Trading in a Toyo 45AII for Wista? Feedback pls.

[Andre Noble]

I have been using a Toyo 45 AII for a few years for landscape, portaiture, and architecture on an amateur basis. I do alot of architecture, but I find that it takes a while to set up for architecture shots, somewhat limited movenments.

I recently saw that the Wista RF has a number of appealing properties, including much more front shift, and some more front rise. Also the appeal of being able to shoot portaraiture while viewing through a rangefinder has a lot of potential benefits.

My question is, for users with experience of both cameras, do you find the Wista superior to the Toyo for architecture? Was the rangefinder focusing of the wista RF accurate? was there anything you felt the toyo was superior for?

Thanks for every input.

Andre

[Jay Lnch]

I believe the Wista has less movements, but is a better built camera.

[darter]

Check out the new Layton L-1 (www.laytoncamera.com) that camera has massive amounts of movement, and is all-metal.

[Frank Petronio]

The Wista RF is pretty uncommon, so the first thing I'd investigate is how the lens works with the rangefinder. I have no idea, or whether the Technika RF would be more accurate. I used to have an SP - they are very nice cameras.

[Jeffrey Scott]

I used to own a Wista 45VX, which is the same camera sans the RF. It has plenty of movements for what you want to do and IMO is a better camera than the Toyos I have used in the past. Because of the shorter tracks that the front standard rides on it is excellent for wide angle work as long as you get the WA bellows. The front lens tilt works with a friction control to get precise movements and the front rise is far greater than that on the Toyo, important for architecture.

I can not comment on the RF, I am sure others will pipe in.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I believe the Wista RF is calibrated to work best with Nikkor lenses, which is a bit of a limitation (not that they aren't good lenses, but there is less of a selection), but you might find that you only really need one or two calibrated lenses for rangefinder use anyway.

Technika rangefinder cams are individually calibrated, so in theory they should be more accurate (and in my experience, they are in fact quite accurate), but in actual use, you may or may not be as accurate as the system allows you to be under controlled conditions.

[Oren Grad]

Yes, the Wista RF is calibrated specifically for Nikkor-W lenses, and for only three focal lengths - 135, 150 and 180. This is a point that Bob Salomon clarified a while back.

Per Bob's guidance, you can adjust the infinity stops on the RF but you can't adjust the cam slopes. Whether a lens of another brand would work to within acceptable tolerances will depend on how close its true focal length is to that of the corresponding Nikkor, and on the user's requirements for accuracy across the focusing range.

[Andre Noble]

Thanks every one for your input. I'm having trouble letting go of my Toyo, so maybe I'll just be on the lookout for a Wista in the future, used. Probably should have gotten the Wista to begin with but at the time, Toyo's much cheaper through RW than they are now due to strong dollar. The Wistas do look really capable...

[Glenn Kroeger]

Andre:

You may have already made your move, but if not, here is another data point. I went from a Wista VX to a 45AX. I prefer the larger lensboards, the larger cross-section on the bellows, and the better bed clearance on wide angle lenses. The finish on the Toyo has also held up much better than the VX. Finally, I have more bellows draw with the standard bellows. Using a 300mm M Nikkor on the Wista was very tight... at least an extended lens board was called for.

[Andre Noble]

Some of those were my suspicions too. Afterall, Toyo must be doing something right 'cause I believe they out sell the Wista's by far.

Thanks for the input. I am keeping the Toyo.