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Old 17th December 2008, 01:15 PM
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Default Tachihara cameras

As the thread title suggests, I'm interested to find out what people make of Tachihara cameras, particularly the 5x4s. They crop up second hand from time to time and don't command ridiculously high prices. One of the big pluses seems to be relatively light weight and portability. The biggest minus would seem to be restricted movements. Does anyone have any first hand experience of using one, and if so, what was your impression?

My reason for asking? I will have to return the camera I have on loan at some point and am looking for ways into large format that won't break the bank. A relatively inexpensive (but hopefully good) field camera now might leave enough slack in my budget to look at getting a monorail in the future for a greater range of movements.
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Old 17th December 2008, 04:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Armadillo View Post
As the thread title suggests, I'm interested to find out what people make of Tachihara cameras, particularly the 5x4s. They crop up second hand from time to time and don't command ridiculously high prices. One of the big pluses seems to be relatively light weight and portability. The biggest minus would seem to be restricted movements. Does anyone have any first hand experience of using one, and if so, what was your impression?

My reason for asking? I will have to return the camera I have on loan at some point and am looking for ways into large format that won't break the bank. A relatively inexpensive (but hopefully good) field camera now might leave enough slack in my budget to look at getting a monorail in the future for a greater range of movements.
Tachihara's do get favourable comments from users. Another field camera with reasonable spec. is the Shen Hao PTB 54. Robert White have it listed for £425 + VAT.

A lot of people speak highly of the Shen Hao 5x4 cameras but I've no personal experience of them, but I must admit on paper they seem to offer good value for money.
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Old 17th December 2008, 04:46 PM
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Another camera to consider (and is very similar to the Shen Hao PTB) is the Chamonix 45N, here's mine



Their website is http://www.chamonixviewcamera.com/index.html

I bought mine through Hugo Zhang on the LF Forum.

Paul
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Old 17th December 2008, 05:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Armadillo View Post
As the thread title suggests, I'm interested to find out what people make of Tachihara cameras, particularly the 5x4s. They crop up second hand from time to time and don't command ridiculously high prices. One of the big pluses seems to be relatively light weight and portability. The biggest minus would seem to be restricted movements. Does anyone have any first hand experience of using one, and if so, what was your impression?

My reason for asking? I will have to return the camera I have on loan at some point and am looking for ways into large format that won't break the bank. A relatively inexpensive (but hopefully good) field camera now might leave enough slack in my budget to look at getting a monorail in the future for a greater range of movements.
I have a Shen Hao which is of good quality and I enjoy using. I do not beleive Tachihara are of such quality, but that is only feed back from others.
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Old 17th December 2008, 10:15 PM
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Thanks all. Interesting to hear that feedback on the Tachihara is not that positive. I'm aware of both the Shen Hao and Chamonix. Lack of a distributor put me off the Chamonix a little, plus current exchange rates make it a less attractive option.

The biggest downside I could see with the Shen Hao was that I ended up liking the look of the 5x7 instead! Trouble is my wallet was not so keen.

I'm not in a rush to buy, so will do some further thinking. I'm just aiming for maximum bang for my buck (as it were).
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Old 18th December 2008, 07:42 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Armadillo View Post
Thanks all. Interesting to hear that feedback on the Tachihara is not that positive. I'm aware of both the Shen Hao and Chamonix. Lack of a distributor put me off the Chamonix a little, plus current exchange rates make it a less attractive option.

The biggest downside I could see with the Shen Hao was that I ended up liking the look of the 5x7 instead! Trouble is my wallet was not so keen.

I'm not in a rush to buy, so will do some further thinking. I'm just aiming for maximum bang for my buck (as it were).
Patience is a grand thing to have, particularly while the pound is trying to out perform the dollar in free diving.
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Old 18th December 2008, 09:10 AM
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Patience is a grand thing to have, particularly while the pound is trying to out perform the dollar in free diving.
Indeed!

I stumbled across an old copy of Black and White Photography last night which contained an article from their 'American correspondent' (whose name escapes me), highlighting the tendency of people to do masses of research (including asking for opinions on internet forums!) before choosing something. He argued that in practice it will still turn out not to meet your particular need anyway, so why not just get something that will do the job and make a start. As you refine your technique and way of working, it will become clearer what you actually want and you can sell on your first purchase to someone who is going through the same process as you did.

There seems to be a lot of sense in that approach. Time for some more pondering...
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Old 18th December 2008, 09:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Armadillo View Post
Indeed!

I stumbled across an old copy of Black and White Photography last night which contained an article from their 'American correspondent' (whose name escapes me), highlighting the tendency of people to do masses of research (including asking for opinions on internet forums!) before choosing something. He argued that in practice it will still turn out not to meet your particular need anyway, so why not just get something that will do the job and make a start. As you refine your technique and way of working, it will become clearer what you actually want and you can sell on your first purchase to someone who is going through the same process as you did.

There seems to be a lot of sense in that approach. Time for some more pondering...
That's my technique, the result is that I have a cupboard full of cameras that I don't use.
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Old 18th December 2008, 09:25 AM
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That's my technique, the result is that I have a cupboard full of cameras that I don't use.
Perhaps you could adopt a green agenda and undertake some recycling!

Then again, if you're anything like me, there seems to be something morally wrong about getting rid of a camera, even ones lacking technical or aesthetic qualities.
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Old 18th December 2008, 09:29 AM
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I know of quite a few people who cut their teeth with the Crown Graphic before deciding on their ideal camera. They seem to be quite cheap and abundant with most people selling them on for the original cost.

Paul
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