Omega view cameras???

My ex-wife and I are both long time medium format shooters and she told me that because she specializes in home interior and museum shoots, she is looking for a large format camera that is cheap but good for her setups.

Someone offered to sell her a 4X5 view that he says is "Omega"???? I can't find any reference to such a camera. Now the lenses are schneider and caltar (I can f ind specs on those) but I don't find anything about an Omega view. I know of the Omega enlargers and the Koni-Omega MFs but not a view. I don't know if it is a field type or a monorail.

Anybody know of such a beast? Please help. Thanks in advance.

Yes, I use one on a Bencher copy stand. It's a monorail of fair quality, something like the low-end Calumet. It would be workable for you x's purposes, but certainly not as stable as a Sinar, for example. Dick Fish/Smith College

hi omega is the firm which toyo bought. i don't think they ever made a field (although i could be wrong). these are pretty good, basic monorails. have a full range of movements. don't have the nice little bells and whistles which newer models have. geared focus and rise/fall. a tad heavy to cart into the field although it can be done (i think it weighs about 8 lbs or so). check the bellows for pinholes and shoot some tests. dj

Correct about the Toyo connection and you'll find many Toyo parts and accessories work on the Omega models. I have the 45E and have been very pleased with it as my first and relatively low cost view camera. The 45E is comparable to the older Toyo 45G or the current 45C. The older Omegas did have one fault. The front and rear standards and the tripod block are not particularly rigid on the rail. There is a little bit of play even when everything is tightened down. This isn't much of a problem unless you are doing macro work where the little bit of slop could put you out of focus or change the composition. I saw a Omega 45D I believe it was at a swap meet. The camera had been modified by removing the original clamp bolts and being replaced with two bolts and a backing plate. This clamped much tighter onto the rail and seemed to solve the problem. I have been tempted to modify mine in this way but once done you couldn't turn back.

My attitude is that for a few hundred dollars I could find out if the view camera was useful to me. If I find it the Omega limits my work later I can sell it for almost what I paid and upgrade.

Hi Rick: I've gotten this question several times recently. The Omega is the same as the Toyo 45D (both distributed in the past by Berkey) and is a sturdy and smoothly working monorail with lots of accessories still available including several different rails. The bellows is not interchangeable, but the recessed board helps out here (short FL lenses etc.). With the Tech IV/Wista adapter boards, lenses mounted on Tech/Wista boards easily move from your field camera to the view camera, not to mention they take up much less space in your kit. The 45D is an excellent basic view camera and a great bargain on the market today. The front and back geared fine focus is very smooth, but other movements are not geared (which keeps the weight down.)

The Toyo 45D/Omega boards measure 158mm square. Adapter boards are available new and used to accept Technika/Wista boards and there is a recessed adapter board also. The recessed Toyo adapter board that accepts the Technika/Wista boards is referenced in the Toyo catalog as: Toyo no. 1056 AWLVM.

The current standard rail (39mm)in the B&H catalog fit also-- the short rail might be handy for not showing up in wide-angle shots and for transport. Toyo binocular reflex viewers and compendium shades also fit or can be slightly modified to fit.

The camera, being a standard rail camera, doesn't pack very well in anything but a big case where the camera hangs on its rail. But by mounting the camera instead on a short rail (the new short rail will fit or you can buy an old rail and chop it off to 6.5") and locking it down, you can carry the camera securely in a padded rolling airline case or in a backpack. It's a good,basic camera without many bells and whistles. It is a good teacher and will handle 95% of most needs.

I have not had any problems with tightening things down; the fore and aft rail blocks and the tripod block tighten up well (but check these since some have been cracked by over-tightening.)

Hope this is helpful. This camera does all I need it to do and is such a good value, that I have decided not to upgrade to another view right now and get a better field camera instead for outdoor work. Only if I started to do a LOT of product work, table top, close-ups of jewelry, etc. or interior architecture would I trade up to a yaw- free view such as the Arca-Swiss F model with the new yaw-free front standard option. ---HenryStanley

do you speak spanish?

i have an Omega view 45d, if you are intrested in buying it, i would be willing to sell it, it is in great shape, thanks wade