light weight 5x7

[Bruce Watson]

I'm looking at the Canham MQC57. It weighs in at 2.6 Kg (5.7 lbs).

That's about the lightest I've found. Are there lighter weight 5x7s out there? If so, please tell me what you know.

[Frank Petronio]

That old Toyo Whole Plate Aluminum camera looks pretty light.... lot of interest in that lately, raising the prices but still a fraction of the cost of a Canham.

[Mike1234]

If you're interested in a really nice used MQC 57 with several accessories then PM me. I've decided to try 4x10 and I can't afford both.

As Frank states, the Toyo 6.5x8.5 are very lightweight and they do pop up occasionally. In fact, there's one in the classifieds right now. However, the 5x7 backs are very hard to find. You'll ususally find these with the 4x5 backs. Their rear movements are a bit more limited than the Canham but this doesn't matter if you don't need them. Lastly, they have less bellows draw than the MQC but this may not affect your needs if you don't intend to shoot long lenses or close-ups. The Toyo full plate is a fine camera though. In fact, I had one years ago and sold it... but only because I couldn't find a 5x7 back. Had I found the back I would probably still have that Toyo.

[Oren Grad]

Nagaoka 5x7. 3.75 lb. I weighed mine.

Ikeda Anba should be similar.

[sanking]

I'm looking at the Canham MQC57. It weighs in at 2.6 Kg (5.7 lbs).

That's about the lightest I've found. Are there lighter weight 5x7s out there? If so, please tell me what you know.

Unless I missed something the Canham MQC57 is the lightest 5X7 camera currently manufactured. I owned this camera for about a year and used it extensively on a trip to Spain. It has extensive movements and a lot of bellows draw but a couple of features that I found very undesirable. One is the fact that the back pivots on one point at the bottom of the frame, and unless you lock it down very hard it may move when you insert and remove the film holders, or even when you move the darkroom cloth. I learned to deal with this but never liked the feature. The other feature i did not like was the locking mechanism for the tracks. If you don't lock it down sufficiently the track may move, if you lock it down too hard you may ruin the mechanism. I have not looked at a new MQC57 in several years and Canham may have corrected one or both of these issues, but if not they would be a non starter for me based on my previous extensive use of the camera.

Next up in weight is the traditional wood Canham 57 at 6 lbs. Very nice looking camera with ;ots of bellows draw and movements for a field camera, but like all Canham cameras operations such as moving the track and opening and closing the camera are quite different from traditional folding cameras.

Next up in size and weight would be the Shen Hao FCL-57A at about 6.8 lbs. It weighs just less than a pound more than the MQC57 and has less bellows draw (but still enough for 450mm lens) and movements but the back locks down very rigidly, as do the tracks. On the whole it is a very user friendly camera and from my limited experience quite easy to work with.

If you are looking for the ultimate in light and compact look for an Ikeda or Nagaoka 5X7. These cameras fold down to about 7.5"X7.5" X 2.75" and weigh only about 3 lbs.
Bellows draws is limited and the longest regular lens that can be used is a 300mm.

Sandy King

[Oren Grad]

Just put a tape measure to my Nagaoka - bellows draw is about 14.5", or ~370mm.

From my perspective the main functional limitation is that direct front rise is quite limited - not a big deal in horizontal orientation, but a bit of a nuisance in vertical with a relatively elongated format. You can squeeze out a bit more with a combination of front and rear tilts, but the bellows get in the way very quickly.

[Kevin Klazek]

Per their web page, the Chamonix 5x7 (maple) is 4.6 pounds with the convertable back and 4 pounds with the horizontal only back.

[pocketfulladoubles]

I think the Chamonix is 4.59 pounds, as stated on their website. Never seen one in person though.

[iozone]

The "argentum excursor I. h." is listed at 2.9 pounds without a back. There are two styles of backs each weighing different amounts. This is a horizontal only model with only 270mm of extension. They do have other models including a Whole Plate model. Their web site is here: http://www.argentumcamera.com/eng/pages/other/home.htm

[Renato Tonelli]

Well here we are again mulling which 5x7. I can't make up my mind. The one I really like is the Linhof Technika, but at 12lbs it is a beast to carry even on a moderately long trek.
I am considering the Canham Traditional but I am concerned about the things Sandy has pointed out.
Ebony is much more than I am prepared to spend.
Wisner is still an option of sorts...