Looking for suggestions between a brand new 45 CF ($600) and Used 45A ($750), I'm a backpacker and planning do do mostly landscape with some sporadic portraits.
never used a 45 before.
thank you
John
PS: right now I'm using a Mamiya medium format film and a DSLR.
I own the CF and AX (the successor to the A) and use the CF for backpacking and while cycling with LF or anytime I need to go light and compact. The camera has all the movements you will need for landscape. The drawbacks of the CF is that a fresnel is an optional, but needed IMO, accessory.
Thomas
I have experience with both and of the two, would strongly suggest the 45A.
It's heavier but much more robust and much more solid when you are using movements.
I teach at the local community college and we bought several 45CFs and they haven't held up. Of course you probably won't treat your own camera the way students treat loaner equipment. I'd hope not anyway. But the bottom line is that we are replacing the 45CFs with 45AX bodies. We also found the lack of rear movements on the 45CF to be a bigger issue than we initially thought it would be.
There are other options in your price range including some new (Shen Hao) that are convenient, versatile and compact.
If you're like me and don't do arduous overnight hikes you might consider a Sinar F1/2. It's part of an extensive system, weighs not much more than a lot of folding field cameras and, with a little planning, can be carried comfortably in a backpack. Most importantly there are a b'zillion of them on ebay, a lot of them considerably below your stated price. This gives you enough left in your budget for a good lens, film holders, and an adequate tripod.
If you plan on multi-day packing trips the 45A or AX is a good choice but most will opt for a lighter package, perhaps a Wista or Tachihara wooden field. Not as solid but around half the weight of the Sinar F1 or Toyo 45A.
Can you borrow the 45A, or negotiate a short trial period? I had a 45A years ago and it was a great camera, but it's not the most intuitive of the 4x5s I've worked with over the years. However, once you figure it out it's a solid, fast handling camera.
Hope I haven't given you too much to think about. Give it a couple of days and you find the wonderful folks around here will give you some great insights. I've never had an issue that someone on the forum didn't eventually solve for me. Well, photographic ones anyway.
JD
I use a Toyo 45AII and it works well for landscape,
still life and portraits. It is the first 4x5 camera I have
owned and find it easy to use and it produces
nice images. I plan to take it hiking and general out
and about stuff.
I have a 45AX. I'm very happy with it. I prefer it to an AII, since I don't care about a rotating back. I've looked at a CF, but I personally wouldn't want one as a main camera. It doesn't seem rugged enough.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
thank you all for the suggestions
Hello Joseph
You recommended the Sinar F , I do have available to me a Sinar F2 for about 399, is that a huge difference from the Toyo 45A to the sinar F or F2? I would like the option of be able to work with the camera also in a studio environment. but really don't want anything super difficult to carried in the field, can you help me more on the reference Sinar? the price really attracted me
I must agree that the CF, although light, was not sturdy enough for my tastes and I had issues with vibration from the wind.
A Sinar F2 in fine working shape is an excellent camera. With a bag bellows, you would be better able to handle wide angle lenses, and with a standard Sinar bellows and extension rail, you can also use much longer lenses than on a Toyo field camera. (That said, I use lenses from 90mm - 420mm with my Toyo, with an extension back for the 420.) So you gain flexibility with the Sinar. What you loose is ruggedness and compactness. Never, ever, force anything on a Sinar, not that you should really be forcing anything with any large format camera. If the item in question doesn't move easily and smoothly, then it isn't seated properly or a lock hasn't been released.
For my uses, mostly landscapes, I prefer a Toho field camera, but I spent a decade mainly using Sinar cameras.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
Thanks again Peter
I do also have a Toyo 45F for a decent price, are familiar with this model?
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