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View Full Version : Shenhao or Wista DX?



Adonis Villanueva
24-Aug-2005, 15:49
Hi,

I'm trying to decide on which 4x5 Field camera to get and would like some opinions from people who have used these cameras (preferably both). This camera will be used primarily for backpacking/hiking, landscapes. I'm a previous owner of a Tachihara and was not exactly impressed with the camera - everytime I loosened the front-rise knob the standard would drop, more of an annoyance really but really troublesome to focus (I'll use mostly rise and tilts). It also wasn't very rigid, things moved out of place everytime I thought I had all the focus and movement down.

I know the Shenhao is similar to the Tachihara but I'm wondering if the above annoyances are an issue with this camera. Its also heavier but I'm willing to endure it if I can things stay in place after I've locked it down. The Wista is more expensive (about 300+ more than a new Shenhao) but the weight is about the same, I gather. The geared rise/fall and front/back tilt is really attractive - how good is this feature?

Thanks,

Adonis Villanueva
24-Aug-2005, 15:51
I forgot to mention. My primary lens would probably be a 90mm wide-angle (75mm if I can afford it) and 150mm.

windpointphoto
24-Aug-2005, 16:49
I think you'll find the Wista very similar to a Tachihara. I've got both a Shen Hao and a Wista that I'm looking to sell. Email me at strikeprice@hotmail.com and we can work something out where I'll send them both to you to try.

Dean Tomasula
24-Aug-2005, 17:42
Adonis, the Shen-Hao offers more movements than the Tachihara and is better built. When you adjust an SH, things stay put. The SH also offers an removeable bellows and the bag bellows accessory is only $99.
The only similarity between the Tach and the SH is that they both are wooden field cameras. That's where the similarities end. Actually the SH and the Wista are more similar than the SH and the Tach.

With the SH you can use a 90mm lens easily on a flat lensboard, no need for a recessed board and a bag bellows. Your lens choices are perfectly suited to the SH and landscape photography. Plus the SH is about $450 cheaper than the Wista.

Austin Moore
24-Aug-2005, 18:23
Get a Canham DLC

Oren Grad
24-Aug-2005, 18:29
The geared rise/fall

You may be confusing the wooden Wista cameras (DX series) with the metal Wistas (VX, SP, RF).

Ben Calwell
24-Aug-2005, 18:51
Adonis,

The wooden Wista DX doesn't have geared rise/fall. I have used a Wista DX (rosewood with rear shift) for about 15 years now, and although it gets the job done as a lightweight, backpackable camera, I've never liked the lack of a "precise feel" when using it. This might be a characteristic of all wooden cameras, though. I learned on a monorail, so when I purchased the Wista, it seemed flimsy by comparison. I tinkered with a Shen Hao at a camera store once and was not that impressed with the fit and finish.

Adonis Villanueva
24-Aug-2005, 22:13
Yes my mistake. I meant the metal field camera VX/SP.

Brian Ellis
25-Aug-2005, 08:13
"I'm a previous owner of a Tachihara and was not exactly impressed with the camera - everytime I loosened the front-rise knob the standard would drop"

Unfortunately that's going to happen with any camera that doesn't have geared front rise and fall, which means it wasn't peculiar to your Tachihara, it's going to happen with the Wista and almost all other field cameras. It's Isaac Newton and his apple and all that stuff which tell us that if a solid object is suspended in space by a locked knob the object will fall when the knob is unlocked unless something is placed under it. In the case of a lens board that something is usually one's hand.

"more of an annoyance really but really troublesome to focus . . . . "

See above. You loosen the knob with one hand and while doing that you place your other hand under the lens board which keeps it from falling. Since you'd be putting that hand under the lens board anyhow to make it rise (which presumably was why you loosened the knob in the first place) keeping the board from falling is usually easy to do.

Scott Davis
25-Aug-2005, 13:04
I'd strongly recommend the Shen Hao.
Pros:
-compact
-more movements than even some monorail cameras
-intelligently designed with high quality, durable parts
-teak-wood body(very dimensionally stable in a wide range of weather conditions)
-inexpensive and standard accessories (real leather bag bellows $99, Linhof/Wista lensboards)

Cons:
-teak-wood body (heavier than other cameras in its' class - abt 6#, versus 4# for many others)
-Limited maximum bellows draw (12", or 14" if you do some gyrations with the front and rear standards, but this is the case with many compact field cameras)
-some movements (rear tilt in particular) are a little fussy to zero out
-not as prestigious as an Ebony or Linhof

If you are looking for a basic field camera, you can't go too far wrong with it. I have both 75 and 90mm lenses (which I use with flat lensboards) and have had no problems using them with it and the bag bellows. You can even get away with the 90 with the standard bellows if you don't need much movements.

Adonis Villanueva
25-Aug-2005, 16:48
Thank you all for the information.

"Unfortunately that's going to happen with any camera that doesn't have geared front rise and fall, which means it wasn't peculiar to your Tachihara, it's going to happen with the Wista and almost all other field cameras. It's Isaac Newton and his apple and all that stuff which tell us that if a solid object is suspended in space by a locked knob the object will fall when the knob is unlocked unless something is placed under it. In the case of a lens board that something is usually one's hand. "

This is exactly why I decided to purchase a Wista VX (geared rise and fall on the front standard). It's hovers around 5lbs which is lighter than the Shen Hao, a plus considering it's metal.

Brian Ellis
25-Aug-2005, 17:44
"This is exactly why I decided to purchase a Wista VX (geared rise and fall on the front standard)."

My point wasn't that you should get a camera with geared rise and fall so that the lens board doesn't fall when the knob is loosened. My point was the opposite, i.e. that keeping the board on a non-geared camera from falling is so simple that I'm surprised a "falling lens board" would be a relevant consideration in buying a camera. But buying a camera is a personal decision and if you dislike putting your hand underneath the lens board while you loosen the front knob enough to base a camera buying decision on not having to do that, it's your money and certainly your perogative.