jamie_wood Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Hi folks. I'm about to sell my pentax 645 and purchase a 4x5. It's been a long time coming. I'm wondering if the Shenhao IIA would be a good choice. I love how sturdy it looks and I love the price. I would be shooting landscape and architecture, and the reason I ask is because of the architecture. I know the Shenhao has a bit of front rise, but has anyone here used it for architecture? I would hate to buy it and then realize the movement isn't enough. I've shot 4x5 before, but I used an old rail camera with a ridiculous amount of movements on it. I'm not familiar with the field cameras, so I'm concerned about the movements. I guess my basic question is, if I were across the street from a three story building, with a medium to wide lens on, would that front rise be able to take in the whole building? Sorry if this question is leaving out crucial info, or is just plain goofy, I haven't had to think in large format terms in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spodzone Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Well, I'd've thought people here would be sick of hearing me say I love mine to bits. :) But then, my interests are primarily landscapes rather than architecture. The Shen gives you 37mm front rise. Compare that with some Linhof Technikas, which claim 70mm rise(!). Now think how many (semi-)wide lenses there are with that much coverage... You could try seeing if anyone local has one you could experiment with. Also, this thread shows a fair spread of mixed opinion: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0066PY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu dall Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Tim, I have the TFC 45, which is a copy of the Ebony SW45. I don't care what anybody else says, this is a great camera, and I also "love mine to bits"!. I paid 475 pounds for it, complete with a Schneider 90mm lens and a Horseman 6x9 Roll Film Holder, all in mint condition!. I did have a universal bellows fitted to it a while ago, making it much easier to use with my 75mm lens. Jamie, i'm not sure how much front rise the HZX-IIA has, but I would bet that it's more than you'll ever need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik_l. Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Jamie, I have the Shen Hao, and I love it. Keep in mind that I have very limited experience with other 4x5 field cameras, so I couldn't really give you an honest comparison to anything else, but so far it has been a joy to own and more important to use. I shoot primarily landscape and portraits with it. Erik. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstefan Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 Also love my Shen Hao 4x5. Don't do any architecture, so can't help you there, but can tell you that you can't get much movement on a wide lens with standard bellows. That 37mm rise quoted earlier is likely to be significantly less given bellows bind. My widest is a SSXL 80, and I've gone to a recessed board for it. The nice thing about Shen Hao is they sell a cheap bag bellows ($90 IIRC),however not cheap in materials or manufacture as far as I can tell. I bought one, but haven't had a chance to shoot with it. Their bellows retaining system is chimp simple to work with and changing the bellows is easy. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkka Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 The Shenhao is a field camera meant more for landscapes than architecture. It has more movements than many similar cameras but as has been said, the bellows is a bit stiff with short lenses. Bag bellows would help. I got a recessed lens board for a 90mm lens for that camera to allow some more movements. Hardly a good solution for architecture! Other than that, it is a great camera, especially for landscapes and with lenses in the range of about 105-250mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vince_pulvirenti1 Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 I own a shen-hao, I have also owned a wista dx, tachihara 5x7 & 8x10, and a 5x7 deardorf. By far the Shen-hao is in my opinion the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve daniels Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Jamie, I have a Shen Hao TFC45-IIA, which is the TFC non-folding model with interchangable bellows. For me, it is the perfect camera. VERY rigid when locked down. Equally rigid (and I know this will get me in trouble on this forum) as the Ebony that it is similar to. I have used them both, and I got the Shen Hao. I use 90 and 65mmm lenses with it for 4x5 and 6x12 with a Wista back. The HZX model is also a very good choice, and is easier to find. In any case, both have much more rise and fall than you can ever use with a wide angle lens. Whatever camera you choose, have fun with it and take excellent photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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