Adding a 4x5 back to a 8x10 body......is it worth it

[ndwgolf]

I have a Wisner 4.5 and have just bought a Chamonix 8x10. I noticed they sell a 4x5 adapter for the Chamonix.........is it worth getting one.

Neil

[Eric Woodbury]

Not for the kind of work I do. I wouldn't want to haul an 8x10 to use as a 4x5. I have a 45 adapter for my 5x7. I have never used it in 30 years. If I needed a 4x5 image from a 5x7, I'd crop.

[Leigh]

One problem with shooting 4x5 using an 8x10 body is the bellows.

They're not designed to collapse enough to focus the shorter focal length lenses used for 4x5.

This is not just an issue with the bellows themselves, but also with the lens support structure and the body thickness.

- Leigh

[jp]

Probably depends on how you use it, it's probably typically not needed.
I have a 4x5 back for my 8x10 B&J. It gets used once in a while. If you have lenses that work and fit best on a 8x10 camera and don't mind some crop factor due to the smaller negative size it works well. I have a couple treasured 4x5 shots from my 8x10 camera which has the Kodak 305 portrait lens on it, which is too big for 4x5 cameras. Same smoothness/softness, smaller negative with less distortion around the edges as the lens was made for 5x7 purposes. Maybe shoot a few 8x10 sheets then switch to 4x5 for a different field of view yet consistent style.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I have a Wisner 4.5 and have just bought a Chamonix 8x10. I noticed they sell a 4x5 adapter for the Chamonix.........is it worth getting one.l

Do you stay up late nights to find silly questions?

[Pere Casals]

One problem with shooting 4x5 using an 8x10 body is the bellows.

They're not designed to collapse enough to focus the shorter focal length lenses used for 4x5.

This is not just an issue with the bellows themselves, but also with the lens support structure and the body thickness.

- Leigh

Using a recessed board solves that

[Pere Casals]

I have a Wisner 4.5 and have just bought a Chamonix 8x10. I noticed they sell a 4x5 adapter for the Chamonix.........is it worth getting one.

Neil

It is a good idea if you go around with the intention to shot both, 8x10 and 4x5 the same day, if hauling a 8x10 is not heroic enough just add a 4x5.


Also you will have a luxurious 4x5 framming, it can be great to see a wider scene to seek the ideal composition, or perhaps the boundaries are to distract you.

[Bob Salomon]

Do you really want to haul around the weight and bulk of an 810 camera, tripod and head just to take 45 pictures? Why?

[Leigh]

Using a recessed board solves that

Comparing the 4x5 and 8x10 Tachihara field cameras as good examples:

Minimum distance lensboard to film:
4x5: 75mm
8x10: 135mm

The shortest lenses in my database that would achieve infinity focus at 135mm FFL are
150mm, thus eliminating all wide-angle options for the 4x5 format.

I've never seen a lensboard recessed 60mm.

- Leigh

[John Kasaian]

I've got a 4x5 reducing back---handy if you need more bellows than your 4x5 camera can provide.
I used to use it for Polaroid Type 55 p/n film, but truthfully.
I haven't used it in about 20 years.
Far more useful would be an 8x10 back that handles splitters---two 4" x 10" or two 8" x 5" on a single sheet of 8x10 film.