Help me choose 4x5 camera to buy in 2022

[Bernice Loui]

2x3 ala 6x9 view cameras are a mixed baggie... Weight/size wise they are about the same or heavier/bulkier than a light weight 4x5 field folder or some of the lowest weight 4x5 monorail cameras. The TK23s all up weights and is about as bulky as a 4x5 Sinar Norma..

~Why bother with a 2x3 or 6x9 view camera..

Having been at this 120 roll film view camera thing for many years now, it comes down to camera movements and the ability to use 120 roll film instead of film holders. Lenses can be more available than lenses for 4x5 as many that can work good in 6x9 does not work on 4x5, but vast majority of 4x5 lenses easily works on 6x9.. There remains the hard limit of not being able to easily use lenses in barrel that the Sinar does not have..

The difficulty with using 120 roll film on these 2x3 ala 6x9 view cameras has much to to with the roll film back. There are slide in 120 roll film backs such as the Linhof Rapid Rollex and Toyo, they have a different set of issues.. Most of these view cameras use the 2x3 graflok/international standard back which often means removing the ground glass frame/holder to install the roll film back. Very real hassle here.. This was an irritating issue with the Arca Swiss 6x9 and other roll film view cameras prior to the Linhof TK23s.. While the Linhof back system is much their own, it is easy to use, precise/accurate with absolute repeatability and the Linhof Super Rollex has proven to be the best 120 roll film holder used to date. Except the Super Rollex is Big and Heavy...

There ya have it, none ideal, always a trade-off..

BTW, ++ on the Fuji GX680 as a studio 120 roll film camera. It is Good in many ways. Fuji made three version of the GX680. First version used nicads, later versions had lithium or AA batteries to power the camera. The Fujinon optics are Good, has modest front camera movements and overall IMO better than the RZ/RB of similar.. For studio use, easily better than Hasselblad in every way.



Bernice

I must admit, I've been tempted, at times -- fortunately only a few -- to get a medium format view camera. Like 4x5", there are several to choose from, new & old, field & studio. Many (most?) are probably lighter than your typical medium format SLR camera with lens -- and offer the swings & tilts of a view camera.

[Daniel Unkefer]

~Why bother with a 2x3 or 6x9 view camera.. The difficulty with using 120 roll film on these 2x3 ala 6x9 view cameras has much to to with the roll film back. Bernice

I have recently bought a couple of 2x3 Monorails, I would agree with all you say. For me, the 1958 era Plaubel Peco Junior fits my bill with no downsides. I bought a "Jim Galvin 2x3 Spring Graflok" from Glenn Evans, and grafted it to the back of a Peco Jr rear board. It opens very wide wide enough to fit my Graflex Roll Backs, as well as just about every other kind of back I have. Also it is as beautifully made as my Normas. The price of the Peco Junior is quite reasonable, and as solid as my Normas in all ways. I can easily carry it with one hand, everything fits in a small Monorail Soft Bag, without causing any strains. In fact Plaubel made a viewfinder front and back so it can be shot handheld! Imagine a hand held baby monorail camera. Recently I bought a very decent shape one from Adorama for seventy dollars. My first one was $200 with some very desirable original accessories. YMMV

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

[Bob Salomon]

I have recently bought a couple of 2x3 Monorails, I would agree with all you say. For me, the 1958 era Plaubel Peco Junior fits my bill with no downsides. I bought a "Jim Galvin 2x3 Spring Graflok" from Glenn Evans, and grafted it to the back of a Peco Jr rear board. It opens very wide wide enough to fit my Graflex Roll Backs, as well as just about every other kind of back I have. Also it is as beautifully made as my Normas. The price of the Peco Junior is quite reasonable, and as solid as my Normas in all ways. I can easily carry it with one hand, everything fits in a small Monorail Soft Bag, without causing any strains. In fact Plaubel made a viewfinder front and back so it can be shot handheld! Imagine a hand held baby monorail camera. Recently I bought a very decent shape one from Adorama for seventy dollars. My first one was $200 with some very desirable original accessories. YMMV

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

When we released the first TK 23 LInhof I received some photos from a customer in Honolulu who bought the first one. He was using it handheld with a 47mm Super Angulon and a LInhof Multifocus Finder 23 that he grafted onto the rear L standard. Worked for him.

[Drew Wiley]

6X9 roll film backs made perfect sense to me once the handwriting was on the wall that Quickload and Readyload holders were doomed to extinction. I was taking two week backpacking trips into the mountains right up till the pandemic and huge forest fires hit, which also was when I was entering my 70's. Sure glad I had taken the trouble to fine-tune roll film holder operation in advance under those conditions. Of course, one can, if they wish, still pack along a few full-sized 4x5 holders for those special images worthy of significantly bigger enlargements.

[Daniel Unkefer]

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

I have completely finished grafting the Jim Galvin Graflex Back 2.5"x3.2.5" to a Plaubel Makiflex flat rear board. I hold it together with tiny brass hobby screws on both sides. I had to light proof foam after assembly all seems to be good to go. I have six 2x3 Graphmatics, right now loaded with Fuji HRU XRay film. Also have about ten Graflex type sheet film holders. I stocked up on the film so that's another option. Camera completely ready and I've been shooting some tests on 120 Makina film backs. The Graphmatics are quick.... I did attach a custom sized fresnel to the rear of the film back. I prefer fresnels for viewing on my cameras. Camera shown with the Sinar Symmar 210mm f5.6 which is about as long as you can go especially closer up. The 180mm f5.6 Symmar has been working good too. Both lenses Compur shutters

[Tin Can]

I never use roll film with my 2X3 rail bellows boxes

I prefer to focus and use either Grafmatics or normal DDS

I also like DDS on my Mamiya RB, the Mamiya DDS holder does film or glass plate

I shot a few sheet film in my Hasselblad, glad it's gone

[Havoc]

I'm fully confident that if I had the latest and most expensive Linhof in my hands, I'd still be fully capable of making lousy photographs with it

Same here. Doesn't matter what camera I use, it comes out lousy.

[sharktooth]

So true. Nowadays, I save money on film by "pre-visualizing" all the lousy stuff I might have taken. No need to lug around a heavy camera and tripod either.

[xkaes]

Are you here just to provide moral support for those of us who lug around a heavy camera and tripod?

[sharktooth]

Are you here just to provide moral support for those of us who lug around a heavy camera and tripod?

Gimme an "L", gimme an "A", gimme an "R" .......

O.K., maybe I'm too old for this now.

If you were visualizing this with spandex and pom-poms .... I'm sorry.