Chamonix, Shen Hao, or other for 4x5?

[C. D. Keth]

2) Film loading. If I understand correctly, I have to load film into holders in darkness (i.e. changing bag). Does that mean that I have to have as many holders as I want to shoot and if I run out I'm done? What if I go on a holiday? I suppose people swap exposed film for fresh and store it somehow? How?

Film holders are 2-sided so you have double the number of sheets as you have holders. Most people don't find this much of a problem because large format work tends to go much slower than with a 35mm or medium format camera. I have a dozen holders but most of them sit unloaded most of the time. I tend to carry 3-6 at a time.

If you go away, you would need a 100% dark means of loading and unloading film. For most, that is a dark bag or a dark tent. The tent option is slightly more expensive but vastly more pleasant to work in. Keep your old film boxes and when you take a trip, you can unload exposed film into one of the old boxes and develop it when you get home. Keep the cardboard insert and black bag from inside the box, too. Use it all, because the time you don't the box will get cut or crushed and the negative of a lifetime will invariably be the one inside. Ask in the classifieds here if you need a few empty film boxes before you've shot your way through them yourself. There's a good chance of somebody fairly nearby (I know we have French, Czech, German, and Italian members, as well as numerous others from further out from you but still in Europe.) being able to send you a few for the cost of post.

[tigger_six]

Thanks!

I have 2 more questions about lenses:

1) I can mate any (reasonably modern) lens with any lensboard? The chamonix needs a linhof board, they are selling CF ones for 75$ but
there are no shutter specifications. So can I just buy any lens from KEH and mount it to any linhof board?

2) What does "telephoto" mean? It seems to mean more than "any reasonably long lens".

[Lachlan 717]

Thanks!

I have 2 more questions about lenses:

1) I can mate any (reasonably modern) lens with any lensboard? The chamonix needs a linhof board, they are selling CF ones for 75$ but
there are no shutter specifications. So can I just buy any lens from KEH and mount it to any linhof board?

Most "modern" lenses come in one of four sizes: 00, 0, 1 or 3 (00 is fairly rare). Their size increases as the number goes up. You will easily be able to get boards for these sizes. You need to know the shutter size in order to get the correct lens board. A quick search will give you this information.

Don't bother with CF; too expensive. Just get generic Linhof/Wista boards. They run around $20.

2) What does "telephoto" mean? It seems to mean more than "any reasonably long lens".

Two uses of these:

First, is a lens design where (in basic terms) the focal length is greater than the extension needed to focus the lens at infinity.

Second to mean longer than "standard" focal length. This is a bastardised use of the first meaning that has nothing to do with the lens' design, just its focal length.

[Jim Cole]

I've had my Chamonix 45n-2 for about two months now. I traded "down" from an Ebony RW45. I was limited to 300mm focal length on my Ebony and my 75mm was very tight (just a couple of mm for movement). I bought the extension rail for the 45n-2 and can now easily use my 450mm lens and the 75mm has room to move. I could go shorter if I felt the need to.

The Chamonix is extremely well crafted. I like the "Philips" style focus even though I'm not used to it yet and still reach around to the front of the camera. All parts lock down solidly. The camera is very rigid. The moving of the front standard when changing out some lenses is a bit of a pain in the butt, but something I was willing to deal with considering all the other fine features of the camera. The front standard positions may accommodate a couple of different lenses, so you don't always have to move the standard. For example, depending on where I'm focusing, I can use my 150mm and 210mm in the same slot.

All in all, a very fine camera.

[tigger_six]

Two uses of these:

First, is a lens design where (in basic terms) the focal length is greater than the extension needed to focus the lens at infinity.

Thanks, I suspected this was so.

[Gary Tarbert]

Hi , I have owned the Shen Hao Tachihara and Chamonix(current), so effectively all of the cheaper lightweight fields ,My vote goes to the Chamonix and isn't a new version out now. I also own a 5x8 Chamonix ,So i have purchased two cameras from Hugo ,He is a pleasure to deal with . Buy the Chamonix you won't be sorry . Cheers Gary

[tigger_six]

Hi , I have owned the Shen Hao Tachihara and Chamonix(current), so effectively all of the cheaper lightweight fields ,My vote goes to the Chamonix and isn't a new version out now. I also own a 5x8 Chamonix ,So i have purchased two cameras from Hugo ,He is a pleasure to deal with . Buy the Chamonix you won't be sorry . Cheers Gary

If by the new one you mean the F1:http://www.chamonixviewcamera.com/045F1.html, the difference seems to be that the F1 has assymetric tilts of the rear standard. I thought this wasn't important for me as I'd be probably tilting a bit forward at most most of the time. It is also 130$ more expensive and comes only in March.

[Gary Tarbert]

Yes ,Sorry i thought it was out already ,I would not be looking to change my 45n-2 in any case .The new model will run i believe alongside the 45n-2 ,So in your position the 45n-2 would be the wiser purchase, I am very happy with mine .Cheers Gary

[tigger_six]

Are there any pills I can take against gear acquisition syndrome? I might have ordered a 045n-2...

[Woodturner-fran]

No pills, although a wife often helps!

I don't think you'll be sorry about your purchase!