The Rittreck is the lineal ancestor of the modern Wista metal field cameras, but metaphorically built by whoever built the battleship Yamato.
The basic camera is an all-metal 5x7 outfit with reversible 5x7 and 4x5 reducing backs that clip securely on the metal body. Without lens, lens board, or film holder, a basic Rittreck weighs about 9 pounds 6 ounces. It folds up into a compact but dense package that's quite well protected if you include a ground glass protector. 4x5 backs are readily available, fit just like the original standard 5x7 back, and do not add depth. Often, many Rittrecks on the used market come with only the 4x5 back, so check what's included.
Overall, the Rittreck works well in the field with lenses from 90-305mm. I found that, with a bit of tinkering such as removing stop blocks, you can use a 14"/360mm lens like a Red Dot Artar, focusing down to about 7-10 feet. IIRC, I was also able to use a Fujinon 75mm SW lens without the need for special lens boards on my Rittreck with the 4x5 back.
Rittrecks are one of the best buys in a "modern" metal 5x7 field camera. Usually, older Rittrecks will need some cleaning and lubrication of moving surfaces and would benefit from new bellows. The spring-loaded bail is often quite stiff, so I had a machinist friend remove one leaf from the spring, which helped. A Canham MQC 5x7 is a few pounds lighter and has more versatile bellows/extension. However, it's also at least 5X more expensive on the used market,
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