Can anyone recommend a 4x5 collapsable to use with polaroid instant 4x5 film?

Preferably something reasonably priced, and readily available on this site or

eBay? Thank you very much in advance for your advice. :o)

speed graphics tend to be pretty reasonably priced since there are so many of them around. well built cameras, though without a lot of view-camera tilts available.

This week I shot my first 4x5 polaroid image with a model 545 back fitted to a Graphic View. The film was type 53. I am hooked.

 

The Graphic View has many disadvantages, but it looks like a million bucks on the sturdy tripod.

It is difficult to provide a sensible recommendation without knowing more about the sort of photography that you do and how you plan to use the camera.

 

If you'll be shooting your 4x5 much the way one would use a 35mm camera (rangefinder focus, hand-held, eye level, - landscape photography can fall into this category.) then it is hard to beat a Speed Graphic or Crown Graphic. Nothing matches the sparking clarity of a 4x5 negative and one of the Graphics will give you good ones. You can, of course spend ten times as much and buy a Linhof to shoot in 4x5 without much gain in hand-held capability.

 

If you are intending to do work that requires lensboard and film plane motion you'll need a view camera (this sort of work requires a tripod). An old model Calumet can be had in quite good condition for about the cost of a Speed Graphic (say $100-150 without a lens).

The US seem to be flooded with inexpensive Speed or Crown graphics. Linhofs have rangemeter cams individually grinded for a each lens on that camera. I don't know about the Graphics. Whatever you'll buy try to get hold of all you want at once. Having cams made for additional stuff is as expensive as a used Graphic with standart lens, if it is possible at all.

"The US seem to be flooded with inexpensive Speed or Crown graphics. Linhofs have rangemeter cams individually grinded for a each lens on that camera. I don't know about the Graphics. Whatever you'll buy try to get hold of all you want at once. Having cams made for additional stuff is as expensive as a used Graphic with standart lens, if it is possible at all."

 

Rangefinder cams aren't an issue with the Graphic Press Cameras. Most of these are equipped with a Kalart rangefinder. You calibrate the Kalart yourself on the camera using the groundglass as a reference. It takes about 30 minutes and the only tool needed is a small screwdriver. The Graphic website has instructions for doing this.