[LargeFormat] about to take the jump

[Frank Filippone]

Let me suggest one more item... the stability of the camera.  Old
Koronas/B+J/Kodak can be bought cheap.  But are they sturdy?  A lot of them
( and others like Deardorff, Linhof, Sinar, etc. )are not stable, they
jiggle and move all by themselves.  This is specific to a specific item...
get a return policy, try the thing out, and be sure of what you buy,

My best suggestion is to wait to buy the best camera you can afford.  Ikeda,
Tachihara, Nagaoka all made reasonable field cameras.  They would sell for
around $300.  Calumet sells a model they call a Cadet for around $300
new....

I also suggest buying NEW cut film holders.  While they seem to be more
expensive, once you test them out with real film, they cost almost the same
as new  ones...

Overall, the body is a black box.  The lens handles the exposure and creates
distortion, YOUR EYES and YOUR Brain creates the images.  Buy the best
optics, and be in the best mood you can be when you go out to shoot.  Then
you get the best images you can produce.

Frank Filippone
red735i@earthlink.net