Cambo"Tension locks defective"?

[John Conway]

There is a Cambo 4X5 SF listed on ebay . The seller claims the tension locks are defective. I own a few Cambo monorails,including a Cambo Master, that I assume has a similar locking system.But I can't imagine what could be defective. Not much to go wrong. Maybe the gearing or threads are stripped.I sent the seller a message but have not yet received a response. I have always wanted one of the SF cameras. I know View Camera magazine did a review on the Cambo SF that I'm going to search for on line.

[David Karp]

I used to own a 45SF and sometimes wish that I still had it. Accessories are plentiful and reasonably priced. I had a nice Cambo to Technika adapter board, and a monorail extension that allowed me to use all of my lenses from 75mm to 450mm. It was rigid and transportable, if not the lightest cameras around.

I did a review of it on the home page: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...as/cambo-45sf/.

[John Conway]

I used to own a 45SF and sometimes wish that I still had it. Accessories are plentiful and reasonably priced. I had a nice Cambo to Technika adapter board, and a monorail extension that allowed me to use all of my lenses from 75mm to 450mm. It was rigid and transportable, if not the lightest cameras around.

I did a review of it on the home page: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...as/cambo-45sf/.

Hey David, thanks for the link to your review of the Super Field camera. I did come across your review some time ago and found it to be very informative. As you mentioned in the review, there are plastic knobs. I'm thinking maybe it is the plastic parts that are the problem.

[cowanw]

I have the smaller sibling and there are plastic spacer/cams in the parts that grip the rail which can be lost/misplaced easily

[David Karp]

I'm thinking maybe it is the plastic parts that are the problem.

It could also be the long thin plastic "knobs" for the shift lock control. I had always thought of checking to see if there were alternative knobs that would work. Perhaps the swing or shift knobs for the N / NX series or similar. Never got around to it.

I always had good experiences calling Calumet in Chicago and talking to Jose. He really knows his stuff and is very helpful.

[David Karp]

By the way, I found a different auction for an SF. It is out of England, and they are using one of my photos from the review I wrote for the home page!

[John Conway]

The strange thing about this auction is the camera looks new in the pictures. Then, while searching for more info on the camera locking mechanism, I find an older ebay sale of a Super field that the seller (Adorama) sold about six months ago and pictures are the same. I have not received any response to my questions yet. I think a talk with Jose at calumet is a good idea.

[rjphil]

I have an SF that the locks have been repaired on by Jose. They probably are a cam-style lock that wears with use. (Or maybe I put too much force on them...)
Definitely call Jose and ask. It's a really nice camera.