Greetings LF fans. As the title states, I'm new to the site. I've been been lurking for awhile, but thought that I should stop in introduce myself and ask a bit of advice. My name is Sean. I earned photo degree in May of 2009 and am now a post-bacc art history student.

My first exposure to large format photography was six years ago when I took a studio photography course. I used a Sinar F series 4x5. I loved the camera and wanted to make one almost right away. The last time I used it was four years ago. We weren't allowed to take it into the field, as we only have three of them on campus with over 50 photography students.

So, I've decided to make one. I'm not new to camera making. I've been making them and modifying them for a little over two years. Aside from a table saw and dremel I use only hand tools. Here's a link to a 4x5 point and shoot camera that I made a few years ago. It's still my favorite.

I love the controls on the Sinar, they allow you to be as precise as you want to be. I'm thinking that I would like to build a monorail 4x5, but am concerned that it would be huge to carry around with me. So, I've considered making a 4x5 field camera instead. My primary concern with the field camera is that I won't have the amount of movement and control as I would have with a monorail.

I understand that it will probably be expensive to make either of them and I could probably find one cheaper on ebay and repair it or shoot right away. I don't really care, I want to make it. I have an old retired machinist that can make any of the brass that I can't find at McMasters or Small Parts, I have access to just about any hard wood that I could want (except Cuban Mahogany, which is a bummer), and there's a great mill a few miles down the road that can make the really crazy cuts that I'll need for a few of the strips of wood.

I've already combed through a good number of plans for monorail designs and have sketched out a few ideas of my own. Grepstad meets, Cambo, meets Sinar, meets Burke and James. I'm pretty busy with school and the family so I'm planning on taking about a year to make it. What should I do. A nice collapsible field camera or sleek bad-ass monorail? Pros and cons of each? Thanks for reading.