large format before diving in head first and I hope to be filling up my empty tank with the technical knowledge that seems to be rampant here.

A rangefinderforum.com user for years, I am grateful to see another forum that is going to serve as a great resource for this new creative venture in photography and I hope to be a resource and asset as well to this community.

That all being said, if you have a field camera kit you are looking to get rid of, I am all ears. Otherwise, I'm just entirely please to make your acquaintance.

[Tim Meisburger]

Welcome to the Forum! 30 days after you signed up you will have access to the For Sale section, where there are often good cameras for sale at reasonable prices. In the meantime, if you mention the type of camera(s) you are interested in, someone may PM you with an offer. Also, mention your location if you want to meet up and give it a try.

You will find LF quite different than MF, I think. Its not so much the size of the negative as the deliberative, one at a time, process.

[John Kasaian]

Welcome aboard! What sort of subjects float your boat?

[christian.rudman]

Welcome to the Forum! 30 days after you signed up you will have access to the For Sale section, where there are often good cameras for sale at reasonable prices. In the meantime, if you mention the type of camera(s) you are interested in, someone may PM you with an offer. Also, mention your location if you want to meet up and give it a try.

You will find LF quite different than MF, I think. Its not so much the size of the negative as the deliberative, one at a time, process.

Thanks Tim, I am hoping it will be considerably different than medium format, that's part of the fun! :D

I am primarily looking for a Wista 45N/SP/VX/RF with a decent standard lens (125-180mm range). Also looking for the sliding back adapter with a roll film back, as I still have a good bit of roll film that needs to be used.

I'm in the Austin, TX area, which we don't have a whole lot of LF items floating around the local markets, but I'd love to connect with some LF shooters in the area.


Welcome aboard! What sort of subjects float your boat?

Thanks John, I am personally interested in staged cinematic style scenes such as Gregory Crewdson's work, and some landscapes and city scenes.

[Alan Gales]

Welcome to the forum, Christian. I sold my RZ67 outfit when I started with large format so I know how you feel. Don't worry, large format is a lot more fun. Well, at least I think so.

The metal Wista's are fine cameras. A couple SP's have sold on this forum really reasonable in the past.

[christian.rudman]

Welcome to the forum, Christian. I sold my RZ67 outfit when I started with large format so I know how you feel. Don't worry, large format is a lot more fun. Well, at least I think so.

The metal Wista's are fine cameras. A couple SP's have sold on this forum really reasonable in the past.

Good to hear I'm not alone and there's some empathy for the Mamiya users out there. It was a slow and deliberate enough system I feel like i might have a decent start on the methodology that goes into LF.

I was actually curious as to why I didn't see a classifieds section, but with Tim's explanation that I'll get access after 30 days, that gives me hope and time to save back a few more bucks before biting the bullet. The Wistas were really attractive looking cameras and I really respect Japanese engineering and design and I've mostly just seen praise of their cameras, so I was hoping that was a good place to start. Glad to hear it is not a poor assumption.

[Alan Gales]

The 45N is older than the VX, SP and RF. It does not have front swing. The very early SP does not have front swing either. I don't know when Wista started having front swing but i know that all the later SP's that have an all black front standard have it. Front swing is a nice feature to have. None of the metal Wista's have front fall but they have plenty of front rise. The RF has the rangefinder if you wish to shoot hand held. It is the most expensive also. The SP has rear micro swing in addition to regular rear swing. Wista says it's good for macro photography. The VX has no rear micro swing so it is lighter. I prefer the VX but they are harder to find so you will probably end up with an SP. I don't care for the RF because due to my bad back I can get sharper photos shooting medium format hand held than I can with large format hand held. I didn't shoot my RZ hand held either. I had a Pentax 645Nll for that.

The Wista's are very versatile because you can add extensions onto the bed and a longer bellows if you wish to shoot with longer lenses. All Wista's are very robust and sturdy cameras but they are heavier than the light weight wooden folders.

If you are not into long lenses then you might also look at the Metal Toyo's. Some prefer Wista and some prefer Toyo.

[christian.rudman]

Thank you Alan, that is really helpful information on finding a Wista setup. I'm seeing a few VX's on the 'bay in some decent price ranges with lenses and such, but I think I'll at least be waiting to see what the FS/WTB here is able to pull up once I have access.

Do you know how well the Wista VX's will handle wider lenses?