Cheap 4X5 Cameras are Everywhere

[Tin Can]

Many want new or mint, but most LF cameras are cheap used

I have nothing to do with KEH or any of their cameras

They ship for free and have free returns

I have bought my share from them

This is just an example

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294912517582?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110018%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.COMPLISTINGS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D238115%26meid%3D3fe4566a967641babe22178da5303e56%26pid%3D101196%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D175135741317%26itm%3D294912517582%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DItemStripV101HighAdFeeWithCompV3Ranker&_trksid=p2047675.c101196.m2219&amdata=cksum%3A2949125175823fe4566a967641babe22178da5303e56%7Cenc%3AAQAGAAABEMwaiCkD4Jz%252FAA1ytZhxVAzuCsqdmLW9ojO6k7lKEs76jpz6uZE8NUCl2xZuQ9TN5WB%252FGgKyBMEt6iUYwPv4B3R4H%252BGZCnHOCqDW0aDSjqdZUfI2wYHPgPzAp0D9vB3KBlnfS2sIm2yEFpFseiFFOiy0fGU967KQwhwR0YLWMMLW7OHP48HwktqSwpnN%252Bp8xZVVWC4SaZq0GLxMTbQutYuAfx3WpXgk%252FbGTH5U9CLX8UKoWENWSfL3Rw46HoJhx8I88WhRfeLZLS0VpA870X9am2otYzH42xA2D%252FsYbaqiNDiEBaDqFeEjsnAYqq%252BrIT2acMbU9JmWnpokG3fekvscLyFL1a1RmXZONtt9uypcv4%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2047675

[abruzzi]

I got my Sinar F from KEH around Christmas time for $26. They said it was in "as-is" condition but it is/was fine.

[Daniel Unkefer]

I bought a perfectly good 4x5 Norma from KEH recently for $225. And obviously their repair dept did some good work on it which was a bonus. Asked if they would sell extra parts the answer was NOPE.

[Dugan]

I got an Omega View 45D for $50 shipped. It needed bellows...(they all do. :) ).

[domaz]

Was just at a local camera swap sale yesterday, and although prices for basically every other analog item has gone up from a few years ago- "working class" 4x5 cameras basically couldn't be given away. A rare and unusual 4x5 camera is still expensive though.

[abruzzi]

It seems like the monorail is still the cheap option. Folding field and technical 4x5s are way up, but monorails have been resistant to price increases, though Sinars do finally seem to be climbing. Though UPP has a few Sinar Alpinas for under $200.

I think that this reflects that a lot of people getting into LF are not studio photographers and look at monorails as too clumsy to take into the field. So very compact monorails like the Technkardan or the VX125 still command high used prices, but things like that B&J linked above have dropped to borderline give-away status.

[Havoc]

If you don't absolutely want the "big names" because "they are soo much better" you can get set up for a reasonable cost. But if you want to pay for a brand name on your gear, go ahead.

[Bernice Loui]

Monorail view cameras remain for now to be the absolute value view camera. This is likely due to the current obsession by folks curious about this sheet film, glass plate and etc with lightweight field foldable view cameras.. IMO, an extension of the fixed lens box camera they are familiar with and the comfort and familiarity of a "portable, hand held" camera transferred-projected to what a sheet film camera should be and what 4x5 press cameras (4x5 speed Graphics are now $$$, Linhof Technika are now $$$$+) were so good at doing. Except there are absolute limitations and trade-offs and goodness with cameras like this.

Monorail view cameras remain far less desirable due to their perceived weight, bulk and .... yet IMO, they are one of the best cameras to learn how to view camera on and these can be had for a remarkable value.


Bernice

[Tobias Key]

The market is a peculiar thing. I have a Toyo 45C and a Wista 45DX. The Wista was four times the price of the Toyo. Portability aside, the Toyo is a better camera in every respect. It also came with 2 lens boards, a roll film slider, and a set of bag bellows. Price really has very little to do with the capabilities of any given camera. Monorails would go up in price significantly if they were promoted by the right youtubers!

[abruzzi]

Monorail view cameras remain far less desirable due to their perceived weight, bulk and .... yet IMO, they are one of the best cameras to learn how to view camera on and these can be had for a remarkable value.

Moving from a folding box camera (Master Technika) to a monorail (Technikardan 45) was a bit of a revelation for me. At this point I'd much rather have a monorail for everything, but while the TK45 makes for a extemely compact 4x5 monorail, there is nothing nearly as compact for 5x7 or 8x10. For now I primarily use folders for those sizes, but I'd love a TK57 if such a thing existed.

[Timothy Blomquist]

Still have and use a Sinar F camera I bought in 1984. Never thought twice about not taking it into the field. In fact in 4x5, have never owned a folding box field camera.

[neil poulsen]

With the customizations I've recommended in the following link, the F1 Sinar can be just as functional a camera as an Arca Swiss. The Arca has some nice features. But, the F1 can provide both functionality and economy.

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/sinar-f-4x5-as-a-viable-field-camera.172997/

[Paul Ron]

they are always cheap when you arent shopping for one!

.

[Bernice Loui]

Another consideration, those new to this view camera stuff might not fully understand or appreciate what camera movements can and will do for the sheet film image as these view camera specific capabilities is not common at all with a fixed lens box camera be it digital or film. Those venturing into this view camera stuff is likely going to want a camera that is familiar to what they have been using and will likely use the sheet film camera in similar ways to a fixed lens box camera. Until the usage and how to properly apply ALL possible view camera movements is fully appreciated and understood, the benefits of a monorail -vs- light weight field folder might not be fully and completely appreciated.

For some, view camera movements are of near zero importance or significance, for others, view camera movement capability and ability for the camera to be built up or altered as needed to meet the image goals is the primary view camera selection factor.


Different tools to meet different needs,
Bernice

[tykos]

they are always cheap when you arent shopping for one!

.

this right here

[ic-racer]

I dont follow the 4x5 camera market, but the last time i was browsing 8x10 equipment, cameras, lenses , film and film holders were all much more expensive than when I started 8x10 12 years ago.

[Bernice Loui]

Market $ of sheet film view camera stuff has gone up lots from the early 2000's. Seems the bottom market $ for film GEAR was about 2007-2010, then the $ began to increase again. Today, seems much of the market value of film GEAR is what it once was with some exceptions. There was a time when it was easy to purchase a 210mm f5.6 modern plasma view camera lens for $100 U$D in fine condition any time was easy, A good 4x5 Sinar F cost about $100 and many others. There was also a glut of old film due to lack of interest. Peak sales years for digital cameras was about 2007 t0 2012 which corresponds to the trough of film and film camera GEAR interest and market value.

Film could have died during that time, for reasons still not fully understood (much chatter about this to this day) film gained popularity again driving up market value and demand for specific film gear. In ways this is a good thing, if market demand for film based images died, all this film GEAR would be mostly ornamental and relegated to a display or trophy case.


Bernice

[Tin Can]

We, if needed can make emulsions

I have everything for that

I prefer film until that time

While I have a lot of X-Ray, I also have a lot of REAL film as some touts insisted for a decade

[sharktooth]

Yeah, in that 2010 time frame the bottom fell out of the film camera market. Digital was now good enough for anybody, and had so many advantages for both pros and amateurs alike. I bought a lot of large and medium format stuff at the time, since people were almost giving it away for anything they could get. I could never have afforded any of this stuff only 10 years earlier.

Fast forward to 2022, and medium format gear especially has gone through the roof, but I think that's because it's still hand holdable with a bit of dedication, and offers something "different" for those now bored with digital. Large format is a different kettle of fish. It's probably a stretch too far the vast majority, and always has been. 4x5 pricing is all over the map. There's still lots of stuff going cheap, but the rarer items are still very expensive. It's the usual supply and demand thing. The basic commodities are still cheap (other than film) since the demand is low, but the sky's the limit for something that's hard to get or rare.

[Alan Gales]

Monorails make excellent studio portrait cameras. Plenty of bellows draw for head or head and shoulder shots!

Just get a lens board that converts to Technika style boards and you can easily swap lenses between your monorail and field camera.

[esearing]

easy to buy - hard to sell when you want something else.

[nitroplait]

I see an extremely imperfect market for film equipment.
If you look at the usual suspects; ebay and known dealers, there are not many bargains to be had.
On the other hand; in local classifieds and estate sales etc. it is still possible to get film equipment for close to nothing.
However, If you are after specifics the latter approach may require a bit of patience.

[fotopfw]

I value the monorail and the precise and fast work I can do with it. I have an excellent transport case for my Sinar P2, in both 4x5" and 8x10".
As long as my body allows it, I carry them outdoors for hikes in rough terrain. I do maintain a 5 miles distance limit from the car.

[r.e.]

Apparently sellers of Arca-Swiss cameras didn't get the memo that monorails sell for peanuts :)

[ic-racer]

Related topic I see medium format has very little resale value making me a little worried of long term availability of 120.

This worked out in my favor recently when a Rollei 6008i stopped working. It cost me almost $2000, but I was able to get a replacement like new body for just $600.

[domaz]

Related topic I see medium format has very little resale value making me a little worried of long term availability of 120.

This worked out in my favor recently when a Rollei 6008i stopped working. It cost me almost $2000, but I was able to get a replacement like new body for just $600.

It really depends on the model of medium format camera. Prices for Fuji 645zi models seem particularly over the moon to me. They are an older camera now with some known weaknesses (dying LCD displays etc).. basically you are paying for maybe a year of service with it before it breaks and possibly becomes unfixable.

[Drew Bedo]

I truely mikss the "good-'ol-days" of the Houston Camera Show.

Wish I knew then what I know now though. I;d have taken out a loan and bought up all those old brass lenses.

I would not have sold off a Leicva gIII. . . .or the Dual Range Summicron it came with.

Most of all, I miss the direct interaction with the buyers and sellers.

TToday there is something steril about on-line shopping.

[Corran]

Related topic I see medium format has very little resale value making me a little worried of long term availability of 120.

Pentax 67s, Hasselblads, Mamiya 6/7s, etc. are up up up. You may have been lucky with a lesser-known or less popular camera. 120 is as popular as ever from what I've seen.

[Tin Can]

Agree

120 roll film is way better than 35

120 does enlarge well




Pentax 67s, Hasselblads, Mamiya 6/7s, etc. are up up up. You may have been lucky with a lesser-known or less popular camera. 120 is as popular as ever from what I've seen.

[Pkiler]

What would be the reason for me to keep my amazing 4x5 Sinar P2 and many lenses if I am not likely to ever shoot film again?

I haven't touched it in about 15 years, and only work in Digital. I don't shoot in a product studio. I was using my P2 for almost exclusively Architecture, but I lost all of my clients in 2008. If I need to shoot products for a client, I use my Canon digital cameras with my Balcar and Speedotron big strobe packs, dialed way down in power.
Sometimes, assistants looked at all the strobe gear aghast, but even that doesn't stretch it's legs very often now.

Plus, I've left Photography mostly, and now work as a Perfumer.

But dang did I love to shoot buildings and houses with that P2. It is a dream camera, compared to those other lesser view cameras that I learned on. I couldn't believe it when Sinar ran a two year no interest promo on the P2, I jumped on the chance to buy one.

But it has just languished in the case for a long time.
And there does not seem to be a 4" x 5" digital sensor for flash photography that will ever be made, and the scanning backs just aren't what is gonna do it for me.

I just hate to give it up, but there just doesn't seem to be a purpose to keep what I spent $15,000 USD on P2 body, accessories, and amazing and hard to obtain lenses, that is now just rather worthless monetarily.

What are your thoughts? Is there any hope, or need to keep this amazing camera and lenses?

[Bill Poole]

Never having been a "professional" (except to shoot photos to go with my travel writing back in that lifetime), I am perhaps not positioned to comment on your core question. I will point out that you use the word "love" only to apply to your large format work. If you ever think you will photograph primarily for love (perhaps in retirement), maybe keep the gear, exercise the lens shutters occasionally, and wait for that day.

[ic-racer]

The only way to expose 4x5 is with a 4x5 camera. So a 4x5 camera would only be useless to a non-photographer, or someone too lazy to use it for what it was intended ( to expose 4x5).

[Tin Can]

As counterpoint to Cheap 4X5

Old Hasselblad prices...

[Bernice Loui]

If you're never going to do sheet film again, it could be time to pass all this Sinar and related gear on to others that can and will put them back to making images again. All that gear can stay with you for as long as you're willing to have it around for _?_ reasons. Eventually, like all other material items, no one is allowed to take it with them once they are gone from this mortal life.

After nearly four decades of being a Sinar user to this day, the joys of making images on sheet film continue. There continues to be joy and satisfaction of making sheet film images to this day.

It has been said that once any material item/device/noun no longer offers joy, enjoyment or meets a specific need, time has come to pass it on.


Bernice



What would be the reason for me to keep my amazing 4x5 Sinar P2 and many lenses if I am not likely to ever shoot film again?

I haven't touched it in about 15 years, and only work in Digital. I don't shoot in a product studio. I was using my P2 for almost exclusively Architecture, but I lost all of my clients in 2008. If I need to shoot products for a client, I use my Canon digital cameras with my Balcar and Speedotron big strobe packs, dialed way down in power.
Sometimes, assistants looked at all the strobe gear aghast, but even that doesn't stretch it's legs very often now.

Plus, I've left Photography mostly, and now work as a Perfumer.

But dang did I love to shoot buildings and houses with that P2. It is a dream camera, compared to those other lesser view cameras that I learned on. I couldn't believe it when Sinar ran a two year no interest promo on the P2, I jumped on the chance to buy one.

But it has just languished in the case for a long time.
And there does not seem to be a 4" x 5" digital sensor for flash photography that will ever be made, and the scanning backs just aren't what is gonna do it for me.

I just hate to give it up, but there just doesn't seem to be a purpose to keep what I spent $15,000 USD on P2 body, accessories, and amazing and hard to obtain lenses, that is now just rather worthless monetarily.

What are your thoughts? Is there any hope, or need to keep this amazing camera and lenses?

[pdmoylan]

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. We attach to things that allow us to recall pleasant experiences. Nothing wrong with attachment, which seems somewhat to be expected as we age.

But really, is there a market for a P2? I can’t imagine many potential buyers given its excessive weight and bulk in comparison to say a Shen Hao.

Pricing for used 4x5 is all over the place, even for the same model (eBay). The biggest hurtle by far is obtaining new bellows (and at a reasonable cost); a real issue for otherwise inexpensive LF models.

Over the last 3 years there have been perhaps a half dozen occasions where I felt LF was warranted, both from an aesthetic and practical perspective. Is it worth holding on to gear when you might use it occasionally and for which there is no ready market for prints? I am torn on this.

I’ve scaled my LF lenses down to just a few, and there still seems to be a market for the big 3 (or is that waning also?)

[xkaes]

It has been said that once any material item/device/noun no longer offers joy, enjoyment or meets a specific need, time has come to pass it on.

Bernice


There are too many people that get too attached to their gear. It just sits in the closet until the estate auctioneers basically give it away. This is just one of the reasons why some great gear is still so expensive -- a lot of it never gets on the market.

A friend of mine died last year thanks to the pandemic. I had been encouraging him, for years, to let me sell his Minolta 35mm gear on EBAY. He hadn't used it in decades and it was like new. I knew he could use the extra money, but he hung on to it just the same. In the end, the estate managers had an open house and sold -- gave away -- everything for whatever offer they got. My guess? $25 tops.

[Tin Can]

IMHO

Those that tell others to sell are duplistic

To thine own self be true

[maltfalc]

And there does not seem to be a 4" x 5" digital sensor for flash photography that will ever be made, and the scanning backs just aren't what is gonna do it for me.


http://largesense.com/index.php/products/4x5-large-format-digital-back-ls45

[abruzzi]

But really, is there a market for a P2? I can’t imagine many potential buyers given its excessive weight and bulk in comparison to say a Shen Hao.


A few months ago UsedPhotoPro listed about 5 4x5 P2s for about $500 each. I think they got a bunch of sinars from some university photo department. Anyway all those P2s were sold in a couple days. They still have 20 or more lenses on DB lens board that appeared at the same time. So I do think there is still a market.

[xkaes]

To thine own self be true

What goes around comes around.

[Bernice Loui]

Emotions are extremely powerful in ways some might not fully appreciate or understand. Emotions are also what memories are made of, thus the connection to Nostalgia...

Memories that are the results of emotions can be directly tied to cameras in various ways due to the power of still images produced by any given camera. This could be partly why cameras hold their value in various ways..

As for the Sinar P, it is and always be a modular system, NOT just a camera in any way. The front and rear frames can be removed then replaced by various image making devices to allow far more versatility than being used as a camera alone.
Not long ago, the Sinar P2 was used as a digital camera positioning device combined with a compendium lens shade to do art copy work. The ease, stability and precision repeatability greatly eased setting up digital camera to art being copied into a digital file. The compendium lens shade was mandatory due to the lighting involved. All this was set up using the Sinar P2 with various Sinar system bits and home made up bits.
227158

Another image making need where the Sinar P/P2/ ... Sinar system excels at is Marco-close up work in conjunction with a digital or similar image recording device. Exampled here in this YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU8ozo1ubfc

BTW, been there done this decades ago with a Sinar P. If this need comes up again, The Sinar bits will simply get built up from modular form to meet the image making needs.

Ponder how perfume bottles can be creatively imaged using the modular Sinar system and your current studio lighting rigs_?_

Some time ago on LFF there was a request from a film maker (cinema) for a monorail camera that can be adaptable for producing cinema scenes of a view camera ground glass as part of their film production. After plenty of typical LFF verbiage from the usual cast of personalities, this film maker settled on using a Sinar P built up from Sinar modules to meet this film making need. Inspiration and idea came from this "lash-up".
227159

Sinar modularity at play.
227160

The Sinar P/P2 can be easily altered to adapt a digital camera DSLR or Mirrorless into a camera with movements (ala: Sinar P3) as currently being marketed by Cambo Acts-G by replacing the front-rear frames with digital camera and lens adapters in place of the front-rear frames as needed.
https://www.cambo.com/en/actus-series/actus-g-view-camera/

This results in a digital camera with view camera movement capability with the ease of adjustability, stability, precision baked into the Sinar P/P2.

As for market demand for Sinar in general, their market prices have gone up. IMO, partly due to a new generation of sheet film folks that have come to realize just how versatile, capable, modular, reliable-durable the Sinar system is. Know the current sheet film view camera user consists of folks from a digital or roll film history. Many appear to want to continue their style of outdoor/natural light image making style with a sheet film camera, secondarily outdoor image making can often become an outdoor adventure beyond the photography. Personally, that is not my view camera history as it began as studio image making centric (powerful studio strobes with light modifiers and all that) with all the demands and needs of producing commercial art and similar. That is simply a very different world than doing outdoor landscape images while out hiking-camping. This has become one of the primary markets and users of light weight field folder cameras. Another segment of view camera users today are alternative process images, from wet plate to dry glass plates, carbon prints and LOTs more Image making methods that demand sheet film as part of their image making process.


Bernice



Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. We attach to things that allow us to recall pleasant experiences. Nothing wrong with attachment, which seems somewhat to be expected as we age.

But really, is there a market for a P2? I can’t imagine many potential buyers given its excessive weight and bulk in comparison to say a Shen Hao.

Pricing for used 4x5 is all over the place, even for the same model (eBay). The biggest hurtle by far is obtaining new bellows (and at a reasonable cost); a real issue for otherwise inexpensive LF models.

Over the last 3 years there have been perhaps a half dozen occasions where I felt LF was warranted, both from an aesthetic and practical perspective. Is it worth holding on to gear when you might use it occasionally and for which there is no ready market for prints? I am torn on this.

I’ve scaled my LF lenses down to just a few, and there still seems to be a market for the big 3 (or is that waning also?)

[Pkiler]

http://largesense.com/index.php/products/4x5-large-format-digital-back-ls45

Hello Maltfalc, Thanks I appreciate the gesture, but the paltry resolution of this sensor does not warrant the use or price of it. So this is not a viable option for me.

[Pkiler]

Hi Bernice, thanks for the information, the reminders, and the method to redeem the equipment for new project possibilities.

I may decide to employ the Sinar to mount a Canon body for some copy work that I need to do soon.
Do you know of mounting adapters available, or should I just look around and or improvise?

Yes, I am grateful to be reminded of the modular capability, of course I did utilize that on occasion when in studio working on jobs. But I mostly forgot about it, I think.

I appreciate the pictures to look through... it is a bit ignominious to simply degrade the Sinar P2 to a fancy lens shade though. LOL!

I do appreciate your response...

[Vaughn]

I mailed off a beautiful Graphic View II to a member for the postage. It was given to me and it was a shame it was not being used.

I learned 4x5 with rail cameras. A Graphic View, a Linhof and some Calumets were what the uni had to check-out to photo students. Carried them in hard cases everywhere....oh to be in my 20s again! Eventually I went with a very packable Calumet/Gowland PocketView, a 2 pound rail camera. In the larger formats I have learned to appreciate wood field cameras.

To each their own.

[Heroique]

I learned 4x5 with rail cameras. A Graphic View, a Linhof and some Calumets were what the uni had to check-out to photo students. Carried them in hard cases everywhere....oh to be in my 20s again! Eventually I went with a very packable Calumet/Gowland PocketView, a 2 pound rail camera.

I learned on a Toyo 45c (12 lbs.) and finally settled on my Tachi 4x5 (4 lbs.)

The decrease in weight means I can climb mountains with my gear with an increase in age. :D

I’m surprised that used prices on the Tachis are often twice what the new price used to be, but it’s a packable camera easy to love at any price.

[Pkiler]

a very packable Calumet/Gowland PocketView,

I went in to Hollywood, and bought my Gowland PocketView from Peter himself! :-)
Before he signed with Calumet.

[Duolab123]

A few months ago UsedPhotoPro listed about 5 4x5 P2s for about $500 each. I think they got a bunch of sinars from some university photo department. Anyway all those P2s were sold in a couple days. They still have 20 or more lenses on DB lens board that appeared at the same time. So I do think there is still a market.

I bought 2 of the Sinar P2 cameras, then I bought a bunch of lens boards, all from UsedPhotoPro. I couldn't believe that I could have one of these machines. I've always used a couple Calumet CC-4xx cameras. I still love the Calumet cameras, especially the wide angle model.

I am a bit of a accumulator, but I am completely engaged, not sitting around. This stuff keeps me alive :cool:

[Bernice Loui]

After decades of using a P2 and Sinar system, it is not a lot more than an image making tool as a means to an end. The P2 being used as a fancy-dancy lens shade is not much more than what the Sinar system is capable of to fit a given need.

Sinar made a camera to P standard adapter. Seems these are not so common any more, that is what was used to set up the digital camera to the Sinar P standard. Alternatively, the standard 4x5 P frame has an extrusion that interfaces with the P standard mounting that is held on with four screws. That extrusion can be removed than adapted as needed and put back on the standard 4x5 frame as needed or get a spare 4x5 P frame for parts.


Bernice




Hi Bernice, thanks for the information, the reminders, and the method to redeem the equipment for new project possibilities.

I may decide to employ the Sinar to mount a Canon body for some copy work that I need to do soon.
Do you know of mounting adapters available, or should I just look around and or improvise?

Yes, I am grateful to be reminded of the modular capability, of course I did utilize that on occasion when in studio working on jobs. But I mostly forgot about it, I think.

I appreciate the pictures to look through... it is a bit ignominious to simply degrade the Sinar P2 to a fancy lens shade though. LOL!

I do appreciate your response...

[Havoc]

The P2 being used as a fancy-dancy lens shade is not much more than what the Sinar system is capable of to fit a given need.

I'm glad I do not seem to be the only one thinking this is not a cheap camera but a very, very expensive sunshade....

[abruzzi]

I'm glad I do not seem to be the only one thinking this is not a cheap camera but a very, very expensive sunshade....

the thing I never thought about though---a LF camera that is fully geard like the P2, could make a decent macro rail for a digital camera. The cost of a used P2 isn't that far from what really nice macro rails sell for, it has any movement you'd need, but I'd be curious if the geared movement is fine enough for digital full frame or APS-C macro use? Of course that would require finding a way to mount the camera, and as Bernice stated, that may be hard to find at this point.

[Duolab123]

My Crown Graphics (2) have seen more action than my other 4x5 stuff. I use them with the rangefinder, hand held.

[Bernice Loui]

Path of least resistance..

Sinar P2 C2 P C Canon EOS Digital Conversion Kit..
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174262088794?hash=item2892d4745a:g:M1UAAOSwwjVe4F3K

Bernice




the thing I never thought about though---a LF camera that is fully geard like the P2, could make a decent macro rail for a digital camera. The cost of a used P2 isn't that far from what really nice macro rails sell for, it has any movement you'd need, but I'd be curious if the geared movement is fine enough for digital full frame or APS-C macro use? Of course that would require finding a way to mount the camera, and as Bernice stated, that may be hard to find at this point.

[Bernice Loui]

Cost to acquire that Sinar P2 and related happened decades ago. Add "deprecation" and long term ownership brings the cost of ownership way down.

Only value to any of the Sinar bits is their ability to meet an image making need. Not a lot of emotional attachment to this Sinar and other Foto stuff as they have all become a means to an end at this point in the Foto making endeavors. Yea, much of this Foto gear becomes mere tools after decades of image making.


Bernice




I'm glad I do not seem to be the only one thinking this is not a cheap camera but a very, very expensive sunshade....

[Pkiler]

Path of least resistance..

Sinar P2 C2 P C Canon EOS Digital Conversion Kit..
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174262088794?hash=item2892d4745a:g:M1UAAOSwwjVe4F3K

Bernice

Yes, Thanks, I bought one today. (but $200 cheaper)

Thanks for your thoughts... :-)

[Drew Bedo]

I may be wrong on this, but it seems to me that DSLR outfit will come in at 3x to 5x over an LF shooting outfit.

[neutron450]

I use them with the rangefinder, hand held.

I use a monopod with my Speed when I want to go lightweight.
My hands are not quite steady enough to run-n-gun like the press photogs of years ago.

[theshadowboy]

Can you please list any ever-lasting camera? Camera that is best for Vlogging and lasts for at least 10-15 years? If yes, please mention it here, Thanks!

[abruzzi]

I'm pretty sure most 4x5 cameras aren't going to be very good for vlogging.