Ah okay my shen 4x10 is 'triple' then and I figured the hzx was too.
Brad, may I ask, why do you need triple extension for 4x5, are you using long focal lengths? Or is it just that you prefer rear focusing only? (I do prefer rear focus)
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Ah okay my shen 4x10 is 'triple' then and I figured the hzx was too.
Brad, may I ask, why do you need triple extension for 4x5, are you using long focal lengths? Or is it just that you prefer rear focusing only? (I do prefer rear focus)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Hamley
Tried that too - although only briefly. My beef with rear rise and rear shift is that these things tend to make the back less rigid and, more importantly and less controversially, the extra movements require extra setup time.
It'd be really easy to eliminate the rear rise and tilt, no? Just take those flimsier parts off and replace with sturdy L brackets.
Exactly! Like the RW45. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by keithwms
Ebony* will do custom cameras but this is an expensive route to take. You would probably find it cheaper to buy a higher spec camera . I have just bought the 45SU (after waiting almost 6 months for it to be made & delivered from Japan to England). The standard model is in Ebony but they will make it in the lighter weight mahogony wood if you prefer.
You can discuss your requirements and prices by emailing Hiromi directly. ( hiromi@ebonycamera.com ). I think the 45SU might be too heavy for you weighing in at 2.6 Kg. You could go for the cheaper 45S model but that does not offer assymetrical focussing and the bellows are not interchangable. With the 45SU you can use a 58mm Schneider XL lens without any movements with the standard universal bellows or with some movements using the bag bellows. Ebony do offer the option of non-folding field cameras which are easier & quicker to set up, and you can leave the lens mounted. Ebony are so expensive because the whole camera and parts (including even the screws) are handmade! The best quality titanium & Ebony are very hard to work, so the labour costs are much higher. That said, they are VERY sturdy, "Matelot-Proof" cameras! ;) :D
If you are interested you can get them from Bruce's Field Camera Store, via ebay, link below.
http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkw...romZR40QQ_mdoZ
*Ebony cameras: http://www.ebonycamera.com/cam.html
You might also contact Zhang Fu Ming at Shen Hao (zhangfmli@vip.sina.com).
Thanks, I am very well acquainted with Ebony cameras having owned two and kept one. I got rid of the SV45Ti because of the rear rise. I buy my cameras from Fred and Denis at the View Camera Store or Jeff at BadgerGraphic. Bruce...well, I'll just give an example of why I refuse to even call him anymore....He had an Osaka 5x7 camera advertised. I wrote him an email and asked simply if he could forward a few photos of the camera to me - I had never seen one before and a picture is worth 1000 words in cases like these. His reply was simply "Are you serious about buying one? ". I told him I might be if I could just get an idea of what it was / how it worked. He gave me more attitude and directed me to photos of the Osaka camera on the web site of another retailer!!! so, I went and bought a Canham from Fred and Denis.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thingy
Good idea.....I could probably fly to China and stay in a local hotel for a week to personally observe them building a camera to spec for less than...well, for a fairly reasonable price by comparison to other options. Still, I'm not impressed by their curent offerings...Quote:
Originally Posted by keithwms
The Gandolfi Variant 2 should fit the specifications nicely.
I probably have a camera that comes close to what you're asking for: It's a Wista SW. I've never seen it in this country (bought mine from Robert White in the UK while living in France), though it may be sold here. It's almost identical to the Wista DXII (commonly available) EXCEPT that it has interchangeable bellows (you order the WA bellows as an addition). It also can be fitted for a folding metal reflex viewing hood that has its own fresnel lens and mirror (also extra, but not exorbitant). I found the reflex viewing hood useful only with lenses in the normal range or longer. With WA's there's a lot of vignetting on the screen.Quote:
Originally Posted by BradS
It does not, however, have triple extension. Depends on whether you need to use long lenses a lot. I don't, and it'll handle up to a 270-300 just fine, but anything over that would need to be telephoto design rather than a long focal length design. However, Wista does make a bellows extension device which appears to mount on a lensboard, and has some sort of metal support that goes between the camera bed and the tripod. I'm looking at the picture in the brochure that came with the camera, but since it's in Japanese, I can't read it. I can make out that it will take lenses up to 800mm. But it's in rosewood (also comes in Walnut or Cherry), lovely to look at, light to carry, and has a sliding and swinging and tilting back, but no rear focus.
If memory serves, it was only about $100 or thereabouts more than the DXII, though the WA bellows was another hundred, and the viewing hood about the same. I think I got all three bits for approximately $1400. Wista also sells a very clever WA lens board (Technica-style) that is not recessed. I used it with my 65 Super-Angulon, which I have since sold. But it was a lot easier to get at the controls than a recessed board. I should think it would be available for any of the Wista cameras.
Larry
Keith, how do they charge for the custom work, is it by the hour, nature of the work or other?Quote:
Shen has just done some custom work for me. Just ask 'em- chances are that you can get whatever you want, at ebony-like level of quality, for a low price.
What did they do for you? I was looking at my 4x5 Shen last night and realized that it could extend another four inches with a modification at the rear. It would be interesting to see how they would do the work. I have a good idea of how it could be done and I could do it but I don't really have the time.
Curt
Brad when you find the camera you are describing let us know, I personally would like to see one in a 5x7. I'm looking at the Ebony models, the others are fine but they all have one limitation, short bellows.