Chamonix 45N-2

[mrzwolfgang]

Hello, I am new in this forum.

I am going to be buying the Chamonix 45 N-2 I have several questions I would like to ask you:

++ How satisfied are you with the camera and how simple it is to handle?

++ Is working withe the zero position very difficult or is it quite simple?

++ How accurate would you say is the focus?


Thanks
Wolfgang

[ashlee52]

I have the 45n2.

It is an extraordinarily light camera that is also highly rigid and easy to make and set movements with. I highly recommend it.

The one negative is that because you have to screw in the front standard every time you set it up, and guess which hole you need, or change holes when you decide to change lenses, it can be a bit more fuss than with a traditional wooden foldng field camera.

There is no difficulty whatsoever in finding "0" positions... it is easy to do that visually for front swing and front rise which are the only positions not locked in. (Remember that many technika style lens boards don't center the lens vertically, so there never is a single 0-position for the front rise.) The easiest way to get rise is to level the camera when you set it up, and then just set the rise first as part of your composing the shot... (the concept of a zeroed rise is not that helpful to me.) There are dots to get the front swing zero-d.

I have a slight beef with the fresnel making the camera hard to focus... I may be odd but I prefer a straight ground glass. But 90% of my frustration was relieved when I got my loupe to focus on the grain of the ground glass rather than the rings of the fresnel.

If money is no object I would prefer an Ebony (which I stupidly traded for a Leica). They handle and compose unbelievebly well. But for 1/2 the cost, the Chamonix is the best alternative. And it is feather light.

I would not be completely honest not to add that I now prefer my $250 Ansco 5x7 to any of my 4x5 cameras. That huge ground glass, and the super easy controls of the larger camera just wow me. And a scan of a 5x7 is inherently more detailed than of a 4x5(given that scanning is the weakest link in many of our work flows, this can be important.)

[Ken Lee]

There is a very informative demonstration video on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEJ0GMWJk-Y). You can see how the camera operates in great detail.

[Two23]

I have the Chamonix 45n1. I have been very pleased with it. I was using a Shen Hao which was also good, but didn't feel as precise as the Chamonix. The 45n2 Chamonix is supposed to be even easier to use. The zero position is easier to find.


Kent in SD

[gevalia]

Hello, I am new in this forum.

I am going to be buying the Chamonix 45 N-2 I have several questions I would like to ask you:

++ How satisfied are you with the camera and how simple it is to handle?

++ Is working withe the zero position very difficult or is it quite simple?

++ How accurate would you say is the focus?


Thanks
Wolfgang

1) How satisfied are you? Very. I started with the 45-n1 for landscape/hiking work. Frustrated with the out-of-focus images I went to a Sinar F2 which tested by hiking abilities to say the least. The 45-n1 focus issues I was having ended up being an mfg. issue and well documented here. But the 45-n1 was amazingly light and simple to use. So I bought a 45-n2 and carry it without issue on both short and long hikes. I find handling easy and simple.
2) zero position. Piece of cake.
3) Accurate focus? I have had no issue with the 45-n2 at all with respect to focus. Be aware that the focus knob is (my term) a work drive where a big screw operates the frot standard. Over time (like every few years), the screw on the knob that operates the worm drive can become loose and you need to simply tighten it a bit. I found this out the hard way when I got everything in focus and then put on a filter only to feel the front standard slide back just a bit.

Would I buy again? Yes. is it well made? yes. Is it well designed? Yes but remember it is a borrowed design. Are there other cameras I have used equally as well made? Yes, absolutely, but few this light in weight.

Regards,
Ron

[Jim Peterson]

The Chamonix 045n2 is my first 4x5 camera. I am quite a novice still and have taken a total of 10 shots with it with none developed yet. The only complaints I have is that the ground glass protector that it comes with is very fiddly and hard to get on and it comes off easily. Also, you can't fold the camera up with a lens on it like I know you can with other cameras. I can see where this would be very convenient. Other than that it has been great.

[GPS]

... The only complaints I have is that the ground glass protector that it comes with is very fiddly and hard to get on and it comes off easily. ...

Once I bought a gg protector from Calumet. I was forever kicking myself for the moment of its acquisition when I realized how easily I could have made it out of PVC sheet which is heat pliable, lightweight and as protective as anything else...:)

[GPS]

BTW, try to glue to the protector an edge made of foam, resting on the gg wooden frame. It will impede the protector from sliding.

[Bob McCarthy]

The Chamonix 045n2 is my first 4x5 camera. I am quite a novice still and have taken a total of 10 shots with it with none developed yet. The only complaints I have is that the ground glass protector that it comes with is very fiddly and hard to get on and it comes off easily. Also, you can't fold the camera up with a lens on it like I know you can with other cameras. I can see where this would be very convenient. Other than that it has been great.

It is supposed to only fit one way and when doing so is held in place by the Pins and captured by the arms. Mark one corner with a drop of paint so you can get proper side out and proper orientation.

Bob

[Harley Goldman]

I have been using the 45-n1 for a few years. It is the fourth camera I have owned. I started with a wooden Wista and did not like it much (fiddly). Went to an Arca F-Line Classic and bought a Toho for hiking and backpacking. I bought the Chamonix to replace the Toho and liked it so much, I sold the Toho and the Arca.

I find the Chamonix very easy to use (movements are very simple and quick), set up and take down and it is smooth, solid and easy. At full extension with the extension bracket, I find it more rigid than the Arca was at the same extension. I love the damn camera.

BTW, Jim, try attaching a small cabinet knob to the back of the gg protector. It makes getting it off and on very easy. I put some shoe goo over the nut on the inside of the protector, just to make sure it cannot scratch anything. I put the knob a little toward the top of center, so I always know which way it goes on. I stole the idea from Lon Overacker.

[Jim Peterson]

Yes, I will try to make something work with the ground glass protector. I guess if you are a new purchaser of the 045n2 I would recommend noting the position of ground glass protector and consider that the default and mark it before you take it off and mess around with it. It sounds simple, but it has been a hassle for me. It only wants to go on one and one way only. Jim.