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View Full Version : Any comments on a New Vue camera? (Brand Name)



Thomas Ferko
26-Jan-1998, 18:41
I am looking at a New Vue camera made in the 1940s. Can anyone tell me if they e ver owned one and more about it? It is a 4x5 all metal view camera. What is toda ys used market value for this camera in excellent condition? talltandj@aol. com

Britt Leckman
27-Jan-1998, 10:40
Thomas, I had a brief encounter with a New Vu a while back. The camera has 2 rails and weighs a ton! The movements are not ample, but would suit most people. The cam era is built like a tank, but not a field camera by any means. The red bellows are a nice touch, but on a camera that old, they will often need to be replaced. I have seen them at camera shows occasionaly for around $100.00, no lens, in g ood condition. If you are not wed to this camera and are looking for a mono-rai l view camera at a decent value , might I suggest a Calumet (Orbit) 400 series c amera popular in the 60's. They can be had for not much more than the New Vu at half the weight.

Regards..

Kevin Mulligan
25-May-1998, 21:18
Hi Thomas...I have been using a New Vue for all my large format work for about f ive years now, and I'm very fond of it. Granted, it is heavy, but I find that mi nor inconvenience more than offset by its rock like stability.The movements are more than sufficient for my needs.But as a studio camera it would have limitatio ns. The biggest one being a relatively short bellows. The longest lens I can use on it is about a 180, and that's only at infinity.For field work,I use a 165 ca ltar-ilex, and that seems to give me all the closeup capability I can handle. I frequently use the rear focus when working up close. As with any new equipment, only experience will tell if its right for you.They are quite inexpensive, and I find that duct tape will cope with most bellows leaks,should you find any. The movements are easy to adjust and settings stay put, especially with a polaroid b ack.I replaced the ground glass with one from Zone VI and it fit perfectly. IMHO it's a good solid camera. I would suggest you take the plunge.Regards...

Tom Pruett
6-Apr-2006, 10:19
I am stil using a New-Vue 4x5 camea. Been doing so for the past 12 years. It's a great camera and I use it as a field camera with a calumet 150mm lens. I was wondering if I was the last person in the world using this camera. Hello is anyone out there ??? Tom

Randy_5116
6-Apr-2006, 19:01
I have the 4x5 with rotating back. Bought it on eBay for 15.00. Weighs a ton, has very short black bellows, probable not original. shoot a 180 lens max. I have done a little modification to it by replacing the standards uprights with aluminum flat-bar, slotted etc allowing rise/fall/ full tilts, front swing and rear shift. Also allowed trimming off about a pound-and-a-half of excess unnecessary aluminum "ears". Removed all that wonderful aluminized paint, satin-finish polished the remains, and shot the front and rear standards (sans uprights) a metallic black. Looks pretty cool. Advantages are that with the hubacious weight, you could shoot in the middle of a wind tunnel and not worry about the thing going anywhere. I like it as a field camera for this reason. I don't carry it in a pack, but have rifle sling hooks and carry it over the shoulder. Bumps and bangs don't even phase it. And hey, if a bear comes along, hit it with the camera! Ain't gonna hurt the camera none! And, was the "Brand" camera a predecessor to the New-Vue? Look a lot alike.

RJ Hicks
6-Apr-2006, 19:50
Its funny, I just made a lens board for this camera today to mount my 150 rodenstock and am going to use this camera this weekend. This was my first 4x5 camera that I put away into a closet and got it out about a week ago just to play around with it, it really is a rock solid camera. I have the 4x5 with the rotating back and the bellows was replaced when I bought it so it is almost like new.

One thing that should be mentioned, you can use a much longer lens than a 180 if you have the extention rails that are supposed to come with the camera, they screw into the front of the rails and are very solid when attached. I have used a Nikkor 300mm lens on it with no problems with the extention rail attached. I have seen these cameras come up on ebay without the rails before, and yes, if you don't have them a 180 would be about as long as you would want to go. I find that anything under about 110 to be a problem because of the stiffness of my bellows, but if I ever replaced the bellows, I would definately look for a material that was less stiff.

I don't mind the weight of the camera at all, especially since my tripod weighs so much that the camera weight doesn't faze me. The one thing that I do not like is the fact that when I want to swing or shift the front standard, it is done with the same lock knob and loosening that knob tilts the standard either forward or backward depending on the force on the front standard. It locks up tight and doesn't move afterward, but during the movement it definately tilts. I have learned to hold the standard carefully to try and see only shift and not shift + tilt.

RJ Hicks
6-Apr-2006, 20:10
I just measured my camera at full extention with the rails attached, it measures 21 inches total. I also have a cambo nx camera and must say that the New Vue camera is much more stable at full extention and has most of the movements that I would use on a field camera. The only movements that mine is missing is rear shift and rear rise/fall. I am thinking of taking a grinder to some of the excess metal on the camera (there is a bunch of it that could be removed) and drilling some holes in the rear and front standards to save some weight. Being selective where I remove the material I think I could really loose some weight on the camera and use this as a field camera instead of hiking about with my cambo.

Nigel Smith
6-Apr-2006, 22:20
Our camera club has one of these with 150mm lens that's used as a loaner! Was my introduction to 4x5.

William Mortensen
6-Apr-2006, 22:20
I have one also; bought it for $20 caked with crud, but it cleaned up beautifully. Yes it's heavy, but as noted, that has advantages as much as disadvantages. Still a very practical, useable 4x5, though sadly, the value of those seems to be dropping. My only complaint against it is that the threaded focusing takes a while and wears your fingers out if you're changing the bellows length by much.

Andrey Safonov
2-Jun-2007, 13:19
I am stil using a New-Vue 4x5 camea. Been doing so for the past 12 years. It's a great camera and I use it as a field camera with a calumet 150mm lens. I was wondering if I was the last person in the world using this camera. Hello is anyone out there ??? Tom

You are not last, Tom. I use soviet analog of this camera - "VOSTOK 9x12"!