Walker Titan SF

[iamjanco]

Had a great day yesterday -- a little background:

I've been patiently waiting at least a half a year for a Walker Titan SF to show up for sale somewhere at a price I could afford. It finally did about a week ago on the auction site. Put up for sale by a Pro who does a lot of product, architectural and other photography, the auction included the following:


Walker Titan SF
210 mm Caltar II-N lens
extra lens board (0 shutter?)
polaroid 545 back
fuji 4x5 film back
dark cloth


Anyway, I set my max bid to $1751, which I figured would still make winning the auction a great deal. When the auction finally closed, my winning bid was a little more than 8 1/2 bills (you can imagine the overwhelming joy I experienced).

I've been wanting a real field camera to supplement my Norma setup for some time now. The Norma is a great camera, allows me to shoot both 4x5 and 5x7, and great macro (with the rail and bellows extensions I've got). But it really is a pain in the neck to haul around here in the mountains and wetlands. Now I'm getting a camera that sans lens, I could probably drop into a lake and wash off in the kitchen sink, and be no less for wear.

A picture of the SF setup I bought:

http://www.theshininglamp.com/public/titan.sf.jpg

Needless to say, I'm kind of elated.

Jan C.

P.S. I'll probably sell the Caltar lens since I've already got its Rodenstock equivalent. Same thing goes for the Polaroid and Fuji backs. Just need to get some tek boards now for the lenses I own, a wide angle bellows, and Sinar-tek adapter for the Norma (talked to Mike Walker--gonna order these from him).

[Warren Clark]

Hi Jan,
A good longer lens for the Walker is the Fuji 450 C. You will need a
tophat type extended board -- I use a 37mm Ebony tophat from Badger
Graphics and it works well. I'm also using a Schneider 180 Macro for close
work- the long bellows are very useful.

Have fun,

Warren Clark
Ft. Collins, Colo.

[David Karp]

I think you will be very happy. Yours looks about the same vintage as mine. You might hold off on the top hat board. You can use the 450mm by tipping the base tilt forward, but keeping the axis tilt vertical, the way you show in one of your photos. It works fine with the Fuji 450 C because the lens is so light. Mike Walker is a great guy too.

Great price, by the way.

[BradS]

jeeez....you got a heck of a good price on that!

I have an earlier version of this model....and love it. I have the bag bellows and never use it. The widest lens I have is a 75mm Super Angulon. The standard bellows handles this with ease.

These are fantastic cameras. Congrats!

[speedtrials]

I sold mine a few years ago and now I regret it :(

[iamjanco]

Thanks for the comments and tips, all. Much appreciated!

As for the Fuji 450, I'll certainly investigate it as an option after I receive the camera. Should be any day now. Also, Mike told me I probably would need the wide angle bellows since one of the lenses I shoot with is a 65mm Grandagon. He was pretty sure I wouldn't need a recessed lens board though unless I went wider than that.

Can't wait to get it in my hands (or in front of my eyes, if you will :) ).

Jan C.

[iamjanco]

Well, the Titan SF showed up today, in exactly the condition the seller described! Had to clean the GG, and there were a couple of loose screws, but they weren't anything a screwdriver couldn't fix :) All the controls appear to work properly, bellows is of course in great condition and extended fully as I write this.

The camera appears to be rock-solid at full extension (Mike, if you're reading this--great work!), and I'm wondering if going with a Nikkor 450 M (0.8 lb heavier than the Fuji 450 C) is viable. Something to think about as time moves forward...

Anyway, the seller included three packs of FP-100C45 (expired in 2006), which I plan on using up tomorrow testing the camera in some of my favorite spots here. I've got to go out and evaluate a Nikkor 24mm PC-E anyway, so I'll kill two birds with one trip. Weather's supposed to be pretty good here tomorrow--should be a great time.

Jan C.

[Richard Littlewood]

I think the only real very very minor downside of some earlier(?) Titans is a lack of spirit levels, but I do like the shiney metal focusing/locking controls. I know folks can be sometimes unrealistically loyal to their cameras but I do actually love my SF!
Great camera, and one that laughs in the face of foul weather.

[iamjanco]

I think the only real very very minor downside of some earlier(?) Titans is a lack of spirit levels...

That's one of the first things I noticed, once I got the SF open.

I guess the cheapest route would be to pick up a small spirit level at a hardware store, but I noticed there are a number of relatively inexpensive after-market levels built specifically for cameras. I'll probably go that way.

Question: regardless of camera, for those of you who might have done that owning a camera without levels or a hotshoe, did you do anything special when mounting the level(s) to your camera that might help ensure a square mount with respect to the FP?

I mean the SF itself is pretty square and it shouldn't be a problem in its case, but curiosity has got the better of me.

Jan C.

[David Karp]

I sent my SF to Mike Walker after I purchased it, so that he could service it. He mentioned that the newer cameras had an extra level on the side of the camera to make it easier to level the rear standard (front to back). He was able to install one of them on my camera, and I have found it very useful.

I also really love my Titan SF. One of my friends predicted that the Titan would go after I started using my ARCA monorail. I like the ARCA, but I love the Titan. Each has its best applications, but there is something about the Walker that sits just right with me.

[Paul O]

Although not exactly the SF; I am equally excited about the Walker Titan 5x7 XL that I've been using for the past few months!
Having been "brouht up" on Ebony cameras I switched to Walker simply because I couldn't afford a 5x7 Ebony - and I am very glad that I did!
The camera is rock solid (even at full extension) with a 250mm perched on the end!

[Brian Ellis]

That's one of the first things I noticed, once I got the SF open.

I guess the cheapest route would be to pick up a small spirit level at a hardware store, but I noticed there are a number of relatively inexpensive after-market levels built specifically for cameras. I'll probably go that way.

Question: regardless of camera, for those of you who might have done that owning a camera without levels or a hotshoe, did you do anything special when mounting the level(s) to your camera that might help ensure a square mount with respect to the FP?

I mean the SF itself is pretty square and it shouldn't be a problem in its case, but curiosity has got the better of me.

Jan C.

I've had cameras with and without levels. I never found a need for levels doing the kind of landscape work it sounds like you're contemplating with your camera. The gridded ground glass is more than enough for me with landscapes. I do use a level for architectural work but for that I prefer a small carpenter's level even if the camera has its own level. I find those levels easier to use than the little single-bubble "target" levels that are typically built into cameras or that can be attached to the accessory shoe.

[iamjanco]

I've had cameras with and without levels. I never found a need for levels doing the kind of landscape work it sounds like you're contemplating with your camera. The gridded ground glass is more than enough for me with landscapes. I do use a level for architectural work but for that I prefer a small carpenter's level even if the camera has its own level. I find those levels easier to use than the little single-bubble "target" levels that are typically built into cameras or that can be attached to the accessory shoe.

Thanks, Brian--you make some very valid points. I think for the time being, I'm just going to pick up a small level at Home Depot or Lowes, which should do just fine for my purposes.

Jan C.