purchasing a 4x5 field camera need info

[RPHOTOGRAPHER]

Hello!

I have a question.

I am looking at 4x5 field cameras.

One thing I have seen I need help with this.

What does DX mean?

Some cameras have this and some dont.

is it like FX and DX in digital??

Please explain.

Thank you!!!

Ralph

[Oren Grad]

Wista DX is just a model name. Doesn't have any meaning beyond that.

[Jeff Keller]

You might want to take a look at: https://www.butkus.org/chinon/wista/wista_45.htm

If nothing else it shows pictures of many Wista models.

[xkaes]

There are a ton of 4x5 field cameras -- new and used, of course. Which you choose depends on what your needs are in terms of features -- and your wallet. DON'T select based on NAME BRANDS or other people's opinions/advise. Here's a table that can help. It's not complete, but it's a place to start. Perhaps you should check out a large format photography book from the library -- NOT pictures taken with a 4x5" -- and learn all the terms and options.

http://www.subclub.org/toko/4x5table.htm

[Drew Wiley]

Few books will list current model options, but might give general operating basics. It would help if you describe your primary applications. Do you need to carry it significant distances, like backpacking? Do you gravitate more toward wide angle lenses or long perspectives, or both? What kind of budget do you have in mind? Are you searching new or used gear, or both?

[Doremus Scudder]

There are a ton of 4x5 field cameras -- new and used, of course. Which you choose depends on what your needs are in terms of features -- and your wallet. DON'T select based on NAME BRANDS or other people's opinions/advise. Here's a table that can help. It's not complete, but it's a place to start. Perhaps you should check out a large format photography book from the library -- NOT pictures taken with a 4x5" -- and learn all the terms and options.

http://www.subclub.org/toko/4x5table.htm

xkaes,

You keep posting links to the subclub.org, which, at least for me, never lead anywhere. Am I missing something, or are you just posting dead links without realizing it?

Doremus

[sharktooth]

xkaes,

You keep posting links to the subclub.org, which, at least for me, never lead anywhere. Am I missing something, or are you just posting dead links without realizing it?

Doremus

The link works fine for me. The table at the bottom of the page has a very handy summary of features for several field cameras from different manufacturers.

[Doremus Scudder]

The link works fine for me. The table at the bottom of the page has a very handy summary of features for several field cameras from different manufacturers.

Hmmm... I wonder what my problem is? I'm using Firefox and I just get a "server not found" message. Any help out there?

Edit: Same with Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.

Doremus

[sharktooth]

Hmmm... I wonder what my problem is? I'm using Firefox and I just get a "server not found" message. Any help out there?

Edit: Same with Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.

Doremus

Your security settings are probably blocking plain jane http sites, and only allowing https sites. Either that, or you're browsers aren't set to automatically fill in the http stuff when it isn't included in the link address.

[r.e.]

Hmmm... I wonder what my problem is? I'm using Firefox and I just get a "server not found" message. Any help out there?

Edit: Same with Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.

Doremus

The link works fine with macOS Monterey and Safari. The spreadsheet at the link, if accurate, is an interesting resource.

[xkaes]

The spreadsheet is not complete information. There are some 4x5 wood field cameras not listed, and plenty of specifics not filled in -- i.e., difficult to determine.

But it is a good starting point.

[Chauncey Walden]

Works fine with my Firefox.

[Ig Nacio]

Hi,

Yes, I have only seen DX as a model name for Wista field cameras.

There are many other models and brand names.

An advantage of the 'field cameras' over the 'view cameras' is that
they are quite portable and weight less.

Kind regards!

[nicholai]

That would give an SSL error, not a not found error. This indicates a bad DNS server most likely.

@Doremus Scudder - If possible, try a smart phone not connected to your wi-fi.

[Drew Bedo]

I broke into LF back in the late 1980s with a beater Graflex and other stuff needed on a frayed shoestring budget. I took the photographs I could with that gear and learned what it could do and what it couldn't. This informed me when looking for a more capable camera. That camera was a B&J 5x7 with a 4x5 reducing back. One advantage was the long bellows draw for a 4x5, and I did some extreme close-up imaging that taught me things about depth of field sand exposure correction for bellows extension. Drawbacks were size, weight and fiddly controls. And it looked clunky; so it was a chevy, not a Porche.

I have had other cameras. My shooting gear now is the Zone VI mentioned above and a Kodak 2D in 8x10.

The point of this historical ramble is that your first camera will likely not be your last. Your shooting kit will grow as you grow in LF photography. Same goes for tripods, camera bags and everything else.

Best wishes anfd "Good Shooting"!