4x5 pricing

[Ronan87]

Ok so I have been doing a lot of reading and theirs something that doesn't add up.

I often see people post cameras they find and how much they paid.

I see posts where people pay ~200 for a crown/graflex and ~500 for a folding woodie (what I want).

I looked locally in Montreal, and respectively they go for $500-700 and around $1200-1400 for the woodie.

I looked on eBay and sellers are asking ridiculous prices which makes me think they do not know what they are selling.

So, where do you guys buy good cameras at reasonable price?

Or is a Zone VI with no lens for $1300 a good price?...

Thank you

[Roger Cole]

Ok so I have been doing a lot of reading and theirs something that doesn't add up.

I often see people post cameras they find and how much they paid.

I see posts where people pay ~200 for a crown/graflex and ~500 for a folding woodie (what I want).

I looked locally in Montreal, and respectively they go for $500-700 and around $1200-1400 for the woodie.

I looked on eBay and sellers are asking ridiculous prices which makes me think they do not know what they are selling.

So, where do you guys buy good cameras at reasonable price?

Or is a Zone VI with no lens for $1300 a good price?...

Thank you

Buy them on here, on APUG, or on local Craigs Lists.

[Gem Singer]

Keep your eyes on the classified section of this forum. Wooden folding flat bed cameras come up quite often.

Purchase the lens separately.

If the price seems too high, make the seller an offer. You might be surprised.

Be patient.

$1300 for a 4x5 Zone VI body is way out of line.

[Noah A]

Or is a Zone VI with no lens for $1300 a good price?...

Thank you

For that price I'd buy a used Technika, but then again I like my cameras to be made from metal instead of matchsticks...

Sorry, I just don't get the fascination with expensive wood field cameras. I understand that not everyone wants to carry a Sinar or Linhof monorail (even though they can be had for pennies on the dollar compared to their original prices and represent an incredible value).

The prices you mentioned sound high, but I don't know much about the used camera market in Montreal. Many ebay sellers from the US will send to Canada, so that might be an option. Better still, many of the sellers on this forum in the Buy and Sell section will also sell to Canada.

I'd start your search right here on the LF forum. I think it sold already, but there was a mint Chamonix right here on this forum this morning listed for $700. There was also a Technika IV on ebay that I just missed out on...it sold with a buy-it-now price of $669.

[Ari]

I've bought most of my stuff here, actually.
Ebay prices are all over the place, and some dealers can afford to sit on a $6000 MT for five years.
I don't know much about Zone VI, but others will chime in.

But why would you choose wood over metal? You're losing out on precision, ruggedness, rigidity and durability.

[Jim Jones]

Some sellers flood ebay with long-running over-priced cameras, hoping a sucker won't do his homework or someone with lots of money and little patience will want it now. There are also some bargains for those who look for items that may be listed in the wrong category or poorly described. Sometimes a camera and lens are cheaper when bought together because many buyers don't want just that combination. Some cameras, like the Burke & James flatbeds that I occasionally use, are quite functional but not as elegant and easy to use as newer cameras. Their prices reflect that. I recently bought a 5x7 B&J flatbed for just under $100 (including shipping) with a Packard shutter and a perhaps useable lens. Another one had an original 4x5 back. Some rainy day I'll piece together the best combination of three of these, and get some of my money back on ebay or make a friend happy with a freebie.

[Roger Cole]

I've bought most of my stuff here, actually.
Ebay prices are all over the place, and some dealers can afford to sit on a $6000 MT for five years.
I don't know much about Zone VI, but others will chime in.

But why would you choose wood over metal? You're losing out on precision, ruggedness, rigidity and durability.

Weight and aesthetics.

Note - I have a metal camera. But I could use a couple pounds less weight and I agree that woodies sure look cool. There are always trade offs though.

[Brian Ellis]

To check ebay prices of items that actually sold look in the completed sales section using different camera brands you've seen listed as the key words. "Buy It Now" prices don't mean much, nor do opening bid prices, if the item never sold.

I think $1,200 for a Zone VI, no lens or other significant accessories, would be a little high. You can check any actual sales of Zone VI cameras on ebay by the above method. I could be wrong but I would have thought something like $700-$800 would be more realistic assuming excellent but not like-new condition.

Places to look besides ebay include the "For Sale" section here, the large format classified ads in www.photo.net, maybe www.fredmiranda.com (they're mostly digital, there may not be any large format stuff there), and of course retail stores such as KEH, MidWest Photo Exchange, Lens & Repro, Ken Mar Camera, et al. All have web sites you can find by googling.

It's odd to me that when someone comes on here looking for a wood field camera somebody often seems to chime in with "you should get a metal camera" or "you should get a monorail." Wood field cameras have been in use since the invention of photography, they didn't disappear when metal cameras came into existence and there's plenty of good reasons to use them. My favorite 4x5 field camera happens to be a metal camera (Linhof Technika) but I've owned about 12 wood field cameras and all were perfectly fine. Some were expensive - Ebony - some were inexpensive - Tachihara and Shen Hao - some were in between - Agfa Ansco, Chamonix.

If you want a wood camera get one, don't let anyone tell you they aren't precise, rugged, or stable enough. A good one is more precise and stable than you'll need 99% of the time and that other 1% would be problematical for any camera. As for durability, there's wood cameras still in use that are 100 years old. Many Deardorffs are 70 or more years old and they're highly coveted on the used market. I never once had to send a wood camera in for repairs. I sent my metal Technikas in for repairs at least 5 times.

[jk0592]

Actually, I find that the best deals appear in this forum. One just has to be patient, and when what you want is FS, there is not a lot of time to decide. So it is better to research and to do the homework beforehand.

[Two23]

But why would you choose wood over metal? You're losing out on precision, ruggedness, rigidity and durability.

Durability? I have an 1880s wooden tailboard camera that's still working fine. It didn't rust away. I have a Shen Hao and a Chamonix. I love the fine walnut in these cameras. The Chamonix has a solid carbon fiber base and seems as rigid as I need it to be. As an outdoor/adventure photographer either of these have been doing the job for me.


Kent in SD