4x5 Anba vs Tachihara/WistaDX/Woodman/Ebony

[Vishal Mathur]

Aside from lower weight and slightly thinner folded size, does the 4x5 Anba have any advantage over the Tachihara, Wista DX, Woodman, or Ebony RW45? How do they compare in rigidity and wide angle use? I only want to use it for lanscapes wit h lenses from 75mm-180, and later maybe a Fuji-A 240mm or 270mm Tele Arton (only near the car). Stability is more important to me than saving a few ounces. Than ks!

[Matt_1193]

The order that you list these cameras in your post is the exact reverse of their level of quality - starting with Anba at the bottom.

[M.]

It's a LOT less expensive, too. No Fresnel. It's plenty sturdy.

[paul owen]

Get the Ebony.

[Linas Kudzma]

Vishal,

I have an Anba 4x5, which I find I don't use much now that I also own a Wista SP metal field. There is no comparison in stability. The Anba is MUCH less stable. Not so bad that you can't use it, however the Anba's front standard has some flexibility that bothers me. It's not a problem under normal shooting conditions, but the Wista instills more confidence. I'm going to sell the Anba sometime soon since I shoot mostly 8x10 now and really don't need two 4x5 cameras.

That said, if you want a lightweight compact camera, the Anba is tops.

[chris jordan]

If you're on a tight budget, get the Tachihara. I love mine--its very light, and stable enough for most of my shooting situations (even on the extremely windy Cape Ann). However, if you're interested in using longer lenses (270+) you might run into coverage issues because the bellows isn't all that long. I think they might make a bellows extension, though, but I'm not positive. Good luck!

[Vishal Mathur]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I may try out the Tachihara for now, unless I can find a 4x5 or 5x7 Nagaoka. I've been using a 4x5 Technika, and 5x7 Canham but still looking for something smaller, lighter and stable enough.