Shen-Hao 6x17 Camera Reviews?

[Larry McNeil]

Greetings fellow photographers,

I'm new to this forum, although I've been a photographer for quite some time. I am taken by the idea of shooting 6x17 for an upcoming project that will involve a lot of cityscape kind of stuff, some at mid-to close range with people in them. Streets will be a major part of this, and it seems that 6x17 would be a nice choice for this.

I'm looking for something lightweight, and the Shen-Hao bellows camera seems like a good choice for the way I'll be working. I'm not that hot on the idea of adding weight and mechanics like the helical lenses or Linhof style heavy cameras.

Does anyone have experience with this bellows type 6x17 camera and back? What are its strengths and weaknesses?

Thank you very much in advance, this forum site looks great.

Larry McNeil
(My first post)

[Nathan Potter]

Can't help you with a 6X17 Shen Hao experience but city street scenes I always shot using hand held 4X5 (Crown Graphic and Linhof). But a 6X17 would certainly need a static mount so would limit the spontaneousness of operation to a considerable degree.

Welcome to this forum, lots of intense workers hereabouts. :)

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Matt Logue]

Hey Larry!

I just got done using a Shen Hao TFC617 for a few months. It was the non-folding version of the camera, but I'll say that it was a very very well-made and easy to use camera. The knobs are big and rubberized, the finish on the camera was outstanding. I managed to fit it in a Kinesis v090 bag with room to spare, so event though it doesn't fold, it's still pretty compact. I didn't have any critiques about it other than 6x17 being just a tad too wide for my eyes right now. Do you think you'll be trying to handhold at all? Have you looked into fotomancamera.com? They're also incredibly well-made cameras and even though the company's out of business, it looks like they have a couple of 617's left in the "Specials" section of the site. Good luck.

[randy larson]

Larry,
I have used the Fuji G617, then moved to a Fotoman using 90/180mm lenses, and finally to the Shen Hao. Advantages of the Shen Hao: ability to use more lenses(I am a 4x5 shooter) including a 300mm, movements, compose and focus on ground glass, ability to switch lenses or change compositions mid roll. Advantages to the Fotoman: ease of use, viewfinders were better than Fuji, faster to use(unless you changed lenses, which was a pain), could probably be handheld(I never did). For my applications as a landscape photographer, the Shen Hao is the best solution, although I do miss the ease of the Fotoman at times. I think if I was shooting dynamic situations with wide angle lenses, I could make a case for the Fotoman.

[Larry McNeil]

Thank you for the replies. Maybe I should clarify the look I need for a wide image on film. My project is going to be on streets and bicycle trails. I need a wide image of the street while simultaneously photographing a bicycle rider approximately six feet in front of the lens. I don't have much maneuvering space here. This means I need to be able to do critical focusing on the subject with either an accurate rangefinder or ground glass. I also need the background sharp, so I need a wide depth of field, with an emphasis on a sharp foreground. I can freeze the subject with a flash, so this camera can be pre-focused on a tripod and just have the subject go through the frame multiple times, with only one critical focus action.

This is why roll film would be way better than sheet film and once I do the initial setup, can shoot lots of multiples with identical settings on both the camera & strobe. For this project, the Shen-Hao looked good because it could do all of the above. Would this eliminate the Fuji G617 & other wide cameras that can't do a critical focus with a ground glass, or can I get a critical focus at 6 feet with it?
thanks again,
Larry

[shadowleaves]

Greetings fellow photographers,

I'm new to this forum, although I've been a photographer for quite some time. I am taken by the idea of shooting 6x17 for an upcoming project that will involve a lot of cityscape kind of stuff, some at mid-to close range with people in them. Streets will be a major part of this, and it seems that 6x17 would be a nice choice for this.

I'm looking for something lightweight, and the Shen-Hao bellows camera seems like a good choice for the way I'll be working. I'm not that hot on the idea of adding weight and mechanics like the helical lenses or Linhof style heavy cameras.

Does anyone have experience with this bellows type 6x17 camera and back? What are its strengths and weaknesses?

Thank you very much in advance, this forum site looks great.

Larry McNeil
(My first post)

I wrote a review here a while ago.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=53313

[Qzone]

I can't speak for the Shen, but I do use my GX617 often. It does have a ground glass that is easy to use, just not midroll as there isn't a dark slide option. But 4 shots on a roll of 120, You really dont need to stop midroll.
I use the 90mm and 180mm lenses andthe hyperfocal focusing is very accurate, so seldom do I need to use the GG. I have used it handheld where I am able to use fast shutter speeds. If you intend to do action shots, it might be worthwhile renting one (or the other coned lense brands) and trying it out.