I've got a long term plan to get a 4x5 camera. The reason it's a long term plan rather than a short term one is mostly because I've got plenty of work to do mas tering the smaller formats, and partly because it's not easy to figure out which camera/lenses to buy.

So just asking about cameras at the moment. I intend to use it for perhaps 70% l andscape, maybe 10% still life, and the other 20% - well maybe general photograp hy.

I had strongly been leaning towards the Master technika, but since reading the r eview of it here, I'm not so sure. I had wanted to get one of these because I thought the range finder focusing might present some opportunities that I wouldn't otherwise get. I'm not sure I buy the argument about not enough DOF. I use f1.4 lenses on 135 a nd I don't have a problem with that. I can buy the argument though that f5.6 or f8 maximum aperture is not enough light for most casual shooting and I don't wan t to think about attaching a flash.

So if anyone has any other comments on the RF aspect I'd be glad to hear it. The re is also the Wista 45 RF camera.

The other thing about the Master Technika of course is the price... added to whi ch is the special cams you need for focusing. If the price gets me something muc h more useful then I'm the sort of person who would pay the price anyway. On the other hand it is hard to see the value. $1500 gets you a top of the range wond er camera for 35mm. I don't quite see why a top range 4x5 camera that was design ed in the stone age must cost $5000, but hey. So if the camera I desire costs th is much, I may save it up and get it. But if I can get away with a lot less, so much the better for my bank balance.

Yes I know guys, that in one sense, one 4x5 camera is the same as another one. T hey are all just light tight boxes. But the fact that $7000 cameras exist must m ean that there are people who find value for money in doing that. Personally I'd like to get away with $2000, but let's just see what advice I get.

Of course, as I said I want to do 70% landscape, but I had thought the RF might be useful for other things, but as I said, now I'm not so sure.

So, what 4x5 camera would people recommend for me? As I said, I tend to get what ever the best camera is, even if the price is high. On the other hand, it's hard to see the value in any high priced 4x5 camera since they have all the technolo gy of a 50 year old SLR.

I _may_ want to buy this camera new, so please recommend currently available one s (yes, I can figure out for myself the relative merits of used vs new, so pleas e don't advise me on that).

The only other paramater I want to add is that small/light is good. Very good. L ike everyone else I've got too much gear now, and the lighter the better. Also, easy to set up is good. That's another area where I thought the Linhof would be good, but now I'm not so sure about that either.

Someone's going to say, why don't rent them and see. Well there isn't a wide var iety of gear in this part of the world to rent, so I'm sure I'm going to be much better off taking the advice of the much more knowledgable people here than try ing to worry about that. After all, if Phil G. thinks he stuffed up in his choic e of 4x5, I'm sure I would too without the advice of more experienced users.

Someone else will say to get a really cheap 4x5 to start off and get a better on e later on. Let me figure that one out. For now, I'm just thinking about what I want ideally. Once I know that I can figure what compromises I want to make alo ng the way.