Read up about camera movements before buying a Super D. If you don't want/need camera movements then take a look at a Crown Graphic for half the price.
Read up about camera movements before buying a Super D. If you don't want/need camera movements then take a look at a Crown Graphic for half the price.
Good advice,Originally Posted by Alan Gales
The reality is I have 2 monorail cameras with full movements, but grab out my old Linhof Standard Press camera with very minimal movements 9 times out of every 10.
I only wished I had more movements 2 or 3 times in the last year, however the shots I got 2 of those times are some of my best. So I don't think the lack of movements crippled me one bit.
BTW, I paid $300 Canadian for my Linhof Press camera, and it cam with an excellent Schneider 135mm lens, and a nice flash. I would rate it 8/10, and original.
The Graflex Super D is more of a specialist's camera than a good learning tool. Over the years I've accumulated and used flatbed and monorail view cameras and press cameras, but never felt the urge to buy or use a Graflex Super D or similar cameras. Start with a basic and versatile camera of the type that seems right for you now. Perhaps it will be all the camera you'll ever need. With experience, you may eventually want something different. If you buy and sell wisely, much of your initial investment can be recouped. Or, like some of us, you may choose to keep cameras that somewhat duplicate the function of others.
Stay cheap my friend.... don't spend too much on any camera.
True, true. I'm listening to what I am reading here.
Keh is pretty helpful if you can call them and talk to them on the phone, and if you're in the states. I bought a Wisner 4x5 technical field about a year ago on ebay. It's a nice wooden camera that collapses into a box shape. I then called keh to look for a lens or two and asked them for a lensboard to hold the lenses on the camera. Not everybody knows everything there about large format, but the guy that helped me was able to look up info for some of my questions. I also picked up a bag bellows for my camera which helps to use wide angle lenses on my camera. All that, plus a good tripod and head was right around $1500.
Camera, extra bag bellows, two lenses and lens boards, a couple film holders for cheap, I already had a good tripod and head. I already had my enlarger and darkroom stuff.
I'm armed with a Wisner 4x5 Technical Field and a lot of hope. I got this. Oh, and my name's Andrew.
You can start with a good sturdy tripod set-up that you can use for your smaller format cameras as well. My tripod cost more than my camera. Nothing will turn you off quicker than a flimsy top-heavy tripod with a head that can't keep position.
Next I'd get an excellent normal lens, like a Schneider 150/5.6 APO Symmar or Rodenstock equivalent - about 10-20 years old in a black Copal shutter. These are sharp, reliable, and trouble-free purchases... plus they don't cost that much, never more than $250-$300. You can use these with any 4x5 you'll get and never make an apology over lens quality.
Be sure to budget for good modern film holders, a good loupe, light meter, whatever else you need to start, including film. Don't go nuts with fancy darkcloths (a black t-shirt will work better for me) and other gadgets.
Then you'll know your camera budget. But even then, you wouldn't be off by getting a $200 monorail to learn on, saving the balance for future adventures. Yes the monorail will be bulkier and heavier but the movements are easy to find and figure out, they set up quickly, and they are sturdy/solid cameras that will withstand fumbles and experiments. Later on you can get the Carbon Fiber wundercamera but you may still keep the old warhorse for nasty conditions, doing wet plates (which can be messy), etc.
Is this a variation on the XX "most interesting man in the world" series of commercials?
If you work really hard and you're patient, you can find a clean Deardorff 8x10 (V8) for a grand, a nice 250mm or 300mm lens (Fujinon, Kodak Commercial Ektar, etc.) for $250, four 8x10 film holders for $150, and an older aluminum Gitzo tripod for $100, and you've got yourself a large format setup that you can use for the rest of your life.
Received Steve Simmons book today so I am on my way to learning, then I find this camera on Ebay, http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAMBO-SCIIN-...item35daa3df4d which is featured in the book on pages 16-17. No lens, but this camera looks clean. I'll wait for your thoughts. I will definitely go for a monorail as I need a camera with the flexibility to do different styles of photography. I like the looks of this one, and the price.
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