Which Camera is Thomas Struth using here - please advice

[Vonrozen]

Please help me to identify the camera and the lens that Struth is using here .
Thanks for your help !

Alexander (Paris)

[woodlandSerenade]

That looks to be a Phillips Explorer, the design of which inspired the construction of the majority (if not all?) of Chamonix's cameras.

[Vonrozen]

That looks to be a Phillips Explorer, the design of which inspired the construction of the majority (if not all?) of Chamonix's cameras.

but the one here seems a modern one (the way you wrote it seems as if the design must have been old) ?

[Vonrozen]

ok, i have just looked them up, I get it.

What about the lens, any thoughts ?

[Ethan]

ok, i have just looked them up, I get it.

What about the lens, any thoughts ?

based on the bellows extension, and that its an 8x10 camera, I'd say its one of the super wide 150s. The two most common of those are the Schneider Super Symmar XL 150 f/5.6 and the Nikkor SW 150 f/5.6. I can't make out the markings on the lens, but the shape looks more like the Nikkor to me.

[woodlandSerenade]

Hard to say. The bellows extension in that photo does not seem very long. Assuming the photo wasn't posed and the camera was actually focused on the landscape, maybe something in the 150mm range?

[Ethan]

I'd also say its a Philips Compact 8x10, rather than the explorer. Based on the images I've seen of the explorer (https://www.largeformatphotography.info/phillips.html) It had the corners chamfered on the front, and that has square corners

[Oren Grad]

Looks like the 8x10 Compact II with the reversing back; the Explorer is horizontal-only and so has different proportions and also lacks the retaining clips that are needed for the reversing back. The original Compact is very different.

Can't go by minor differences in the hardware, because the way Dick built his cameras, there were often changes in these details from one production run to the next even within a given model.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

As mentioned above, the bellows extension looks around 150mm and the lens is mounted on what looks like a Technika board (with an adapter to a larger board). I think only the 150mm Super-Symmar XL has a small enough rear element to fit through the opening of a Technika board mount among the modern wide angle 150mm lenses.

[Vonrozen]

How expensive is such a camera ? Is it worth its price ?

[Oren Grad]

The Phillips cameras are available now only second-hand, often at inflated prices - you need to check eBay and other vendors to see what those prices are at any given moment. The particular advantage they offer is excellent rigidity combined with light weight for the format, the disadvantage is that some people don't like the free-floating front standard, the absence of certain controls, and how the rear movements are implemented. Whether the distinctive features of the design are advantages for you, and whether they are worth the price, is entirely up to you.

You can check the Chamonix website to see current prices for Phillips-like designs in various formats.

[Ethan]

How expensive is such a camera ? Is it worth its price ?

I'm not sure how much the Philips cameras cost, I couldn't find any recent sales. An equivalent Chamonix camera would cost around $4,000 new. I don't have a chamonix, but a friend of mine has one of their 11x14s, and it is a very nice camera. But, there are less expensive new and old cameras out there, so whether it is worth it would be a decision you would have to make for yourself. The lens, if it is a Super Symmar XL costs another $4,000-$5,000 used (not made new anymore). That lens also requires a center filter for even illumination, which are rare, so if you can find one would also be expensive.

I get the impression you're just starting out with large format (correct me if I'm wrong), so my advice would be to start out with a simpler, less expensive kit. If you want 8x10, go for something like a Kodak 2D camera and fujinon W 300mm lens. Those will serve you very well and might be all you need. Or, maybe better, get a 4x5 like a crown graphic. 4x5 film is cheaper, and much easier to enlarge.

[Havoc]

Please help me to identify the camera and the lens that Struth is using here .
Thanks for your help !

Alexander (Paris)

You think you're going to be as good as he is when using the same camera and lens?

[djdister]

Pining for a particular camera (and lens) that another photographer uses is a waste of time. Analyze what kind of camera and lens that you want (and why), then see what is available. Keith Canham makes great wood and metal cameras in the U.S.

[Marco Annaratone]

Yes, it is a Compact II.

[Oslolens]

Here he is with his Plaubel, funny I have the lens and I just picked up a Plaubel at the post office ;)https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210923/996a831c49d22daabe83b30ec3d94358.jpg

Sent fra min SM-G975F via Tapatalk

[Scott Davis]

Pining for a particular camera (and lens) that another photographer uses is a waste of time. Analyze what kind of camera and lens that you want (and why), then see what is available. Keith Canham makes great wood and metal cameras in the U.S.

I think all of us at some point have done that (pining for the camera of someone famous... how many Cartier-Bresson wannabes are there out there running around with Leica IIIf's?). So cut the guy some slack for wanting to know what camera someone he admires uses.

That said, I'd put in a second on the recommendation of a Canham. I have four of his cameras (5x7, 5x12, 8x10 and 14x17). It makes a lot more sense than chasing a relatively rare, semi-collectible camera like the Philips, because the Canham is in current production and Keith provides truly world-class customer support. Very long story cut very short: I bought one of his 5x7s used. Like I was the 4th owner, and the camera was at least 15 years old. Something broke, and he covered it under warranty.

[alan_b]

You think you're going to be as good as he is when using the same camera and lens?


Pining for a particular camera (and lens) that another photographer uses is a waste of time. Analyze what kind of camera and lens that you want (and why), then see what is available. Keith Canham makes great wood and metal cameras in the U.S.

Hmm, one way to "see what is available" as recommended, is to look at what other photographers are using.

[r.e.]

This is forum participant Marco Annaratone's detailed video on his Philips Compact II (English subtitles):



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9oGQPW6qPM

[Greg]

I have owned and used both an 8x10 Phillips and an 8x10 Chamonix. While I loved using the Phillips, I sold it for an absolute premium price to a very, very happy buyer. Sold it for a good bit more than the cost of the new Chamonix 8x10 which I promptly acquired from Hugo Zhang.

After using the Chamonix a few times, my opinion was that the Chamonix is definitely an improved version of the Phillips. Maybe only 5-10% actual
improvements over the original Phillips design, but they make an absolutely huge difference when one actually uses a Chamonix in the field.

To be fair here, I once met another LF photographer who also used an 8x10 Phillips and an 8x10 Chamonix. He sold his Chamonix to acquire a Phillips (for a bit more $$) which he preferred. Probably the obvious moral here is that one can't go wrong with either camera.

If I had it to do again, I would also seriously consider an 8x10 Canham. I have had no experience with a Canham, but have only heard praise for the camera.

My favorite 8x10 still is a Sinar Norma, but backpacking the Norma versus the Chamonix... No comparison here.

[Drew Wiley]

The front standard is too far forward for a 150. There were certain set insert positions where the thumbscrew went in, prior to a certain amount of plus or minus bellows adjustment. That looks more like the 250 position. And it is a Phillips II.
I have the original Phillips 8x10, serial no. 009 in fact, and like its even greater simplicity over the "improved" II model, though I made certain hardware modifications to it. It has held up superbly and is quite stable. I'd be embarrassed to disclose how little I actually paid for it new back then. The Chamonix brand is the current equivalent.

But who cares if someone called Struth happens to use one or not? Owning one won't turn you into Struth; and I woudn't want to be him anyway - I have my own style to cultivate. The better question is, whether this is, or something similar, a realistic 8X10 camera choice for yourself? I happen to love the compactness and quick no-nonsense simplicity of it. When I want all kinds of features, I reach for a Sinar monorail instead.