Wista Metal Camera Info

[CedarMesaPhoto]

I was wondering if people could help me decipher the variations in some of the Wista metal cameras. I know about the later versions like the SP and the VX, but I have trouble finding info on the earlier ones. For instance, does the old gold and wood grain "45" have swing? I assume if one has the big rear side knobs, in addition to the lower base folding knobs, that the gold cameras would have the micro swing like the later SP? I don't know what else the side knobs would be for. I don't think the gold and wood cameras had any sort of front swing, or did they? And is the "micro" swing the only rear swing if they even had that? The "45N" I think came next, and it seems to have front swing added in. Again, I assume the big rear side knobs denote the micro swing and extended focus on the back, when the knobs are present. I saw the manuals for the later cameras online, but the early ones are harder to find.
Thanks,
Chris

[CedarMesaPhoto]

Apparently, it is so scarce knowledge even over 500 viewers on here don't know either. I guess the gold and fake wood grain Wistas are relegated to the era of the orange and fake wood Ford Pinto Ranch Wagon.....

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[B.S.Kumar]

The faux wood finish Wista is the 45D. It has geared rise, rear swing and micro-swing. All the Wista metal field cameras have rear swing, only the VX has front swing. But it lacks micro-swing. The 45N is the basic model, with fixed bellows, no geared rise and no micro-swing. The SP is the direct descendant of the 45D, and has front swing in addition. The bellows are interchangeable among all the Wistas (except the 45N), but the SP and the 45D have the same type of back fitting, with the releases at the top rear. The VX and the 45N backs are released by rotating the back 45 degrees and pulling out the sliders. The focusing hoods are also different for the 45D and SP.

Kumar

[Alan Gales]

You are correct. There is not a lot on the internet about the earlier cameras. I bought one to flip once and had a hard time at first determining exactly which model I had.

In my biased opinion, I would prefer a VX if I could find one. It's lighter than the SP but doesn't have the micro rear swing. The micro rear swing didn't do anything for me. I don't do macro photography though. Of course I wouldn't turn down a nice SP. Condition is everything so I would prefer a clean newer version versus the older models unless you find a nice older version that you can physically put your hands on and try.

[CedarMesaPhoto]

Thanks, I knew someone must be familiar with them. Chris

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[DHodson]

Metal Wistas are frustrating for sure - I went down that rabbit hole a few months ago. The camera was advertised as an SP but in the end turned out to be a 45D. I kept it, partly because returning was a problem, but also because the seller was a really upfront guy (he'd been mislead as well) and we came to a mutual agreement. The camera is a really nice camera to use.

It turns out the older 45D's had the wood grain but the newer ones are black and look very similar to the SP's including the two knobs on the back standard. The front standards are slightly different though and the 45D front doesn't swing where the SP does. I've included a couple of pamphlets I found and you can see the 45D has the two knobs on the back standard (one being for microswing) whereas the 45N only has one (no microswing). The 45D also doesn't have rear swing like the SP only the microswing.

Anyway, here's two jpgs of the pamphlets I found, hopefully they're of some use. I also have a pdf of the SP manual I can send if you're interested. It's 4 Mb so over the limit for attaching and also a mix of Japanese and English so maybe not of much use apart from some pictures. I had hoped it would have part numbers but it doesn't.

Regards
Dave

154446 154447

[CedarMesaPhoto]

Thanks Dave.

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[h2oman]

I'm not sure exactly what you are after, but I have an SP, and would try to get a VX instead if I were to do it again...

[B.S.Kumar]

I'm not sure exactly what you are after, but I have an SP, and would try to get a VX instead if I were to do it again...

If you could please explain the reasons?

Kumar