What's the best beginner camera for 4x5? Thanks.
Ken
What's the best beginner camera for 4x5? Thanks.
Ken
You need to do some reading.
go to
www.viewcamera.com
and then to the Free Articles section.
Get a copy of
Using the View Camera, User's Guide to the View Camera, or Large Format Nature Photography from your local library.
What do you want to photograph?
steve simmons
Steve's advice is good. If you have done so already you have an idea of what type you need (monorail vs field, lots of movements, etc.). Budget is next. You can get a vintage camera pretty cheap if you are careful. I paid $300.00 for my wood field camera (5x7) with a pretty good lens and about six filmholders. Then I paid $75.00 plus $80.00 for a truly antique metal 4x5 and a not-so-great press camera lens and shutter. This last camera was made for 9x12 cm film, but I adapted a 4x5 back to it that I found in eBay for $30.00. When I get a better lens it is going to be fine. It has limited movements, but it is a good learning camera for the money. You can see them (and many others) in the post Show me yours! in 'On Photography'. Or you can get a new entry level 4x5 for $600.00 plus lens - see the ads in View Camera or other magazines.
Last edited by Rafael Garcia; 23-Oct-2006 at 20:02.
I want a Rodenstock lens (maybe 210). Will this limit my 4x5 camera selection?
No, it won't limit your selection. I know of only one camera that can't use a 210mm lens, and that's hardly a "beginner camera".Originally Posted by Ken Grooms
The nice thing about LF is that just about any camera can use just about any lens, the only limitations are on the very very short and very long lenses. 99% of all 4x5" cameras ever made can use 99% of all lenses ever made with a focal length from 90mm to about 270mm (I cut it there because that's just about the limit for very old pre-anniversary Speed Graphics, one of which I just happen to own).
The advice given is good, find the three books by Steve Simmons, Leslie Stoebel and Steve Stone. You need to do some homework first, about large format photography, about what type of photography you want to do, and about your passion, motivation and discipline to learn and work in large format photography.
It's hard to help without more information about your experience and knowledge of photography, aside from just using a camera. Large format photography is entirely different thought and work process in the field, and it's easy to be overwhelmed and or frustrated without patience. Not to mention the cost of film.
An important part is money. How much do you want to spend? Check out this post about cameras and stuff. You need to establish an overal budget and parse the money within it, and plan for additional equipment later.
Good luck.
--Scott--
Scott M. Knowles, MS-Geography
scott@wsrphoto.com
"All things merge into one, and a river flows through it."
- Norman MacLean
There are many well written 4x5 camera reviews on the home page of this site:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/roundup4x5.html
Then basically the decision is between a folding camera (field camera) or a monorail, and how much you wish to spend.
Ken,
My strategy was to buy a 2nd hand, cheap, simple, mainstream monorail camera. Before spending a lot of money it seemed wise to me to gain some experience with a camera that could be sold off again with no or little money to be lost.
I used it for a year, discovering that the movements I need are not as extreme as I expected, that weigth and bulkiness was a major factor out-doors, but also that I wanted some extra rail/bellow extension that you normally do not get from mainstream fieldcamera's.
YMMV here
After a year I sold the monorail, kept the lenses and bought a new camerabody that fitted my needs.
To summarize: get an inexpensive first camera, gain experience, buy the camera you really need.
Huib
www.huibsmeets.com
Perhaps a used Tachihara, or Shen Hao, with a Caltar 210mm (or 180mm). If you feel the need to upgrade, you will probably, never need another 210mm and can always sell the tach or shen without much loss.
Other than that, there is a whole world to choose from, money the only hinderance.
Lots of good advice here. I would only clarify that if you are going to primarily use your camera in a studio environment, start with a monorail -- but if youw ant to use it in the field, then I think it's better to consider starting with a field (folding) camera. Otherwise you may get turned off lugging a 12 pound monster around in the outdoors
Added consideration: MOST (not all) field cameras use or can be adapted to technika style lensboards, as can most (if not all) monorails. So if you start with those and decide to upgrade your camera later later you probably won't need to re-mount your lenses.
Last edited by Jack Flesher; 24-Oct-2006 at 08:34.
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