The last camera is totally a different thing. Much more solid, and probably with more bellows extension.
It would be a lot heavier to carry around, and it's somewhat more expensive.
I am definitely not an expert about 4x5 metal fondings made in the East. It looks like some kind of Horseman or Wista copy; if realized with strict tolerances it should be a very usable camera.
If i had to guess the origin, probably it's korean.
I personally own a look-alike of the first camera you mentioned, it's labeled as Nagaoka, but it's exaclty the same thing as a Tachihara.
It's a VERY light camera, a very good choice for backpacking, but i can't say that's as easy to setup, and as sturdy, as a monorail, or even a metal folding.
Light weight and compactness come at a price!
Nevertheless, it would be a nice introduction to large format.
The starting price is fair, but not a nice deal. With a little patience you could find something similar for a somewhat lower price. I bought mine, not very long ago, for about 50 USD less, and it came with a few lensboards, a dark cloth, a loupe, and a nice large LoewePro backpack bag.
When i got it, i was getting back to analog photography, and my mindset was that, if i had to shoot non-digital, doing large format was the most logical choice.
What's more, i had already many large format lenses and some long-expired boxes of film, together with a few cameras. Everything was left untouched for nearly fifteen years. None of the cameras (Linhof Technika III 4x5, Linhof Bi-System 4x5, and Fatif monorail 13x18cm) were lightweight and small enough to be carried on treck... or at least that's what i thought at the time.
I don't regret having purchased that camera, or maybe i do, in some way... it was the starting point of an ongoing fascination for wooden field cameras, that made me spend way too much money in vintage cameras and lenses! :-(
Back to your questions now.
Your second choice would be a very nice one, albeit not exactly cheap. Ask in advance about the lensboard, if a standard Linhof/Wista board is used, you could find very nice chinese made items, flat or recessed, with central or off-center holes pre-cut for all the sizes of modern shutters. They are cheap!
Lensboard of different size are available only as originals, and they don't come cheap, even you even if you exercise some restrain and wait for a nice second-hand deal on Ebay.
Don't forget vintage models though. For example Linhof Technika's. A Technika IV is quite expensive, and all later models, up to the Master Technika, are even more unaffordable.
But you can find a good "user" Linhof Technika III for a nice price. Most of them are Super Technika, i.e. with rangefinder and cams for the various lenses, allowing handheld use.
Pay attention if you want to buy one, look for the fifth (and last) version, with standard graflock back. Some of the previous models can be found with the adaptation to graflock, done after purchase.
That allows the use of standard cut film holders, and of film adapters, from 6x6 to 6x12. Be advised that most 4x5 wooden field cameras on sale now, like the Tachihara/Nagaoka, don't have a standard Graflock back. It means that only the slide-in 120 film magazines can be used, the flat model often found with Calumet or Cambo brand. AFAIK only 6x7 and 6x9 versions are available, and most of the times they are a little more expensive than standard graflock ones (that can be found at affordable prices, with Singer or Graflex brand).
Just to give a generic price reference, the Linhof Technika III (fifth version, which is halfway between the III and the IV) that i will be selling in a short time, will be somewhat cheaper than your second Ebay example, INCLUDING leather handle, original lensboard, original Linhof cable release attachment, and original Scheider/Linhof 90mm wide-angle, with original cam for rangefinder focusing (with matching serial). It's from the second half of the fifties, but IMHO it's still a top camera, beaten only by later models of the same brand.
Large format cameras are mechanical tools, there is no electronics, and when it comes to mechanical excellence, there is nothing that can beat the cameras built between '50 and early '70.
That's my personal opinion, of course, but if i have to name the best three LF cameras i own, my choices would be the Linhof Bi-System 4x5, a De Vere MultiPurpose 8x10 (hexagonal monorail, AFAIK built until 1963) and the Eastman Kodak 2D 8x10 (wooden field camera from about 1920).
One small advice, in the end, if you want to start with large format, go with 4x5", and avoid any other format. Old formats (quarter-plate, half-plate and full plate) are very impractical, metric sizes (9x12cm, 13x18cm and 18x24cm) were more diffused in Europe, but film are getting difficult to find, and will be almost impossible to find in the future. Even larger sizes in inches (5x7" and 8x10") would be a lot more expensive than 4x5": film are expensive, and film holder can be VERY expensive. A lab can charge $10 for ONE 8x10 transparency!
So if you find a cheap 5x7 or 8x10 camera, think twice, it could be very expensive if you want to actually shoot some pictures with it
have fun
CJ
