Is the Technikardan 45S my only option?

[Joe Forks]

... but Domke bags are less boring than mechanical tolerances on cameras I wouldn't even buy if I was a millionaire

I thought I was missing something, I was just going to tilt the back a little and swing the front a tad anyway....maybe even shift it too, or add a little rise to the equation.... I spent 20K for tolerances I just threw out the window?

[Bill McMannis]

Be patient and one will come up in the $1500 range soon enough. There is no point in overpaying.

Quite true. I bought mine new in 2004 and have watched prices on the used market come down fairly substantially since. Back in '04 there was not that much of a gap between new and used.

In hindsight I am glad to have bought new and have shot literally a couple thousand sheets with my lens kit ranging from 75 to 240mm. Based on your comments I think you will be VERY happy with a new or used TK45S.

[Cor]

Having shot 4x5 almost daily for two months in India's largest and densest cities has given me a quite precise notion of what I want and need. And a woodie won't do. I need something compact, rock solid and precise with versatile movements for wides.

Totally OT in this thread, but can we see your work from India somewhere (I imagine you surrounded by hundreds of Indians, watching trying to compose and expose)

Best,

Cor

edit: reading further in this thread I realised this questions was already answered, sorry..

[Matus Kalisky]

I would have one more question towards the original question - how does the tilt movement "feel" on the cameras mentioned that do NOT have this movement geared (TK45S, Toyo VX125, ...)? Is it precise? I have only experience with the Tachihara 4x5 and indeed the tilt movement is much less precise than rise or swing.

I would somehow intuitively expect that if a 4x5 camera is to have some movements geared, that tilt will be (after focus) the first in line. Obviously it is not the case ...

[B.S.Kumar]

I've exchanged some emails with Lars on the merits of various cameras. My two yen:

The Technikardan, Arca Swiss and Toyo VX all have geared shift and rise/fall. Tilt and swing are manual. Plus, the camera is going to be used in a relatively fluid situation. It's not a jewellery shoot where the camera has to be moved half a millimeter. So, where is the need for all this precision? Let me hasten to say that I value precision as much as anyone else (including GPS).

I use a variety of cameras - Sinar F2 and X, Linhof Color, Wista 45D and Toyo D45M. I have previously used a Cambo WideDS. All of them are perfectly fine cameras, with their own advantages and disadvantages. Being an architectural and landscape photographer, shooting film and digital, I realize that there are times when only the X will do, and when I can get by with the Wista or Linhof.

If I were in Lars' position, I would get a couple of Toyo D45M cameras. This camera also has geared rise/fall and shift, like the more expensive Arca and Technikardan. For the ridiculously low prices they sell for, they are incredible bargains, and best suited for this kind of work. They are precise enough for film, and cheap enough to be almost used as disposable cameras.

Kumar

[mortensen]

I would have one more question towards the original question - how does the tilt movement "feel" on the cameras mentioned that do NOT have this movement geared (TK45S, Toyo VX125, ...)? Is it precise? I have only experience with the Tachihara 4x5 and indeed the tilt movement is much less precise than rise or swing.

I would somehow intuitively expect that if a 4x5 camera is to have some movements geared, that tilt will be (after focus) the first in line. Obviously it is not the case ...

I completely agree! So TK-owners, how does the front and back tilt feel? Does the weight of the lens interfere with it? And while we are at it, can you describe the feel of shifts too?

thanks,
mortensen

[Brian Ellis]

I've exchanged some emails with Lars on the merits of various cameras. My two yen:

The Technikardan, Arca Swiss and Toyo VX all have geared shift and rise/fall. Tilt and swing are manual. Plus, the camera is going to be used in a relatively fluid situation. It's not a jewellery shoot where the camera has to be moved half a millimeter. So, where is the need for all this precision? Let me hasten to say that I value precision as much as anyone else (including GPS). . . . Kumar

The TK has geared shift and rise/fall? I sure don't remember that from the one I owned. But then it's been a long time since I owned mine.

[B.S.Kumar]

The TK has geared shift and rise/fall? I sure don't remember that from the one I owned. But then it's been a long time since I owned mine.

My bad. Didn't mean to include the TK in that list.

Kumar

[Noah A]

I would have one more question towards the original question - how does the tilt movement "feel" on the cameras mentioned that do NOT have this movement geared (TK45S, Toyo VX125, ...)? Is it precise? ...

I have no experience with the VX125 and I only tried out a TK45S in the shop. But I do have a lot of experience with the Arca F-Metric (8x10, without orbix) and the tilt is very smooth and easy to control, and it locks down easily and firmly.

The TK45S was smooth too, though I didn't play around with the tilt all that much. The lack of geared rise was a big negative for me. To be fair I never used the camera in the field nor did I really get to know it well.

I really like geared movements for working fast in the field. Geared front rise was one of my priorities when I was choosing a new camera, since it's the movement I use most often. I wouldn't want a camera without it. And geared front tilt is a huge benefit (on the Wista it's a friction setup not a true gearing, but it still works). It lets you control the focus and tilt with one hand while leaving your other hand free for the loupe.

Just because I work fast and in tough conditions doesn't mean I don't want precise framing, and geared movements are a big help in achieving the framing I want very quickly. I briefly worked with a Canham 8x10 metal field camera, and I hated the non-geared rise and the tilt was even worse.

[Frank Petronio]

If I were in Lars' position, I would get a couple of Toyo D45M cameras. This camera also has geared rise/fall and shift, like the more expensive Arca and Technikardan. For the ridiculously low prices they sell for, they are incredible bargains, and best suited for this kind of work. They are precise enough for film, and cheap enough to be almost used as disposable cameras.

I bought an older Cambo from Eddie last Summer but then found a 5x7 I wanted more, but it was cheap ($175) and while heavy, it was at least as well made as the Sinar I had sitting next to it. It even looked pretty, had a leather bellows.

The later Cambos, once Calumet got more involved, lost some of the build quality but were still very serviceable cameras.

Not to dissuade our friend, a Linhof still has the best build quality of all the brands IMHO. But it's like buying a Leica when a Nikon will do just fine.