Wista 45vx or Chamonix 045n-2

[Alan Gales]

If you like metal check out a used Toyo 45Al or 45All. Prices have come down on these cameras lately on Ebay.

These cameras will take a 90 on a flat board and use up to a 100mm lens for landscape photography. You won't be able to close focus the 100mm for portraits though due to the slightly longer than 12" bellows draw.

Sorry about that. I meant up to a 300mm lens!

[Robert Ley]

Kumar has it exactly right! Just tilt the back and center up the front standard and you are good to go. I have done this with a 75mm lens, bag bellows and my Wista VX. It is also extremely tough and will handle a lot of abuse. I am able to leave my 150 Caltar IIN on and close the camera. Very fast setup as has been noted.

[Trius]

I have had both the Toyo 45A (used for over 30 years) and a Chamonix 45N-2, purchased recently.

Chamonix:

* Light (very) and compact
* More movements than a field camera
* Compatibility with more focal lengths without accessories, tele/recessed boards, etc.

Toyo/Field

* Faster to set up
* Less fiddly to adjust movements (caveat: I am still getting used to the Chamonix)
* Built like a brick outhouse

In my case I was going for the lightest yet well crafted and reliable field camera I get at reasonable cost. As the body ages, this is not a trivial matter.

If you are looking at resale value if LF doesn't suit you, then I think you should go with the least risk.

I don't subscribe to that approach, though it is certainly reasonable. I usually try to determine the best tools. If they are out of my means I either try and find acceptable alternatives or start a savings plan. I don't put much weight on resale value, because I've learned that neither am I good at predicting the future, and doing so almost always compromises my judgment. Tools selected with those kinds of considerations often fall short and limit one's ability to negotiate the not inconsiderable learning curve involved. In this case, going from miniature format, highly automated digital, instant photography to large format, completely manual, deliberate work. That's not an inconsiderable task. I would recommend choosing on the basis of what it takes to succeed, not "how cheaply can I get out if I don't like it."

[Noah A]

"The only real downside to metal fields in my opinion is that some movements (most notably front fall, which neither the Wista nor my Linhof MT2000 have) are not possible or are difficult to achieve. You'll need to drop the bed or go through other machinations. If you often shoot from tall buildings, for instance, and want to frame your shot lower, then it can be a pain. From ground level I rarely use front rise though. "

Noah, you are probably overlooking a major feature of your Technika. All Master Technika cameras have lens drop. All you do is unscrew the accessory shoe on top of the camera and lift it off. That will reveal a 1/4-20 tripod socket on the top housing of the camera. Mount the camera to your tripod head using this tripod socket and what had been lens rise is now lens fall. Same amount of lens fall as the camera has lens rise.

On the current Master Technika 3000 the accessory shoe is unscrewed with the Allen key that is supplied with the camera. On earlier versions you reach into the body housing, under the accessory shoe and unscrew the large knob that you will find there. Very easy and very quick to do.

If you have a Linhof Heavy Duty Pro tripod or a Linhof Profi 3 tripod Linhof also makes an Outrigger Arm accessory so you can mount the camera upside down to the Outrigger for lens drop without taking the shoe off the top of the camera. But most people just take the shoe off.

I do it all the time, Bob. But to me it falls under the category of an "other machinations" as it's not a direct movement. Don't get me wrong, it's a great feature and despite this issue I use a metal field as my primary camera. But in trying to give an honest unbiased review (of the Wista, actually) and list what I perceive as the negatives of many metal fields, albeit a minor one. If I know I'll need extreme movements or lots of fine adjustments, I'll bring my TK45S instead. But I love working with the Technika, and more to the point, while the technika is a bit more capable, I enjoyed the Wista VX as well.

Actually, and I hate to get OT since I think a Linhof is not what the OP was interested in, but I do prefer the MT2000 to the wista because of that extra tripod socket on top of the camera. Also because there are two tripod sockets on the bottom of the camera, one on the body box and one on the bed. If you use the one on the body box, you can drop the bed without re-leveling the camera.

To be fair, when I was using the Wista I also had a ballhead. I'd advise that a pan-tilt head (or even better, a manfrotto geared head), would make the process of dropping the bed on a wista much faster. I always got annoyed when I finally got the camera level and then I had to do it again when I realized I needed some lens fall.

Here's the Linhof upside-down in Cairo last month:

[Frank Petronio]

It does provide a nice built-in lenshade that way, perhaps all field cameras should be used that way? It would easy enough to glue a threaded Brass insert into the top of a Deardorff.

[Preston]

I have an 045N-2. It's a wonderful camera--light weight and pretty compact when folded. My only nit, if I was to pick one, is I'd really like independent controls/locks for front rise/fall and tilt. Other than that, it's a wonderful camera for the price.

If you do decide to go with the Chamonix and you plan to use lenses longer than 300mm, I encourage you to purchase the extension board ($122US) at the same time.

I used a Tachihara for years and found the paradigm shift from front standard base tilt to the axis tilt on the Chamonix a little disconcerting at first, but with practice I got dialed in. I don't know if this is consideration for you, but it's something to think about.

--P

[gsinico]

Having a front fall is nice for portraits too, as well as landscapes like water scenes. That being important to me, I went with a less than backpack friendly monorail ~ to get more movements.

However now that I look at it, the Chamonix offers a fair amount of fall, unlike the Wista and Technika. I never realized that until just now ~ I still prefer metal cameras for their rigidity but I have to give points to the Chamonix (first time I said I liked a wooden camera!)

I owned a Wista (wood) with the 135Nikkor. I also have now a Chamonix N-1. I prefer the Chamonix because I have lot more lenses from 58 to 300mm to fit in.
The wista could a easier way to backpack, ready to use, but I think be difficult for the bellow extension to use lenses out of the 90-240 range.
The chamonix is sturdy as the wista... but with more mouvements, and very light to carry. For more mouvements a monorali is the best, so I kept the Arca Swiss F for short distances trips. Then both the two foldings are easy to backpack and to carry on trip, wista will be a little faster to set.

[David Rheubottom]

For what it is worth... I have an 045-2 and a metal field camera (an MPP VII, the English Linhof). The 045-2 is MUCH easier to set up and adjust. Using a 90mm wide-angle on the MPP is a nightmare as are telephotos, and the back adjustments are very fiddly and easy to knock out of adjustment. Since getting the Chaminox, the MPP has only been out of the house once or twice. While metal field cameras are very robust, they are also heavy! A strong back may help, but those extra pounds get very heavy on a long day with a backpack. Have you weighed a stack of loaded film holder? Finally, I had the misfortune of having the Chaminox slip off the tripod a crash down some rocks. It was badly damaged, but still useable. It was fixed like new at the factory for a very modest sum. Try getting a metal field camera repaired! Cheers, Dave

[Two23]

I think that really it's going to come down to whether you like the looks of a metal camera or the aesthetics of a wooden one. I have a Chamonix and love it, but I just like finely finished wood. It has the elegance of the older English field cameras from around 1900 (Sanderson, Thornton Pickard.) The camera is very easy to operate. Either would be a good choice.


Kent in SD

[Bob Salomon]

I owned a Wista (wood) with the 135Nikkor. I also have now a Chamonix N-1. I prefer the Chamonix because I have lot more lenses from 58 to 300mm to fit in.
The wista could a easier way to backpack, ready to use, but I think be difficult for the bellow extension to use lenses out of the 90-240 range.
The chamonix is sturdy as the wista... but with more mouvements, and very light to carry. For more mouvements a monorali is the best, so I kept the Arca Swiss F for short distances trips. Then both the two foldings are easy to backpack and to carry on trip, wista will be a little faster to set.

But the OP is asking about a metal Wista not a wood one. And some wood Wista cameras accept a bag bellows for wide angle work, apparently yours did not. The metal ones also accept a bag bellows.