Lightest 5x4 camera

<p>Does anybody know what the smallest/lightest 5x4 camera is? I'm looking for something which I can pop into a bicycle pannier along with 2 or 3 lenses and 5 film holders. Low weight is not the most important factor but compactness when folded is as space will be at a premium.<br>

Thanks in advance for your replies,<br>

Andy.</p>

<p>If weight and compactness is your main concern, then I would look at a Tachihara or a Chamonix. Get a small 150 lens (like the Fujinon) which you can leave on the camera when you close it. Get a Grafmatik holder and you are ready to go.</p>

<p>The lightest are probably things like the old "bicycle cameras" from 1905, like the Pony Premo series. But they don't typically have interchangeable lens boards. Don't expect a lot of movements from them.</p>

<p>Checkout the Nagaoka or Anba Ikeda cameras. Light and maybe a hair smaller than the typical wooden field camera. You can usually find them used pretty easily. At least in 4x5.</p>

<p>You're looking for a <a href="http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/toho.htm">Toho FC-45X</a>. I've been using one for seven years now. Packs small (two pieces), is extraordinarily light weight (1.25 Kg, well under 3 lbs), and is surprisingly rigid when locked down. It's so good that I've not wanted another camera since I bought this one. There are a number of importers, I got mine from <a href="https://www.badgergraphic.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=122">Badger Graphic</a>.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Ditto on the Chamonix 4x5 wood field camera or the Toho 4x5 that Bruce recommends. As luck would have it, Badger Graphic has a used Toho in stock right now. There's also a good review of the Toho found here:</p>

<p>http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/toho.htm</p>

<p>If I were off on my bycicle, I'd pack my Super Graphic with my 165mm Turner-Reich triple-convertible folded up inside!</p>

<p>Hi-<br>

I'd second the Chamonix, I did a workshop with Michael Gordon and was very impressed with his.<br>

Cheers,<br>

David</p>

<p>The lightest might be the Gowland pocket 4x5, (discontinued). Of the more readily available, the Osaka-Tachihara and the Ebony RW45 in mahogany. The lighter they get, below about 3 pounds, the more of a nuisance they will be to use, so the absolutely lightest may not be the best choice.</p>

<p>Lightest would be the Chamonix or the Toho but they both look quite chunky when folded/disassembled. An Ebony SW45 is a non-folder but when "folded" for transport it is very compact and easy to pack. A little heavier at about 1.5kgs or so but its only slightly heavier. The only problem comes from the extension. Its limited at the long end. Most folding cameras I have seen are bulkier when they are folded up and they are fussier to set up too. The Ebonies are like monorails. The folders might stand knocks better though because they are encapsulated where the lens on the Ebony will be unprotected. I went with a custom 45S for my landscape work and its just what I wanted.</p>

<p>As John Shriver noted, a Pony Premo in 4x5 is very light weight (I've never weighed it, but I would guess around 2 1/2 pounds). I have one with a Bausch and Lomb Convertible lens in a Unicum shutter and have found it very easy to carry. I also have a Bender 4x5 kit camera. With the short rail I think I weighed it as less than 4 pounds but I don't remember the exact number. Also Super Graphics and Speed Graphics make great portable cameras. You might also consider Graflex SLR's (Series B, Series D, Super-D, RB Auto) are all good picture takers.</p>

<p>Without a doubt, the lightest and most compact 4x5 I know of...although you only have access to a single lens, rangefinder coupled and parallax corrected.</p><div></div>

<p>Another choice, perhaps not the <em>lightest</em> but certainly close, is the Toyo 45CF weighing in at under 3.5lbs. This is a well constructed and very durable camera that will handle 90mm to 300mm lens on regular 100mm lensboards and a 75mm lens on a recessed board with the front bed dropped. The camera folds-up with a normal lens attached. The camera has been in productions for several years now so used ones are popping up on E-bay and other boards. This is a handsome camera and to keep it looking good, I wrap mine with a Domke wrap. <br>

The cons are that except for the drop bed feature (15 degrees) there are no back movements and the Fresnel is an optional purchase. In my case I have 3 other Toyo camera with Fresnel equipped backs so I just swap out the backs which only adds the weight of the Fresnel which is minimal. For normal landscapes, cityscapes, buildings, houses and interiors - typical subjects for bicycle touring - the cameras movements are adequate. <br>

With this or similar cameras your greatest challenge will be finding a suitable tripod to tour with. </p>

<p>Although I would prefer using my 5 lb. Wista metal field camera, light and cheap is an old Crown Graphic with a spring back. Mine weighs 3 1/4 lb without lens and I only paid about $50 for it. However, if you need a lot of movements it is not such a good choice. A great lens choice is a 135mm Caltar IIN, the same thing as a Rodenstock APO Sironar N, which is both light and compact . I would suggest that you decide on what you will most likely photograph and stick with one lens, probably a semi-wide angle. You can always crop the image later. A good review of lightweight large format lenses is at http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/lightwei.htm</p>

<p>I weighed my Pony Premo, 2 3/8 lbs.</p>

<p>A couple of (newbie) questions about the Chamonix:</p>

<ol>

<li>Does it take standard film holders? (I've only ever used cameras with Graflok backs and don't know how compatible film holders are.)</li>

<li>Does it have a rotating back?</li>

</ol>

<p>Light (and cheap, and compact)? Battleship grey wooden Burke & James 'View Camera' circa 1950. Readily available on the auction site which shall remain nameless for under $100, it's made of maple wood so it's sturdy yet light, has full movements (watch it though, it doesn't lock into position anywhere), it folds to just larger than a Crown Graphic (the rail is longer, which is a plus if you use longer lenses, but that does mean it projects above the top of the back when folded). Accessories are pretty much non-existent; no focussing aids or viewfinders or anything like that unless you fit something on it from another camera. Total weight w/o lens? Well under 2 lbs. Back doesn't 'rotate', but it can be removed, and used in either 'portrait' or 'landscape' orientation. But fine adjustments for horizon have to be made with the tripod.</p>

<p>What Glenn M said: Crown Graphic. Light, robust, and inexpensive enough that you won't shed any tears (well, not too many) if you damage it in a crash.</p>

<p> You can convert a Polaroid 250 to 4x5 and change lenses for it. I did convert several of them. Just weight 2lbs to 3lbs and fold flat same size with the original one<br>

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