Tell me about your 5x7 Canham and 6x17 back

[Don Dudenbostel]

I'm considering purchasing a K B Canham 5x7 wood camera this year and also the 6x17 back. I would like to know how owners like the camera and back. Any issues with either? What do you like and or dislike? I use a wide range of lenses from 72mm XL SA to the 720 Nikkor Tele (on 4x5) so the camera must work well with extreme wides and long teles. I also plan to buy the wide angle bellows and 4x5 back.

I've used a baby Deardorff 4x5 and 5x7 standard for years and no longer have them and for the past 35 years used my 8x10 Deardorff for commercial work. My experience with other field cameras is very limited.

Thanks!

[jetcode]

I had a Canham 5x7 with the 720mm, it will cover 5x7 with no movements. Once you get used to the locking levers on the Canham things become easier. The camera is light and well built and has a nice long bellows.

In terms of ease, cost, and format I prefer my Shen-Hao. For $2k new I have a 4x10 with 5x7 back. I believe the 4x10 back and bellows for Canham is @1750 and the 5x7 camera used will run $1800 and up and to switch between formats means exchanging backs and bellows.

I sold my Canham to go digital and came back to LF with the Shen-Hao

[Jeff Keller]

Be careful when you buy the wide angle bellows. There are quite a few being sold as Canham but they are replicas. Talking with Keith, he will urge you to try the camera without the wideangle bellows.

Six months from now I can probably provide an opinion with experience behind it. I just bought a MQC57 & 6x17 back. Removing the ground glass to mount the 6x17 roll film back is a little awkward but okay. The roll film back is very nicely designed and built. It looks like there are a couple opportunities for the operator to screw up and fog the roll. The easy battery advance should minimize problems however. Also a roll is only 4 exposures long.

It all appears to be very well designed and built. I need to expose some film rather than play with the camera to give any good info though.

[Dave - Landscapes]

Don, I've also got a MCQ57 and the Canham 617 back. This is the metal camera and not the wooden one you are thinking about. The camera is excellent and over the last couple of years I've really enjoyed using it. I shoot 617 and 4x5 with the reducing back.

The 617 back can be tricky! If you buy one, don't be tempted to tighten the 2 levers that hold the film chamber to the plate. I thought they were loose and tightened them not more than about half a turn. That caused more friction on the motor drive trying to pull the film through and I got several films with overlapping exposures! Loosened the levers back to their original setting or close to it, and everything worked okay again.

Also, you must read the film loading instructions carefully and make sure you follow them otherwise you could end up with a "loose" film and problems winding on.

These may sound like major issues - they certainly are NOT! Keith's build quality is really first class and the back works very well as do Keith's cameras. So, highly recommend the 617 back (and practice, practice, practice before you go in the field) and Keith's cameras - whichever one you end up with.

Dave