Nagaoka vs Tachi, Wisner, Zone VI, Shen Hao etc...

[John Kasaian]

To me they all look like 'dorff-oids, but those of you with experience know the difference. So what is the difference? What are the limitations and advantages of the ol' Nag in comparison to woody 4x5s and 5x7s available today? Looking at specs, it seems like Nagaokas would be a back packers dream, so why aren't they being made any more?

Thanks!

[Jim Galli]

Hi John. I've had 2. A 4X5 and a 5X7. The 5X7 I kept because, well, I'll forgive any fault and limitation for a camera that weighs less than 3 pounds and can produce a 5X7 negative. Mercy. But the 4X5 finally drove me crazy. They are very limited. Just a tiny bit of rear swing and no front swing. Not much rise or fall. Hard to use with wide angle lens. I finally had enough and bought my second Zone VI with both bellows. A highly underated camera I think. So now I can run the lens gamut in 4X5 and with any combination of movements possible. I felt it was worth the extra weight for the gains. If I had lots of $$ I suppose there are lighter cameras that would encompass all the Z VI gives me but I don't know of anything that has interchangeable bellows that falls in the Z VI price range. With the Z VI and bag bellows I can double up 2X5 images on a single sheet of 4X5 with a 75mm lens. Takes a lot of rise at 3". You could only accomplish 75mm dead straight on with the Nag. Everybody elses mileage will vary as usual.

[Darin Cozine]

The nagaoka, tachihara, and shen-hao are all double-extention field cameras. The nagaoka is the lightest, but has the least features.

The Wisner, zone vi, and deardorff are triple extention (there is a base, a track for the front and a track for the back). These have longer extention, generally more movements, and have bag bellows acessories.

[sanking]

"Hi John. I've had 2. A 4X5 and a 5X7. The 5X7 I kept because, well, I'll forgive any fault and limitation for a camera that weighs less than 3 pounds and can produce a 5X7 negative. Mercy. But the 4X5 finally drove me crazy. They are very limited. Just a tiny bit of rear swing and no front swing. Not much rise or fall. Hard to use with wide angle lens. I finally had enough and bought my second Zone VI with both bellows."

Jim,

Curious, though I agree with you about the light weight of the Nagaoka 5X7 I am curious about your comments re: rear swing and front swing. My 5X7 Nagaoka has at last 1.5" of rear swing and about the same amount of swing on the front. I am wondering if we have different models?

[Nick_3536]

I thought triple extension indicated 3x the normal focal length for the format in bellows. The Shen Hao has a honest 24" of bellows. I haven't measured the bag bellows.

[Robert C. McColloch]

I've used a Tachihara 4x5 for many years as a field camera. It's light and folds very compact. Has all the movements needed. Latest version allows belows extension for a 300 mm lens and has a rear extension. Frankly, I see no reason for a more expensive camera. Badger Graphic's price is $595 (http://www.badgergraphic.com/search_product2.asp?x=1020).

[John Kasaian]

Thanks everyone.

[John Berry ( Roadkill )]

I have a wisner 4x5 and I can find no fault with it. I don't care what it weighs. It does the job. I've backpacked 60# of 8x10 gear to get what I want, but I ain't that young anymore. If weight was the only concern we would all be carrying cardboard throwaways. After 5 miles on the trail I can assure you, a 3lb and a 5 lb camera will both feel like 10lbs. Go with what will do the job. I do mostly landscapes, but I got the long bellows and I'm glad I did.

[Emrehan Zeybekoglu]

I have been using a Wisner 4x5 standard and I find it quite satisfactory in terms of movements. I do mostly landscape, architecture and historical sites. Once in a blue moon I feel the need for rear rise but eventually find a way of getting around it. Personally I don't care about weight, so that is not part of my equation. Cheers..

[Dave Moeller]

The Shen-Hao has all of the movements you can think of and a Graphlok back, but the trade-off is weight. For a new camera at the $600 price point, the decision seems to be between the ultra-light Tachihara with fewer movements (but enough for most landscape workers) and a spring back versus the Shen-Hao with more movements and the Graphlok back. Both offer similar bellows extension. The Shen-Hao does have a bag bellows option.

The other new cameras start at a higher price point, and each has advantages and disadvantages.

I went with the Shen-Hao and have no regrets, but any of the cameras mentioned in this thread would be a good choice if it met your needs. My needs don't include "light weight", so I was happy to get the extra movements and (more importantly for me) the Graphlok back. At the time I paid Midwest $599 for the camera and a nice aluminum case.