Carbon Infinity on Ebay

[jeroldharter]

I hate it when people do this when I am thinking of buying something, so I will return the favor. A 4x5 Carbon Infinity is ending soon on Ebay. This is the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300277333564&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:1123

 

[bnstein]

Thank heaven it is not 5x7!

 

[wildbill]

I was watching that one, ended at $4800!!! ouch!

 

[domaz]

Wow the seller has a 10 rating and it ended at $4800. Whoever bought that is very brave.

 

[MitchDeYoung]

its weird that the last guy took it, by himself, up from 1800 to 4800. . . . sketchy.

 

[DJGainer]

its weird that the last guy took it, by himself, up from 1800 to 4800. . . . sketchy.

He didn't. Someone else bid the increment below 4,800 and his maximum was above 4,800.

 

[jd callow]

I think 5k is reasonable if the camera is in good shape, but then I think it is far and away the coolest 4x5 ever made.

 

[MarkS]

If that camera's builder could have got that kind of money for them when they were new, there might have been more than 65 of them made.

 

[eclarke]

If that camera's builder could have got that kind of money for them when they were new, there might have been more than 65 of them made.

Yes, I think they were about $6500 when they came out...EC

 

[Ole]

Wow the seller has a 10 rating and it ended at $4800. Whoever bought that is very brave.

I bought mine from a new seller, on a "second chance". I bought a Gandolfi 5x7" from a seller who had only ever sold one item - a bicycle.

The Carbon Infinity I bought is a wonderful instrument, which is the standard compared with which everything else falls through.

The seller of the Gandolfi turned out to be Eddie - the current owner of Gandolfi.

Conclusion? Sometimes new sellers have really great things to sell, and sell them through ebay hoping to get a "standard" price for them. Do your homework, and that's where ther really great bargains are to be found.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

As I recall, I bought my Linhof 4x5" Tech V kit on eBay with four cammed lenses (including a Zeiss 135/3.5 Planar), aluminum case, filters, and various other accessories for $3400 from a relatively new seller on eBay. I asked a few questions about the item just to make sure there was a real person there before bidding, and I got a pretty good deal. We all were new sellers at one time. The key is to communicate, if you have any doubts, and you can find some bargains.

 

[Icescapes]

Found this thread...I must say that this is the first time I've ever become notorious over an eBay purchase.

I can report that it is indeed a beauty. Some minor scuffing on the exterior, looks like new on the inside. The locking and sliding mechanisms are so intuitive compared to the Horesman LE I've been using (which I consider well designed in terms of movements).

Yes, the seller only had ten ratings, but it was quite clear that he was a professional photographer, and he answered all my questions to my satisfaction. So, "brave," maybe a bit, but not really.

As for bidding it up from $1,800 to 4,800....you gotta be kidding me. That price jump was more likely a product of Jerald saying "I hate it when people do this when I am thinking of buying something, so I will return the favor" which started this thread and ended up having 500+ people looking at the auction

Despite this possible inflationary result, I do feel comfortable with the closing price....when in the heck would I ever be able to get a hold of this camera again?

It suits my needs to a "T." Lightweight considering its sturdiness, integrated clamshell, and range of movements. Good for my expeditions and back-country work. I can't think of another camera that fits my needs as much.

Ole, thanks for all your posts...they showed up on Google and provided me some decent background (along with Ed's comments). What's you're opinion as to how well it holds up to wind relative to other 4x5s with similar range of movements?

Pete.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

For the Carbon Infinity owners--It's a beautiful camera to be sure, but other than the self-casing feature and general coolness of having a rare carbon fiber/titanium camera with sports-car styling, does it have any attractions over, say, a used Technikardan at about half the price?

 

[jeroldharter]

...

As for bidding it up from $1,800 to 4,800....you gotta be kidding me. That price jump was more likely a product of Jerald saying "I hate it when people do this when I am thinking of buying something, so I will return the favor" which started this thread and ended up having 500+ people looking at the auction
...
Pete.

Oops. Sorry about that. I really don't like it when people do that but those cameras rarely come up and I have read several references to that camera. I thought some here would be interested. I have never seen one in person but they look great.

Along those lines, anyone ever see any of the Lawson 4x4 cameras? Those never seemed to take off.

 

[jeroldharter]

... does it have any attractions over, say, a used Technikardan at about half the price?

Or an Arca Swiss F-Line Metric with Orbix?

 

[Ole]

For the Carbon Infinity owners--It's a beautiful camera to be sure, but other than the self-casing feature and general coolness of having a rare carbon fiber/titanium camera with sports-car styling, does it have any attractions over, say, a used Technikardan at about half the price?

First of all, it has all the movements you could think of - and then some. For instance the front axial tilt can be tuned so that the tilt axis passes through the entrance pupil of the lens - that means the image doesn't shift if you apply tilt after framing.

And then it can take just about any realistic focal length from 38mm to 600mm with the normal bellows. I have bag bellows for mine which makes it easier to use very short lenses, though.

The self-casing is very useful to me, since I live in a mountainous area: I trust the CI to survive anything I can survive. Landscape photography around here can be tricky...

For those of us who "need" the combination of portability and movements there is simply nothing else which comes close. For photographers in flatter pars of the world it might well be overkill.

 

[jd callow]

Icescapes/Pete
Welcome to APUG and congratulations on an excellent win.

 

[Icescapes]

Oops. Sorry about that. I really don't like it when people do that but those cameras rarely come up and I have read several references to that camera. I thought some here would be interested. I have never seen one in person but they look great.

Along those lines, anyone ever see any of the Lawson 4x4 cameras? Those never seemed to take off.

I'm just giving you a hard time. I was prepared for it to spike at the end of the auction, and I ended up paying a fair price vs. a steal. I would have been surprised if no one else had posted the link before it closed.

You can send me a check if you feel any remorse

 

[Icescapes]

First of all, it has all the movements you could think of - and then some. For instance the front axial tilt can be tuned so that the tilt axis passes through the entrance pupil of the lens - that means the image doesn't shift if you apply tilt after framing.

And then it can take just about any realistic focal length from 38mm to 600mm with the normal bellows. I have bag bellows for mine which makes it easier to use very short lenses, though.

The self-casing is very useful to me, since I live in a mountainous area: I trust the CI to survive anything I can survive. Landscape photography around here can be tricky...

For those of us who "need" the combination of portability and movements there is simply nothing else which comes close. For photographers in flatter pars of the world it might well be overkill.

Ole has pretty much covered why I got it. While it is pretty, and it is rare, that was not the basis for the purchasing decision--I'm going to use it, not drool on it.

Any thoughts, Ole, on my comments about how it holds up to wind in the field? My Horseman LE requires just about a vacuum of air to keep the image projection stable.

 

[Ole]

Pete, I haven't really used it in any kind of wind. I tend to photograph in cramped locations - deep ravines, dense brush orests and the like. Around here it's either dead calm or gale and rain, so I tend to go out when it's calm.

 

[2F/2F]

$4,800!?!?!? Kee-ripes, man! I have less than half of that invested into a three-standard (two F one P) Sinar system with five sweet lenses (90 f/4.5, 121 f/8, 210 f/5.6, 240 f/5.6, 360 f/6.8), my near mint Pacemaker Speed (complete kit, with two crates of flashbulbs), and my Kodak No. 2 5x7, plus a plethora of holders for each AND two heavy-duty tripods with heads (#3036 and 3051). I can't imagine this E-Bay camera doing anything for me that I couldn't do with one of these three cameras, except sitting there and looking cool. Ridiculous! I can see that as an original price when large format was the commercial camera of choice, but with the prices in today's market, it is just nuts that these actually fetch that much.

 

[Terence]

I figure it's like a Porsche. Nobody NEEDS a Porsche. But it is a very elegant solution to a "problem".

I'm of the opinion that a Sinar is entirely unnecessary expenditure when there are far cheaper cameras that would do the same thing.

I say, if you've got the money, and you want something or have a perceived need for it, buy it.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Maybe my Technikardan comparison is like asking, "Who needs a Lamborghini, when a Porsche will do?"

 

[RobertP]

Sit down gentlemen, let me tell you the story about, "Sour Grapes".

 

[2F/2F]

I figure it's like a Porsche. Nobody NEEDS a Porsche. But it is a very elegant solution to a "problem".

I'm of the opinion that a Sinar is entirely unnecessary expenditure when there are far cheaper cameras that would do the same thing.

I say, if you've got the money, and you want something or have a perceived need for it, buy it.

I would have agreed with you about Sinar back when they were actually expensive cameras. Nobody needs one to make a decent pic. The guy who first taught me large format was the chief photographer for Northrup for many many years, and all he ever used for 4x5 was a field camera (albeit a nice Linhof one). Nowadays, they have taken a dump in value so much that I think they are worth paying just a little bit more for, given the breadth of their system, their backwards and forward compatibility, and their DB shutter system, which has saved me thousands upon thousands of dollars on lenses with today's market. I have just over $1,500 spent on my system. Say I had gone with a Calumet monorail for $50 instead. I would have spent well over $1,500 on the same compliment of glass with shutters, and still would have had a slower and less solid camera.

I am all for making extravagant unneeded photographic purchases. I am just surprised at the value of these cameras; that is all.