Zone VI Cameras - Going, Going, Gone!

[Ralph Barker]

. . . A little high from the contact cement, maybe...

Quite possibly. Doing that much bellows work, I'm surprised you didn't fold, Bruce.

[Kirk Gittings]

I helped Richard Ritter build the first 1,000 4x5s and first 350 8x10s after Wisner stopped making the 4x5s.

Which means that you guys assembled my Zone VI. Cool.

[Mark Sampson]

An annoying fault in the Z-VI cameras is that the plastic bellows become quite inflexible in cold weather. This has caused my wideangle bellows to seperate where the bag part is glued to the pleats. Always happens when trying to get front rise with a 90mm in the winter. The holes are nearly invisible with the bellows on-camera and they've caused light leaks and fogged film several times over the years. Luckily I've learned how to fix them myself... although I'm not nostalgic for the aroma of contact cement.

[Alan Rabe]

I have only been a part of this forum for a short time but one thing I have noticed is that every time some new LFer's asks what camera they should buy everyone suggests Shen's or Tachy's or some other manufacturer, no one ever recommends a Zone VI. I always had the feeling that they weren't looked on favorably by the members. This thread makes me feel a bit better about my camera. I have always felt it was an exceptional product, has all the movements I need and is solid and rugged as well as easy to use. It weighs a little more than some but not all that much that it should make a difference. Thanks.

[shileshjani]

I bought my Zone VI used a few years ago from someone I know from print exchanges (never met the chap). Mine is mahagony with gold plated brass and a plate on it says "Made by Zone VI Studios, New Fanes, Vermont, USA." I dont know when it was made. There does not appear be a serial number on it. I got a good deal, including 4 lens boards, bag bellows, and other miscelleneous stuff, all in excellent conditions for ~$900. The deal was "try it, and if you don't like it, send it back."

I enjoy using the camera with Nikon 90 f8 (<5% usage), Rodenstock Sironar 135-S (~15%) , Nikon M200 (40%), and M300 (40%) lenses. The 90 can be used with the regular bellows, but it is tight. i HAVE OFTEN CONSIDERED GETTING SOMETHING LIKE A 58 mm lens. Other than the weight, I have no complaints of the camera. It is a joy to use. True, the gold plating pits. I have often thought of replacing the gold plated hardware with gold-anodized titanium (I am a metallurgist). But what the heck, it works just fine. I should take better care of it than I do.

Short of a finacial calamity and abject poverty, I cannot image ever selling it. It is my first and only LF system.

[Alan Rabe]

The serial number is on the inside of the bottom on the tripod mount

[eric mac]

It's a shame to see the end of a fine line of equipment. I am relatively new to LF, but it seems to me that Fred Picker's legacy will be that he made large format photography more accessable in the same way that Norm Abrams opened up woodworking to many people. Sure, both had their detractors, but in the end, a lot more people picked up a hobby because of these gentlemen. They showed that things weren't as mysterious or mystical as we were led to believe, just common sense and a little hard work. It comes down to getting out there and shooting.

Eric

[Bruce Barlow]

Quite possibly. Doing that much bellows work, I'm surprised you didn't fold, Bruce.

Didn't fold. Spindled and mutilated, maybe.

[roxie409]

Supporters of Zone VI lost bigtime when Calumet bought the company. I don't know what the corporate philosophy is at Calumet, but they obivously didn't have a clue on how to incorporate Zone VI into their business.
Fred Picker was a great cheer leader for large format photography for amatures, very good at marketing and assembled a team that designed and built good products. I'm sorry to see it all go away.

[roxie409]

My darkroom is, and always has been, a Zone VI darkroom. I bought my first, excuse me, second, 4x5 from Zone VI, in 1987. If they could have shipped it to me within five months of when they promised, it would have been my first. I gave up, sent Fred P. an animated cancelation letter and bought a Tachahara(sp) from Calumet. But the equipment I use and way I shot, process and print is solid Zone VI. Just today I was trying to find out if the Compensating Developing Timer was still available, as mine is getting old. What is going to become of Zone VI darkroom eqipment??