Recommend me a 4x5 camera

[welly]

Thanks for the advice guys! Reading back on my earlier requirements, it feels a little like I'm wanting the moon on a stick! I should probably keep the old triple constant in mine - cheap, fast, good - and pick two.

Weight - I can probably just man-up and deal with a slightly heavier camera. At the moment, my main interest is shooting wide and using my polaroid back. The Wisner does have a bail-back but it's just a little tight to fit the Polaroid back comfortably. I have had it working and it does fit, just tightly. I guess I could always remove the back and slide the Polaroid back in to stop any issues of knocking the camera out of focus.

Anyway, there's definitely some ideas for me to think about, thanks very much!

[welly]

I might be up in Sydney sometime in the next few weeks, and can probably pack my Shen Hao XPO for you to have a look at.

I use a 72mm with it (using a Sinar bag bellow), and I'm sure that it could go slightly wider.

It can also go out to over 400mm.

That would be brilliant if you can let me know if/when you're going to be about. The Shen Hao XPO does look amazing and I'd love to check it out.

Cheers!

[Lachlan 717]

That would be brilliant if you can let me know if/when you're going to be about.
Cheers!

Will do. It might be a couple of weeks, though, as I'm off to your old stomping grounds next week (10 days on the South Island).

I'll keep in touch regardless, as I can bring the camera up even if it's just to show you.

[Rick Rycroft]

You can check over my Technikardan if you want. I use it with lenses from 47mm to 450mm. Not sure about how the Polaroid back will fit but we can try it.

Rick

[Joseph Dickerson]

I assume you're aware that Polaroid/Fujiroid is virtually a thing of the past. Current stock sounds like it's all that will ever be available. So, unless you have a large stash in the fridge, this might be a moot point.

As far as the other wants/needs (choose one) you might be just as well off with a Sinar F1/2. About the same weight as your Wisner, much easier to find bits and bobs for, and almost as compact. It would be easy to fabricate a lens board adapter so you could swap lenses between the Wisner and Sinar and have the best of both worlds.

JD

[Joe Smigiel]

Why don't you just pick up a Cambo 4x5 rear standard, recessed lensboard, and Graflok back along with a 4x5 Cambo bag bellows and either a shorter monorail or short piece of 1x1 aluminum tube? Then you could have both an 8x10 and a 4x5 Cambo to use as desired. The 4x5 solution isn't going to fold more compactly than a field camera, but it still will pack and transport well by removing the bellows, and sliding the standards off the rail. You can probably pick up all that stuff for $125- $150 and be able to use your current lenses and Cambo lensboards as well. You could also add an inexpensive standard bellows to the above to handle the longer lenses with ample extension.

[welly]

Why don't you just pick up a Cambo 4x5 rear standard, recessed lensboard, and Graflok back along with a 4x5 Cambo bag bellows and either a shorter monorail or short piece of 1x1 aluminum tube? Then you could have both an 8x10 and a 4x5 Cambo to use as desired. The 4x5 solution isn't going to fold more compactly than a field camera, but it still will pack and transport well by removing the bellows, and sliding the standards off the rail. You can probably pick up all that stuff for $125- $150 and be able to use your current lenses and Cambo lensboards as well. You could also add an inexpensive standard bellows to the above to handle the longer lenses with ample extension.

Didn't even think about this. It was so obvious it was right under my nose! Problem solved. I'm going to do exactly this. Brb, off to the auction site. Cheers!

[Joe Smigiel]

Glad it was helpful.

But, nix the plain aluminum tube idea. Although I have read this several times, I'd never tried it before today. The Cambo standard mount is engineered so the regular 1" plain tube doesn't work. You need to buy Cambo monorails.

[Lachlan 717]

Glad it was helpful.

But, nix the plain aluminum tube idea.

Welly probably canned the idea already. It's pretty much impossible to get Aluminum in any form in Australia...

[Steve Barber]

Hi chaps,

Currently shooting with a Wisner technical field camera 4x5 and a Cambo 8x10. Love shooting with them both but the Wisner, my "daily" camera has a few niggles which I find a bit limiting.

I've just got hold of a Polaroid back and while it fits, just, it only just fits and I'm concerned I might put the camera out of focus when I'm trying to slide the back in or worse, damage the camera. Secondly, and more importantly, I like to shoot wide angle lenses. Currently as wide as 90mm but would like to go wider. My Wisner grumbles about 90mm lenses and so there is chance in hell it'll go any wider. I've tried the pointing it down 45 degrees trick with mixed success but it's not something I would like to have to resort to regularly.

The Grafmatic, Polaroid, Fuji instant and Graflex roll film type film holders need a camera that has a Graflok or “Universal” type back. These either are too thick to stuff into the Wisner or won’t go in at all. I have tried these, at one time or another using other cameras, and the only film holder, other than the standard Fidelity type 4x5 sheet film holders, that I think is worth fooling with in the Wisner is the Linhof Rapid Rolex 120 roll film holder, which is no thicker than a Fidelity 4x5 film holder. The advantage being that it does not abuse your camera back springs and you do not have to remove the ground glass to use it. I am sure that Mr. Ritter can make a Graflok back for your camera that will accept the other holders, but I do not think it would be worth the bother.

Regarding the use of shorter focal length lenses, your Wisner will accommodate a lens down to 65mm by tilting the front standard support towards the back and, then, setting the front standard at the angle required. I do not remember having a need to “drop the bed” with anything down to a 47mm. You will have some movement available with the standard bellows and a 90mm lens. With a 65mm lens, the standard bellows will be fully compressed and there will be no movement available, this is the price you pay for having enough bellows to be able to get up to 530mm or so in possible bellows extension. If you use a bag bellows, you will not be able to find a lens short enough that you cannot use full movements and there will be no problem with using full movements with even the 90mm Super-Angulon XL, because your camera will accommodate even as bulky a rear element as that lens has without interference.

On this last point, if you are using the 90mm S-A XL with some other field camera, you need to be sure that you can get the rear element through the front standard. With the Technika style lens boards, that may not be possible without removing the rear portion of the lens housing (if it is removable, some are not). Even then, if you can get it mounted, you need to be sure there will be no interference with it when taking advantage of its larger coverage. With your Wisner, neither of these issues will be of any concern.

Get a bag bellows, forget the discontinued film and holders for it and be happy with your Wisner. I do not think you will find many other field cameras that are as versatile as your Wisner is.