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Thread: Worst View Camera Ever?

  1. #1

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    Worst View Camera Ever?

    As a counter to all these sentimental camera fetish threads.... Which were the worst large format cameras you've ever used?

    Might as well diss other formats as well, since it is so much fun to gossip behind the camera's backs

    My least favorite big camera was a heavy but loose 8x10 deGolden Busch that looked like it was built with nautical hardware. It had all the rigidity of a hundred year old Korona with none of the elegance -- yet it weighed at least 25 lbs.

    The worst ever little one was the ridiculously expensive "state of the art professional" Sony FP-3 digital, an upgrade from the D770: http://www.dpreview.com/news/9906/99063001sonyd770.asp

    1999's "state of the art" was 1.5 mp!

    I also had a Russian Horizant that would literally "chew" film.

  2. #2

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    Re: Worst View Camera Ever?

    I know, many will disagree with me, but as we know, LF cameras are a very personal thing - the worst 4x5 I have owned was the Linhof Technika - we just didn't get along (you'd think a German would love the precision and the quality). I just hated the way it handled wide angle lenses (I had a III and a IV) and it was heavy. After a handful of other 4x5 ventures, I finally settled on the Canham DLC45 and we seem to get along just fine:-)
    Juergen

  3. #3

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    Re: Worst View Camera Ever?

    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Petronio View Post
    As a counter to all these sentimental camera fetish threads.... Which were the worst large format cameras you've ever used?

    Might as well diss other formats as well, since it is so much fun to gossip behind the camera's backs

    My least favorite big camera was a heavy but loose 8x10 deGolden Busch that looked like it was built with nautical hardware. It had all the rigidity of a hundred year old Korona with none of the elegance -- yet it weighed at least 25 lbs.

    The worst ever little one was the ridiculously expensive "state of the art professional" Sony FP-3 digital, an upgrade from the D770: http://www.dpreview.com/news/9906/99063001sonyd770.asp

    1999's "state of the art" was 1.5 mp!

    I also had a Russian Horizant that would literally "chew" film.
    Any of the Calumet metal view cameras, such as the C1.

    Don Bryant

  4. #4

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    Re: Worst View Camera Ever?

    My worst were:

    Leica IIIf - a pain in the butt to use in every respect; even an Argus "brick" would put it to shame.

    and

    Ricoh 126-Flex - the biggest joke in photography, a "pro SLR" wannabe for that God awful 126 film - gave it away twice and got it back twice. Finally set it on a counter in my Brother's flea market and just left it there.

    EuGene

  5. #5
    Greg Lockrey's Avatar
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    Re: Worst View Camera Ever?

    One with a big hole in the bellows....
    Greg Lockrey

    Wealth is a state of mind.
    Money is just a tool.
    Happiness is pedaling +25mph on a smooth road.



  6. #6

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    Re: Worst View Camera Ever?

    A pinhole camera I made from a frozen turkey--baaaad idea!
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  7. #7

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    Re: Worst View Camera Ever?

    LOL! A GREAT post.
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

  8. #8

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    Re: Worst View Camera Ever?

    "A pinhole camera I made from a frozen turkey--baaaad idea!"

    Wow! And I though a 126 SLR was a bad joke! The Blue Ribbon goes to John . . . nothing can top that "camera"!!

  9. #9
    Whatever David A. Goldfarb's Avatar
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    Re: Worst View Camera Ever?

    I hope you took the giblets out before putting the film in, John.

    My worst was a Pentacon 6. It had some great lenses, and I got some good shots with it, but the touchy film advance was frustrating.

  10. #10

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    Re: Worst View Camera Ever?

    I never warmed up to my Technika IV and sold it after a year. Certainly doesn't belong in any "worst" category, but it wasn't for me. I do think the Calumet Cadets kind of suck when used outside. With such a great design in the N-series cameras -- great for students but still fine for most professinal work -- I'm not sure Calumet needed the Cadet (although they sold plenty to art departments all over the country). Other than that there were some old field cameras that were too rickety to hold their settings, but that was partly due to age and lack of care.

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