Chamonix vs. Xxxxx?

[esearing]

Love my Chamonix N2 and have been pleased with it enough to buy a new 5x12 from them. I like that I can put a 65mm lens on it without a recessed board. Can't do that with many of the wooden 4x5s. I like it for its simplicity, but changing lenses between the different mount holes is sometimes a pain and leads me to sometimes work with just one lens. I often forget I can slide the rear standard to go between two close lens sizes like 90 and 135.

If budget is not a problem and you will own this for many years you might also consider an Ebony 4x5. The two I have seen/handled show great quality in construction and design. It has more knobs and is heavier than the Chamonix models. Because of their price point they are easy to buy but harder to sell at full value.

the Nagaoka/Ikeda Anba lines are inexpensive light weight options if you don't mind small knobs and limited extension. There seems to be differences of opinion in how tightly these can be locked down but I had no issues with that, however I tend to shoot wide lightweight lenses rather than long and heavy. I would buy one of these before considering an Intrepid.

Canham cameras. They have many desirable features and a variety of models. Keith is still in business and from what I have seen provides excellent service .

[speedfreak]

Hey Adam... my biggest advice with all these cameras is to mount all your current lenses in linhof-style lens boards. Seems trivial but hear me out...
I’ve found that through the years with MANY different cameras, once I had a camera that took the linhof style boards it was easy to change up cameras if I so desired. Choose a camera that takes the boards natively (Linhof, Chamomix, Shen Hao, some Toyos, etc.) or buy a relatively cheap adapter for whatever camera you’re working with at the time.
Really, what ever you buy is going to be used, so it’s pretty damn easy to sell it for about the same price that you bought it at. If you don’t like the Chamonix or the Arca or the Linhof, no problem, move it along and try a different camera.
Photography is about so many different things and there’s no doubt, the GEAR aspect is big for some people. I, for one, love all the engineering beauty of these large format cameras and look forward to the day when there’s a package on the porch with a new toy to enjoy.
There really is no universally perfect camera. They all have trade offs. Try ‘em all. Having your lenses on the most common boards makes this super easy and it’ll help you to feel that this isn't such a huge decsion.
Also, I might be interested in moving along my Cham if interested...give me a ring.

[sperdynamite]

YES!! That's the whole point of this thread!!!

I'm looking for an alternative or a better option than the Chamonix F2.

So far, the ones that have caught my eye are the Arca-Swiss F-Line and the Linhof Technikardan.

I'll check into Gibellini now. Thanks!!

NEVER EVER buy a Gibellini! There are a few threads here with horror stories including my own. Their designs look nice but they make incredibly shoddy products. My 8x10 had light leaks from day one and it required multiple trips to the factory to fix it. It took me a year from my purchase date to have a working camera. I sold it as soon as the misery was over and got a Chamonix 810V.

[otto.f]

NEVER EVER buy a Gibellini! There are a few threads here with horror stories including my own. Their designs look nice but they make incredibly shoddy products. My 8x10 had light leaks from day one and it required multiple trips to the factory to fix it. It took me a year from my purchase date to have a working camera. I sold it as soon as the misery was over and got a Chamonix 810V.

Thanks for that!

[AdamD]

UPDATE:

I just took delivery of my new 4x5 camera (actually a used one):

Arca-Swiss F-Line Classic 171

I needed to change out my head as well, but that was a double bonus as it's an Arca-Swiss Z1 (my digital likes it too). It's a pretty nice rig now. I've already got to play with the MicroOrbix front tilt mechanism. Super slick. I was kinda weird to focus and tilt only once and the far/near points remained in focus. No back and forth tweaking.

Should be fun. This thread was a real help in deciding. Rod Klukas has me all set up now!!

Gotta shoot now....

Thanks all. Happy New Year!!!

Adam

[otto.f]

Looks very sturdy and precise, congrats and thanks for sharing!

[jamgolf]

Interesting thread and timely for me, since I am looking to buy my first ever 8x10 camera. I am leaning toward Arca-Swiss F Metric for its precision controls but Chamonix Alpinist also seems attractive due to its weight.

[AdamD]

So I don't have a lot of experience here, but if the Arca-Swiss camera has the MicroOrbix then, to me, that's worth the Arca-Swiss, period.

Being able to focus tilt ONCE is Soooo nice. I really love that part. I focus on the far, MicroOrbix tilt for the near and it's done. The focus remains set for the far. Then I note my rear standard location and then focus for the mid-ground point. Split the difference and stop accordingly. It is SO much faster than I'm used to. The precision controls of the Arca-Swiss is really nice, but I think lots of cameras might be as precise or just as good. But no one else has MicroOrbix!! To me that's the compelling case for an AS camera.

Then, if you don't use front tilt.....the benefits are diminished.

And yes, this thread has been really good!!

[jamgolf]

The orbix feature is the main attraction for me. Also the fact that movements are geared is something I value.
Thats what I am leaning towards.

[Alan Klein]

The MicroOrbix sounds like asymmetrical tilting which I have on the rear standard of my Chamonix 45H-1. Unfortunately, there are no gears. So the tilt adjustment is a little rougher.