patrick_alt

To all of those people who have purchased a 4 X 5 Zone VI camera, be aware that the ground glass frame is offset on all cameras and you will experience images cut off one side as a result. Take off the 4 X 5 back and you will notice the ground glass frame is not centered and is shifted over to one side. I have contacted Calumet re this problem and was basically blown off. I found out about this when I used the camera to make transparencies of some of my large platinum prints. All of the images came back from the lab offset. This is a manufacturing problem caused by a fautly and misaligned jig. There is no easy fix. The ground glass frame is screwed down with a machine screw into a threaded brass inset. To fix it requires the removal of the insert, filling the large hole with a hardwood dowel and redrilling a new hole. Please check your cameras and contact Calumet amd complain. If enough people do it, perhaps they will take responsibility.

Patrick Alt

I have been recently informed that questions about my Altview WA 410 have popped up on the internet. I will try and answer some of them if I can. After many years spent restoring other peoples cameras, I decided to design and build my own. This was spurred on by a client who wanted a 4 X 10 camera similar to one made by Jay Dusard. Since I am incapable of building anything in a halfhearted or slipshod manner, I decided to build one from scratch from my own design. I made parts for 26 4 X 10 cameras. I also made 5 8 X 10s, which have all been sold. The camera is made from Australian lacewood and African wenge fabricated from 48 individual pieces of wood. The finish is 10-12 coats of hand rubbed furniture lacquer, the finest finish on any camera ever built.It weighs 4 pounds and will take 90mm to 300mm lenses (360mm with an accessory lens box extension). It has front tilt and front rise with a side mounted tripod mount for vertical images. It has a bellows, leather handle, with black metal fittings with brass knobs and screws.I designed this to be one of the most physically beautiful cameras ever made with the added feature of extreme rigidity and ease of use. Though not as compact as a clamshell camera, it is still small enough to put into a backpack. The lens stays on the camera. The camera was reviewed in View Camera Magazine which has a picture. However, this was from the first prototype. The final version was completely reengineered in black with vastly improved movements. The camera does not fold. In design, all choices are compromises. To add a fold would have increased the cost dramatically and lost its rigidity. One of my clients who bought a camera (and raves about it by the way) shot with it in a 40 mph wind in the desert and got razor sharp images. If anyone is interested in getting a recommendation on the camera, please call Frank Schlegel at Samy's Camera in Los Angeles and he can tell you what he thinks as he owns one. His number is 323-938-2420. If anyone has any further questions about the camera, film holders, and cutting film, please feel free to contact me. Thank you.

Patrick Alt