Anybody using a Walker Titan?

[Michael R 1974]

I'm thinking about getting one.

I'm interested in the "Wide" versions, not the Titan field camera.

I like the rigid back, and also that it's not made of wood.

Experiences anybody? Is it s precision piece of gear?

Thanks

[Poisson Du Jour]

+1 Me too. Preferably images that have not been over-sharpened for the web.
(They are supposed to be available down here in Australia, but where I don't know).

[ic-racer]

You have seen the YouTube video of its making? Seems very well designed and made. Makes me want to get one also.

[eclarke]

I had one and it was a great camera, topknotch quality and a tough unit. Somebody was looking for one and I sold it (I have all formats of Arcas and am a monorail guy).. I recommend it....

[Mark_S]

I have the Walker Titan and am quite happy with it. I lived for quite a while in Maine, and used it a lot for landscape photography at or near the shore. I've had the camera for about 8 years now.

Things that I really like about the camera:
Lots of movements - it is crazy flexible.
Long bellows - good for close up work.
Durable
Well made.

Things that I like less about the camera:
It is much bigger and heavier than a wooden field camera. I have often considered getting a wooden field camera (I lust for the Chamonix) for backpacking, but am afraid of having to justify it to the wife .

A couple of things that I would have done differently had I been in Mike's shoes:
1) He used right hand threads everywhere, which means that locking seems to be backwards on many of the controls - for example, axis tilt for the front standard is locked with a couple of levers, one of which you move down, the other up - it would have been more intuitive to use left hand threads on those controls on the left side of the camera.
2) Putting indications on the body to make setup of the camera in a neutral position easy and fast.

That said, if I were to lose the Walker Titan today, I would probably buy another, just like it......

Mark

[Michael R 1974]

Thanks for the feedback. I've been looking at these things for years but it might be time to pull the trigger and finally get one. It looks like such a solid, relatively simple design that would be ideal for architecture and other types of work where mostly all I need is front rise. So it seems like with this camera you wouldn't have to fuss around as much to get the lens and film plane parallel and squared up when working with wide angles. And no wood-related issues like temp, humidity etc making things go out of alignment over time. I don't mind the extra weight. And for landscapes there is sufficient front tilt, which is usually all I need anyway. It seems like it would be strong, without flex, which is what I want.

The only problem seems to be the limited focal lengths beyond wide angle. Like the 4x5 for example, I don't think you can put anything longer than a 180mm on it. But maybe the solution is to get the 5x7 with a reducing back. Thoughts?

I'm hoping the camera would be extremely rigid. It looks that way but I haven't tried one.

Looks like there is no left/right shift.

Mark S: re your second point, there are no zero detents on the front standard?

[BradS]

I had a Walker Titan SF45. It was, unequivocably the most rigid and precise view camera I've ever owned (and I have owned many). The design, materials and construction are all excellent. My only complaint was that it weighed around six pounds. Over the years I have bought, used and sold more than fifteen view cameras. The Walker Titan and my first Crown Graphic are the only two I've ever regretted selling.

[Michael R 1974]

Thanks for this feedback. I'm leaning more and more toward getting a Titan.

[SMBooth]

I have a friend with one, and as long as you understand what movements it doesn't have then its a great camera from what I can see.

[Michael R 1974]

What about the fact the 4x5 can't use lenses longer than 150mm?