I used to own a Sinar P and they are really nice. All geared and a joy to use. They are heavy so you won't be doing any backpacking with it. A lot of people prefer the earlier Norma's. Beautiful cameras but I have not had the chance to use one. The F series is lighter. F stands for field.
I used to recommend Calumet or Cambo if someone wanted to save money. Monorails have gotten so cheap though that I think you are best going with Sinar if you are in the United States. There is so much used Sinar stuff on the market here.
A lot of monorails are sold with 210mm lenses. A 210 and 135 make a great combination. If you buy a camera without a lens you may just want to pick up a 150 or 180. These are normal focal length lenses for 4x5 like a 50mm is for 35mm cameras. Look for a modern Schneider, Rodenstock, Nikkor, Fuji or Caltar lens. Let price and condition be your guide. All these brands are pretty close to the same. The later Caltars are rebadged Rodenstocks or Schneiders. Sometimes you can get them for a little less.
Don't worry if you buy something and it just isn't for you. All this stuff has leveled out and if you buy at a fair price then if you sell you will get most if not all your money back. When I started I thought I wanted a 75mm lens but when I got it I found it too wide for my taste. I sold the lens for what I had paid. I was only out the price I had paid for shipping. I then bought a 90mm which I was happy with. I figured the little money I was out was a very cheap rental fee.
Welcome to the forum. We may like to argue from time to time but for the most part people on here are really nice. Many are very knowledgeable too so you will learn a lot on here. I sure have!
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