I decide to buy one of these large format field cameras for landscape.
Any suggestion?
What field camera do you guys have?
I decide to buy one of these large format field cameras for landscape.
Any suggestion?
What field camera do you guys have?
Walker Titan SF. Good looking, tough, dosn't mind wet or hot weather, good bag bellows, a bit heavier than wood but as fragile as a tank.
A good place to start would be Q.-Tuan Luong's "4x5 round up" at the LF Home Page (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/roundup4x5.html). Phillip Greenspan also wrote some stuff about using a 4x5 - check out photo.net for that (http://photo.net/equipment/large-format/). Although the reviews are somewhat negative the issues he raises should be considered.
Start thinking about what sort of photography you wish to do, do more research, ask questions (here's a good place), and establish your budget. You can get a serviceable 45 for very little $ but you can also spend a small ranson on something like an Ebony. It depends on your needs/desires. But remember there's plenty of other gear you'll need - lense/s, film holders, tripod, dark cloth, meter ENLARGER, etc, etc...
Personally, I picked up a Wista 45 a few years ago. While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the more specialised cameras it does most of what i require. I just shoot within it's limits - and you'll find even the 'best' cameras have their limits.
LF photography is not for everyone. You need to be patient and often fussy. But the rewards can be great. If you find LF photography is your thing you are about to embark on an epic journey, good luck! May the light be with you.
pete
"Any 4x5" field camera"... Yes, I can recommend that. Or a 5x7" one.
Any camera will do the job. Some are better than others at some jobs, but not quite so good at other jobs.
There's often a trade-off between weight and stability - I have seen some very wobbly lightweight cameras. On the other hand I have seen some very wobbly massive studio cameras too, so there are many exceptions.
Mine was a Linhof Color for many years (a monorail light enough to use in the field), but I have now replaced it with a Carbon Infinity (ditto, but even more so). I can recommend the Carbon Infinity as the most versatile of all cameras - if you can find one in the first place, and can afford it if you do find one.
Before buying a camera may I suggest somer reading.
Getting Started in Large Format. It is a free article on the View Camera web site
www.viewcamera.com
and then go to the Free Articles section. There are several articles there that may be helpful.
Find one or more of these books
Large Format Nature Photography by Jack Dykinga
User's Guide to the View Camera by Jim Stone
Using the View Camera that I wrote
If you have the chance come to the Large Fomrat Conference Trade Show in Rockford, IL June 9-11. The trade show is free and there willl be lots of cameras to look at and play with. Rockford is one hour from Chicago. The trade show is at the Bext Western Clocktower Resort and there is no admission charge.
steve simmons
www.viewcamera.com
Primary considerations: size, weight, ease of use, speed of setup and knock-down, compatability with short/long lenses, suitability for foul weather conditions, durability, range of movements, price, availability of parts, cost of parts, build quality, ability to use standard backs. (I probably overlooked a few here).
Depending on your requirements, only you can prioritze the list and come up with your own solution. You may want to get an Ebony, but conclude that the cost is prohibitive and settle for a Calumet instead. It all depends on how/where/when you shoot.
You may not get the best camera for your purposes the first time. I am on my fourth 4x5 camera now, a Wisner Technical Field. It meets my requirements best. It's not perfect, but close. I got mine used, at a good price. They don't come up for sale often. I got lucky.
Good advice from everyone. Knowing your options before making a decision can never be bad. Just do me one favor - make sure that you include the ARCA-SWISS field camera in your deliberations. The construction is technically superior, the movements are so fine and easy to make, and the equipment is relatively light weight. The ground glass displays the image very brightly. They are great cameras - and modular when it comes to upgrading. As with everything, there are pros and cons: the cons are that it is relatively costly and you can have slow service depending on where you are and who you deal with. But, I love mine.
In general, I have to go with the "any field camera" response, since (IMO) any field camera is pretty much like any other -- a light tight (you hope) box that holds a lens at one end and film at the other. Virtually any field camera will have adequate movements for landscape photos. Likewise, wind and weather will easily overcome any camera, so most are adequately rigid and weatherproof. (In truth most are NOT weatherproof to any degree and must be protected from nasty conditions, and ANY bellows will cause vibration problems in the wind. A thousand dollars more might gain you a few MPH in wind tolerance.)
IMHO, a camera that has front and back tilts, front and back swings and front rise/fall will be sufficient for just about any landscape need. You can effect lateral shifts by using swings on both standards. I don't generally include old press cameras in my personal list of acceptable field cameras, although a few like the the Busch Pressman come close.
Where you'll find real differences is the length of the bellows; depending on your choice of lenses some cameras may not have enough bellows, or not perform well with your wide angles. For ultrawides, you might prefer a camera with a bag bellows option.
My personal choice is the Tachihara (technically mine is a Calumet Wood Field XM, a Tachihara in Calumet's clothing.) It will supposedly handle a 300mm lens but it would be pretty stretched out by then. On the short side, they claim it will handle 65mm but you wouldn't be able to use much tilt (if any) because the bellows is too compressed. My lenses range from 90mm to 254mm and the camera has no trouble with anything in that range. It doesn't offer interchangeable bellows, so no bag option.
I think Ken hit on the truth: any camera is a compromise, whether you sacrifice a little versatility or speed of operation to save some money, or you sacrifice a bunch of money for more foofaraw (sp?)... It's your money and your choice.
All the above is useful information for anyone. Other things to consider: What lenses do you want to use? Some field cameras handle wide angle lenses better than do others. Other cameras do not have long enough bellows to use long lenses.
Where do you live? Wood might not be the best material for you if you live in wet humid areas, or areas with lots of rain. Aluminum or plastic might be better. Others disagree on this, but it is worth considering.
Where will you use it? How, and how long, do you plan to carry it. Some cameras are heavier than others.
Answers to these sorts of questions are necessary before we can give you good advice.
Taking all of my needs into consideration, I ended up with a Walker Titan SF. I love it. Others may have the opposite reaction to the camera. It is rigid, beautifully constructed, easily uses lenses from 90mm to 450mm, has an available bag bellows, etc., etc. Almost the perfect camera for me.
All the bases have been covered but I want to underscore one point and that is price. You can spend anywhere from less than $500 for a decent used field camera to more than $4000 for one of the more expensive new ones. With that sort of a price differential staring you in the face you should look hard at your budget considering that 1) there is much less difference between the 500 used field and the top line 4000 new one than there is between a used very basic SLR and a top line Nikon new, 2) you need to consider how and where you will be using the camera as they vary somewhat in size and a lot in weight; thus, if you are planning on multi-day backpacking weight becomes a significant issue. Or,if you are going to be seriously banging it around then metal v. wood i sanother consideration and finally 3) if you are really ready to start the adventure jus tholdyoru nose and dive in .... very few folks that have been shooting LF for more than a year or two are still using the camera they started with; best thing, you will retain a high percentage of whatever y ou buy when you go to sell or trade it.
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