Want to Buy Wisner - STOP ME :)

[Gary J. McCutcheon]

I have been using a Wisner Tech Field for almost ten years with no problems and Richard Ritter can repair anything.

[jnantz]

igor's is a great place to buy from.
make sure you get some film holders,
sometimes 5x7 holders are not easy to find.

have fun!
john

[Brian Vuillemenot]

Go for it- I have Wisners in 4X5 and 8X10 and am very pleased with them. Ron's crappy business reputation hurt the image of the camera, but they are generally very well made, sturdy, and intuitive to use. The resale value has come down quite a bit due to the bad business reputation, so you can get a smokin' deal on a used one. Do not worry about no support from the Wisner company- after all, we're talking about a wood and leather box that can be repaired easily by any competent woodworker should the need arise, or just jerry-rigged to work by a not so competent woodworker as I've done with my 4X5 for the last 6 or 7 years.

[Henry Suryo]

I would recommend the Wisner, and Igor's price is really good, a used 5x7 Tech used to be around $1,800 a few years back when the company was active. Perhaps people are put off by the cameras because of the customer support, or lack of, now. But I don't think this should be a deterrent, the cameras and parts are of fairly straightforward, traditional design and a lot of skilled craftsman working with wood and brass can easily repair and fabricate parts. Richard Ritter's probably the best go-to person given his Zone VI background.

The cameras themselves are well-made, handle well and the triple extension design is definitely a plus for those long lenses. The wood parts are beefy, almost overkill, but it feels solid and secure when locked down. I have heard that there are lemon Wisners, that somehow slipped quality control, but it's good that you're buying from a reputable dealer as shipping back and forth would be expensive to Russia. The lensboards would be nicer if they're 6" inches or larger, especially as you move up in format and/or have to use physically big lenses. Probably not a big concern for 5x7. What is also nice about the 5x7 is, if you ever had the itch to do 7x17 panoramas, the bed and chassis are the same for both cameras and panoramic conversions used to be available from the company. If you can find one or have custom made one, know that the camera will be adequate for 7x17. In fact, that's a plus I like on my 7x17 Tech/Expedition. Weight and bulk are manageable in the field in a medium size case or backpack. My 30 lbs Tech on the other hand...

[Michael Mutmansky]

If you are considering used, then I may have a camera that you may find useful. I was planning to put it on here in a couple of weeks, so I don't have photos of it yet. Its a Shen Hao FCL57-A that includes a 5x7 and 4x5 back and a bunch of other things. It would come in much cheaper than the Wisner, and since it is built around the Phillips inspired design, it is more rigid than the Wisner, and just about any other traditional wood camera.

Regardless, you should look at Badger Graphics for the Shen Hao cameras. Reasonably well made, very good prices, and good capabilities.


---Michael

[Michael Mutmansky]

<<<accidental double post removed>>>

[Kirk Fry]

Who fixes all those Dorff's out there? I bet they can fix Wisner's. Go for it.

K

[Steve Barber]

The Wisner and the Wista are two different designs.

The Wisner takes 4X4 wooden lens boards, Wista uses Linhof Tech type lens boards.

Besides, we're talking about a 5X7 Wisner Tech Field here. Those cameras were priced quite high when i owned my Wisners. Igor's price seems quite reasonable for the 5X7 model.

The Wisner 5x7 takes the same 51/4x51/4 lens board as the Wisner 8x10.

[AJ Edmondson]

I don't think that it necessarily slows you down, to me it was just aggravating. The Wisners are not great for shorter focal lengths (my opinion) so keep that in mind if you prefer shorter focal lengths! It is a well-made camera and I never had any problems with stability. The same knobs that are used for rise and fall on the front standard are used for tilt and I was not overly fond of that. The rear (on the Tech-Field) has additional rise (in the focal plane) but it is four more knobs to lock down and they are somewhat awkward. I agree with Ken that it is a great camera and the fact is that most cameras have some aspects which can be aggravating. Hope that helps!

[evan clarke]

I have friends who have 8x10 and 5x7 2 stage Tachiharas and they are great, light, rigid cameras. I have never heard of a bad Tachihara...Evan Clarke