Opinions wanted - Easiest 4x5 field camera to focus.

[ryanmills]

I currently have a 4x5 Sinar F that I have used for about 2 years now. It was cheap and I can make it work but its not really ideal. I would prefer a field camera over a rail since I travel quite a bit. The biggest feature I need on the next camera is a brighter easier to focus ground glass. The sinar f I was using with a rather nice 135mm rodenstock apo-s was a challenge. Not sure if its the fault of the lens or ground glass but even at 5.6 it vignettes very hard and its hard to focus (even with a 10x loupe). I got to try an 8x10 master view and man that was easy to focus and see everything. Do I need to go up to a linhof technika or can I get a clean speed speed graffix and replace the ground glass? Hoping to spend around $1400, maybe more if I have too. Thoughts?

[Drew Wiley]

Sinar is just about the easiest 4x5 to focus that I can think of. I use a Satin Snow groundglass and never use a fresnel. But the original Sinar glass was damn good
too. Don't know what you're problem is. But you're certainly not going to solve it by merely switching camera brands. Folding field cameras are nice for portability,
but tend to be slower to set up than monorails. And the big glass present on an 8x10 is certainly a luxury to compose and focus with compared to 4x5, but obviously comes with much greater bulk and weight.

[Luis-F-S]

sinar is just about the easiest 4x5 to focus that i can think of. I use a satin snow groundglass and never use a fresnel. But the original sinar glass was damn good too. Don't know what you're problem is.

+1! L

[DG 3313]

I have a Sinar F 2 with the standard GG. It's light (in weight) with a ton of movements.....easy to focus.....

+1! L

[Vaughn]

Just something to check out with your present camera. The image on the GG will be its brightest when one's eye is on the same line as the light hitting the spot on the GG that one is trying to see. Loupes will only allow light hitting the GG at close to 90 degrees to be at its brightest.

If one wants a corner to be well illuminated, one needs to look from the corner and towards the center of the lens.

[Tin Can]

For that budget, buy a fantastic side rangefinder Speeder. they came with fresnels and you could add a Steve Hopf Borosilicate GG on top of it.

Then get a very fast lens, and have a specialist make it all work like it's supposed to, meaning get the rangefinder setup with the scales calibrated.

I am slowly getting mine ready, but I'm a DIY guy and almost never farm things out, so it takes me much longer.

I'm also working on the same thing in 3x4.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I don't know why, but a 10X loupe is terrible for me. A 4X to 6X is better, regardless of the screen's fineness.

In my experience the easiest focusing are 1) Green Monster 8x10 with 14 3/4" lens and new Kodak ground glass, 2) Super Technika with any properly cammed lens (and all four lenses have proper cam). Even with a proper cam while shooting over legs, I will sometimes double-check with a loupe because it is simply remarkable how accurate the Super Technika RF is.

[ryanmills]

I don't know why, but a 10X loupe is terrible for me. A 4X to 6X is better, regardless of the screen's fineness.

In my experience the easiest focusing are 1) Green Monster 8x10 with 14 3/4" lens and new Kodak ground glass, 2) Super Technika with any properly cammed lens (and all four lenses have proper cam). Even with a proper cam while shooting over legs, I will sometimes double-check with a loupe because it is simply remarkable how accurate the Super Technika RF is.

I have never used a range finder 4x5, honestly not even sure how it works. I thought I read it was expensive to get is setup correctly. Did you have to do this with yours? As for the 10x loupe I don't have issues with half body or closer but when its a full body or father I can struggle to focus correctly. I got the 10x just for that reason but as you said I think im just making the grain in the glass more obviously than making it easier to focus. Might have to to try a smaller one.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I have never used a range finder 4x5, honestly not even sure how it works. I thought I read it was expensive to get is setup correctly. Did you have to do this with yours?

Bob S might be able to tell us again what a cam matched to the lens and camera might cost.

Regarding my Super Technika V, I simply blundered into a very good deal for an existing system. When I got it I didn't even know the 135mm 3.5 Planar was desirable.

[joselsgil]

Ryan,

An 8x10 camera should not be easier to focus than a 4x5 with a f5.6 lens. Unless the 8X10 had a brighter lens or a brighter ground glass, than your Sinar. All of my 8X10 lenses are darker than your f5.6 lens. Does your Sinar have a Fresnel lens? If not, installing one could help to brighten your ground glass.

How dark is your dark cloth? Many allow too much light or are somewhat transparent and this makes critical focusing a bit harder.

You may also want to try a different loupe manufacture. Some loupes are easier to work with than others. I use Schneider loupes 10x and 4x and they seem to work ok for me.

Jose