Chamonix?

[evan clarke]

Hi All,
After the introduction of the Chamonix 4x5 cameras there was a flurry of enthusiasm for it. There have been, IMHO, an inordinate amount of used ones for sale here. To those of you who have sold theirs, is there something you didn't like??..Evan Clarke

[Aender Brepsom]

Most of all, I didn't like the fiddly way it has to be set up and packed away. So I went back to a non-folding Ebony at the time.

[Larry Gebhardt]

I bought one of the used ones. I still like it. But it is not perfect. Here are my gripes:

1) having to screw in the front standard is a real time waster. Switching focal lengths frequently requires unscrewing the standard and then redoing it.

2) also related to the front standard, is there is not detent or positive lock to keep it square to the back. I involves lining up two dots. I haven't seen an issue with the pictures, but it feels wrong to me.

3) the rear standard movements are not quick. To put on a 300mm lens I need to extend the rear standard. This requires aligning it by feel to get it all square. Setting it back to the zero position also requires operating by feeling the edges to make sure it is even to the base plate.

4) The rear focus is nice, but when the focus rail is racked out there is some play in it. It seems to be induced by the torque of the focus screw. Longer guides would fix this at the expense of some weight.

So while I am willing to put up with those deficiencies for the weight savings, I am not happy about them. I am always thinking of ways to improve the camera design. I can certainly see how people would tire of it if they don't go far from the car. Of course if I was in that situation I would get a monorail and not a field camera.

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

I too have bought a used one. Apart from the annoying focusing problem I am very satisfied with the cam. In this price range it was the only one with such a long bellows, which is a killer feature for me. Weight is an issue too and weighting up the inconvenience of the setup. It's the perfect camera for my application. If you have different needs it may not be the right camera for you. I'd say, line up your needs, weight them and look which camera fits the bill best. It's good that we all have a rich choice in cameras of different make.

Ulrich

[Brian Ellis]

I bought a new one out of the second batch and liked it a lot. I sold it because I wasn't using it. I think it's like any other camera - you have to weigh the advantages against the disadvantages to see if it's the camera for you. For me the many advantages - long bellows, light weight, extensive movements, quality construction, low price, etc. - made it an excellent choice. The things Larry mentions didn't bother me though I don't recall using a 300mm lens with mine so I don't know about #3. In fact I thought #2 was actually a nice little feature compared to some LF field cameras that have nothing to guide you in aligning the front with the rear. But it's just a question of what's important to you and what isn't or what bothers you and what doesn't.

[R Mann]

I also bought one - used it a while and sold it.

I do think it was "over hyped" on the internet - but that allowed me to sell it for what I paid for it.

1) Build quality was OK - not better or worse than other cameras I have used -
2) Ground glass was OK but I would have replaced it if I had kept the camera -
3) Did not like the focus wheel placement -
4) Did wish there were seperate back movements and I found the back "swing" hard to adjust - missed having shift on the back.
5) While it is a little lighter than other 4x5, when folded it was not smaller -
6) Did not like moving the front & its attachment screw, especially when a lens was attached - seemed like I needed three hands to keep everything under control.
7) Did not like the front & bellows floating around during set up and folding, a couple of times it was like working with a slinky - but I can be a bit of a klutz.

I would agree that it is nice to see choices in an entry level camera and the price was reasonable. But, I would also like to see it sold through more outlets - perhaps ones with a customer service record and inventory of parts & accessories, or at least a return policy.

[D. Bryant]

I bought one of the used ones. I still like it. But it is not perfect. Here are my gripes:

1) having to screw in the front standard is a real time waster. Switching focal lengths frequently requires unscrewing the standard and then redoing it.

2) also related to the front standard, is there is not detent or positive lock to keep it square to the back. I involves lining up two dots. I haven't seen an issue with the pictures, but it feels wrong to me.

3) the rear standard movements are not quick. To put on a 300mm lens I need to extend the rear standard. This requires aligning it by feel to get it all square. Setting it back to the zero position also requires operating by feeling the edges to make sure it is even to the base plate.

4) The rear focus is nice, but when the focus rail is racked out there is some play in it. It seems to be induced by the torque of the focus screw. Longer guides would fix this at the expense of some weight.

So while I am willing to put up with those deficiencies for the weight savings, I am not happy about them. I am always thinking of ways to improve the camera design. I can certainly see how people would tire of it if they don't go far from the car. Of course if I was in that situation I would get a monorail and not a field camera.

I'm pretty much in agreement with Larry, though I still find it to be a sweet camera.

Every wooden field camera I've ever used has had it's own set of gotchas, none are perfect.

For price and weight this camera performs very well. You maybe able to get a good deal on a used one.

Don Bryant

[SW Rick]

Full disclosure: I'm a happy Chamonix owner (had another field camera, sold it to buy this, like it far better- YMMV).

I did an Advanced Search on Chamonix in the "For Sale" section, and found 10 4x5s offered for sale in the past 12 months. Did a similar search for Shen Hao, and got 12 4x5s for sale in the past 12 months. Why not a post on the "inordinate number of Shen Haos for sale"? I have my suspicions, but find the focus on Chamonix very interesting....

The camera is a tool- what's right for some is not right for others. No need to impose my preferences on others. Buy what you like, use what you like. Tired of the the "put-downs" on this forum.

Rick

Hi All,
After the introduction of the Chamonix 4x5 cameras there was a flurry of enthusiasm for it. There have been, IMHO, an inordinate amount of used ones for sale here. To those of you who have sold theirs, is there something you didn't like??..Evan Clarke

[evan clarke]

Full disclosure: I'm a happy Chamonix owner (had another field camera, sold it to buy this, like it far better- YMMV).

I did an Advanced Search on Chamonix in the "For Sale" section, and found 10 4x5s offered for sale in the past 12 months. Did a similar search for Shen Hao, and got 12 4x5s for sale in the past 12 months. Why not a post on the "inordinate number of Shen Haos for sale"? I have my suspicions, but find the focus on Chamonix very interesting....

The camera is a tool- what's right for some is not right for others. No need to impose my preferences on others. Buy what you like, use what you like. Tired of the the "put-downs" on this forum.

Rick

I probably noticed the Chamonix a litle more because the hype had me interested in buying one. Inordinate because everybody seemed to be raving about it at the onset and then quite a few were sold, my conclusion was that it's not a wonderful as was hoped. I use a fully loaded Arca 141 F metric as my go to camera but agree with Aender about a non-folding Ebony, I have a 45s and it is the best wooden camera I have encountered...EC

[Larry Gebhardt]

I should add that I like it more than the Shen-Hao it replaced, except for the few things I listed. I still think it's the best deal in a field camera at the moment.

One thing people don't mention is how rigid the camera is when setup. It is far more solid feeling than the Shen-Hao HZX I was using before (not that that was a sloppy camera). And the fact that it stays solid feeling fully extended is very nice.