Keep my Horseman or sell and get a Chamonix?

[jose angel]

Chamonix cameras certainly look so good. In all finishings. Same for the accessories.
What keeps me away from them is the focusing system. Never used one, so I`m problably missing anything good.
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BTW, I use all kind of made in China products, amongst them, a variety of Apple and top quality Hi-Fi devices.

[chuck94022]

I have the Chamonix 045N-2 and love it. I highly recommend it. As for Chinese made products, consider that the iPhone and iPad are Chinese made... :-)

But a warning: skip the leather wrap. It looks good but is completely useless in practice. You will end up removing it. Just don't waste your money on it.

The problem is that the adhesive used to bind the wrap to the base is not strong enough to retain it. It ends up peeling off in a very short time. Like minutes.

Also, even if it did stay attached, it becomes a sail in any breeze, which can cause camera shake. I bought it, and after I lodged my complaint, they offered to take it back and return my money, and acknowledged the adhesive problem.

Everything else about this camera is fabulous. I use it with up to the 300mm Nikkor M with no problems using the universal bellows and the extension. Extended, the camera is rock stable.

[Joseph Dickerson]

Like Frank and others have said, keep the Horseman, you can get an adapter so it will take Linhof type lens boards (same as the Chamonix) so you can easily swap lenses between the two cameras.

Bruce at Photo Backpackers sells a nice case that will hold and protect the Chamonix. I'd also suggest getting the Universal bellows rather than the standard one. I adapted a Chamonix universal bellows to my Shen Hao and it was great. No need for a bag bellows even with a 75mm lens.

JD

[Kodachrome25]

I have a 45N-2 in Teak, beautiful camera and brilliantly designed. I have no issues using a 65mm lens without a recessed board, my longest lens is a 240. I also have 6 Chamonix film holders, the folding and the reflex viewer. I skipped the leather wrap since I protect my gear differently than that and they had the adhesive issues. I also made two hard foam spacers for when the camera is closed to help protect it a bit on hikes.

It's all the 4x5 I need, absolutely fantastic.