Can someone give a Recommendation of a good field camera for 4*5”

[esbtse]

Hi,
I have a view camera but if it is too heavy to carry long distances I may switch to a Field.
What Field camera is best for Landscape Photo and mountain trekking?
I use 90, 120 and 240 and I shall add a long/tele lens of 400/450 to the equipment pile.
Regards,
Thomas

[Bruce Watson]

I use a Toho FC-45X for hiking. Excellent camera, it might be the lightest field 5x4 camera made. Works well with my 80mm SS-XL, and will handle the 450mm lenses with a top hat lens board.

Of course, there are many choices, so YMMV.

[Scott Davis]

Search the forum here to get some answers - there are lots of devotees of different cameras out here, and they'll all sing the praises of their own favorites. My personal recommendation for a 4x5 field is, if you have the budget, a Canham. Keith Canham makes a beautiful all-metal 4x5 field camera that is lightweight aluminum, and folds into a very compact package. For something a bit more traditional looking, he makes a wood and aluminum field camera. I have the 5x7 version of the Canham wood field camera, and it is a fine instrument.
If you either want or need to save money, a Shen Hao. I also have a Shen Hao 4x5, which is very inexpensive, quite portable, and has more movements than most lenses have image circle. It is not as good for long lenses because like many 4x5 field cameras it has limited bellows draw. IF you get a true telephoto design, you can use a 300 or 400 telephoto and still focus reasonably close with the Shen Hao.

[Ron Marshall]

Read the reviews on the front page of this site:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/roundup4x5.html

There are many excellent field cameras, most are fairly similar.

I also have a Toho which I am very happy with. It is about 1.3 kg. If you want one as light as possible that is the one to get.

[Ole Tjugen]

Thomas,

Since "they'll all sing the praises of their own favorites", I feel free to mention my own recommendations:

At present I use a Gandolfi Traditional 5x7"; the same in 8x10"; a Carbon Infinity 4x5" and a 4x5" Speed Graphic...

The CI is perfect for me, but it's generally unobtainable. The SG has the advantage of a focal plane shutter, which lets me use just about any lens ever made - with or without shutter.

But if I had to choose only one camera, it would be the 5x7" Gandolfi, with a 4x5" back. That one camera has sufficient movements, exellent stability, and handles both short and long lenses with equal ease. It also weighs quite a bit less than the CI, and has the added advantage that it can use both 4x5" and 5x7" backs.

[esbtse]

Thank you for the advices. I’m going to get a second hand Field camera after I bout the long lens. Is there a problem to get the cameras on example ebay that you mendshend?

[Ole Tjugen]

With the exception of the "generally unobtainable" Carbon Infinity, all the cameras mentioned show up on ebay at least every once in a while. Keep an eye on tradera.se too - but I suspect you know about that already?

There's a little problem here in that much of the advice you've been given is perfectly good, if you happen to live in the USA. Add postage and customs, and suddenly it isn't such a good deal after all! So trying to find what you want in Germany (ebay.de) or the UK (ebay.co.uk) might be worth your while.

Also I would (if I were you) keep an eye on the second-hand list of www.gandolficameras.com ...

[esbtse]

With the exception of the "generally unobtainable" Carbon Infinity, all the cameras mentioned show up on ebay at least every once in a while. Keep an eye on tradera.se too - but I suspect you know about that already?

There's a little problem here in that much of the advice you've been given is perfectly good, if you happen to live in the USA. Add postage and customs, and suddenly it isn't such a good deal after all! So trying to find what you want in Germany (ebay.de) or the UK (ebay.co.uk) might be worth your while.

Also I would (if I were you) keep an eye on the second-hand list of www.gandolficameras.com ...

Thank you for the good advices.

[Ralph Barker]

One thing to consider is the potential for at least partial compatibility with your monorail, so you can standardize on a single lens board size that will work, or is adaptable to both. For example, I use Toyo monorails (4x5 and 8x10) in the studio (or close to the vehicle) and a Toyo field camera, which lets me use the Toyo 110mm boards for most lenses. I made my own adapter for my Tachihara 8x10 field camera.

Another less obvious consideration is interchangeable bellows. Being able to substitute a bag bellows adds a lot of flexibility to the field camera. (My 4x5 Toyo field doesn't have this feature, unfortunately.)

Ultimately, as Ole mentions, it's often a compromise between what you'd really like to have and what's available at a reasonable price in your general area.

[Rider]

Thomas,

Since "they'll all sing the praises of their own favorites", I feel free to mention my own recommendations:

At present I use a Gandolfi Traditional 5x7"; the same in 8x10"; a Carbon Infinity 4x5" and a 4x5" Speed Graphic...

The CI is perfect for me, but it's generally unobtainable. The SG has the advantage of a focal plane shutter, which lets me use just about any lens ever made - with or without shutter.

But if I had to choose only one camera, it would be the 5x7" Gandolfi, with a 4x5" back. That one camera has sufficient movements, exellent stability, and handles both short and long lenses with equal ease. It also weighs quite a bit less than the CI, and has the added advantage that it can use both 4x5" and 5x7" backs.

(1) what lensboards do you use for the speed graphic, and

(2) what is a gandolfi, anyway?