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ImSoNegative
28-Oct-2015, 07:56
Just purchased one of these the other day. The one I am getting has a 16 inch bellows and according to the ad it is cherry and chrome. The pictures I have seen of the tachis they are cherry and brass. Is the one I'm getting a different model

John Kasaian
28-Oct-2015, 07:57
You're negatives won't know the difference

Alan Gales
28-Oct-2015, 08:07
Some were cherry and brass looking finish and some were cherry and chrome finish. Some had black bellows and some had red bellows. I believe I have seen a few on Ebay with a black finish instead of Cherry. Also some looked to be a different wood besides cherry. I heard some early models had 12" bellows. I had a cherry and brass one and it had 13" black bellows. Consider yourself lucky to have 16" bellows. You have the John Holmes of Tachiharas! :cool:

Ken Lee
28-Oct-2015, 10:32
Consider yourself lucky to have 16" bellows.

Precisely !

ImSoNegative
28-Oct-2015, 10:40
Cool....the John Holmes of tachi's. I think I will have it engraved.."TACHI WADD"

Oren Grad
28-Oct-2015, 10:47
Although the Tachihara website is no more, you can see examples of the different 4x5 camera finishes on this archived page:

https://web.archive.org/web/20110520065549/http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~tachi-ss/4x5.2dann.html

Heroique
28-Oct-2015, 13:04
We need a poll ... Tachi brass vs. Tachi chrome.

Better, a death match!

But I fear a death match would scratch the beautiful cherry on both cameras. :(

Alan Gales
28-Oct-2015, 14:53
We need a poll ... Tachi brass vs. Tachi chrome.

Better, a death match!

But I fear a death match would scratch the beautiful cherry on both cameras. :(

I bought mine brand new and it looked exactly like the one on the left. Whenever I got it out I was always afraid I was going to scratch it.

I now shoot a used Wehman. It reminds me of my Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Any scratch or dent just adds character! ;)

Tim Meisburger
28-Oct-2015, 16:34
I don't see how it could have 16" bellows, unless it is a 5x7 with a 4x5 back, or has a different mechanical design. But if it were double extension it would have something like 20 inches, right?

scm
28-Oct-2015, 17:35
I don't see how it could have 16" bellows, unless it is a 5x7 with a 4x5 back, or has a different mechanical design. But if it were double extension it would have something like 20 inches, right?

I have a Tachihara that has 16" of extension but it's been modified with an added sliding rear section, a bit like the rear slider on a Toyo 45A. This is the only one anything like this I've ever seen and I've had several dozen Tachiharas. It would be interesting to see what the OP bought.

http://stevemidgleyphotography.com/_MG_0004.jpg

Tim Meisburger
28-Oct-2015, 17:50
Wow! Cool and simple modification. I think if I still had a Tachi and needed new bellows I would be thinking about adding that functionality.

Mark Sampson
28-Oct-2015, 18:15
The Tachi I bought new in 1982 was made of cherry wood and had chrome hardware, and had 13" or so of bellows that let me use a 300/9 Nikkor-M. Nice lightweight camera; I sold it after ten years of hard use and still wish I had it.

Pat Kearns
28-Oct-2015, 19:13
In 1994 I bought a Calumet Wood Field which was a cherry & brass with 12 inch bellows. I wish it had 16 inch bellows so I could use some longer lenses. Nice light weight camera that I'm still using today.

Ken Lee
29-Oct-2015, 04:24
My guess is that the OP is measuring from the front of the lens board to the rear of the rear standard, adding a few inches along the way. I'd be surprised if the actual bellows draw (or bed extension) is anything other than the usual 13 inches.

s389
29-Oct-2015, 05:01
Hello,
I have a 13" Tachihara that need a new bellows. This is the brass and Cherry wood model. I should maybe change for a 16" bellows, it might be interesting. Do you have an online seller to recommend?
thanks

Tim Meisburger
29-Oct-2015, 05:37
Ken, have a look at the picture from ACM on the previous page of a 16" model. To me it looks an aftermarket addition, and possibly home made. Hard to tell exactly from the picture, and without a camera in front of me, but it looks like a competent machinist could knock one out in a few minutes.

ImSoNegative
29-Oct-2015, 05:37
My guess is that the OP is measuring from the front of the lens board to the rear of the rear standard, adding a few inches along the way. I'd be surprised if the actual bellows draw (or bed extension) is anything other than the usual 13 inches.


actually Ken, I bought it from Igor and the ad said 16 inch bellows, I havnt gotten it yet should be here in a few days then I will know for sure,

ImSoNegative
29-Oct-2015, 05:41
In 1994 I bought a Calumet Wood Field which was a cherry & brass with 12 inch bellows. I wish it had 16 inch bellows so I could use some longer lenses. Nice light weight camera that I'm still using today.


I have a couple of tele lenses that I use, one is a 300 komura and the other is the Fuji 400 t. that 300 was dirt cheap came in a copal shutter and is tack sharp, I was surprised, of course the Fuji is what one would expect, great lens.

Michael E
29-Oct-2015, 05:51
I bought mine brand new and it looked exactly like the one on the left. Whenever I got it out I was always afraid I was going to scratch it.

I bought mine new in 1996 and it still is my main LF camera. It was knocked over by wind in Death Valley in 1997 and the rear standard metal support was badly bent. It has been that way ever since, I have to adjust the alignment with a level for every shot. I keep telling myself that I will get it fixed some day...


... and I've had several dozen Tachiharas.

Why would you need so many?

ImSoNegative
29-Oct-2015, 05:53
hopefully this will be something very rare, an experiment they were having at the Tachi factory, they decided to scrap the idea of a 16 inch bellows after making only one camera and somehow it got out of the factory and ended up in Cleveland ohio at Igor's. A young/old man in Georgia spotted the ad that said 16 inch bellows, knowng that wasn't normal he posted a question on the LFF wondering if it was a different model only to find out he might have purchased a one of a kind, maybe worth thousands of dollars :cool:

ImSoNegative
29-Oct-2015, 05:55
here is the ad.

Tachihara 4x5 Field, red cherry wood, chrome hardware, 16" bellows extension, 4lb., Fresnel bright Screen, lens board, Ex++/Mint-

Tim Meisburger
29-Oct-2015, 06:02
Well, I'm curious now. Could be a simple mistake, or a 5x7 with 4x5 back, or a 4x5 with one of those extension dohickys, or your dream one-of-a-kind factory prototype!

Let us know when you receive it.

ImSoNegative
29-Oct-2015, 06:05
hopefully its not a mistake, the 16 inch bellows was the main reason I bought it, I will post pictures of it when I get it

Alan Gales
29-Oct-2015, 09:30
I bought mine new in 1996 and it still is my main LF camera. It was knocked over by wind in Death Valley in 1997 and the rear standard metal support was badly bent. It has been that way ever since, I have to adjust the alignment with a level for every shot. I keep telling myself that I will get it fixed some day...

I really liked the Tachi but when I went to 8x10 my lenses got bigger and heavier. I have a 4x5 reducing back so I sold the Tachihara on Ebay for a little more than I paid new.

It was so pretty that people were asking me if I refinished the antique camera myself. They were shocked when I told them they were still being made. :)

Ken Lee
29-Oct-2015, 13:14
I've used a variety of cameras but the one which most consistently draws attention and pleasant conversation is the Cherry/Brass Tachihara. Once, a passing motorist pulled over so quickly that he ran into a ditch.

Alan Gales
29-Oct-2015, 17:55
I've used a variety of cameras but the one which most consistently draws attention and pleasant conversation is the Cherry/Brass Tachihara. Once, a passing motorist pulled over so quickly that he ran into a ditch.

That's crazy! It's not like you were on the side of the road with the Swedish Bikini Team!



I can just picture someone on the forum in Sweden asking, "We have a Bikini Team?". ;)

analoguey
29-Oct-2015, 20:25
I can just picture someone on the forum in Sweden asking, "We have a Bikini Team?". ;)

Wicked!

David Karp
29-Oct-2015, 22:07
Years ago, MPEX had a 4x5 Tachi with double extension. I don't remember what the length of the extension was. I thought about buying it, but decided to wait until I found a used Walker Titan SF, which I eventually did. Jim told me that they were rare.

ImSoNegative
30-Oct-2015, 05:58
There was one on the auction site advertised as rare of course every piece of LF gear on there seems to be rare but anyway there was one shot of it racked out fully the bellows quet a bit longer than 12. Hard to tell from pictures though but it was the cherry and chrome one.

Vaughn
30-Oct-2015, 13:09
Very beatutiful functional machines. We had a couple Cherry/Brass models we lent to students. I wish the students' awe these cameras elicited when I first brought them out would have extended into the students' use of them.

Not a great choice for a constant exposure to first-time users...the brass hardware could not take the abuse (especially those little cute knobs on the front standard). Some split wood, crunched bellows, broken GG, mysteriouly bent lens hoods, snapped off cable release hardware on the shutters and so forth. Our Horseman Woodman 4x5's lasted longer --- being just a little simpler in unfolding and folding, and having sturdier simple hardware.

And students could lose knobs and screws so fast...:cool:

Oren Grad
30-Oct-2015, 13:31
FWIW, Tachihara used to offer three basic flavors of 4x5: double extension, triple extension, and superwide. The triple-extension was specified as 480mm. The spec for their double-extension 5x7 was 450mm.

ImSoNegative
3-Nov-2015, 21:01
cool, it is supposed to be here tomorrow finally

ImSoNegative
4-Nov-2015, 15:06
Well I got the camera today. What a beauty. Measured the bellows and all I can say is the only way this is a 16 inch bellows is if I put my 400t on it and measure from the GG to the end of the lens. it's actually a 12. Which is fine as long as I can focus the 400t on it with room to spare. But he will know about this

Heroique
4-Nov-2015, 16:04
Glad it arrived and looks beautiful – as a Tachi should.

Since it's a 12" bellows, not 16" as advertised, maybe the seller will offer a credit or partial refund?

And of course we hope you can share an image of it if possible.

ImSoNegative
4-Nov-2015, 16:39
Here it is sporting the 300t141844

ImSoNegative
4-Nov-2015, 16:43
not sure why everytime I post a picture from taptalk, it is sideways, anyway I bought this camera from igor camera in Cleveland ohio, he is a reputable seller so hopefully he will do something

Heroique
4-Nov-2015, 17:24
Like a beautiful woman on the sidewalk, that's a camera that will stop traffic.

koh303
4-Nov-2015, 18:03
Years ago, MPEX had a 4x5 Tachi with double extension. I don't remember what the length of the extension was. I thought about buying it, but decided to wait until I found a used Walker Titan SF, which I eventually did. Jim told me that they were rare.

The Toko camera is a tachihara with a double extension. There are not many of them.