I'm contemplating the purchase of a second-hand Cambo view camera as my first da bble in large format photography. Principally I'm interested in the perspective correction on offer for architectural work, and the enlargement opportunies of t he larger film size. I currently mainly use an EOS system and a couple of fully manual 6x6 TLRs. Anyway, I've seen a Cambo view camera advertised and it looks l ike a reasonable buy to me, but I could use an expert opinion or two. It comes w ith a 150mm f/5.6 Fujinon lens (in a Linhof lens board), two sheet film holders, a magnifying loupe, cable release and carrying case. Cost equivalent 500 USD. T oo much? I don't have a darkroom, so need to use a lab to have my work processed , and as a beginner want to use Quickloads, so I'd have to buy another back to a llow this. Basically I've read and understood a number of books and web sites, b ut it's the technicalities of my first camera that are worrying me. Are there mu ltiple flavours of Fuji film back available? The camera doesn't look very old, b ut am I better buying new to make sure everything is compatible? Is compatibilit y between camera parts a big issue in large format? I don't initially want to sp end a vast amount of money, and am also aware that at the 500 dollar level I cou ld probably resell the camera later if I either want to upgrade or can't cope. W hat I want is a decent beginner camera to see if I like it, and to see if it sui ts how I work. I should add that I live in Japan - building a darkroom isn't an option, labs are plentiful, and esoteric camera bits are easy to find.
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