Shen-Hao cameras

[clarryd]

Hey Guys,
Does anyone know anything about Shen-Hao cameras? They look pretty nice and seem to be well made. Any help would be appreciated. Oh yeah, where are they made?
Thanks, Larry

[bobwysiwyg]

I own and use one. I like it much better for field work than my Cambo. I'm not the most experienced photog on this forum so I'm sure other's opinions will carry greater weight. They are made in China.

[dsim]

Here's a video on a Shen Hao 4x5. Link (http://www.youtube.com/user/viewcamerastore#p/u/23/ZKgv5ouT_n0)

[vinny]

Yes. They're okay. Badgergraphic will sell u one with a great return policy. Or Get a chamonix instead.

[Roger Cole]

What I find confusing is the number of different models, all pretty similar. I wish Badger, or someone, would lay out the specs for them all on a table/chart sort of thing where they'd be easy to compare and see the differences.

[Lachlan 717]

I have 2 different Shen Hoa cameras (4x5 and 6x17); never wanted for anything different.

[Sean Galbraith]

I have a PTB and love it.

[Noah B]

I used to own the 4x5 hzx and it was a decent camera. Should've gotten the tachihara though because I hardly ever use front or rear swings.

[bgh]

I bought an HZX about a year ago, and I like it quite a lot--I do a good bit of historic documentation work in the field, and it has done wonderfully.

Bruce

[henrysamson]

I have a 5x7 (FCL 57A). Bought it used on this forum. Great camera. Light, well built, precise and a joy to use. Tons of movement.

Henry

[Brian Vuillemenot]

I've got the 4X5 and it's a great camera for a small price. Nice to look at and very well built.

[ki6mf]

Had a HZX for the past 4 years. Cant go wrong with this camera. Highly recommended. They have appreciated in price over the past 4 years too.

[clarryd]

Thanks so much everybody. You guys have been a great help and I really
appreciate it very much.
Thanks again, Larry

[Two23]

I've had the 4x5 since 2003 and have been very happy with it. I still shoot it about once a week. It's great for the mony.



Kent in SD

[orphiz]

Are there any sellers around europe? Import is realy high from USA.
Friend is thinking of starting out (now he has seen my camera).
Told him about these so just wondering now :)

[Daniel Lancaster]

Yeah I have a 6x17 Shen Hao. Lachlan actually put me onto Shen Hao.

I feel Shen Hao have struck a respectable balance between cost effectiveness and quality of workmanship.

The camera neatly gets out of the way of my creative expression which is all I will ever ask of it.

[Roger Cole]

I used to own the 4x5 hzx and it was a decent camera. Should've gotten the tachihara though because I hardly ever use front or rear swings.

Just because you don't use something the Tachihara doesn't have wouldn't make it a better camera. What is it about the Tachihara that you think would make it better? The Tachihara is lighter than the HZX but you could have gotten the PTB which is even lighter than the Tachihara.

[nickademusss]

My second LF is the Shen-Hao TZ45-IIB, I adore it, very solid, great carpentry, but like all wood field camera's not good in a fall :eek:

Mine has never fell, I am to careful with it. My only beef with it is it should of came with a fresnel lens instead of standard ground glass, but for the price its only a minor beef.

This model is a little heavier than the PTB but the bellows extend more, the entire bottom of the camera is 1/16" thick aluminum and this makes for a very ridged camera. I considered the Toyo 45CF but I wanted movement on the back and the Shen Hao fit my budget better. The 90mm can be used without the bag bellows but you dont get very much movement.

folding it out is a little easier that the PTB, but I have seen some great work done on the PTB, I would not hesitate to buy it.

contact me if you have more specific questions.

[Brian Ellis]

I liked the one I owned for a short time (returned it because it was misrepresented by the seller). The major downside for me was the short 12" bellows (the extra 2" or so is gained only by fiddling around with front base and axis tilts and extending the lens out in front of the camera bed, which I didn't like doing and didn't seem very stable). The extra movements it had compared to say a Tachihara were a mixed blessing for me - the movements were nice to have but I really didn't need them and they added some complexity and time to setting the camera up and taking it down, also a little additional weight. But overall I thought it was a very nice camera for the money. I owned mine back when there was only one model, I don't remember what it was called.

[Tobias Key]

Are there any sellers around europe? Import is realy high from USA.
Friend is thinking of starting out (now he has seen my camera).
Told him about these so just wondering now :)

Robert White or Ffordes in the UK both sell them

[Jehu]

fwiw...
Dan, my "mentor" in photography, used to shoot a Shen-Hao 4x5. He occasionally mentions regret for selling it. After my 4x5 was stolen, he suggested a Shen-Hao but also mentioned the Chamonix. I did as much research as I could and went with the Chamonix. Once he got a look at it, he seemed to prefer it to the Shen-Hao.

[Noah B]

Just because you don't use something the Tachihara doesn't have wouldn't make it a better camera. What is it about the Tachihara that you think would make it better? The Tachihara is lighter than the HZX but you could have gotten the PTB which is even lighter than the Tachihara.

I had my HZX a few years ago when the PTB wasn't produced. I prefer lighter cameras, and rarely use a rear swing. But I moved up to 8x10 and sold off the 4x5.

[orphiz]

Robert White or Ffordes in the UK both sell them

Big thanks! will look into it.

[David Luttmann]

I've had mine for 6 or 7 years. I use the 4x5 rig. Great for the price. Nice looking.

[Dave Hally]

I've used a Tpyo 45A for about 8 years. Last October I bought a Shen Hao HZX and sold it within a 2 months. I didn't like the way that it handled my 300mm lens for relatively close work, and wanted to sell it while it was still in excellant condition.
I just received my Chamonix, and although I've only used 10 sheets of film, I am glad I ordered it. It does take a little getting used to, but it is lighter, which I wanted, and the fit and finish is excellant, better IMO that the Shen Hao. I think it is a good starter camera (but then, so was my Nagaoka), I would go with the Chamonix.
Dave

[clarryd]

Thanks again guys.
Larry

[Roger Cole]

I had my HZX a few years ago when the PTB wasn't produced. I prefer lighter cameras, and rarely use a rear swing. But I moved up to 8x10 and sold off the 4x5.

Thanks. I'd like something lighter than my Tech III for my next camera too, and have never to my recollection used rear swing (though I consider rear tilt essential so I wouldn't buy a camera for my main 4x5 that didn't have at least that rear movement.)

The Tach seemed from all I read possibly TOO light, what we used to call in bicycling "stupid light" meaning so light it wasn't reliable. Or, in the case of a camera, too easily damaged. I would think the same would apply to any other wooden camera in the same weight range though. I also really want the ability to use a bag bellows as I see myself using my rollfilm back more and more for color, and that means shorter lenses. (C2 so it works with pretty much all 4x5 backs.)

[Michael Wynd]

I had one for about a year and a half, but I thought it was too light, so I got a Tachihara 8x10 LOL. The Shen was a really good camera but as someone else said the short bellows draw got in the way sometimes, especially when I was using a 400mm tele.
Mike

[onnect17]

I've used a Tpyo 45A for about 8 years. Last October I bought a Shen Hao HZX and sold it within a 2 months. I didn't like the way that it handled my 300mm lens for relatively close work, and wanted to sell it while it was still in excellant condition.
I just received my Chamonix, and although I've only used 10 sheets of film, I am glad I ordered it. It does take a little getting used to, but it is lighter, which I wanted, and the fit and finish is excellant, better IMO that the Shen Hao. I think it is a good starter camera (but then, so was my Nagaoka), I would go with the Chamonix.
Dave

I agree With Dave. I owned both, Shen-Hao and Chamonix. The Chamonix have, IMHO, better design, quality control, and attention to detail.

[matthew klos]

My girl friend owns one of the HZX 4x5 IIA, she primarily shoots interiors and architecture, i always use it for my own work which revolves around being in the studio constructing large sets, that aside the camera is amazing for its price and for the level of movements, for a folding camera. The aesthetic of the camera is gorgeous with its black walnut wood stock.

That being said, although she owns the camera and i like using it for when i need to get something done. I would not personally buy this camera. You can match the construction of the camera and the price of it. I never have felt like it was very solidly built. She bought it off badger graphics upon delivery a small pin that is inserted into the focusing nob was missing. Even when everything is locked in place the camera is still slightly wobbly, the hardware of the camera is not very solid and feels cheap.

For it's price i think this camera is great. But when you really start to inspect the camera there are some definite faults.

[archer]

I'm really shocked to hear such derisive comments on the build quality of Shen Hao cameras as it is completely contrary to my experience with the brand. Last year I was looking for a new camera to complement my Sinar and I looked very carefully at the Chamonix and the new Shen Hao XPO and after using both I bought the Shen Hao XPO. I found the fit and finish of both brands to be equal in quality but I found the Chamonix much more fiddly to set up and the lack of zero detentes very frustating. The XPO was very much more versatile with more movements and the ability to gear focus the rear standard as well as the usual front focus and the solid click stops of the zero detentes on both front and back standards were a joy to use. One of the most important features is the ability to use Sinar bag bellows and front standard accessories like Sinar lens boards and even the Sinar Shutter for using barrel lenses and db mounted lenses increases the cameras versatility. One of the issues that most impressed me about the Shen Hao was the absolute ridgidity of the camera when fully extended with no noticeable flexing at all. I would say that it is definitely more rigid than the Chamonix. While I believe that both cameras will satisfy most photographers I chose the Shen Hao for the reasons stated and using the camera for nearly six months almost every day and using it for 99% of even my studio work, I know that I made the right choice.
Denise Libby

[Lachlan 717]

I'm with you, Denise.

Seems to me that the "Shen Hao isn't the same build quality" rhetoric is often peddled out, but never substantiated.

I'm happy to be corrected, but I have never heard of a Shen falling apart.

These might not be Rolls Royces, but they are far from 1970s Eastern Block 2-strokes either.

[bgh]

I'm with Denise and Lachlan; I've never had a problem with the quality of construction of my HZX 4x5. I have, however, had a problem with my own lack of coordination, as I managed to drop the rear standard the other day, resulting in a shattered ground glass just days before I had to leave for a project in Maine. One call to Badger Graphic on Thursday, and I had two replacement ground glasses on Friday afternoon, in plenty of time before leaving on Sunday. I couldn't be happier.

Bruce

[eduardtoader]

I have a TZ45 II A. It´s build fine and strong. A little heavy but it´s ok. The only think I dont like is the min. bellows focus (110mm or so). someone of you modify this model? I dont like the recessed lens boards and I think to take out the shift mechanism of the rear element.

Someone of you have any experience with TZ45 II A? Anyone interested? I would trade it for a 6x17 + difference..

[Scotty230358]

My second LF is the Shen-Hao TZ45-IIB, I adore it, very solid, great carpentry, but like all wood field camera's not good in a fall :eek:

Mine has never fell, I am to careful with it. My only beef with it is it should of came with a fresnel lens instead of standard ground glass, but for the price its only a minor beef.

This model is a little heavier than the PTB but the bellows extend more, the entire bottom of the camera is 1/16" thick aluminum and this makes for a very ridged camera. I considered the Toyo 45CF but I wanted movement on the back and the Shen Hao fit my budget better. The 90mm can be used without the bag bellows but you dont get very much movement.

folding it out is a little easier that the PTB, but I have seen some great work done on the PTB, I would not hesitate to buy it.

contact me if you have more specific questions.

An ebony fresnel fits this camera with no modification. Robert White in the UK offer it as an upgrade for around £65 ($105). I had a TZ45BII for nearly two years. It did everything I asked of it. My only issue was the detentes for the front (base) tilt were a little fiddly especially if you were only applying a very minor tilt. You tended to tilt too much and then it the front standard would tend to slip back into the detente. In practical terms it meant it took a little longer to apply front tilts successfully. Other than that a very accomplished camera.