richard_brown4

I have the SV45Ti which I love. I shoot from a 90-300 and the other day I was able to focus with the 300 to within 3 feet of my still life I was doing some testing with. I like the versatility of the camera being the bellows have a section on the front that are more like a bag bellow that allows you to go fairly wide angle. I shoot my 90 and still have room to focus in more. Yet I can stretch the bellow out far to get those closeups with a longer lens if need be. For most shots though there is not much taxing the camera at all. There are some wide angle Ebony's that won't fold up that many say deploy faster as well but honestly with LF nothing is that fast and adding an additional 10 seconds to unfold the camera is not a big deal to me. I like the options of more lenses should I choose to go longer with the more standard folding field cameras. At the moment there are about 15 cameras on eBay to choose from. I would look at those and then google the ones that look like something you would want. there are usually reviews out there for most of them.

Having had four Ebony cameras along with toyo, linhof, calumet cadet, deardorff, I have to agree with snommisbor: the SV45Ti was the best view camera I have ever had or used. Best made, easiest to use, and a joy to work with. Shen Hao makes a copy of this camera. It would likely, at 1/3 the cost, be a little rougher than the Ebony but Badger Graphics sells it for just over a grand. Call them. But I still say get that Ebony.

<p>Vistek tossed out their fuji frontier machines last fall and put in noritsu dry lab..... crappy ink jet prints plus their C41 scratched all 20+ rolls of film.... not impressed. I would suggest that you send expresspost to abc colour or custom colour in vancouver. Both very good labs doing great work.... also Toronto Image Works. Only places I can get my large format C41 processed are these labs ..... and I still shoot some 120 colour in my wedding business. Support the Canadian businesses so that we can continue to get our film processed. Oh, almost forgot,Don's photo in Winnipeg does good work as well. Good luck.<br>

Richard</p>

<p>Vistek tossed out their fuji frontier machines last fall and put in noritsu dry lab..... crappy ink jet prints plus their C41 scratched all 20+ rolls of film.... not impressed. I would suggest that you send expresspost to abc colour or custom colour in vancouver. Both very good labs doing great work.... also Toronto Image Works. Only places I can get my large format C41 processed are these labs ..... and I still shoot some 120 colour in my wedding business. Support the Canadian businesses so that we can continue to get our film processed. Oh, almost forgot,Don's photo in Winnipeg does good work as well. Good luck.<br>

Richard</p>

<p>wow.... i just discovered the same problem.... the mint proII back that Samys camera sold me stops at 9 or sometimes 8 and then i have to pop the back, fog a frame, close and advance to end of film....got the rz kit 3 months ago but hadn't discovered the problem as i dont shoot as much in the winter... not they say too long and so long. the old proII back i got from keh works fine and never sticks so far..<br>

talked to mamiya usa and its $215 overhaul but found mamiya service guy here in canada and the price is around $80... could be clutch or the gizmo that sets the spacing... so bite the bullet and get it repaired .. in the states, try the nice people at mamiya usa or bob at www.precisioncameraworks.com who is great. now working on my fuji 6x9 shutter. and let me know what happens, please. Richard</p>

<p>wow.... i just discovered the same problem.... the mint proII back that Samys camera sold me stops at 9 or sometimes 8 and then i have to pop the back, fog a frame, close and advance to end of film....got the rz kit 3 months ago but hadn't discovered the problem as i dont shoot as much in the winter... not they say too long and so long. the old proII back i got from keh works fine and never sticks so far..<br>

talked to mamiya usa and its $215 overhaul but found mamiya service guy here in canada and the price is around $80... could be clutch or the gizmo that sets the spacing... so bite the bullet and get it repaired .. in the states, try the nice people at mamiya usa or bob at www.precisioncameraworks.com who is great. now working on my fuji 6x9 shutter. and let me know what happens, please. Richard</p>

<p>wow.... i just discovered the same problem.... the mint proII back that Samys camera sold me stops at 9 or sometimes 8 and then i have to pop the back, fog a frame, close and advance to end of film....got the rz kit 3 months ago but hadn't discovered the problem as i dont shoot as much in the winter... not they say too long and so long. the old proII back i got from keh works fine and never sticks so far..<br>

talked to mamiya usa and its $215 overhaul but found mamiya service guy here in canada and the price is around $80... could be clutch or the gizmo that sets the spacing... so bite the bullet and get it repaired .. in the states, try the nice people at mamiya usa or bob at www.precisioncameraworks.com who is great. now working on my fuji 6x9 shutter. and let me know what happens, please. Richard</p>

i would recommend, in calgary, csm media over by the stampede grounds

they can do heidelberg drum scans and print on 9600 epsons....tell steve or martin that richard sent you......

or deal with abc photo in vancouver...the best all service lab around

richard

I am hoping to get to paris and the loire in late april....shooting 4x5 colour

negatives and need to find a pro lab (recent experience?) to process film

before return flight. any recommendations in central paris??? any inexpensive

places to stay in central area????just me and budget minded....thanks all,

richard

contact julien at 'the camera store' in calgary..888-539-9397

they usually have a number of great used enlargers and if set up properly, they should be able to enlarge to 30x40.......

good luck....richard

help....just won an Rz with a 65mm nb lens....i thought it was of the same

calibre as the kl lenses.....but it would seem to be an old lens with little

coating.....could someone explain this ASAP ...many thanks, richard

My best friend, and large format expert, bought a s#*t how and while others have had great success with them, this one was so poorly made that you couldn't slide a film holder into it...too tight! sent it back to midwest thank you Jim...and got a tachihara(superior quality). there have been tons of shen hao forum debates..look them up. But my friend and i between us have an ebony, a deardorf, toyo 8x10, linhof kardans, arca swiss, and curiously enough, we both usually take our toyo 45As out in the field for landscapes here in the canadian rockies. Its not just about better build quality....easier and faster to set up.

On paper, the shen hao looks great and has potential...but as dr.phil would say..."potential just means ya ain't done it yet!"

and i am happy for all the shen hao owners that got a good one...

oh, forgot to mention my 65mm on recessed board works great on toyo.

so enjoy the journey.......

richard brown

just cranked up my new 700 scanner...bought it to scan 24x66mm pano negs from

a noblex and also the big 6x17cm negs from an artpan camera...the 35mm carrier

automatically breaks the strip into what it thinks are separate frames. can

you disable the auto feature and just get a strip of 2 of these to scan...

and with medium format, you can configure the film up to 6x9 but not 6x17.

once again, the great digital marketing scam has taken my $$$ and made my life

more complicated. i should be planning my trip to mexico to shoot FILM!

anybody out there familiar with this ....thanks from the frozen north..richard

hi daniel and enjoy the toyo....i had the same original camera with the non international back ..or non graphlok back it can be called. it is lighter but i needed the international back to use my horseman roll film 6x12 back. if you want one, i just saw one on that big usa auction site....without glass i think but yours will fit.

i now have 4 cameras in the 4x5 size so beware the addiction...

all the best ....richard in the canadian rockies..

Interesting that you are looking at the 45A... I have used one for 20 years and love it. Lately, I have been hunting and researching for the perfect compromise camera for the past year or two and I think I will stick with the wee beastie. The Shen Hao I held was not as well made even at the fair price point. Like the Tachihara much better but I use a 6x12cm roll film back a lot in my travels and need a graphlok back which tachi doesnt have.

The Toyo 45 has some rear movements shich should be enough for your usage...i like it because it is sturdy! I can use my 300M nikkor and a 400 fuji tele as well as a 90 on a flat board and just barely a 65mm caltar on a recessed board(just barely) .....wide angles work well because the bellows is very tapered to a larger back standard. I did pick up a used arca swiss monorail for when i am shooting close to the car but the toyo is great for hiking here in the canadian rockies where i live ....but i have packed it through italy, quatemala, mexico etc. I even considered an ebony but the cheapest? rw45 does not handle a 65mm lens ...there is no perfect camera but, for me, the toyo is the perfect compromise. Please note that i have an extra 90mm f8 lens. I bought a used 6x17cm art panoramic camera with a fujinon 90 i would like to sell because i have a super angulon. let me know if you are interested and i will help get you started by giving you a great deal. it has a newer copal 0 shutter and is in excellent shape. all the best and you will love the large format world. My 20x24 and 16x20 colour prints just sing and i even sell one now and then...

Richard

Congratulations from a wedding photog who spent 24 days in venice, umbria and tuscany last year and hauled a toyo 45A along with a Nikon F100. Love the slides but the 4x5 colour negs and 6x12cm pano colour are breathtaking. As is Italy. Please take your 90...I used my 135 and 180 but the 90 was really great in the small towns and when you couldn't get back far enough. Great way to meet people who are often fascinated by the large format cameras. When in Venice, the island of Burano is a major colour fest..check out websites with photos. A little fishing village with wonderful people and colourful homes. Had 4 days there and shot lots. Also the countryside around Sienna and south is the best. San Antimo..San Galgano...Mont Olivetto Maggiore with its frescoes! Wonderful little towns but I don't think you will have that much time. You really don't want a car in Florence or any city but you must see the Uffizzi and of course, "David" while there.

The light is amazing but so is the food and wine. But the people and the country are the best. If you aren't a city couple, then check out

www.slowtrav.com for some great suggestions and help. Take lots of film as it is hard to find there and have a wonderful safe honeymoon.

regards, richard brown

Going to Italy (Tuscany/veneto) in late May or Sept. Hoping someone

out there knows of good places to buy/process 4x5 colour neg film.

Kind of concerned with security, xrays and hassle bringing it from

Canada. Any idea of prices? Many thanks from my first participation

in this site.........Richard