Hi,
I have experience with some of the brands mentioned, Canham and Lotus in particular and more with brands you have not considered, Philips, Toyo, Sinar... (i.e, I have used them to make photographs). All would certainly serve as a useful camera for a learner. (I would prefer a field camera to a Sinar though) I think any of them would be fine for an expert too. You may, as you grow as a photographer, develop a set of preferences that would push you to chose one over another but it seems unlikely that you can future proof your choice.
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Every day you are not shooting is just another wasted day.
tim in san jose
There is a lot of truth in what Tim is saying here. You will "learn the format" much faster burning through film than skimming through descriptive material. I don't think you need to start with an old camera, you can learn with a nice one too, but your proficiency will advance much faster through doing.
it is really just a light tight box with film holder on one end and a lens on the other
I think this idea bears consideration too. I think he is urging you not to invest too much in a camera before you know how to use it. However the the point that a view camera is a simple device deserves some attention in its least nuanced state. Reading Simmons, Merklinger et. al., can give one the idea that using a field camera is somehow, well, complex. The reality quite different. All the camera controls (and the functions they manipulate) are exposed to view and the result of using them is immediately apparent to the user. Reading about scheimpflug and perspective control is much less transparent than simply setting up a pair objects on a long flat surface and finding out that yes, you can get the whole table in focus, and control which end of the cereal box is the narrow part of the trapezoid.
Confession Time: I had envisioned acquiring a full frame DSLR as primary, and keep my Canon 40D as a backup, but after realizing that even with a full frame DSLR your image resolution is still limited by the size of the sensor. That's when I decided I need to explore LF and 4X5 seems tobe the perfect fit.
Actually, your resolution will still be affected by your "sensor size". (and your wallet) Ignore those puny 4x5's and proceed directly to ULF.
How about renting a field camera and trying out your proposed workflow, uh, oh yeah, I mean shooting, developing and enlarging some images to see if LF works for you?
Celac