which one should I keep... wista 45n or meridian 45b

[Heespharm]

ok I have way to many 4x5... I have a crown graphic with the graphlarger for my enlarger, a burke and james 4x5 press, busch pressman D, Meridian 45b, and a wista 45n...


So i've decided I need to sell either the wista 45n or the meridian 45b so I can buy a field camera...

So the wista 45n has no front swing but is better made/better back... but my meridian 45b has front swing and is in really good shape (all the knobs lock properly)

which of the two should I keep

[Jack Dahlgren]

ok I have way to many 4x5... I have a crown graphic with the graphlarger for my enlarger, a burke and james 4x5 press, busch pressman D, Meridian 45b, and a wista 45n...


So i've decided I need to sell either the wista 45n or the meridian 45b so I can buy a field camera...

So the wista 45n has no front swing but is better made/better back... but my meridian 45b has front swing and is in really good shape (all the knobs lock properly)

which of the two should I keep

Sell them both.

[Heespharm]

Sell them both.

and buy what?

[Drew Bedo]

Hello Jack,

Seems like you have some duplication with the Busch Pressman and the Burk & James Press . . .and the Crown Grafic. Why not keep the Crown (Gralarger and all) and sell off the other four, then get something you really want.

What do you want?

[IanG]

I'd certainly keep the Wista 45N, I'd offload the Busch Pressman and the Meridian.

But then I've just bought a Super Graphic to replace my Wista field camera and a Crown Graphic as my main LF camera in Turkey. I often have to work hand held and I have to make a choice of which camera to take on trips.

The Wista will now remain in the UK where it's al2ways been my main camera.

I think in this case I'd ditch all but the Wista 45N and then also buy a field camera with Linhof/Wista lens boards for compatibility. A Wista 45DX or a Chamonix orShen Hao, there's been some rael bargains with Wista's on this forum

Ian

[Heespharm]

Nah the other ones are part of a collection/display for my house... The only ones I use are the wista and meridian and the graflarger....

Yeah I'm thinking I might sell the meridian and keep the wist a for back up and buy a field camera like a chamonix or Shen hao

[Jack Dahlgren]

and buy what?

Buy what you want. You have five cameras of which at least two you are considering getting rid of. Why not get rid of both so that you have funds to get what you want. I'd rather have two cameras I really like than ten which I'm merely fond of.

[Roger Thoms]

Definitely sell both and get an nice field camera. Then for a back up use the Burke and James or the Busch. Just my 2 cents.

Roger

[Ivan J. Eberle]

Can't really tell you which one to keep (and use) without knowing something more about what you like to photograph. But speaking to intrinsic value, I'd hang onto the Meridian if it's in excellent cosmetic shape. Meridian 45Bs weren't made in great numbers (2000 total cameras, 45A and 45B). While somewhat unrefined, the 45B handles very wide angles with more aplomb and has more moves than just about any other simple metal technical camera. The bed drops 90˚ out of the way. It also folds closed with largish Biogons and Plasmats attached (making it swift to set up). I like mine a lot used with a 210mm f/5.6 Caltar IIN (Sironar N).

The absolute last LF camera I'd part with is my Meridian 45CE-- it's one of 2 known surviving "C" prototypes. It has a number of refinements such as an elegant levered front swing move on the wheeled front standard. The inner focusing rails also capture the front standard completely when focusing a 90mm.