Best LF Camera for architectural photography?

[Drew B.]

Tristian, not familiar with your camera, but here is what I would recommend to you. Any decent 4x5 with a bag bellows and a good selection of short lenses with center filters if you start using the really tight stuff. The long lenses aren't going to be as important (to me) as are the short ones, which require plenty of coverage and movements at short focal lengths. Best, tim

don't forget the recessed lensboard.....

 

[Ole]

The Carbon Infinity is great, but out of production and only rarely available in the second-hand market.

It handles anything from 65mm to 600mm lenses without "special tricks"; you get down to 30mm with a bag bellows. Movements are adequate for anything. It's portable - in its own carbon fiber shell.

 

[Frank Szabo]

I'm looking for the best option specifically for specialising in shooting architecture.
Anyone got any ideas?
I'm currently using a hand-made Panfield by Andrew Meintjies.
Anyone else got one or one that beats it?

Tristan McLaren

Build quality and precise yet generous movements are much more important than brand names.

Perhaps I've got a rather crude outlook, but a LF camera isn't much more than an expensive shoe box. Concentrate on your optics instead of cmaera brands. Just go shopping. Read a lot of specs.

The best camera is the one you like - don't worry about the rest of us dummies.

 

[Sparky]

You KNOW you guys are responding to a post that's over a year old, right..?

 

[Samuel West Hiser]

I know this is an old thread, but it's interesting ...

Silvestri T30.

Made by Italians; built in Florence; very specialized for architecture.

Advantages:

- stable shift mechanism with good range (equivalent to front rise)
- rigidity non-pareil
- excellent portability
- Rodenstock & Schneider lenses on helical focus mounts
- lens range from ultrawide (35mm) to normal (150mm)
- 6x7, 6x9 & 4x5 formats on Graflok

Disadvantages:

- not an all-purpose platform
- you'd have to be very creative to hand hold this and shoot portraits, but ...