Thanks! Yes, if anyone has knowledge of flaws with these cameras, I'd love to hear it.
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The Toyo will accept lenses down to a 47mm and a 90mm on a flat board without bag bellows according to Toyo's site. I agree that if you were often using lenses shorter than 90mm and wanted lots of movement then a camera that does support bag bellows may be preferred.
I recently saw an All go for less than $800.00 on Ebay and a few A's go for around 500 to 600. You do have to be patient to get the good deals with any used cameras.
Yes, the Toyo is a little heavier than a wooden folder but once you get your backpack loaded up with everything a couple of pounds will not be noticed. I have a wooden Tachihara which is feather light and my friend has the Toyo A. The Toyo is a little heavier but sturdier.
Everything is a trade-off. If you want light then it's not as sturdy. If you want light and sturdy then it's expensive. :)
Read the front pages of this website for how to do stuff. Also Kerry's old website has some interesting gearhead stuff: http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/toho.htm and http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/lightwei.htm
For lightweight and not too shabby, just get the Chamonix new off eBay. Viva la China!
Get a generic clone Technika Copal 0 lensboard for the Cham, a flat metal lenswrench, and start with a normal 135/5.6 Rodenstock Sironar-N or Schneider APO-Symmar lens in a black Copal shutter bought used for under $400.
Either get a Pentax digital spot meter used or just use your Canon set to the same ISO and aperture.
Get some B&W or color negative film, 5 or 10 Fidelity or Lisco plastic film holders, a 4 to 7x loupe - a cheap plastic one is fine. Use an old black t-shirt for a darkcloth. Treat yourself to a Harrison Pup Tent changing tent if you don't have a darkroom. Use a Tupperware food container for carrying the lens, wrap camera in darkcloth. Put your film holders into a Ziplock baggie. Get a camel hair brush and blower bulb for cleaning the holders. Buy a good Gepe cable release. Get a screw-in rubber lenshade for the lens.
Put everything into the smallest backpack you can. You don't need an over-padded camera backpack. These are really nice when you get hardcore: http://www.photobackpacker.com.
Splurge on a 2-series Gitzo or cheaper Chinese carbon-fiber tripod with 1" or larger legs, as high as you can stand. Use a RRS or decent ball head with Arca-Swiss compatible quick release plates.
Send your film to http://4photolab.com if you don't process it yourself. Save the empty boxes for sending your exposed film.
Get an Epson 700 flatbed to scan, use a color calibrator on your monitor, a pigment Epson printer is best, try the Baryta paper.
Stand in front of lake. Wait for clouds to arrange themselves in a pleasing manner. Snap the postcar... I mean artistic photograph*.
*Now that you are a hardened and experienced large format photographer, you need to buy the other necessary lenses to balance your backpack and to look professional - 58, 75, 90, 110, 180, 240, 300, 400, etc. You should also spend another few hundred on a fancy loupe and a Black Jacket focusing cloth. Then upgrade the Chinese camera to a Japanese Ebony with asymmetrical movements because your pictures will definitely be better.
All of the above is the officially prescribed method of working with large format nature photography™®. It's what we do here. Try to fit in with the group and follow along... the last deviant who rejected our core values sure got his!
Have fun!
On a serious note, all but the last two paragraphs are straight up. My other, most important tidbit of advice is to spend the good money on a serious tripod, the larger the better. You'll make much better photos with a cheap camera/lens and a good tripod than the opposite combo. I use a tripod that cost twice what my camera does....
;)!!!
Since you probably don't know anyone on here, click on Frank's website in blue letters at the bottom of his post. Frank is a pro who speaks from experience.
He just gave you some great advice.
Badger Graphic Sales is a distributor for the Shen Hao line, along with a lot of other stuff. Jeff is one great guy to deal with.
Check him out.
JD