New Intrepid "Black" Edition 4x5 Camera - No Plywood! Also...

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Originally Posted by Kiwi7475

For 20-30% more, the delivered quality should also increase. It’s so close to being a very good product, but it’s not and, for many it’s barely acceptable at the current price (YMMV).

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I agree. I have the 2018 8x10 and its build quality is barely acceptable. I had to request a replacement focus bed (gears skipped badly) and the one I got as replacement is barely any better. I regard it as very much a "make do" product. There's no way I would pay 20-30% more for it than I did. I suspect a lot of people would feel the same way.

John, Paul

They're working on the 5 x 7, :) scroll down on this link:-

https://twitter.com/Intrepidcamera

regards

Andrew

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Originally Posted by Kiwi7475

For 20-30% more, the delivered quality should also increase. It’s so close to being a very good product, but it’s not and, for many it’s barely acceptable at the current price (YMMV). In other words, all other things equal, I don’t think it would sell 30% less at 30% higher price, but quite less.

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As I don't have any direct experience with using Intrepid cameras previously, I have no comment on their quality, but indeed if most of the reported issues were ironed out (presumably doable with a bit less volume of manufacturing?) that would help and increase the perceived value.

I'll definitely post about the camera and build quality when received.

Andrew...indeed it looks like they're working on a 5x7 - but with the older plywood design/construction, and I already have one which I banged out and cobbled together myself recently. I would be very interested, however, if this new "Black" edition were to be offered as a 5x7.

Thx John

Let's hope then that the good folk at Intrepid are watching all of our posts on here

regards

Andrew

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Originally Posted by John Layton

Andrew...indeed it looks like they're working on a 5x7 - but with the older plywood design/construction, and I already have one which I banged out and cobbled together myself recently. I would be very interested, however, if this new "Black" edition were to be offered as a 5x7.

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I hope you did notice that this black edition is a time limited offer. It's not there to stay. Then again, if turned out to be a huge success and of higher quality, then buyers might press them into offering this instead of the wooden version.

After reading here and elsewhere I decided to buy a Sinar F2 instead of an Intrepid as my first LF camera. Simply because of the unlimited flexibility. But I still haven't been turned off the wooden 4x5 and may buy one as a light weight second camera, later this year. Probably with the enlarger add on. 4x5 enlargers have become rare and unaffordable.

My Intrepid 8x10 MKII is almost a good camera. As received, there were just too many quality issues/strange design issues, most having to do with the back. Hopefully, they'll get there eventually. I'm making a 5x7 back for mine.

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Originally Posted by lantau

After reading here and elsewhere I decided to buy a Sinar F2 instead of an Intrepid as my first LF camera. Simply because of the unlimited flexibility. But I still haven't been turned off the wooden 4x5 and may buy one as a light weight second camera, later this year. Probably with the enlarger add on. 4x5 enlargers have become rare and unaffordable.

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You made a great choice. The F2 is straight forward and easy to learn on plus you can do anything you want with it. It's also light weight for a monorail so easier to take out into the field. The "F" in F2 stands for field.

For your second camera you may want to look at a Crown Graphic. They are inexpensive and very sturdy. Yes, they are limited in movements but you have the F2 for when you need them.

Welcome to the forum!

I chose a Deardorff V5 for my first camera and the Sinar F2 as my second. I own 3 F2 4x5's, the first bought some 20 years ago for architectural work, and the other two bought recently for spares/parts. The two recent ones ran around $350 ea, which was a bargain in comparison to what I paid for the first one. I used the F2 in the field for architectural work and it never let me down. I had an adapter made to allow me to use the classic lenses for the V5 on the F2. Modern lenses from 58mm to 300 mm were mounted on Sinar boards. It's a Great camera, you won't regret it. Instead of the enlarger add-on, you may want to look at a dedicated 4x5 enlarger. They're largely being given away in many areas. Look on Craig's list and for ads in you area! L

My new "Black" Edition Intrepid arrived today. I decided I'd try making a "first impressions" type video for the YouTube, but before that, here's a few thoughts:

- I'm very impressed overall with the build quality and condition on arrival. No issues with my camera upon unboxing as some folks have had.
- I was very worried about the compatibility of the Linhof boards, but they work fine for the most part - a couple were very slightly too thick, but a slight tweak to the lens board lock mechanism fixed that.
- The weight is phenomenal - 1112 grams or 2 lbs 7.2 oz as measured with no lens/QR plate. This is over 1/2 a pound lighter than my Chamonix!
- The feel of the focusing is terrible. It's very rough and coarse. Also, it focuses "backward" compared to my Chamonix - perhaps made for Canon shooters? :).
- This wasn't unexpected, but the camera is tough to set square or put back to neutral. I think this is a valid trade-off for the weight reduction.
- The design of the rotating back is awesome.
- I will have to shoot with it and really get hands-on before I can say much about it in actual use, of course.

Overall I am very pleased. I look forward to getting out and using it. The only downside, which I already knew, is the inability to use really short lenses. On the other hand, the difficulty of zeroing out movements probably makes using ultrawides an especially difficult task, so I will probably consider this a 90mm and up camera.

Video coming soon when I can finish rendering/uploading.