Shen Hao or Wista?

[Mike1234]

The Chammy will focus a 38mm SA XL @ infinity on a flat board with the standard bellows... I've done it. With the 100mm rail extension it will focus a Fuji 450-C to 20+ feet.

[Jean HER]

The Chammy will focus a 38mm SA XL @ infinity on a flat board with the standard bellows... I've done it. With the 100mm rail extension it will focus a Fuji 450-C to 20+ feet.

even with a 90 mm f/6.8 grandagon -N the shen hao is hard to use with the standard bellows...it is too rigid and don't allow easy movements.

Shen is a good camera but the focusing knob is not precise.
And to compare to wista 45sp...shen hao had simple knobs only for locking the position (shift/tilt) .
Wista camera had two knobs for each function, one for the lock and another to tuning the tilt...this system make the difference ! and the wista had also a ratoting back.
The only bad point is the amplitude of movements, but honestly, if you use too much tilt shift you'll get some aberation in your perspertive...
wista can be a camera for life...shen hao...i doubt

[Mike1234]

even with a 90 mm f/6.8 grandagon -N the shen hao is hard to use with the standard bellows...it is too rigid and don't allow easy movements.

Shen is a good camera but the focusing knob is not precise.
And to compare to wista 45sp...shen hao had simple knobs only for locking the position (shift/tilt) .
Wista camera had two knobs for each function, one for the lock and another to tuning the tilt...this system make the difference ! and the wista had also a ratoting back.
The only bad point is the amplitude of movements, but honestly, if you use too much tilt shift you'll get some aberation in your perspertive...
wista can be a camera for life...shen hao...i doubt

The Chammy will FOCUS a 38 SA XL to infinity with a flat board and with the standard bellows. For movements you'll need a bag bellows and a recessed board. BUT... a 38 SA XL has no movements to speak of even on 6x12cm anyway. Just think what it will do with a 47 SA XL on a recessed board and bag bellows.

This is , of course, only important to those who love ultra-wide photos.

[gaelle]

Thanks guys, you've been very helpful.
Both cameras are the same price really, only the Wista is a bit more expensive as I have to add postage for it. I know I will then need film backs, focusing hood etc.
I already have lightmeter, cable release and heavy duty tripod as I have been using medium format cameras for a while.
More importantly, I'm going to need at least one lens to start with... What is the more versatile lens I should go for (focal range) -bearing in mind I'll be doing mainly landscape photography but won't need extreme wide-angle!- and which make/type etc as I haven't got a clue! Would I need to look at different ones whether I go for a Wista or Shen Hao, or can they be used on both?

[Mike1234]

If I could only have one lens to start with for landscape it would be a 135 because that would allow me to continue putting my favorite combo together as I can afford to buy more lenses... 90, 135, 210 (or 200 or 203), 300 (or 305). These are roughly 1.5x steps which works best for me.

If you don't need much movement (mostly rear swing/tilt) you can get a really nice sharp compact Schneider 135 f/4.7 Xenar pretty cheap.

[ki6mf]

Agree with Mike 123. I mainly shoot landscapes and have a 90 Grandagon, a 150, and a 210. I am thinking about getting a 135 to get slightly better better depth of field which helps when you need focus from 5-50 Feet 3-30 meters. I tend to not use the longer focus lens very much

[mikebarger]

Just curious, how do these two compare in price to a used Zone VI camera?

Thanks

[AJ Edmondson]

I'll throw in my two-cents worth here... and that's all it is (we all know about opinions). I know NOTHING about the Shen Hao but I do have a Wista SP and have been slowly getting rid of everything else...simply because the SP suits my needs and is a pleasure to work with. For years I used a Wisner Tech Field and, while it performed well, it was aggravating in use for reasons cited in many posts on this forum. I will concede - Wista Extended Lens Boards and Rail Extensions notwithstanding - the Wista would not be my choice if I wanted to use lenses longer than 250mm! I use a 120 Nikkor SW and a 180mm APO Symmar for field use and, for portraits a 250mm Imagon. Infrequently, a 90mm but that is very seldom.
I still have a Wisner Tech Field (4x5) and a Wista Cherry-wood 8x10 and I don't use them at all anymore... are they "inferior" - I don't think so, I think the Wista SP just fits my style and needs more efficiently.

[Lachlan 717]

And to compare to wista 45sp...shen hao had simple knobs only for locking the position (shift/tilt) .

You might want to check this. Mine has the dual locking knobs that allow 2 different locks (you can tighten/release the inner and outer sections independently). See attached image.

Wista camera had two knobs for each function, one for the lock and another to tuning the tilt...this system make the difference !

I can use one knob to accurately do two functions. I don't need to find one, work out which it is, decide if it's the one that I want, then find the other if it is not. This seems to me to be an inferior ergonomic design from under the dark cloth...

and the wista had also a ratoting back.

So does my Shen (well, rotating anyway)

wista can be a camera for life...shen hao...i doubt

Based on what? Can you please direct me to a thread in which someone explains where the Shen is deficient (not just drop some unsubstantiated opinion as you have or uses some hackneyed "the build quality is not the same" phrase), perhaps your post will have some merit.

How about keeping to facts wherever possible? When this is not possible, how about keeping your opinions to the camera that you have, not the one that you seem not to know much about? In that way, the OP will have usable information, not speculation.

[gaelle]

Again, thanks a lot for all your advice and information... I can see that the choice is not that straight forward to make between these 2 cameras... How about the "wood" factor : is a wooden camera more fragile than a metal one (i imagine so)? Is the wood likely to suffer in damp weather or hot days? Is it more likely not to "last" as long and not be a "lifetime camera" for this reason?