About to bite the LF bullet

[jars121]

G'day all,

I've decided to finally move into LF territory. I'm in the process of selling all my 35mm gear, with the hope of moving into a nice 4x5 view setup.

I've tentatively decided on the Sinar F2, as it seems to be quite a reliable piece of kit, with plenty of accessories available. I also quite like the look of the Horseman 450EM too, but they aren't as common.

Are there any other contenders that I should be looking at? From my limited research, the F2 seems to fetch around about $500 in minty condition on eBay. One sold yesterday for $800 here in Australia, but practically everything is more expensive here.

Thanks!

[welly]

G'day!

Australia here too (Sydney - whereabouts are you?). I shoot with a Sinar F2 on the recommendation of a few people. It's a great camera, I really like it. Although I have nothing to compare it against, it seems to do everything I could possibly want a film camera to do and like you say, plenty of accessories available.

Bear in mind they're a fairly beefy (relatively speaking) 4x5 camera from what I can tell and compared with the 4x5 field cameras that a few friends shoot with.

If you happen to be in Sydney and want to check out an F2 (if you haven't seen one in person before), give me a shout and we can organise something. If you're not then obviously we can't

Cheers,

Welly

[jars121]

Hey Welly, thanks for responding!

I am indeed in Sydney, on the north shore. I had a really quick feel around with an old Sinar 4x5 at a used camera dealer a couple of days ago, but I didn't really get to play with the movements or anything. If you want to meet up for a shoot at some point let me know, I'm always keen to go out with my Fuji 617

[Vaughn]

It is okay to bite the bullet, just don't drink the Kool-aid.

I have never used a F2. I have used other 4x5's; Calumets, a Linhof, Graphic Views, Gowland PocketView, Rajah, Horseman Woodman, Tachihara, a few different Press 4x5's, and probably something I have forgotten.

The PocketView as a very light monorail 4x5 (2.5 pounds with a Caltar 150mm f5.6 lens on it) was a very good tool while on my bicycle for 5 months. It would drive those who need a more stable, precise, full-featured camera nuts in about 4 minutes of its first use. But with 6 holders and tripod it was light enough I could take it backpacking solo into the Grand Canyon for a few 11-day trips. This was when my knees were much younger and before carbon fiber tripods. My Gitzo 300 and ballhead #2 weighed about 7 pounds. A little over-kill with the tripod. The 200 series (Reporter) would have held the camera well, but at 6'4" I like to have some height to the pod without depending too much on the center column.

These days I am carrying a wood folding 8x10 and a tripod that weighs ten pounds more than the pod above. Lots of exercise!

Do you already have a tripod?

A camera is just a tool, so one needs to ask if a particular camera type and/or make best suits what one wants to use it for. Then hopefully one can try several cameras to see how easy or intuitive the controls are. The Catch-22 is that until one has used a LF camera or cameras for awhile, it is difficult to know what questions to ask or what to expect from a LF camera.

Good luck in finding the right camera! But later if you find you need a camera to fit a different need, there is nothing wrong with owning two 4x5 cameras, or even three. After all it is not G.A.S. if you really need and use it!

Vaughn

[jars121]

Thanks for that Vaughn I would love to be able to sample a number of various 4x5's to find one that suits me, but they are becoming increasingly rare these days. I've heard nothing but good things about the Sinar F series, so I think that would be a good place to start. As for a tripod, I have a really heavy duty Manfrotto (can't exactly remember the model number) that holds my medium format camera like a champ.

[welly]

Hey Welly, thanks for responding!

I am indeed in Sydney, on the north shore. I had a really quick feel around with an old Sinar 4x5 at a used camera dealer a couple of days ago, but I didn't really get to play with the movements or anything. If you want to meet up for a shoot at some point let me know, I'm always keen to go out with my Fuji 617

Yeah, that would be great! I've always wanted to try out one of those Fuji 617 cameras. We should definitely organise something I'm in Darlinghurst but a trip over the bridge wouldn't be too traumatic! If you're free any time over the Christmas holidays, let me know.

Cheers!