What Kind of Camera? (Finding Camera Manufacturers)
When I first decided to purchase a large format camera I had no idea how many companies made them or who they were. So, I did some homework and read through hundreds of posts on this and the “other” LFP forum. It turns out there there may be nearly 40 such companies.
As I did this background research, I was struck by how frequently one fundamental question was being asked - which camera should I buy? This might very well be the most frequently asked question in these forums although the basic question is rephrased in a variety of ways:
What Large Format cameras do you recommend?
http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-...id=00GjlH&tag=
Toyo 45CX for a starter kit?
http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-..._id=00GmYg&tag
Help finding a 4x5 system for a 4x5 newbie....
http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-...id=00GjlH&tag=
tachihara vs ebony
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ad.php?t=17706
Any 4X5 field camera to recommend?
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ad.php?t=17495
As I read through the forums trying to decide which camera was right for me, I collected a list of the names of the camera manufacturers. Sometimes a URL was included which I also noted. For those messages that mentioned a company name but that didn’t list a URL, I tried Google and Yahoo to see if I could find a URL for a specific company. I did this because I wanted to have a look at the Web sites and figure out what my options were in terms of manufacturer, price, features, and the less tangible aspects of LF camera ownership like aesthetics and “fit.”
As you can imagine, this took me quite a while. I finally decided on a Shen-Hao since I could get a new one very inexpensively (I live in Hong Kong and bought directly from Seagull Trading Company in Shanghai) and the Shen-Hao seemed to have more to learn about in terms of movements than other low-cost cameras.
Now that I’ve bought my camera, I hate to waste the research I did on camera companies so I am posting it below for others to use. I did the same thing with a list of manufacturers of focusing screens:
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ad.php?t=18137
and of bags and backpacks
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ad.php?t=18043
The camera manufacturers are alphabetized below into one of three categories:
A. LF Camera manufacturers: active URL
B. LF Camera manufacturers: inactive URL
C. LF Camera manufacturers: no URL
If you know one of the missing URLs or have other contact information like an alternative URL, email address, or phone number, please leave it in your comments.
Best wishes,
Craig
LF CAMERA MANUFACTURERS: ACTIVE URL
Artworks View Cameras
www.fineartphotosupply.com/workscamera.htm
Bender (camera kits)
www.benderphoto.com
Bulldog (self assembly camera)
www.camerabellows.com/Bulldog.html
Cameramaker.com (camera plans and kits)
www.cameramaker.com
Calumet (also sells Zone VI camera)
www.calumetphoto.com
Cambo
www.cambo.com
Deardorff Cameras (Ken Hough Photographic Repair Service)
www.deardorffcameras.0catch.com
Specializing in the Complete restoration of Deardorff View Cameras
“My cameras are mechanically new.”
(219) 462-0281
K.B. Canham
www.canhamcameras.com
Ebony
www.ebonycamera.com
Fotoman
http://www.fotomancamera.com/
Gandolfi
www.gandolficameras.com
Gowland
www.petergowland.com/camera
Horseman (also markets Woodman cameras)
www.horsemanusa.com
Kozik Camera Kit (Aluminum camera kits)
home.luna.nl/~kozik/index.htm
Layton
www.laytoncamera.com
Lotus
www.lotusviewcamera.at
Linhof
www.linhof.de/english/index.html
Rayment Kirby
www.raymentkirbycameras.co.uk/home/index.htm
Shen-Hao
www.shen-hao.com
Silvestri
www.silvestricamera.it/eng/home_eng.htm
Sinar
www.sinar.ch
www.sinarbron.com/sinar/conventional/cameras.php
Toho
www.toho-machine.co.jp
Toyo
www.toyoview.com
Walker
www.walkercameras.com
Wehman Field Camera
www.wehmancamera.com/camera.html
Wisner
www.wisner.com
Wista
www.wista.co.jp/e_wista/english.htm
LF CAMERA MANUFACTURERS: INACTIVE URL
Granview (USA)
www.GranView.com
More information - http://www.camerareview.com/template...?camera_id=361
Tachihara (Japan)
www.binder.co.jp/handyview/index.htm
More information - www.kenrockwell.com/tech/4x5.htm
LF CAMERA MANUFACTURERS: NO URL
Arca Swiss Phototechnik (Switzerland)
No company URL available, email customer Service arca-swiss@swissonline.ch
Or see http://www.precisioncameraworks.com/...arca_core.html
Deardorff Cameras
Deardorff Photographic Products International (USA)
58 West Lincolnway, Valpariso, Indiana, 46383, (219) 464-9748
Hoffman Master View (USA)
631/694-4470 Phone number does not work, no URL
More information - shutterbug.com/equipmentreviews/ medium_large_format /0600sb_wetried
Ikeda Anba (Japan)
More information - www.thalmann.com/largeformat/anba.htm
Iston (Japan?)
More information - www.rarecamerainc.com/info/CamId173.htm
Kwok (China)
Lupa (Italy)
Nagaoka Seisakusho (Japan)
More information - www.clickondavid.com/nagaoka.jpg
Osaka (Japan)
More information - www.bromwellmarketing.com/osaka.htm
Rajah (India)
More information - www.cameraeccentric.com/html/sale/rajah45g.html
Re: What Kind of Camera? (Finding Camera Manufacturers)
Comprehensive research. I did the same over a year ago for my first camera, but you have found quite a bit more than I came across.
How do like LF? What lenses have you aquired so far?
Re: What Kind of Camera? (Finding Camera Manufacturers)
Re: What Kind of Camera? (Finding Camera Manufacturers)
Hi Frank:
I looked them up and found the following in Italian. The English version doesn't seem to work:
http://www.fatif.com/fotografia_professionale/ds2.php
Craig
Re: What Kind of Camera? (Finding Camera Manufacturers)
Here's more contributed by Peter Yee:
R.H. Phillips and Sons
No URL
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/phillips.html
R.H. Phillips & Sons
2283 Old Pine Trail
Midland, MI 48642
T 517-835-7897
F 517-839-9745
Email rhphill@concentric.net
Star Camera Company- makes "antique" type large format cameras and adapters for wet plate photograpy
http://www.geocities.com/starcameracompany/
Richard Ritter- He is better known for repairing view cameras and is planning to build ultra-large format cameras.
http://www.lg4mat.net/
Re: What Kind of Camera? (Finding Camera Manufacturers)
The Hobo - The Camera that goes where you go
http://www.bostick-sullivan.com/Hobo/welcome.htm
"No rosewood here. No gold plate, no hand rubbed finish. No attitude. Its bloodline is more Jeep than Rolls Royce. We wanted a large format 8x10 camera that could ride in the trunk with the spare tire and jack and feel comfortable. We wanted an 8x10 that could be hand held. We wanted a lot. This is it."
Re: What Kind of Camera? (Finding Camera Manufacturers)
Updated phone/fax/email info for Dick Phillips:
tel 989-835-7897
fax 989-839-9745
rhphill@sbcglobal.net
Best way to reach Dick is by phone.
Re: What Kind of Camera? (Finding Camera Manufacturers)
Re: What Kind of Camera? (Finding Camera Manufacturers)
Plaubel view cameras - German only:
http://www.plaubel.com/
Plaubel view cameras - Japanese only, includes more pictures:
http://members.aol.com/anamikaigaikk/pages/6_plaub.html
YSCreate - Japanese only:
http://www.yscreate.co.jp/info/origin.html
Fotox - 6x9cm wooden cameras (Japanese, no website)
Re: What Kind of Camera? (Finding Camera Manufacturers)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Marshall
How do like LF? What lenses have you aquired so far?
Hi Ron:
I am embarrassed by your question because I have yet to shoot my first LF photo!
Originally, I bought a complete setup (camera, lenses, dark cloth, shutter release, film backs, etc.) from a seller on eBay which I would have had in hand more than a month ago and I would have some experiences to share. That deal fell through, however, because the seller didn't disclose some damage to the camera until after the auction.
After that experience, and more research, I decided to buy a new Shen-Hao rather than trying to find another complete kit on eBay. The Shen-Hao was available for US$495 just up the road from me in Shanghai. It seemed to me - after reading many of the comments about camera choices here - that this was as good a deal for a new or used camera for a LF beginner as I was likely to find on eBay in terms of price and features.
From that decision on, I purchased the rest of my kit from here, there, and everywhere - eBay, Seagull Trading Company, Badger, Maxwell, and local Hong Kong shops. However, all of the bits and pieces still haven't arrived. For instance, I am waiting on my Berlebach tripod and Polaroid and Regal film backs, but I hope to have all of the really necessary pieces in hand by next week so that I can get started. Meanwhile, I continue to set my camera up and practice focusing upside down and reversed with my two lenses.
My two lenses, which I bought on eBay, are a Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar-S 210mm f5.6 and a Fujinon-SW 90mm f8. I think I paid a little two much for the 90mm but got a pretty good deal on the 210mm.
The reason I got involved in all of this is that I'm in discussion with a publisher concerning a book deal. While outlining the ideas for the book - a study of a neighborhood in Hong Kong much of which will be shot at night - it occurred to me that one visually interesting approach would be to use 35mm for grainy B/W shots, with which I am familiar and somewhat experienced, and 4x5 for finely detailed color transparencies, with which I am a complete novice, to contrast subjects to be covered in the book. I am still in discussion with the publisher but have already outlined two more book projects with which I should be able to use the Shen-Hao.
Upon reflection, this foray into LFP has turned into a much larger and much more interesting project that I anticipated!
Best wishes,
Craig