What are the least expensive 5x7 that can handle this?

[AnselAdamsX]

I'm looking to get a 5x7 field camera that accepts linhof/wista lensboards. It should handle the following focal lengths on a flat lensboard without changing the bellows, dropping the bed, or using tilt/rise of the front standard:

90mm with 10mm rise
120mm with 53mm rise (80mm rear element)
150mm with 15mm rise
180mm with 20mm rise
210mm with 44mm rise

Thanks
Chris

[Ole Tjugen]

Any antique German plate camera ("Reisekamera") can do that. Or a newer ex-Soviet FKD. Or several of the (brand new) Argentum cameras.

All of these can easily be made to take Linhof/Wista lens boards.


Which really says that your specifications are so limited that they don't make sense.

[Ted Harris]

Or the Shen Hao. Remember that when you are talking "least expensive" for a 5x7 you are still in the 1200 - 1500 range for new.

[AnselAdamsX]

I don't believe a tachihara 5x7 will handle a 90mm on a flat lensboard since it's minimum extension is 100mm. A Shen-Hao FCL57-A has a minimum bellows extension of 90mm but that doesn't mean it will allow 42mm of rise at that focal length. I'm not familiar with any of the cameras you have mentioned.

Any antique German plate camera ("Reisekamera") can do that. Or a newer ex-Soviet FKD. Or several of the (brand new) Argentum cameras.

All of these can easily be made to take Linhof/Wista lens boards.


Which really says that your specifications are so limited that they don't make sense.

[Ole Tjugen]

Argentum should be able to make a camera that will do this for at most 800 Euro - $1200 at most.

An old German plate camera looks like This, only better built. Both my 13x18cm (5x7") and my 24x30cm (9.5x12") plate cameras can focus a 50mm lens at infinity, and easily handle 600mm lenses (850mm for the big one). They rarely cost more than $300 on ebay, usually in the $150 to $200 range without lens.

[Nick_3536]

I'd have to measure my Shen Hao [it's the other model not the FCL] but I don't think the requirements would push it much.

Is the FCL really 90mm of min extension? I would have thought less. Plus depending on the lens you're using and the distance you're focusing at you'll likely be further out.

[AnselAdamsX]

The 90mm for the Shen-Hao and 100mm for the Tachihara are from the Badger Grapghic web site. I Have a 90mm Nikkor f/8 that I don't know the flange length of. I could have made it more difficult by saying I wanted it to handle more movement when using a 4x5 reduction back but I thought that was pushing it. Are there 5x7 with 85mm rise at 120mm? and 45mm rise at 90mm? I havn't seen any spec that suggests there is.

I'd have to measure my Shen Hao [it's the other model not the FCL] but I don't think the requirements would push it much.

Is the FCL really 90mm of min extension? I would have thought less. Plus depending on the lens you're using and the distance you're focusing at you'll likely be further out.

[Aaron van de Sande]

Get a $250 B&J and have a lensboard adapter made for it.

[Ernest Purdum]

Since you mention "tilt" as well as rise, this narrows things down a lot if you want it. The B&J that Aaron mentions is one of the few that do. I'd be slow to go up to $250 on one, though, except from a good dealer. I've seen decent ones go for about half that on eBay.

If you just mentioned tilt to indicate that you didn't want it as a means of using short lenses, that's different. Ole's "Reisekamera", (which means travel camera) would be an answer, though you would probably have to have woodwork done at both ends to accept Fidelity, etc. filmholders and Linhof lensboards. You wouldn't have to modify the camera permanently. An 8X10 to 5X7 reducing back could be cut down to fit and a new adapter lnsboard made.

[AnselAdamsX]

I do want some tilt and swing but don't want to use it for placing the standards closer together.

Since you mention "tilt" as well as rise, this narrows things down a lot if you want it. The B&J that Aaron mentions is one of the few that do. I'd be slow to go up to $250 on one, though, except from a good dealer. I've seen decent ones go for about half that on eBay.

If you just mentioned tilt to indicate that you didn't want it as a means of using short lenses, that's different. Ole's "Reisekamera", (which means travel camera) would be an answer, though you would probably have to have woodwork done at both ends to accept Fidelity, etc. filmholders and Linhof lensboards. You wouldn't have to modify the camera permanently. An 8X10 to 5X7 reducing back could be cut down to fit and a new adapter lnsboard made.