Ebony 45S(U) questions re:6x17 and Ebony 617S

[Sizam]

Hi All,
I'm setting my sights on a 6x17 view camera and its looking like a new Shen Hao or used Ebony. I'm checking out the Ebony 617S which is incredibly expensive and hard to find used vs the Ebony 45S or 45SU with a 617 roll film back.

Is there something special about the Ebony 617S over the Ebony 45S besides the fact that it comes with the 617 roll film back, I don't understand why its nearly 2x the price of the 45S. I thought maybe it'd be lighter but its not, its even heavier than the 45S/SU.

Does the 45S/SU not support the full width of the 617 rollfilm back?

[evan clarke]

I have a 45s that I bought for a 617 back. I have the Shen Hao back and viewer and with the 45s I can also do vertical 617s and have the luxury of being able to carry a coiple of 4x5 holders in the bag as well..Evan Clarke

[Sizam]

So you get the full width of the 617? I ask because 17cm is ~6.7" and a normal 4x5 maxes out at 5" obviously Unless I'm missing something...

[Daniel Stone]

what about getting one of those shen hao 6x17's? save a good bit of green, and almost as pretty

-Dan

[David Rees]

The big advantage of a dedicated 617 camera, as opposed to a 5x4 with a 617 adapter, is when using lenes of focal length 150mm or greater. As the lens is racked out further to get the longer lenses in focus, side vignetting occurs. The result is thst you end up with 6x15, 6x14, 6x13 on the film, as the focal length is increased.

I use a DaYi 6x17 back, mounted on a Walker 45XL, which allows me to use 72mm to 210mm lenses. The latter shows some vignetting, but it's rare for me to use a long focal length with panoramics, so I live with it. The Shen-Hao does look tempting, though...

[dave_whatever]

Hi All,
I'm checking out the Ebony 617S which is incredibly expensive and hard to find used vs the Ebony 45S or 45SU with a 617 roll film back.

bobby white's have got one - still not cheap though!

http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/product...3235&PT_ID=498

[Jeff Keller]

An alternative is a Canham MQC 5x7 along with the Canham 6x17 roll film back. The Canham bellows allows for a wide range of focal lengths up to 24" / 600mm.

Jeff Keller

[Sizam]

The big advantage of a dedicated 617 camera, as opposed to a 5x4 with a 617 adapter, is when using lenes of focal length 150mm or greater. As the lens is racked out further to get the longer lenses in focus, side vignetting occurs. The result is thst you end up with 6x15, 6x14, 6x13 on the film, as the focal length is increased.

I use a DaYi 6x17 back, mounted on a Walker 45XL, which allows me to use 72mm to 210mm lenses. The latter shows some vignetting, but it's rare for me to use a long focal length with panoramics, so I live with it. The Shen-Hao does look tempting, though...

Excellent point David, I didn't even consider that. So a 5x7 would be the better option in that case, or a dedicated 617 obviously?

what about getting one of those shen hao 6x17's? save a good bit of green, and almost as pretty

-Dan

I'm considering one of these as well, I just figured if I could find a used Ebony then what the hell, I'll get that and can sell it later.

Sam

[David Rees]

Sam,

A dedicated 6x17 camera is ideal, but as Jeff pointed out, a 5x7 camera can also be made to serve. The Canham 6x17 roll-film back he refers to can work on at least one other 5x7 that I know of: the Walker 57XL (made on this side of the pond, by a thoroughly decent chap, Mike Walker). His website is www.walkercameras.com; you can find details of his 5x7 there if you are interested.

I like the thought of owning the Ebony; I owned a Ebony 45SU for a number of years, and it was a wonderful camera. But the price of the Ebony 617 is so high over here, I'd be afraid to take it out of doors, which makes it rather pointless for me. I think Ebony cameras are cheaper in the USA, so this may not be as much of an issue for you.

There have been a couple of threads about the Shen-Hao 6x17 cameras (a folder, and two variants of the non-folder) on this forum in the past few years; you might want to do a search, and see if anything helpful to you pops up. The 6x17 backs have been discussed a bit also.

David.

[Lachlan 717]

I have not seen a used Ebony 617 in the last 5 years.

Mind you, I also haven't seen too many used Shen Hao 617s either...

As for where to get a new Shen, they're available on eBay and direct from the company.