Toyo 4x5 45 AII

Hi there -

 

I am looking at getting into LF and, the Ebony Wide being abive my budget, I was wondering if anyone had

any comments on the Toyo 45 AII.

 

What kind of price do you think is fair for a good condition second hand version ?

 

What should I be aware of re usage of teh camera - movements - ease of set-up, etc.

 

Any other recommendations at all - I want light and WideAngle capable (90mm I think) with some

movements.

 

RX

RX:

The Toyo 45AII is a fine camera. It is a solidly built metal field camera that inspires a lot of confidence. It can withstand much rough treatment and still work perfectly. It is a camera from an extensive line of cameras that one can find many used parts for on Ebay. It has all the movements that one really needs. All in all, a good choice for a first camera that one may never outgrow. It was my first camera and I recommend it highly.

Good luck,

Dave B.

RX

 

I also have this Toyo View, the older version called 45 A. Don't hesitate to buy that older version, the difference is only cosmetic. I use the camera with 90 mm, 75 mm and 65 mm lenses. The 90 mm should be used with the shallow recessed lens board. The other two with the deeply recessed lens board (the deeply recessed can still be bought on e-bay, not sure whether new ones are still for sale).

 

Take care not to use heavy telephoto lenses on the camera. I used the Fuji 600 on it (together with a prolongation back) and the heavy lens forced the front standard a bit out of alignment. You may wish to check that alignment if you buy a used camera.

 

The sunshade which comes as accessory is smart. You can use gelatin filters with it in special Toyo filter holder (the filter holder is just carton, easy to make your own).

 

Make sure that you have the small gadgets in place that hold the front standard. These are very useful for keeping the front standard firmly in place and aligned, if you would like to shift it left or right.

 

Another tip: I use to focus far by sliding the front standard and fixing it in the right position, whilst keeping the front sled aligned with the front. Thereafter I focus for the near with the focussing wheel. This permits you to measure the far-near focussing distance by measuring how far out the sled has travelled. From that distance the f-stop needed to keep everything in focus can be determined, whilst moving the sled (with the focussing wheel) half-way back to the front alignment.

 

I hope this helps

I had a Toyo45CF once...it was bulky and I didn't like it much.

Saying that I've heard good things about the A and AII.

 

I'm selling a Wista field on ebay at present for ?400. You should be able to get an f8 lens that would fit for around ?100 or an f4.5 or 5.6 for ?150-300 if you keep looking and looking!

 

I was using a Horseman45FA, which is superb...but probably hard to find and quite expensive.

This is the opposite in terms of size....it's teeny tiny! You can't fit wide lenses with wide apertures due to the oversized rear elements (unless you screw them from inside...but hardly ideal!)

 

Anyway, it's all worth it...once you get behind that nice 4x5" screen and set up and get some beautiful contact prints...you'll wish you had more money to buy more equipment!

I have owned a Toyo AII for serveral years and must say that it is my favorite camera for field use. It has been backpacking with me and in all sorts of weather and always worked great. I highly recomend it.

 

It is a bit heavy, but the rugged build is worth it. Just get a carbon fiber tripod!

 

Do not expect to use this camera for studio use, however. The max extension is small and a 300mm is the limit. long lenses with Copal 1 shutters and size are few and most have high f-stops, unless you are willing to pay a great deal for a lens. Better to have something like a Sinar for studio use.

Toyo or Horseman are great choices. The Horseman FA has 30mm less bellows (after adding a 25mmtele extender) but I still use 90/150/210/360tele lens for it. The advantage it has is the Optical Zoom finder. Great when you have little time to get under the cloth, hand held, need to re-compose the scene slightly(no need to remove film, open shutter, etc), determining which lens to put on, for composing in very low light at sunrise and sunset (hard to do on groundglass, others have to wait for more light just to figure out where everything is on the groundglass at sunrise). Both have complete systems, both are solid cameras, the FA is a bit more refined with better build quality, geared,and axis tilt. It's a master technica for 1/2 the money. Both get the job done

I have used a Toyo 4x5 AII for years with 90/150/210 lenses. Great camera, very sturdy and highly recommended. The rotating back is very convenient. You will also find the compendium lens shade very useful.