First 4x5 Camera - Crown Graphic or Tachihara

[andy_biggs1]

I have been doing *alot* of rading lately on 4x5 cameras, but do not have access to see any in person, unfortunately.

 

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I need a 4x5 camera for landscapes. I notice that I do many photos with my 35mm setup on the shorter end of the focal length range. I use my 24mm lens quite often. Rarely do I need the longer lenses, but if I do, I will just pull out my 35mm gear.

 

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That brings up my question, either a 65mm or 75mm 4x5 lens will work for me, but which camera is the easiest to use at these focal lengths? I am also interested in the rigidity, due to wind outdoors.

 

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I will consider any camera that breaks the $1000, as long as I can use the wider lenses. Would a Tech IV work well?

 

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Thanks in advance.

[scott_walton1]

The Linhof is my preference (have a Tech III, use a V at work) but

barring that, I would say the Tachihara. You will be limited with the

Crown... my opinion.

Cheers

[wilhelm]

I have a Super Technika IV, a Crown Graphic, and a Nagaoka(just like

the Tachihara, but a little lighter). The Technika is the kind of

camera I'd take on an expedition to the Gobi Desert, but otherwise

IMHO it's too heavy and cumberson to consider. The Crown is

incredibly underated, and can easily be used hand-held. It's only

real disadvantage is that lens momements are very limited and

inconvenient; if you use them much then the Crown isn't for you, if

you don't it's probably by far the best choice. The Tachihara can be

used only on a tripod, but it is certainly the most versatile of the

three. All can handle 75mm WA lenses. I do mostly landscapes, and

the Crown is my personal choice in 4x5.

[qtluong]

I wouldn't recommend the Tech IV if you are a wide-angle fan. As

explaned in my Tech IV article, even using a 90 can involve some

gymnastics. Although the aspect ratio is different, 75/4x5 will be

closer to 24/35mm, and probably easier to use as well.

[andy_biggs1]

That begs the question: Can a Speed/Super/Crown Graphic handle 75mm

lenses? If so, will I need a recessed lens board or bag bellows?

[wilhelm]

The Crown and Super will, the Speed probably not.

[jim_bausch1]

I'd say if your're happy with 24mm on 35mm then use a 90 or 100mm on

4 x 5. I multiplied by four for length, since the narrow 4 x 5

dimension is about four times the 24mm narrow of the 35mm film. The

Crown bed drops down, and I've used 65mm Rodenstock Grandagon with

it. But it has to ride on the rear rail, which is not as robust as

the front rail. No problem here with 90mm. Also, the 65mm no longer

has the luxury of tilt, since this works with drop bed/ front rail

only. You could only tilt the lens upward, which is of course,

useless.

[erik_ryberg]

Andy,

 

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As a huge fan of the Crown Graphic, I have to say that when you get

wider than 90 mm you begin to run into problems. You can go down to

65 mm but you lose rise because the standard is inside the body and

cannot go up. On the other hand, how many 65 mm lenses give you much

rise anyway?

 

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You still have front tilt at all focal lengths.

[pat_kearns1]

Andy, I've been shooting landsscapes with a Calumet Wood Field and a

Caltar 150mm for about 8 years and I am very pleased with it. The

camera is actually a Tachihara and the lens a Rodenstock. I got them

both new for around $900 and thought that it was a good price

entering LF. I've thought about a 90mm lens but haven't bought one

yet. Reading other opinions there is a 110mm lens out there that

everyone rave about. I believe it is a Symmar (spelling?) XL. Wish

I had known about it before I had purchased the 150. I think you

would be happy with the Tachihara. By the way the Adorama 4x5 is a

Tachihara and there are some dealers that put their name on the

Tachihara as well. Good luck & happy shooting. Pat.

[roger___3]

Andy, I started into LF with a super graphic and traded up to a

Tachihara. It is much easier to use movements with the Tachihara and

it is lighter as well. Although the graphic is ok, I have aboslutely

no regrets about the trade-up. Should you want to use a roll fim

back, the Tachihara is more limited in the options available. With

the super, a 90mm lens seemed to be getting close to its limits. I

think that you have to have a pretty stiff breeze before this will

make any difference. I also have found a shift in my lens

preferences with 4X5 compared to 35mm. While this is a choice of

personal preference, you may want to proceed slowly with you lens

purchases til you find what you like.

[john_henderson1]

Maybe this question is a <em>little</em> of a tangent, but how do you

focus on a Crown when the bed is dropped? The rack-and-pinion

focussing won't operate (much - and even then, you're straining it.)

so it appears that you have to focus by unlocking the gross adjustment

lock and sliding it by hand on the short rail. Of course,

depth-of-field will be greater for the shorter lens, but thsi still

seems an unsatisfactory way to focus. Am I missing something?

[ron_shaw]

The Speed Graphic is limited to about a 75mm minimum because of the

extra thickness of the focal plane shutter mechanism. The Crown, with

no FP shutter, can use a shorter FL lens.

[erik_ryberg]

Regarding focusing the Graphic with dropped bed, if the lens is so

wide you need to drop the bed, then the front standard should be

riding on back portion of the rails which are behind the hinge and are

not dropped.

 

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The degree of movement required for focusing with a lens that wide is

extremely small, and the rails will handle it, even with the bed

dropped.

 

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I've found you only need to drop the bed with lenses wider than 90

mm.

[dr._steven_bein]

I have owned all three of the cameras you mention. I find the

Tachihara to be very easy for very wide lenses, the rear standard

comes forward so there is no bed interference. I sold the Crown and

also my Linhoff Tech V. I now have a Canham DLC45 and the Tachihara.

I find the Tachihara easier to use with the wide (I have a 65 Super

Angulon) than any of the other camera bodies I have used. They can

all be used, with the compressed bellows, movements are restricted,

but with the wides I use, so is the circle of illumination, so it is

an acceptable tradeoff. If hand holding is a needed feature, as

another poster mentioned, then just get an attachable grip. There are

many on the market. Some may have to be modified, but that is easy.

The Tech V was the reason I bought the Tachihara. The cost of a wide

angle adapter was about the same as buying the Tachihara. Never

regretted the purchase. I do not like to push brands since most of

the cameras will do an equivalent job, but in the price range, the

Tachihara seems like a good option to chose.the wind effect is

monimized with the compression of the bellows. I found that the

Linhoff was the most rigid of the cameras I used, but I chose not to

shoot LF in heavy wind anyway.

[robert_haury]

Andy

I just got started in large format and I own a Nagaoka (similer to

Tachihara) I recomend going this way. I think you'll find the extra

movements allowed by the Thachihara will be usefull and maybe crucial

down the road. I too shot landscapes and such with my 24mm or 28mm

lens with my 35mm camera. I have found though that with LF even a

150mm lens seems to wide at times. I would suggest you try a more

normal length lens first (try renting one) befor you buy. As far as

pulling out your 35mm. I have become so enthralled with the 4x5

format that my 35mm gets very little use anymore. I think you'll soon

feel the same. Rob

[Fotos53]

I would go with a Crown with a side Kalart rangerfinder, I think you

can do most anything you want with this except alot of movements. It's

used like a F5 or EOS1-V with a big negative. You can hand hold it and

shoot away. There's a lot of older lenses out there that can be used on

it. If it breaks, you can fix it or a older repairman will gladly do

it. For $1000 you can get a nice older system, plus if you start using

bulbs for flash, you'll be surprised at how much light they put out. I

really think the Crowns and Speeds are really underrated, besides over

50 years ago, they were the cameras to get and they got the pictures to

prove it.

 

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John Miller