Stir it up. What's your experience? I'm looking for a 5x7 field camera that's a little more adjustable than the Kodak no.33 I've been using since I started. Shen Hao seems to have the price edge, Chamonix a possible quality advantage. Any bad experiences with either camera?
I will be interested in this as I am looking at the same two cameras!
if you search the forum for your title you'll find a thread which I compared the two brands (4X5). The Chamonix is a better built, more versatile camera and the two are very different to set up and use.
i have a shen hao 4x5 and love it, quality seems to be great to me, i have never used a chamonix though so cant comment on those, my shen weighs in just under 3 pounds, its the ptb45, the camera i was used to was a toyo view 45gII that weighs in at around 13 pounds, the gII was very precise though, the ptb was kind of hard to get used to but now i wouldnt trade it for 2 toyo's, you can hike all day with this thing. I think i paid 679 for it brand new and it came with a copal 0 board. good deal i thought.
"WOW! Now thats a big camera. By the way, how many megapixels is that thing?"
Sully, I use the Chamonix 5x7 horizontal as a back up to my #1 Deardorff 1938 5x7.
It's tight, well-built & easy to use, and easy to adapt to. I like it a lot. It also passed the eagle eye of one of my local large format buddies who used and nixed the Shen Hao for not being up to the standards of Toyo or Deardorff.
How do they compare with the made-in-America wooden Canhams?
The Canhams are beautifully made. But there are two aspects that make Canhams love-'em-or-hate-'em - the complex system of locks and controls, and the slight flex in the standards even after the camera is locked down. I had a 5x12 Canham for a while. It was a lovely object, but after a while it just became irritating to wrestle with. OTOH, others have been perfectly happy with theirs.Originally Posted by Frank Petronio
I have a WP Chamonix; I've written up a comparison with Phillips in another thread. It's more rigid than the Canham, and although it's not without some irritations, I'm comfortable with the handling. I'd take a 5x7 Chamonix over the 4x5/5x7 wooden Canham any time.
Afraid I've never handled a Shen Hao. But their various models are different enough structurally - they have Phillips clones, Ebony clones, and more traditional collapsing designs, though not all in every format - that it may be hazardous to generalize about the brand.
"How do they compare with Canham?" My experience is the same as Oren's. My first LF camera was the 4x5/5x7 Canham. They're beautifully made. The day I first used a Deardorff I saw the differences. As stated, the Canhams have a complex, difficult to access set of controls. Afterwards I owned an 8x10 Canham traditional.....once again it was replaced by a Deardorff. The Chamonix is quick & easy to set-up, by comparison.
If you don't mind weight the Ansco 5x7 is a real contender. I prefer it to my Deardorff. I use a Chamonix 4x5 and previously owned a Shen Hao. Both of those makers give you a terrific product... the Chamonix is probably a touch more precise. I prefer the Ansco work flow to these however. And they can often be had for around $250. But they are as big as your Kodak. Mine has front shift, front tilt, front rise/fall, rear swing, and rear tilt... and a built in back extension.
I just passed on an Ansco that was on ebay (by a forum member I think) because it looked so large. I want something that won't be ungainly hanging on the end of a tripod on my shoulder. But...it was tempting. The Kodak being big isn't really a problem though. It's just sort of clumsy and inaccurate. Never was a great camera to being with.
So...I'll think about the Ansco.
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