Laura, here is my 2 centsworth:
1. Forget about other formats that you may or may not want to use in the future; buy the right 4x5. Specifically, forget the Canham 5x7, focus on his 4x5's.
2. Avoid cameras that have one knob (pair) for both front tilt and front rise; there are many cameras with separate controls, there is no reason to give yourself this grief unless you are going ultra-light, like with a Gowland (2lb. monorail).
3. A camera need not be rock solid to take a perfect exposure, it just needs to be absolutely still. On the other hand, who wants to fuss with a floppy camera? If you want light weight, you either have to sacrifice some rigidity or go with a monorail. Along with Gowland, Toho and Arca-Swiss make monorails intended for use in the field. Floppiness is rarely a problem with extensions of 300mm or less.
4. Any camera will give you enough tilt and swing; the one movement that it is good to have lots of is rise. And for those who have found some use for shift, I guess it would be good to have a lot of that too.
5. When choosing amongst top quality products like the Canhams and Wisners, you are guaranteed an excellent, capable camera, so issues that seem secondary can be given greater weight. How easy is it to setup and tear down? When folded up, how smooth is the exterior, are there sharp corners or knobs that might catch on something when taking it out of the pack? How pretty is it? Do the knobs screw all the way off, such that you may lose them? How good is the carrying handle? Etc.
Bookmarks