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View Full Version : cambo wide with 35mm lens: some info and usage, please



izo
4-Jun-2008, 01:51
i'm thinking about this set (i hope still available):


http://img.bolha.com/images/image/7112/7664/_4796598c182e2.jpg

-cambo wide 4x5 body
-35mm rodenstok apo lens
-6x9 and 6x7 roll casette
-polaroid 4x5 casette
-opt. viewfinder
-Boss-Fresnel groundglass
-focusing shaft
-Rodenstock AR Center filter 67/86

so, i like to know:

1. how much this set worth in general today?
2. what fov (in leica format numbers) i roughly get from that 35mm lens on 6x9 casette cropping 4x5 area? i was guessing about 20mm, on 4x5 should be some 12mm-ish, right? as i see from cambo lens brochure, 35mm lense don't realy cover 4x5 area, specialy if shift is used.
http://shrani.si/f/2O/LJ/4pLzDGll/grandagon-35.jpg
but then i find this
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36669754@N00/530707719
i guess i could use bigger area than 6x9, too..
3. talking about shift: how much distortion correction could i get from that +/-20mm?
4. overall quality and usage of this set: how is this camera behaving in the field etc?

thnx..

Ron Marshall
4-Jun-2008, 06:59
Search completed auctions, to see what they have gone for recently. Also check KEH Camera Brokers.

It will be equivalent to about a 15mm on 6x9. That lens will not cover 4x5 film.

izo
4-Jun-2008, 07:42
i did check ebay etc, not a lot cambos wide with 35 mm lens out there, hard to tell..
15mm sound good, thanks ;)
any user with cambo wide here? i would like to hear answers to no. 3 and 4, too..

Frank Petronio
4-Jun-2008, 08:01
Those Calumet C2 roll backs do not have the best rep for film flatness or build quality. Not that they are junk, but a used Linhof or Horseman back would probably be better. And you may not really need the Fresnel with such a wide lens, it really depends on the design of the fresnel and also since you are using just the 6x9 portion, it may not help as much as you think.

izo
4-Jun-2008, 08:49
i heard about roll backs. well, it will do for starter, then we'll see.
yes, fresnel glass would be more handy for composition (i hope it has markings on it) than focus check. focus is not that critical on such wide lense anyway i guess, so..

verbryck
4-Jun-2008, 21:50
I had a cambo wide 47mm for while the shift with this wide of a lens is more of a novelty than a useful prospect . I sold mine for $1600 . It is a compact way to shoot wide angle roll film but there are cheaper options which are not limited to shift only wide angle photography . Unless it is not clear I chose to move in that direction . However very few if any 4x5 cameras will focus a 35mm lens so if you need, want the 35mm lens you may just NEED a cambo wide. I used a horseman 6x12 back on mine most often, Best Regards, George

izo
5-Jun-2008, 00:55
yes, i like "compact" style of camera. how about lense quality and pictures, were you happy with results?
i do intent to use lf camera for landscape/architecture (but i agree, doesn't have to be only wide lense fot that), so i think this set fits nicely.

Darryl Baird
5-Jun-2008, 03:48
I owned and shot both the 35mm Apo Grandagon and a cambo wide... but not at the same time. Both lens and camera are excellent. The lens is more like a 15mm on 35mm film. The camera was designed for architecture, but not landscape per se... no tilt to the front lens. I used it exclusively for interiors and exteriors, where a shift capability is needed. I used a 75mm and 90mm lenses mostly, although I had occasion to go as wide as 65mm ALL on 4x5 film, not 6x7 or 6x9. I later traded that camera and lens panels for a Linhof Technika with a 58mm and another 75mm. On this rig I moved to roll and sheet film, using lenses and film formats interchangeably to achieve my needed perspective. Both lenses covered the 4x5 film and thus became ultra wide and wide respectively. On 6x7 they became moderate wide and almost normal perspectives. I also had tilt and shift with this camera style and it became a more useful camera for images other than architecture.

Bottom line, you're limiting your camera's capability by looking at the roll film possibilities only... it's a 4x5 camera after all. The Cambo-wide will also limit the type of landscapes you could shoot, IMHO.

izo
5-Jun-2008, 06:00
do you think lack of tilt is problem on such wide lens? dof should be big, specialy when stopped down. i haven't shoot with lf, so i know i can be wrong.. so, best for landscape is camera with bellows, which can do tilt (to get big dof in), right?
hmm..