LF starter kit ideas please...

[afr02hrs]

Hi jenny

thanks for the info. I have joined but waiting out the month.

interested to know thoughts on the shen hao non folder.

[IanG]

Jenny's right the US site is great for buying LF cameras & lenses, as is APUG. US prices are so much lower than the UK that even if your unlucky & get caught for VAT & Import duty (approx 21% of item cost & postage) it's usually still a good deal less.

I've only had to pay duty on one parcel, a lens and have bought 3 5x4 cameras and a 6x9 and a lot of other items. Two 10x8 cameras which came by ship were taxed but then all large items get stopped at Customs.

Both sites let you post wanted adverts the LF site after a few weeks of joining, APUG is you subscribe, but you could post a wanted advert here.

That MkVII MPP will likely go for £550 - £700 as it has 2 lenses.

Ian.

[hmvmanuk]

Haydn,

I was in a similar situation to you at the end of last year with a budget of £650 - £700 total. I found this and the U.S forum very helpful in drawing up a shortlist of equipment. In the end I acquired a mint Wista DXII on eBay for a bit over £400 and I can vouch for the quality of this camera plus it's very lightweight. I bought an excellent Schneider 135mm lens from Ffordes in Scotland. They always seem to have a good range of used lenses, not bargains but they're guaranteed and Fforde's service is excellent - http://www.ffordes.com

Peter Walnes is also worth a check - http://www.peterwalnes.com - I got 6 Toyo DDS film holders from him for £42 which I think is pretty good. He also has some LF cameras and lenses.

Other than that I've kept things really simple and have resisted spending on expensive accessories that I may not need. I didn't buy a dark cloth but use a black polo shirt which serves its purpose very well (the shirt's collar fits neatly around the Wista's rear standard). I've found that an old SLR camera lens (80mm) makes a good loupe substitute. The 'proper' accessories can all come later when you've got a bit more money to spend and worked out what you really need! Remember to allow some budget for the film and processing.

My advice, as a relative newbie, is to keep it simple, shoot some film and go on from there. It's great fun!

Good luck,

Gavin

[Peter B]

Another site that is worth watching is Collectable Cameras as they seem to be getting into LF more nowadays. They currently have a few cheaper lenses that would get you started off at reasonable cost, while for the rest of us they have in interesting 5x7 Russian camera at an attractive price!

http://www.collectablecameras.com/cameralist.htm

[hmvmanuk]

Peter, yes I forgot to mention Collectable Cameras. I've dealt with Simon Chesterman and he's a very nice chap to deal with and will look out for things for you. At the time I was looking he didn't have any LF stuff but, as you say, he seems to have more in now. If anyone's near York sometime Simon has a stall in the market on Wednesdays. Worth dropping by for a chat and a drool!

Gavin

[IanG]

Another site that is worth watching is Collectable Cameras as they seem to be getting into LF more nowadays. They currently have a few cheaper lenses that would get you started off at reasonable cost, while for the rest of us they have in interesting 5x7 Russian camera at an attractive price!

http://www.collectablecameras.com/cameralist.htm

Thanks for posting that link Peter, I do visit the site once in a Blue Moon, when a search engine points me there but there was never newish LF equipment before. The prices are fairly good as well particularly for lenses.

Ian

[IanG]

That MPP Mk VII sold for £557 inc postage, a bit lower than usual but now is the time to buy LF camera=s & lenses there's always far fewer buyers this time of year due to people saving for or paying off summer holidays, and it's surprising what effect this has had on lowering prices in the last couple of years.

Ian

[afr02hrs]

That MPP Mk VII sold for £557 inc postage, a bit lower than usual but now is the time to buy LF camera=s & lenses there's always far fewer buyers this time of year due to people saving for or paying off summer holidays, and it's surprising what effect this has had on lowering prices in the last couple of years.

Ian

Yes I saw that but could not get to the computer. I think that it is probably too heavy for my needs though. I am procrastinating over a TFC45 at the moment (read it wont take longer than 150mm though). I am looking for a field camera body for £200-£300 leaving the bulk of my budget for lenses. A Tachihara sold for £190 on ebay the other day which seemed like a good deal. The hunt continues....

[dave_whatever]

The TFC extension goes out to about 190mm, so depending on the exact model of lens you could use a 180mm lens and be able to focus down to about 3 meters. Or use a 210 or 240mm lens on an extension panel - that setup won't be mega stable though. I know some people use tele lenses in the 240 or 270mm range on these or the ebony sw45. I agree its not the best choice if you see yourself doing a lot of long lens work.

For 200-300 quid you're going to have to make a compromise somewhere though.

[Peter B]

In the light of Dave's compromise above, this is a monorail which ain't going to be quite as portable as a field camera, but as of now it's the cheapest show in town!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-PIM-5-x-4 ... 439fd9188d

[afr02hrs]

In the light of Dave's compromise above, this is a monorail which ain't going to be quite as portable as a field camera, but as of now it's the cheapest show in town!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-PIM-5-x-4 ... 439fd9188d

Saw this one. Good bargain for someone but I resisited. Got my eye on a Toyo field and Tachihara at the moment. Still intetested in a Shen Hao (non folder) too. I even considered Marc's Ebony (for a few seconds ). But there are so many things to get together and I would sooner spend much more on the glass and less on the body! If only largeformatforum didn't have 1 month's waiting list. I know that Ffordes and Peter Walnes etc are in business to make money, but quite often their prices are very inflated IMHO. I quite enjoy the hunt though