best handheld 4x5 camera?

[sgelb]

any reccos? speed graphic? crown graphic?


thinking linhof just way too expensive and heavy for me.

[Kirk Fry]

crown k

[dsphotog]

I enjoy my 4x5 Crown. They have that classic look,(it won't intimidate people if you are doing street photography), are common on the market, quite affordable, & light weight. They also close nicely with the lens mounted.
If you shoot handheld, I'd choose a top rangefinder model, with the original 135mm lens & the 6 shot Grafmatic film back, with 320 or 400 speed film.
Happy shooting!
David Silva
Modesto, Ca

[bbjorkum]

Polaroid 900 Razzle with a 150/5.6. Extremely fast. Extremely light. Extremely small.
Graflex Speed Graphic with a 178/2.5. Painstakingly calibrated for delicate hand held work at full opening.
And pretty soon a Graflex Super D with a modern 210/5.6 in a custom made automatic diaphragm.

[akalai]

Hard to answer your question without knowing what lenses you plan on using and for what purpose but if you like wide angle lenses then a Fotoman 45PS would be an option definitely worth considering. Don't own one... yet... but it handles a little like an oversize Hassy SWC which I love!

Fotoman 45PS
http://www.fotomancamera.com/product_list.asp?id=335

Plenty of information on the above link about this camera and a quick search of this forum will also reward you.... here is a link to a google search of this forum for the "Fotoman 45PS";
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=fotoman+45ps+site%3Awww.largeformatphotography.info%2Fforum&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

[Walter Calahan]

Crown!

[jnantz]

either a speed graphic, or a series d (slr).

[Bill_1856]

Busch Pressman model D, or Crown Graphic.
The Busch has a really horrible optical viewfinder, while the Crown has to be turned sideways for a vertical shot.

[kirkmacatangay]

I like the Cambo MiniPortrait that I modified, but I do agree that the Crown may be the most bang for the buck.

[Jim Jones]

I like my B&J Press for its rotating back and older Speed Graphics for almost everything else. The Crown is a bit lighter and more compact than its contemporary SG.