Gowland pocket view 4x5?

[aaron_wax]

Do the movements lock down tight or will I have to worry about tightening the

lens in place and then having it slip? If there is anyone else out there using

this camera I would appreciate any feedback you could provide.

[troyammons]

I had one and it was a bit flimsy and had too many combined movements for me.

 

If you must have something super light and very tiny, thats the ticket, but in reality I figured it was best to use with no movements or just front tilt with it.

 

Cant exactly remember, but it also seems like due to the back frame setup it would not take a 545 holder.

 

I sold mine and bought a super graphic and stripped it down. Its a much more useful camera IMO but heavier.

[aaron_wax]

Thanks for the response.

[tedharris]

I'll give you anopposit opinion. The Gowland Pocketview full movement is far more flexible

and weighs less than any Graphic. it is a bit fiddly but that is the price you pay for the ;ight

weight ... well under three pounds for the 4x5 and under 4 for the 5x7. Everythinglocks

down tight and nothing slips. Having said this it is a specialized cmera that i would not

recommend for all purposes. I use mine and have no problems.

[aaron_wax]

Thanks for all of the feedback.

[tedharris]

I use the 5x7 all movements version and the specific answer to your question is that

movements do lock down tight. It is fiddly but is also the answer if you need superlight.

[gary_graf]

I used to have one and loved it for backpacking. I bought a ball-tip allen wrench for tightening the machine screws. It is faster to use, especially when I attached it to a long neck cord. I also made little levers and attached them to the knurled screwheads for more reliable tightening. A particularly nice feature of the pocket view is that the lensboards were all flat squares of aluminum. I could make my own. Also, there was no need for recessed boards to use a wide-angle lens. There was enough bellows for use of a 300mm at long distance focusing (not closeup). I would like to replace my pocket view.