Limitation of the Toyo 45CF

[milan_moudgill]

Hi! I am entering the world of LF through the 45CF. On studying the specs, it

seems that the back movements are quite limited... restricted to tilt only, while

the front seems to be able to rise and fall, shift and swing.

 

Do the CF users find this quite limiting? Would love to hear.

 

To clarify, I plan on using this primarily for landscapes.

 

Thanks,

 

Milan

[rdkirk]

Most field cameras have relatively limited back movements. It's the price paid for being foldable into a compact, closed package.

[joseph_e._forks]

Milan,

I'm new to the Toyo 45CF and LF too, but I believe I can help you with this question.

 

At least several folks consider the limited movements a hinderance, for expample see this post http://www.macuserforums.com/webx?50@81.9YNyanYxs8p.1@.1dce10f9

 

For a simple explanation of exactly what each movement will accomplish for you check the toyo Web site, on this page:

http://www.toyoview.com/LargeFrmtTech/lgformat.html

 

I believe the 45CF will be a great starter LFC for us to get our feet wet. The beauty is that if we move to another body later on all our film holders, lenses, and light meter will not go to waste.

 

Best

Joe

[jim_rhoades]

The 45CF does not really have rear tilt. It does have a bed drop that you can then use as a back tilt. You would use this to create looming foregrounds. Otherwise the front movements will handle any focusing problems. As a landscape camera it will do most anything that you need it to do. In landscape, movements are highly overrated. A very little goes a long way.

 

I use a Horseman HD as a landscape camera and like you I have no rear movement other than bed drop. At three and a half pounds and tiny lenses I don't miss the movement. I would rather have the speed of set-up and weight advantage.

[pvp]

Field cameras usually have restricted movements. For landscape photography, that isn't a problem. You'll find that the front movements are usually all you need. In the rare case where you need movements that don't seem to be available, you can often achieve the same effect by combining movements that you do have. For example, my Tachihara does not have shifts, but by using front and rear swings together I can get a fair amount of shift movement.