LF starter kit ideas please...

[afr02hrs]

Hello Everyone
Apologies if what I am about to ask is all too familiar to you but I could not find a thread on here with my answer.

I am new to LF photography and I have read lots, almost too much . But I wondered what you all recommend I should buy to get started? I have done lots of landscape photography and travel to the Brecon Beacons and Exmoor frequently so a portable (haha - i know this is questionable) 4x5 appeals. I have read lots too about Tachihara vs Wista vs Shen Hao vs Chamonix. I see a few Chamonix for sale on here and fleabay. They seem like bargains at £400 but that excludes lenses, shutters, boards and cable releases - the list goes on. What would you advise as a good starting kit and what should I pay?

Thanks in advance
Haydn

[IanG]

Bargain basement & buying from the US a Crown Graphic plus lens can be had for about £100, I have 3 Graphics but don't recommend as a main camera due to lack of movements.

Find someone on here local to you and ask to go along when their out shooting, see what they use. Don't go buying a cameras you've not seen used. There are problems with some of the early Chinese cameras, some can't even use a 90mm lens without special bellows, others had focus problems with fresnel screen & ground glass the wrong way around. Some Shen Hoa's can't be used with a 65mm or 75mm lens,

All Wista's are fine been around years, Tachihara's are less well made but OK, the Chamonix is a Philip's rip-off again watch which model but nice cameras.

Don't buy until you know exactly what you want, I'd been using LF for 10 years and didn't buy my Wista until I'd had a good opportunity to handle one in the field rather than a shop. 24 years later I'm still happy with it

Ian

[PAUL O]

There's a bargain on Ebay Uk at the moment - a complete Wista 45DX outfit with 3 really nice lenses (75, 150 and 210), a load of double darkslides, centre filter for 75mm and a few odds and ends for a shade over £1000. By my reckoning if split the outfit would be worth at least £1300-1400.

[afr02hrs]

That sounds great if only I had £1000 spare

[PAUL O]

£1000 is a lot of cash! I am toying with the idea of selling a mint/as new Wista 45DX in rosewood but won't be able to let it go for less than £400. PM me if its of any interest?

[afr02hrs]

That EBay bargain kit ended up selling for £951. Oh how the credit card was tempting me.

[monst]

there is a sinar wolf on the bay for just over a hundred quid, could be a good starter. cheers, john

[afr02hrs]

There are also 2 MPP's on Ebay - 1 MK VII and a micropress. The MK VII is red

[IanG]

Don't get the MicroPress, it's missing the focus screen hood and screen, there's been one for sale for well over 8months It's essentially a Speed Graphic part made by MPP with the same focus rail, bellows, front standard and shutter and so lacks movements.

The MK VII is nice though, but it'll shoot up in price in the hour before bidding finishes. There's a a Tachihara at a good price finishing later today.

Ian

[afr02hrs]

Any ideas about what they are worth? People tend to pay over the odds on fleabay.

[dave_whatever]

I think theres a guy on this forum's classified selling a shen hao TFC45 pretty cheap - these are good cameras if you're looking at wide to normal lens use. Very quick to set up.

[michaelfinch]

If you don't absolutely want a folder, the Sinar Wolf may be worth a look. A Wolf was my first foray into LF (apart from a v.basic home-made contraption) and it's a sturdy enough camera, yaw-free etc and is not too heavy, so at a pinch it could be carted around for landscape. Good hunting.

[afr02hrs]

I am tempted by the shen hao tfc45 but I have read that the movements are restrictive and that wide angle lenses cannot be used? Is this true or exageration?

[dave_whatever]

Its a total untruth/exageration, probably based upon early instances of the camera. If you're trying to use a very wide lens (like 65mm or shorter) without bag bellows and use a lot of rise/shift then you might run into problems, but then again most 65mm and shorter lenses don't offer that much coverage anyway, especially none that you'll be able to afford on a budget. AND most instances of this camera these days come with bag bellows fitted as standard anyway. I used a 65mm on mine for a while with non-bag bellows without a problem.

If anything use of wide angles is far far less restricted on this camera (and any of a similar design) than on a normal folding camera. You can get down to something crazy like a 47mm on a flat panel. A 90mm is bread and butter.

[jennym]

Hi Hadyn,

If you haven't already done so I suggest you join the large format photography forum in the US as well. http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum. There is lots of useful information, and a 'for sale' section which opens up another source of cameras and kit without using ebay (although you cannot buy or sell for the first month after joining). I have bought a number of items from there, and although it can be a hassle with postage, you are buying from fellow photographers who are generally very helpful.

Good luck in your search for a suitable kit to start with.

Jenny