Age of Zone VI Tachihara 4x5 camera?

[wishingwellphotos]

Can someone tell me when Zone V1 Studios went out of business. I have a early Tachihara 4X5 with a Zone V1

Studio sticker on the side. I am trying to date the camera. Thanks

[ronald_moravec1]

All I can say is it will be an early one. Wild guess 1980.

[alec1]

Ask Richard Ritter. His site: http://www.lg4mat.net/

[keith_pitman]

I was at Fred Picker's workshop in 1990 when he announced that he had sold to Calumet. It was a couple of years (I think) until Picker was completely gone, but Zone VI was never the same again. By 1990, Picker was making his own camera.

 

I had a Zone VI Wista that I bought about 1986 that was the second generation of Wista's they carried. Your Tachihara must predate 1986.

[michael_briggs2]

Zone VI selling Tachihara cameras under their name was long before Zone VI was sold to Calumet. There were several cameras after the Tachihara. There are two detailed threads on the history of Zone VI cameras in the archives: http://www.photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00Cilx and http://www.photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00PVNn . In one, Louie Powell gives the dates of Zone VI Tachiharas as 1978--1980.

[wishingwellphotos]

Thank you michael and everyone else for all the information. I now know my camera is a 1978-1980 Zone V1 Tachihara, Cherry wood with nickel plated hardware with a 12 " extension. Thanks again.

[drew bedo]

Check View Camera magazine in issues around 2002-03. There was an article that gave the history of the Zone-VI cameras. Ther was a thread on this either here or on www.lfphoto.com this year as well. I have the early Wista camera and it works well for me.