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Re: 4x5 in the UK?
Hi Josefs, £400 does not seem too bad a budget for a camera, I found it's the other stuff that is the killer once you have the camera. If you do not get anything sorted I might be selling my MPP. It is however a metal folding camera (with limited front movements), not a monorail and so might not be what you want but has got a cone lens panel for wide angle (90mm) stuff and a 90mm angulon which I had serviced before I got a 90mm Super Angulon about a week later (doh).
If you want, I can also make enquiries with a local dealer as well and ask him to have a look. I recently traded my Cambo in against a Sinar monorail from him so he may have a Cambo. I am in the North East however.
Also depending on what you want it for and the focal length you are intending to use, you might need to consider bag bellows for a monorail if using wide-ish lenses.
If you order from the USA and customs get their hands on it, I think you will be charged VAT (20%) so it might be costly.
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Re: 4x5 in the UK?
I agree with Nguss that you have to bear in mind the cost of all the other bits you need once you've bought a camera. As well the obvious lens there's the lens panel and film holders plus other bits like a cable release, dark cloth, loupe etc. It all adds up! I didn't buy a dark cloth but use an old black polo shirt which works fine for me. I also use an old SLR camera lens as a loupe so you can be inventive to save money. As Marizu pointed out, you may also need to consider how you're going to develop your film and make prints.
I think Josefs said he was going to be doing portraits and fine art pictures so he may not need wide angle lenses or much in the way of camera movements so a press camera may be a good solution at a reasonable cost.
Just few thoughts.
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Re: 4x5 in the UK?
Yup, my 'darkcloth' consists of 2 extra large cheap black t-shirts sewn together and I put my arms through the arms of the t-shirt with the loupe in my hand to focus. It is not too bad and I look really stylish at the same time. The loupe / cable release I got from an auction site from china for about £3 each. Nothing but the best for me. Lens panels you might be able to make if push comes to shove, but the film for the camera, a decent tripod, a scanner (if you dont have one) will cost a bit more.
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Re: 4x5 in the UK?
Thank you all for your good advice! I've got the camera now (Cambo Cadet), but have one more question... Does anyone know where could I get the Fuji Instant PA-145 back? I think it would be the best way for me to start and explore LF photography, as I could see the results and make notes. But I can't find it anywhere... Maybe someone has got some suggestions?
Thank you!
j
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Re: 4x5 in the UK?
Congrats on the camera! As to the back, I have not come acorss one, so other than the sites mentioned earlier or the for sale section here, unfortunately I have no idea. One of my flickr contacts seems to have one so I will ask him where he got his from, but I reckon he will have had it for a while now.
Good luck with the search. In the meantime, it's not exactly great but perhaps you could take a digital camera along for reference?