lens/camera purchase help please...

[Michael Gaillard]

I am about to make a few purchases and I would love it if those who are more technically savvy could help me make the decisions.

I have had a Calumet wooden field camera with a 135 caltar lens for about eight years now. It is my baby, and it has treated me well, but the time has come to make a move to a better, more versatile, more professional camera. Preferably a view camera that is relatively light so that I may carry it around with ease. After doing some research, I have narrowed it down to a few cameras which seem to be available used here and there...

they are, in no particular order, the following:

- sinar F, F2, X, P, P2, norma
- arca swiss metric
- toyo vx125
- cambo ultima

I know that some of these are very high end, and intended more for studio work, but I would basically like something that spans the gap between studio and field...

Also, what is a price that I should jump at for any of these cameras if I were to see it for sale? On ebay I saw a wide array of prices for the same cameras with very little difference in wear.

and finally, (sorry for the long post), is the caltar II-N 135 that I have really a decent lens? It has been working well for many years, and people tell me that it is a schneider with a different name, but I feel as though I might be missing out on a more precise image that I could arrive at with a better lens.

I think I want to stick around the 135-150 range for my main lens, then I was thinking about a 90.

What lenses should I look for? My price range will be around 600 each.

Any help you can provide would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Michael

[thetooth]

i have heard people have good luck in the field with the arca swiss discovery , you might want to consider this .

[GaryT]

FWIW...I have an Ultima (the 23 which I use with a Leaf back). Very well made with geared movements all around. I use mine in the studio and only occasionally on location. I've owned a few Cambo's...SCX/Legend/Master in 4X5 and 8X10, the Ultima is the best yet, imo.

I don't have much experience with but have had occasion to use a Sinar F and found the standards not to my liking. Where the Cambo's standards have always been rock solid, the Sinar 's are much smaller and prone to movement. Probably a trade off for the light weight, but I just never felt comfortable with it.

[Mark Woods]

I have a Sinar P and I love it. That said it's a tank that has to be moved (some how) to the locations. I'm now looking at back packs and have seen a number of options on the back pack threads.

[Michael Gaillard]

Thanks a lot...

How heavy is the Ultima? And, would it be too unwieldy to carry around on my back? I want to make sure that it is durable and can withstand the heavy traveling I will be doing with it.

I really appreciate your advice.

M

[David Karp]

The Caltar II-N is not a Schneider. It is a Rodenstock, the equivalent of the APO-Sironar-N line. It should be a fine lens.

[scott_6029]

I would recommend the arca. Great in the field too. Once the arca is set up it is a joy to use in the field. you may want to consider a less expensive arca and add features as you go.

[Brad Rippe]

I would advise you to keep the Calumet for field work, and get a more solid camera for studio. Its difficult to find a camera that spans field and studio, you are always going to have to compromise one or the other, light weight, fewer movements vs heavy and bulky, but every movement possible.

The Calumet is a great camera with enough movements for landscape, and lightweight.
Also, your lens is a Rodenstock Sironar N equilavalent, nice lens, I would keep it.

Good Luck and also check the archives for specific questions. There is so much incredible info here.
-Brad

[GaryT]

How heavy is the Ultima? And, would it be too unwieldy to carry around on my back? I want to make sure that it is durable and can withstand the heavy traveling I will be doing with it.



M

My 23 is much smaller than the full sized Ultima. I don't know the exact weight, and mine is usually mounted on a studio stand. When I do remove it for location work, it goes onto a very heavy Gitzo Studex (I think) tripod which is also heavy,,,

I can say though that it's a great studio camera, rock solid movements, all geared. FWIW, If I were to have the occasion to go out in the field, I would use the Ultima since I already own it and am very familiar with its operation. Might not be the best choice for that application, but I know it *could* work.

[Brian Ellis]

Your Calumet wood camera almost certainly is a Tachihara with a Calumet decal on it. It weighs between about 3.4 and 4.2 pounds depending on how old it is (Tachihara appears to have made changes in the camera over the years but didn't designate them by model numbers). I don't know the weight of the cameras you list but your present camera is almost certainly lighter than any of them. It's also easier to set up in the field and easier to carry around. The cameras you list are excellent cameras and there are many good reasons to buy any one of them. But I wouldn't have thought they'd be the camera of choice when replacing a Calumet/Tachihara//Osaka in order to get a camera that's lighter and easier to carry around.

[Peter Lewin]

I have narrowed it down to a few cameras which seem to be available used here and there...

- sinar F, F2, X, P, P2, norma
- arca swiss metric
- toyo vx125
- cambo ultima

is the caltar II-N 135 that I have really a decent lens?
Michael: First, let me second Brian's suggestion that you keep the Calumet/Tachihara for field work, and consider a second camera only if you need the additional movements and bellows extension for studio or architectural work. Recognize that all view cameras are compromises between weight, strength, and flexibility of use, and there is no "one single camera best for all possible uses."

I looked at your camera list, and you are really mixing apples and oranges. In the Sinar line, the Norma, P, and P2 are designed for studio work - precise, wonderful, but relatively heavy. The Norma was the first Sinar (IIRC), replaced by the P and then the P2. Sinar developed the F and F2 as field cameras (hence the "F") so they are lighter and more transportable, but still a few pounds heaver than your wood field. I owned an F for many years, it is a little bulkier and heavier than a true field camera, but workable. The F and F2 seem readily available at low prices used, and there is an endless stream of available Sinar accessories. But again, not as light as a field camera, and not as precise as the P and P2. The Cambos are also up in the weight class of studio monorails, less costly and less precise than the Sinars (I've never used a Cambo, so that is my understanding, not hands-on knowledge).

The Toyo VX125 was designed to be easily transported; I believe it is similar in many ways to a Technikarden. If you will, it was meant to be the sort of compromise you're looking for, but by definition heavier than a true field camera, and not quite a P series Sinar in the studio, and expensive.

The Arca line has a ton of devoted fans on this forum, and from what I've read, might well be your "winner" but at a fairly high cost.

As far as lenses, you won't see a difference in quality from your Caltar/Rodenstock at the same focal length. I would say your only need to buy another lens is if you find you really want something wider (80-90mm) or longer (210-ish).

While we all love the idea of new cameras and lenses, you really need to articulate what it is you want to do that you can't do with your current camera and lens, and work from there.

[Bob Salomon]

So why not look at the Linhof Technikardan or the Kardan re?

[Darryl Baird]

I thought of the Technikardan when I saw this post. Also, the Cambo SF (if you can find one) the type of camera designed to blend studio precision (?) with lightweight features for the field. A word of caution, you cannot super tighten all of this cameras controls as they are plastic. I've broken my front rise knob twice (to be fair, one time it was at the hands of a student, but since I forgot to warn her... it's my fault).

Technical cameras - Linhof, Wista, and Horseman also might be contenders.


So why not look at the Linhof Technikardan or the Kardan re?