Need expert advice- best light weight folding field camera?

[Winger]

I've been contemplating the same question lately. I started with a monorail and have added Speed and Crown Graphics, but find myself wanting movements and hike-ability. I'm fairly sure I'm going to get a Chamonix, but haven't totally settled on which one. I'll get a new one, I think, because they are hard to find used. There are some used Shen Haos and Tachiharas around right now and also a few Wistas - all are fairly light and sorta similar in design. Someone on APUG has an outfit with a Wista, IIRC, and a couple of lenses and film holders for about 900. While I really like my monorail, it's 9 pounds and awkward to carry. The Crown Graphic is not bad for hiking, though, so Jim's advice is sound in that weight is not the whole story. I'm one of the few other females on here, btw, and I'm not overly strong. My "regular" camera bag with a dSLR and my Pentax 645N with both the 75mm and 120mm weighs about 23 pounds, though. I can deal with that.

[Alan Gales]

If buying used, the first N-1 model had an issue with its placement of fresnel and ground glass introducing focus errors. Most people resolved this but you would want to check. The N2 has no issues. The new F1 design has an asymmetrical rear tilt useful for some traditional landscape subjects. Ask Hugo Zhang for details, he is the US rep.

I would buy new from Hugo, less risk and still reasonable.

I completely agree with this statement about buying new. They rarely come up for sale used.

If it was me, I think I would go for the new F1.

[tgtaylor]

If it was me, I'd go with a manufacturer such as Toyo that has a long standing reputation of building high quality cameras constructed with quality materials.

As pointed out above the Chamonix has had significant issues with with its previous models which may or may not have been corrected in their latest incarnation. There's also the question of the longevity of the (relatively speaking) cheap bellows that Chamonix uses and further, whether or not they are IR proof. Finally, what is the longevity of a hybrid wood/metal camera compared to an all wood or all metal camera? Frankly I believe that the all wood or all metal metal design wins out against the hybrid.

But the OP is an admitted newbie in LF photography – probably has never owned or even operated a LF camera before – and this, as with many others, is just a passing fad: pick up a LF camera, take a couple of snaps, and pass it along.

So what the hell, any LF camera works.

Thomas

[Otto Seaman]

Prozac would be a good choice. Or LexaPro. What the Hell, it doesn't matter.

[Larry Kellogg]

Thomas,
Could you talk a little more about how the Chamonix is a hybrid wood/metal camera? Where are the weaknesses? I have built furniture with a professional cabinet maker, and know that good wood joints and glue can be incredibly sturdy and long lasting. My Wisner is very solidly built.

Also, I'm not happy to hear that the bellows are cheaply made, if that is true. Light leaks are no fun.

One of my tricks to buying used is to go back and look at the original selling price of a camera, and see what the same camera commands in the used marketplace. I try to buy the more expensive cameras from back in the day, at a good price today. Quality holds its value.

As for the idea that this is just a fad, give Issy a break, she took an LF class last week, so she has shot LF and has developed her own negatives.

Issy has the eye to get into the photographic program at Yale, that counts for a lot. There is a long tradition of using large format cameras to produce fine art. I'll bet that once Issy sees the quality in a 4x5 negative (or 5x7, 8x10), and the possibilities of a fine silver print, she'll be hooked for life. ;-)

Larry

[Larry Kellogg]

One other thing, I think the Manfrotto 410 is a terrific head. I think once you go to a head with geared movements, you never go back to a ball head. I love being able to make slight adjustments at the turn of a knob. It's a fairly heavy head, though, but it's worth its weight. See here: http://m.bhphotovideo.com/mobile/detail?R=124665_REG&

[Otto Seaman]

The camera our enthusiastic Thomas recommended is primarily made from plastic. He's one of the few proponents of it but, like the choice of colleges, he goes through life seeking validation for his decision.

I have the Chamonix and don't see where the bellows is any worse than the other dozen various good quality cameras I've owned.

To me the main downside of the Chamonix is the slower, fiddly set-up and lack of instructions. But it is very well made, intelligently designed (based on Dick Phillips' cameras), and a heck of a value for under a grand.

The 410 head is nearly as heavy as the camera ;-p A better quality ball head from a good manufacturer will have a drag control that great helps with the finer positioning of the camera - if you learn how to use it!

[Winger]

Everyone I know who has a Chamonix loves it. The bellows are not safe for IR apparently, but are just fine for regular film. Since HIE and Efke are gone, it's not that big an issue for me. Those who've used them call them sturdy enough. I believe the "significant issues" to which Thomas refers were corrected with later models of the first version of the camera. The ones being sold now, the N2 and F1, are not affected.

[rcmartins]

I have owned a Chamonix 045 N2 for more than a year now, used it quite frequently and couldn't be happier. In my photography group there are two Shen-Haos, one Cambo and one Sinar. In my oppinion, and please remember that these are all opinions, mine compares favourably to all of them. Naturally this is a different camera than the monorails', but construction-wise is pretty much there. The bellows are of very high quality, being very sturdy and versatile. They cannot be used for IR, as most LF camera bellow's can't but this is not because of lack of quality but because of the materials used in them being permeable to some extent to IR wavelengths which together with the long exposures times makes it difficult to shield. There are bellows specifically designed for IR if that is your thing. The carbon fiber base makes this a superior field camera, in my opinion. I have been able to use my Sironar-N 360mm/5.6 which weights more than a kilogram for a close-up shot of my kids with a belows extension of 485mm with no issues (extension base used). The torque is very high. A wooden bed could easily break or bend. This bed cannot bend, only break, but rest assured it is indeed extremelly sturdy.
As for issues there was only a single issue, if you want to call it that, and for the first model. It was just the order between fresnel and ground-glass being swaped in regards to the more usual arrangement. Since the N2 it is back to the normal arrangement. In honesty I don't think this really qualifies as an issue.
Also, I have seen people criticise because it does not have scales. It is true but having used it for architectural shots I never felt them needed, but note that this is very much a question of style and attitude when taking pictures.
Raul

[vinny]

It seems as though many of you think chamonix cameras are made of solid carbon fiber. Remember, they are closely based on the Phillips design which was plywood covered in cloth/resin. Chamonix parts are still wood but covered in carbon fiber instead of something else. Take yours apart if you don't believe me.

"lack of instructions"? it's not a canham. use google to find michael gordon's video that shows all you need to know.
Rollei IR is still made.
Special bellows for IR are made? Not by chamonix. I've commented on a few threads regarding this issue and I use shenhao bellows (both leather bag and standard) on my 45n-2. I was told the max extension for the shenhao bellows would not allow the use of a 450mm from jeff at badger graphic. As usual, I bought them anyway to see for myself. I can go to 500mm when using my version of the extension bracket. The shenhao bellows aren't 100% impermeable to ir but even at 1 minute exposures the exposures are usable. The shenhao leather bag bellows (HZX45-IIA/PTB45) allow the use of a 210mm and are completely IR proof. It also looks like they've doubled in price in the last 10 years.