considering a lightweight and/or reflex 4x5, thoughts?

[dimento]

Two items in one thread

Have sold my 5x7 camera and 8x10 gear and am going to stick to 4x5 for the foreseeable future, in addition to various medium and small formats.

I shoot mostly documentary projects with a heavy portrait content. I am thinking of buying one or both of the following

a lightweight 4x5, globuscope/travelwide etc for the landscape portion of projects (maybe a decent condition gowland? as alternative?)

and a reflex 4x5, I'm guessing that would be a graflex Super D? (gowland do one but i'm guessing it's expensive)

open to suggestions on either of the options above, would like to hear from owner/users.

I currently have a Sinar system and a battered wista field 45D

thanks, D

[EdSawyer]

hi -

For the lightweight landscape camera: Consider the older version of the cambo wide. I find it better than any of the globuscope/travelwide/etc. imitations. Perfect for a 47mmXL to 90mm lens choice. Chamonix Saber is a nice 2nd choice but tends to be rare/pricey and only gets to about 120mm as the widest lens for it.

For Reflex 4x5 / portraits: There's a few options. Graflex Super D 4x5 is nice, but it's a bit cumbersome, however they are nice cameras. Both the 3x4 converted to 4x5 and the regular 4x5 one are useful handheld for portraits. 190-200mm is going to be the shortest lens choice.

the Cambo maxiportrait is a great handheld camera for head-and-shoulders portraits. Fixed focus, 240mm focal length, but cheap(ish), well built, super fast to use, and a nice single-purpose device.

Arca Reflex SLR: Very versatile, but rare and expensive. Lighter and more flexible than the Graflex Super D, really an elegant camera. But out of your budget probably.

4x5 TLR: I haven't used a Gowland but his stuff is generally nice if a bit industrial/simple as far as build usually. The Cambo TWR 4x5 TLR is a great camera, usable hand-held. 150mm to 270mm focal lengths generally (maybe longer if using a 360 Tele or whatever). Excellent for portraits and other types of shots, nothing wider than 150mm though.

hope that helps
-Ed

[Bob Salomon]

Any 45 camera that accepts a right angle reflex hood becomes an SLR. For example all Linhof 45 cameras and all Wista 45 cameras accept these hoods. So do all Sinar cameras. So just chose the one that has the movements you want, the size you want and the lens range that you want. Then just add a Fresnel screen and the hood.

Just remember, when you add a right angle hood to a 45 that it is a SLR. That means that you can focus and compose but once you put a film holder on the camera that you can no longer see through the gg.

You could also try to find the Technoflex TLR accessory for the Technika IV and V. This turns those Technikas into a true TLR. But it adds a lot of weight and you would have to have a pair of identical lenses to ensure that the viewing lens matches the taking lens. Although the viewing lens does not have to be in a shutter. This can let you use lenses as short as 45mm and as long as 360 mm.

[Drew Bedo]

What about an RF 4x5 such as one of the various Polaroid 110 conversions—or Sa aber?

What about Fotoman in the Globuscope/TravelWide arena?

[dimento]

hi -

For the lightweight landscape camera: Consider the older version of the cambo wide. I find it better than any of the globuscope/travelwide/etc. imitations. Perfect for a 47mmXL to 90mm lens choice. Chamonix Saber is a nice 2nd choice but tends to be rare/pricey and only gets to about 120mm as the widest lens for it.

For Reflex 4x5 / portraits: There's a few options. Graflex Super D 4x5 is nice, but it's a bit cumbersome, however they are nice cameras. Both the 3x4 converted to 4x5 and the regular 4x5 one are useful handheld for portraits. 190-200mm is going to be the shortest lens choice.

the Cambo maxiportrait is a great handheld camera for head-and-shoulders portraits. Fixed focus, 240mm focal length, but cheap(ish), well built, super fast to use, and a nice single-purpose device.

Arca Reflex SLR: Very versatile, but rare and expensive. Lighter and more flexible than the Graflex Super D, really an elegant camera. But out of your budget probably.

4x5 TLR: I haven't used a Gowland but his stuff is generally nice if a bit industrial/simple as far as build usually. The Cambo TWR 4x5 TLR is a great camera, usable hand-held. 150mm to 270mm focal lengths generally (maybe longer if using a 360 Tele or whatever). Excellent for portraits and other types of shots, nothing wider than 150mm though.

hope that helps
-Ed

That's great Ed, thanks, is it safe to assume that the maxiportrait can take a standard cambo graflock type back as well as the polaroid back?

[dimento]

thanks Bob and drew- good suggestions

[jp]

The graflex Super D is very nice for portrait type activities as long as you don't need X-sync. Few lens focal length choices, but the optar it comes with is very nice. Don't think of it as an all purpose camera though. You can pull the darkslide and be ready for a shot more instantaneously than a normal view/field camera with a right angle viewer as the ground glass is not in the film path.

[EdSawyer]

hi -

Yes, takes all the standard cambo back stuff. It has a graflok back built in, so it can take the usual cambo focus panels, polaroid backs (both types), etc.

I fit a polaroid Bigshot rangefinder to mine, which works great. (thanks to Misko for the idea!). allows super fast handheld portrait shooting, if desired.

-Ed



That's great Ed, thanks, is it safe to assume that the maxiportrait can take a standard cambo graflock type back as well as the polaroid back?

[mdarnton]

The Super D does have X sync--just at around 1/5--1/10 second, which is great for studio, but might not work well under other situations. I use mine with strobes all the time, and before me it lived in a portrait studio as The Camera. Sync works via a "hidden" speed that you get by setting the shutter open and the mirror down. When you fire, the mirror rises to uncover the film and fires the flash and then the shutter to close, all happening quickly. It's totally functional; in fact, when I got my Super D, the only thing I did with it for years was to shoot Type 57 (ASA3000) Polaroid portraits in available light, hand-held, at that speed. Graflex calls it 1/5, but the effective speed you get is adjustable by setting the tension, so it is basically two additional slow speeds.

The Series D doesn't have sync, though.

Don't buy a Super D just for the Auto diaphragm--it slows things down enough that I often find myself not using it, and it only works with the stock 190mm lens.

Super D, 190mm lens, x-ray film, and strobes:

https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8565/16003803507_d02a27e857_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qocFdF)
Alex Hersh (https://flic.kr/p/qocFdF)
by Michael Darnton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaeldarnton/), on Flickr

[Drew Wiley]

You could repurpose your Sinar monorail to a Sinar Handy if you don't mind a sportfinder on a 4x5 point n' shoot. But I don't personally like the look any wide angle
quickie system renders for portraiture. I do have a customer who routinely shows up with an 8x10 mahogany box camera for casual group snapshots, which he has printed and then gives to us. Works nice for him, at least. It was one of the usual suspects who recently custom made it for him in China at reasonable cost.

[jnantz]

my series d had a x-sync in it when i purchased it but the guy i bought it from
removed it before shipping it to me and told me after the fact.
i would love to be able to use it with artificial light
but available light works ok as well, or the dark room, open(T) flash, close trick but that is a pain.
ii'd suggest a series d, and have a graflex expert
install a graflok back and maybe a contact for a flash ...
graflexes are so easy to use, they should be illegal.

[AuditorOne]

I have never tried my Travelwide as a portrait camera. It is setup in landscape mode and I have never tried to use it on its side but I'm sure it can be done. However it would be a bit awkward, not something you would probably want to do regularly. I have mounted a deep lens hood on my Angulon 90 and it vignettes enough that you get a circle inside the square neg. That may work as a portrait rig, I may give that a try and see how it looks.

The Graflex RB Auto 4x5 SLR is a great portrait camera. Typically you would use at least a 210mm lens so you are working with a short telephoto. Mine was rebuilt by SK Grimes and works like a champ. I don't consider it fragile in any stretch of the imagination.

I think your ideas are on the right track but, as pointed out, there are heaps of options.

[Drew Bedo]

TravelWide in portrait orientation: Would a pistol grip help you control it comfortably?

[DrTang]

I LOVE my Cambo TWR twin lens 4x5

cammed for 150, 180, 210 and 270 lenses

and yes..it is EXPENSIVE..but not as much as missing a ton of shots on a once in a lifetime project

[EdSawyer]

TWR isn't so much expensive ($400-900 maybe) as it is hard to find. As are the parts (cams, lensboards), but fortunately they are DIY-able.

[Drew Bedo]

There is a Globuscope 4x5 body with GG spring-back on The-Bay just now. Imagine a stainless bodied TravelWide.

Could be a realistic option for this project.

[AuditorOne]

TravelWide in portrait orientation: Would a pistol grip help you control it comfortably?

It may. I do have one of those pistol grip thingies lying around somewhere, I think it is part of my old Minolta copier set. I'll see if I can find it and give it a try.