wista '45' model??

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks Bob. I guess it was a late model D that I handled.

What model do you think Nissin has?

No idea. We never were involved with any of the older models. Only with the current models.

[Alan Gales]

No idea. We never were involved with any of the older models. Only with the current models.

Thanks again, Bob.

I understand the differences in the current models but there is so little information on the early models out there. If buying an early model off Ebay an interested buyer might want to ask the Seller some questions first. I'd rather put my money towards a lightly used current model.

[Nissin]

The earlier metal Wista without front swing or rear micro-swing is the N. This page has some good photos of an N.

The N was to the VX as the D is to the SP, earlier cameras that are pretty similar but without the front swing the later models have. They all, as far as I know, just have "Wista 45" on the name plate with no sub-model designation.

Thanks for the link and the info. I live in Japan and bought it on an on-line auction as a used VX. I've always been puzzled by the fact that the specs didn't match Wista's description. You live and learn!

[Vaughan]

Hello, I have just climbed out of the Wista 45 metal camera rabbit hole after purchasing a very scruffy (and really cheap) Wista 45N, ordering a new bellows for it and also picking up a used wide angle bellows, only to discover after receiving the camera that the bellows is glued-in (the 45D has interchangeable bellows and I assumed the 45N was the same) so the bag bellows won't work with it. I was really wanting to have a metal field camera with bag bellows, so I may pick up a VX some time in the near future and move this one along once I have to working well and looking better.

All the cameras are labelled "WISTA 45" regardless of whether they are a Wista 45N, 45D, 45VX, 45SP or 45RF. So you can avoid my mistake of not knowing what camera I was looking at, here is my WISTA 45 Metal Technical Camera Identification Cheat Sheet:

If the camera has a SILVER front standard (with rise, tilt and shift but no swing) then it is either a 45N or a 45D: the 45D has rear micro-swing, the 45N does not. (There are a couple of other differences: for example the 45D has interchangeable bellows, the 45N does not.) These models can can be found in either gold/woodgrain or black.

If the front standard is BLACK (the camera body will also be black) it will have front swing and the camera is either a 45VX, 45SP or 45RF. The 45RF has a rangefinder on the top. If it has rear micro-swing it’s a 45SP, otherwise it’s a 45VX. (Note that the 45RF is based on a VX and has no rear micro-swing.) All these models are finished in black and all have interchangeable bellows.

TL;DR - If you want a 45VX or 45SP with front swing, the camera body needs to be BLACK and – most importantly – the front standard must be BLACK. If the front standard is SILVER it's a Wista 45N or 45D (the 45D has micro-swing on the back) without front swing even if the body is black.

[B.S.Kumar]

Vaughan, silver and black is not relevant. The Wista 45N and 45D models were made in three different styles:
1. silver front standard, brown chassis and faux wood leatherette,
2. silver front standard, black chassis and black leatherette, and
3. black front standard, black chassis and black leatherette.

The 45SP, 45VX and 45RF are all black, and may have silver or black front standards.

The latest SP, VX and RF have round serrated knobs, while older models have knobs with indented "finger" grips.

The front standard can be interchanged among all models, so you might see a 45N camera with glued-in bellows and a standard with front swing.

More information here: https://www.largeformatphotography.i...0243-Wista-45N

Kumar

[Havoc]

Also there are 2 ways the (rotating) back can be attached and those are not compatible. It can be with 4 sliders that open and let the back be changed. Or you have to remove 2 screws in each corner. Not very important until you want to mount a 6x9 sliding back.

I have no idea how the division between models is for that feature.

My faux wood one has the 4 sliders, no microswing back, no front swing and a rise is not geared. The black one has screw for the back, microswing back, no front swing and geared rise. Both have non-glued bellows.

[B.S.Kumar]

I explain the features of all the models in the post I linked to above.
The 45N, 45VX and 45RF use sliders to remove the back. The 45D and the 45SP have latches.

Your faux wood finish camera should be a 45N, but I've not seen one with a removable bellows... The black one is a 45D.

Kumar

[Havoc]

I explain the features of all the models in the post I linked to above.
The 45N, 45VX and 45RF use sliders to remove the back. The 45D and the 45SP have latches.

Your faux wood finish camera should be a 45N, but I've not seen one with a removable bellows... The black one is a 45D.

Kumar

Ok, I took a better look and the faux wood one has only a removable bellows at the front standard. Sorry for the confusion.

[Vaughan]

Thanks for your reply Kumar. My post was more concerned with identifying a camera with front swing. I've been looking at listings on eBay and only cameras with black standards have front swing, while those with silver standards do not have front swing. I was under the impression that the main difference between the old 45N and 45D and the newer 45VX, 45RF and 45SP models is that the later VX and SP have swing on the front standard where the older models do not.

[Rod Klukas]

The instructions for the Wista SP and the VX show the differences. I really liked my SP. I used it to photograph forest fires for my MFA Thesis. But like all LF cameras with a box at the back, Wista, Linhof Tech, Horseman, etc. they are not good for wide angle lenses.

M Butkus camera manuals. seems to have the manual available. It is mixed Japanese and English.

Hope this helps,

Rod