[LargeFormat] about to take the jump
William Wiseman
largeformat@f32.net
Fri Jun 13 02:51:33 2003
> 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
OK, If I remember correctly, all these mentioned are folding field
cameras rather than monorails, correct? I would expect stability to be
a larger problem when you are dealing with materials (wood, thin brass)
that inherently more flexible and made lighter/thinner to reduce
weight. However, wouldn't most of these, if in good condition, be
stable enough under normal conditions and given a few seconds to settle
down after all the adjustments and film loading?
JeffW.