Tachihara Cherry Wood Field Camera. opinion.

What is you opiniion of Tachihara Cherry Wood Field Camera.? As compared to a wista.

 

Thanks for the advice.

I've owned a Tachihara 4x5 for about 12 years and have enjoyed shooting with it. It is light weight, compact and economical to start with. It has a bellows draw of 12 inches so unless you buy a telephoto your maximum lens is a 300 mm. I believe the shortest lens it will take is a 75 mm. It is a nice camera to start LF photography.

I have the Calumet copy of the Tachihara, circa 1989. I don't have any complaints about mine, it was my first field cam and is in like new condition. I can't compare to the Wista since I haven't used. However, I've had a Horseman FA for about a year now, and haven't used the Tachihara since. I got the HM mainly for the 6x12 back capability.

Great choice as long as you don't want to use a roll film back. I love mine.

What subjects will you be shooting?

 

The Wista field cameras are available with shift, a movement "missing" from the Tachihara. I

miss shifts for macro photography, but for general scenics they are not critical.

 

Unless you are already experienced with LF, I would get the cheaper camera and spend the

difference on film and prints.

I love mine, just got it recently and can't complain aboout it. I rarely use movements and majority of the time shoot dtraight ahead without rises and falls.

I've got a Tachihara (also the Calumet-branded version) and I love it. And yes, you can use roll film backs with it, just get the Calumet C-2 style, which incidentally are available in 6x7, 6x9 and 6x12 sizes. Also works a trick with a Polaroid 545 holder, so Polaroids, Quickloads and Readyloads are all options. The lack of a graflok back hasn't been a problem for me.

 

The only downside is all the curious passersby, asking how old the camera it...

Oh, yeah, one more detail: with swings on both standards, the Tachihara can create shifts by swinging both standards while keeping them parallel. It's a little more work, but not a big deal.

I liked my Tachihara, but decided eventually I wanted a camera with a graflok back and a

little longer bellows. I used the newer Calument 6x12 (C2N?) roll film holder that I had

purchased used and it had some light leak problems. When the Tachihara lost a knob on

the second day of a photo workshop, I decided to sell it and get an Ebony.

 

A great camera to start with, though.

 

Larry

"Great choice as long as you don't want to use a roll film back"

 

Actually the Calumet roll film holders work fine with the Tachihara. I used the 6x7 size but they also come in lI prefer them to the Graflok style holders, much more convenient to use in the field because you don't have to deal with removal and replacement of the ground glass frame every time you want to use the back.

I have owned more than one of both, and I tell you that there is no comparison in the quality of workmanship and materials. The Wista is infintely superior. The Wista is also more rigid, and the Wista will stand up to wear over a long period of time and the Tachihara will not, unless it is handled very carefully. But both of them are limited by approximately the same bellows length, you can't use longer or shorter lenses on one than the other, and there is little difference in movements. I think the Wista is definitely worth the difference in price -- I own and enjoy one -- but if I had limited funds I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Tachihara, and under those circumstances, I did in the past. But I would buy a new one, not a used one. Tachiharas do not stand up well to careless treatment.

I've been using a 4x5 Tachi since I started in LF two years ago. It has been a great camera to learn with and its light weight makes it a good choice for backpacking.

 

A good performer in most respects but not as rigid as I would like. And, with its loud color scheme, it and you are likely to draw attention whether or not you want to.

The only difference of any signficance IMHO between the Tachihara and the Wista models without shift (i.e. the model or models with the same movements as the Tachihara) is the higher price of the Wista, the 12 inch bellows of the Wista compared to the 13 inch bellows of the Tachihara (an important difference because that extra inch allows you to use a normal 300mm lens on the Tachihara), and the more flexible bellows on the Tachihara which allows use of a lens as short as 65mm with some movements and without the need for a bag bellows. I've found no difference in quality of construction, smoothness, or rigidity between the two cameras. The Wista costs more in the U.S. because it has a U.S. distributor that adds a mark-up, whereas Tachiharas are imported in the U.S. directly by the retailers so there's no "middleman."

I used the Tachihara for many years and liked it a lot. I now use the Wista DX III (Rosewood with brass). I have to take issue, however with another respondent's contention that other than quality of construction, both are the same with respect to the length of lenses that can be used.

 

My Wista has interchangeable bellows, and I have the wide-angle bag bellows to supplement the normal length bellows. This means I can go all the way down to a 47mm lens. Wista makes a superb and innovative lensboard for wide-angle lenses that gives better access to lens controls than more typical recessed boards. The Wista also has a back shift that the Tachihara lacks, as well as a reflex viewfinder that you can purchase separately. It is true that you cannot use a lens longer than 300mm unless you buy one that is a true telephoto design, and then you can.