I'm new here looking for a 4x5 folding field camera

[lisa osta]

I'm new here looking for a 4x5 folding field camera...

I've read through quite a bit of the forum here.
I have been doing photography for 35 years. I majored in phtography in college, worked as a photo assistant but before I got into photography on my own I went in a different career path but have always been doing photography as my passion ever since and a little bit of photo business as well.

I haven't shot film much in 5 years and haven't shot large format since the mid eighties. I've shot up to 8x10 but lately I've been shooting digital with 5D and M8.

I want to get back to shooting some LF film and have been looking at wooden field cameras. I imagine myself doing some portraits and garden photos with large format. I envision myself sticking to quickload and trying to make this easy since it will require a whole new discipline from shooting digital.

I originally thought I'd get an old deardoff but after doing some research the Ebony rw45 looks better and better. I am also figuring I'd get two lenses at least to start. I like to shoot either wide or close-up.

My questions to you all is, is the ebony rw45 a good choice. If not what else? Which lenses? I was thinking of a 90 for the wide (I like 28-35 in 35mm) but don't know what to go for on the long side. How can I get close without having really long bellows?

Thank you for your time.

[Walter Calahan]

Get the Ebony.

The aspect ratio of 35mm and 4x5 aren't the same, so a lens length on 35mm doesn't translate up to 4x5 smoothly. A 90 is a good start for wide.

Think of getting a Nikkor micro as your second or third lens. Great for the garden. For portraits, I'd suggest getting a 210mm. Those three lenses should get you rolling.

Don't skimp on a cheap tripod. 4x5 needs a solid platform underneath.

[Mike Davis]

There's no doubt that the ebony is a good choice. I chose a 135 to be on the wide side of normal. My other lenses for 4x5 are a 90mm fuji, a 210 Schneider, and a 240-w Germinar (which I also use as my wide 8x10 lens).

Camera-wise I chose a different path. I started with a 5x7 B&J that had a 4x5 back. Stripped of its gray paint, it had beautiful cherry wood. I supplemented it with a Toyo G for studio work. When I added a Shen Hoa 4x5, I traded the B&J to another photographer for a print that I liked.

I've been shooting with the Shen Hoa for more than 2 years now and I'm happy with it. It has good fit and finish but it is not in the class of the Ebony (of course, it is not in the price range of the Ebony either).

Mike

[Ron Marshall]

Have a look at the Canham, there is a review of it on this site.

90 would be a good wide and 210 good for portraits.

[andy bessette]

I'm new here looking for a 4x5 folding field camera...

I want to get back to shooting some LF film and have been looking at wooden field cameras. I imagine myself doing some portraits and garden photos with large format. I envision myself sticking to quickload and trying to make this easy since it will require a whole new discipline from shooting digital.

I originally thought I'd get an old deardoff but after doing some research the Ebony rw45 looks better and better. I am also figuring I'd get two lenses at least to start. I like to shoot either wide or close-up.

My questions to you all is, is the ebony rw45 a good choice. If not what else? Which lenses? I was thinking of a 90 for the wide (I like 28-35 in 35mm) but don't know what to go for on the long side. How can I get close without having really long bellows?

Yo Lisa,

welcome to LF forum. If you have the budget, the Ebony is quite a fine piece, but you really needn't spend that much to start. My mint Yachihara was $500.

Regarding trying to make it easy with quick-loads, you will probably want more choices. And digital is easy--LF is more about what YOU can do.

By "getting close" I presume you mean macro, for flowers and such. You won't need tremendous bellows draw with something like the 120 AM Nikkor. However if you mean as in telephoto, then a true "telephoto", rather than long focal length lens, may be required.

But before buying a camera you should decide on the minimum range of focal lengths you are willing to accept. What I mean to say is how short and how long a focal length will you require, as this relates to which camera you should choose, based upon bellows draw.

Though many very experienced LFers would debate this, I have determined that if one applies to a 35mm focal length a factor of 3.3 (or three and one third), this gives an approximation of a 4X5 lens. In other words, if you'd like your wide angle lens to be close to 35mm's 28mm lens, then 28 X 3.3 = 92.4. Therefore a 90mm lens will be a fine choice.

On the other end, if you particularly like tight headshots using an 85mm lens in 35mm format, 85 X 3.3 = 280.5, then you will want a much longer bellows draw than is possible with many cameras. So choose your lenses first! Even if you do not buy them immediately. While it is possible to do everything with one lens, or two, it would be wise to anticipate your future needs when deciding which lens(es) to begin with.

The bellows draw on most field cameras will easily handle the 210mm, but that relates to only a 63.6mm lens in the small format. Is this enough for you?

Is the Ebony rw45 a good choice? It is if it will handle the longest lens you will need.

best, andy

THERE'S MORE TO OPTICS THAN MEETS THE EYE

[Mick Fagan]

Lisa, the current issue of Magnachrom, which is a free online magazine, has a test of the Shen Hao 4x5 camera.

They show the camera with a 500mm lens (I think). They also show just how the camera fares when the bellows are fully extended and the rear is moved back to give maximum extension.

This may give you some food for thought.

Just recently I picked up a Shen Hao 4x5 and pretty much agree with the article.

Mick.

[steve simmons]

Getting Started in Large Format is an article in the Free Articles section of the View Camera web site

www.viewcamera.com

that will be helpful to you.

and here are some books

User's Guide to the View Camera by Jim Stone
Using the View Camera that I wrote
or
Large Format Nature Photography by Jack Dykinga

try your local library


The key to selecting a camera i to decide on wht lenses you want. Your bellows should be at least 25% longer then the longest lens and if you want to use anything shorter than a 90mm then get a camera that has the option of a wide angle bellows


steve simmons
publisher, View Camera magazine

[David Karp]

You might want to consider a camera with longer bellows. If you want a folder, I suggest you look into a Walker Titan SF. It has a much longer bellows draw than the Ebony, more movements, and costs about the same. It is not wood, but plastic. It is quite durable, not brittle at all. I have one and like it very much.

[lisa osta]

Thanks for all the info guys. Looks like I'll want a 90, 120 AM, and 210. The 90 and 210 should be fairlly easy to find. Any ideas where to find a Nikkor 120 AM?

I know myself and I'd rather get the ebony to start otherwise I'd buy something else and still want the ebony and eventually buy it costing me even more money.

Anything else I should consider?

[Ole Tjugen]

Not so long ago there was a "special offer" on Nikkor 120 AM, so a lot of us have them. I've seen a few resold since then, and I won't be surprised if there are more coming.

If you can't find one, there is a "cheap substitute": An old Symmar convertible 135mm f:5.6. Not the 150mm, not a Symmar-S, but the "plain Symmar" 135mm!
These old lenses were designed for best performance around 1:3 - most newer lenses were designed for 1:10 or 1:20. The 135mm has the added benefit that it's in a #0 shutter, which has the same threads on both cells. So when you move into larger-than-life ratio, swap the lens cells and it's optimised for 3:1! A "true macro lens" will outperform it at 1:1. But at anything from 1:2 to 1:infinity, or from 2:1 to as long as your bellows permit, the old lowly Symmar will do just great.
Unlike the 120 Nikkor AM the 135 Symmar will also cover 4x5" at infinity with a little bit of movements, giving a "short normal" lens.