First step into LF- recommended equipment?

[Poravich]

Dear All,

 

I have unintentionally step in LF by purchasing a mint Schneider APO 210/5,6

Copal 1. with my hope to use big neg in the near future.

 

Now, I just find that there are some of this following beasts available here

in Bangkok;

 

1. Linhof Kardan E (condition 8+/10) with the same optic (8/10)as I own and a

modified board

= US$ 700

 

2. Sinar F1 (condition 8/10)with (8+) 3 Schneider lenses;

240/5.6 Copal 3, 90/5.6 Copal 0 and 180/5.6

All come with orginal Schneider board and metal case

= US$ 2,250

 

3. Sinar P2 (condition 10/10 in original blk platic box)with 2 Rodenstock

standard lenses made for Sinar - tele and wide. (I don't remember the size)

= US$3,500

 

 

IMO, all price could be NEGOTIABLE to some extent with the seller. (about 20%

perhaps)

 

 

Question:

 

1. Which one is the most reasonable? (My type is landscape, portrait, family,

no architecture!)OR if you think none of them is interesting, please provide

others.

 

2. I'm kinda moveable man. So flat bed is still in my consideration, but

hardly to find good one. I know P2 is kinda studio usage, but that will

perhaps fit my next plan to build up a studio in my house.

 

3. I'm not in a hurry to buy one now. Just considering whether should I buy

the best to last, OR just get use to the cheaper, then move to the bigger?

(Actually, I don't want to trade things that much)

 

Sorry if I confused my above questions.

 

Thanks to all of your kind assistant!

 

Best regards,

Pat<div></div>

[Poravich]

PS. Does anybody know how long 4x5 sheet film will be available for us?Currently, it is hardly to find importer of such thing in Thailand.<div></div>

[manjo]

Wow those are nice cameras but really expensive ones, have you looked into Toyo, wista or Tachihara 4x5 field camera? you can get used in good condition for resonable price. I got a Toyo 45 for approx $300, and a wista DX cherry wood with 210 fujinion for around $700.

 

Monorails are hard to carry around, they are approx 9lbs in weight. The field cameras like my wista is made of cherry wood and weight is approx 3lbs and it folds nicely to fit into a backpack. Is this something that you might consider ?

 

As for 4x5 film availability, that is a good question. I am sure they will be around for a while, but its a nitch market, most LF shooters are landscape or architecture photographers that I have come across. I am hoping that this format will be around atleast for another 10yrs.

[anupam]

I am just starting out as well and I decided to buy a *cheap* view camera with two objectives in mind. Get to learn the movements with as much flexibility as possible - I figure once I know what I am doing, I'll be able to extract maximum movements out of a field camera. Secondly, I need to figure out if LF is really for me. If the answer is yes, I'll spend some money in a year on a good field camera.

 

-A

[capocheny]

Hi Poravich,

 

Both the Linhof and Sinar systems are very well built (technically) and will enable you to do

whatever you want. They ARE both expandable systems and, therefore, you can start off

with a basic system and grow from there.

 

Personally, I use a Sinar and can only speak to this particular system. If I want to expand

my Sinar X to a P2... there's no problems whatsoever.

 

Regarding the F1, and P2... the P2 is the most complex (and heaviest) of the 2 cameras.

IMHO, the F1 is slightly over-priced but not terribly so. It will depend on the condition of

the camera itself and the lenses. The lenses shouldn't cost you more than about $1200 for

all three. The F1 isn't worth $1,050. You should be able to pick up a nice clean F2 for that

price these days. The F2 is a bit more stable than the F1.

 

As for the P2, prices have also come down a bit on these cameras. You should check out

ebay for past sales just to make sure. However, the "value" of the package price you've

quoted will depend on what lenses are included... and their condition.

 

Since I do a lot of studio shooting... I'd pick up the P2 before picking up the others. If it's a

private sale, don't hesitate to negotiate with the seller. I think it's a tad bit high.

 

But, this is just my opinion. :)

 

Cheers

[matthew_julian]

If landscape and portraits are your main interests skip the monorails and get a field camera. It will have more than enough movements for your needs. I don't think you want to lug an F1 around, let alone a P2. Shen Hao and Tachihara both make affordable field cameras that are well regarded in their price range. People have strong opinions about both, so do a search here on photo.net. But I think a lot comes down to personal preference.

[brian_ellis16]

None of these three cameras are ideal for the work you describe in my opinion. All are heavy, bulky cameras that will not be easy to carry, set up, and take down in the field, so they aren't great for landscape work and their extensive movements aren't necessary for portraits (or landscapes).

 

For those two purposes I think you can get a camera for less money and that will also be better suited to your work. A Tachihara would be fine - it's light (4 lbs), relatively inexpensive ($600 new, less used), compact, simple to set up and take down, and has more than adequate movements for most kinds of work, certainly for the work you describe. Then there's the Shen Hao, also about $600, a couple pounds heavier (6 lbs) than the Tachihara but has more movements (though I don't think that matters for your work). Among relatively inexpensive wood field cameras there's also the various Wista models Wisner Traditional or maybe Wisner Technical, and older wood 4x5s such as Burke and James, Korona, etc. There are also metal cameras suitable for work in the field such as one of the older Linhof Technika models (Technika IV or V) or the various metal Wista field cameras. All of these cameras should cost substantially less than the two Sinars you mention and not much if any more than the Linhof. If wanted to spend about $2000 on a field camera then you move up into the price range of Canham, Linhof Master Technika, and Walker to name just a few.

 

In summary, I think you can do a lot better in terms of both price and suitability for your work than the three you mention here.

[troyammons]

Super Graphic and a 150mm lens