Is there a 4x5 I could pack while Mt. biking?

Man, I had no idea mountain biking / hiking with a LF camera was so popular! Here I was thinking this was a crazy idea in part of my brain...but sounds really doable.
Yes, bike is full suspension - mid grade at about $1500, so it's decently heavy already - I can't afford one of those ultralight ones for $3-5K! I don't have any racks or anything, and I was thinking about bungying the tripod to the frame - but I suppose one of those seat post mounted racks would work too.
I also agree with the guy who likes to ride w/ nothing on the back - it is nicer - but I wouldn't mind a small pack or camera bag hugging my back as long as it wasn't so big it hit the seat below my butt. Trying to bike with a big pack drives me crazy that way.

Well, so many models to look into here. Will take me some time to see - obviously lower priced is better right now, just to get my feet wet in LF and see if I like it. I have a feeling the "extra work" must be worth it over the postage stamp 35mm slides - but who knows what I will think when actually doing it?
Thanks, I do appreciate all the advice here! Glad to see this is such an active forum.
Jed

Muihlinn said:

gowland pocket view

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That's my 4x5, also. An early model...about 2.5 pounds with a Caltar II-N 150mm f5.6 lens mounted on it. We have a couple of the Horseman Woodman 4x5's we check out to students. Nice sturdy cameras for their weight...better IMO than the Tachiharas.

I saw a great seatpost on a bike earlier this week. The rear rack was welded directly on the seat post....it was all one unit. The rack was built on the same type and diameter tube as the seat post. Seems it would be much better than the clamp-on racks.

I have biked once (single track) with my 8x10 and Reis pod...60 pounds of equipment. I would do it again, as long as there were no significant hills and it was the only way to get there fast enough if hiking in would take too long. But a trailer would be the way I would have to go if I were to do it regularly (or get a light weight 8x10 system).

Vaughn

PS...buy used!

Gowland Pocket View 4x5 are the lightest you can get. They also pack very small. They are monorail type- so you can remove the rail stow it, then let the camera lay flat. Very safe and easy way to store- you don't need any special expensive bags either- just put in a plain old backpack and it's fine. Even if you fall you are unlikely to break a camera like this since it's all aluminum.

I was going it say a Speed Graphic but I put the broken on I have on the scale (working is somplace in that room) and it weighted in at 6 LBs with one film holder and and NO lens, and it was not a 4X5 but a 3X4....

Do it right

Set the bike up with proper racks and Jandd panniers.

http://www.jandd.com/

The used market is full of folding field cameras. Photobackpacker sells cases for cameras. Fishpond sells fly reel cases that hold 2-3 lenses.

There are lots of tiny lenses around. Fujinon-W 125mm and Kodak Ektar 203mm are two that come to mind. My Speed Graphic came with a very good, very small Kodak Ektar 127mm lens.

There are decent compact tripods around too. They may not extend way up high, but they will hold your camera steady.

A friend of mine has what may be the perfect sheet film bike camera: A folding 3 1/4"x4 1/4" Zeiss with a 150mm Tessar lens. Folded it's no bigger then my Pentax 6x7. It makes negatives a lot bigger than 6x7 or 6x9.

Good luck!

Venchka...you recommend Jandd panniers. Is there a particular model you prefer? Barry

Another vote for the Crown. It's perfect for easy travelling, and about as light and easy to carry as you're going to find in 4x5.

I made 2 trips to China schlepping mine around, so it's hard-won wisdom. I also just picked up a 90mm lens on a Crown board for it, so you have choice in lenses too. Another added bonus is price -- they're not expensive and film holders are equally plentiful and cheap.

Shen Hao and Chamonix are the best value for the money in Field Cameras. I have been really happy with my Shen Hao. You almost never see either come up on E Bay or Criags list! Also you do see Burke and James cameras occasionally. The Chamonix has received great reviews from those who bought them. The down side is a long lead time to order as there is not stocking distributor here in the US. Shen Hao has distribution in the US from Badger and Mid West Photo Exchange both are very reputable. Small Rail Cameras are 4X5 BADGER M1 rail camera and you occasionally see the Peter Gowand mini 4X5 on E Bay. Also the Toho Shimo FC-45X is another small rail view camera to consider. You may want to search for a Meredian B which is a knock off of a Linhoff and was made in the 1940's or consider a Linhoff. Crown Graphics are fine and reasonable provided you can give up movements that a field/rail camera offers

You don't say wether you are "mountain biking" and want to take a camera with you or going to take pics on your MTB, so my suggestion is based primarely on the latter, though not entirely. I have done some fairly technical singletrack with a trailer and found it alot more do-able than you may think.

I used a BOB YAK, the suspended one. It is long enough to accomodate a reasonable sized tripod and is very stable with the weight a light-ish 4x5 set up would come in at. I had about 35lb on mine!!! The bike tracks way better than with panniers and I found I could tow at least 50% more than I could carry.

As for cameras I had a Tachi and found it very light, I tried a Crown but as I like uprights more than landscapes the fact that it had no rotating back a pain, no swing meant that it had no tilt when I had it on its side. If you shoot mainly Landscape format it may not be an issue.

Gari

Jedidiah Smith said:

Thanks for all the responses - lot to think about here. I will take a look at each camera mentioned.
To be honest, I wasn't thinking about the tripod. Hmmm...suppose it will take a bigger one than I use with 35mm shots - that may be problematic on the bike. Well, I could still scout out stuff when Mt. biking, and then return on foot (ugh...I love wheels) to capture scenes if I had to.

EDIT: Hahaha...I had to laugh at the suggestion of turning my bike over and using for a tripod - and then I got to thinking...there's a good idea in there somewhere!

Appreciate all the info, I will do some looking at all this. Never had a 4x5...must be sweet looking at the slide / negs.
Jed

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My first suggestion for a tripod would be a compact, ultralightight carbon fiber "traveler" style tripod, like the Feisol CT-3441S. Combined with a lightweight ballhead, this will easily support a lightweight 4x5 camera and give you the most versatility.

Or, if you're serious about turning your bike into a tripod, you might consider something like this. Although it's shown mounted on the handle bars, you could mount this adapter on any tube of the proper diameter (25.4mm or 31.8mm). If you do mount it on the handle bars, you would need some way to lock the front wheel from swinging side-to-side - perhaps some kind of small clamp.

In any case, there are two possible issues to overcome - working height and keeping the bike from tipping over. Since a bike is shorter than a tripod, you'd need to bend over/crouch down to compose and focus. I'm also not sure if I'd trust my expensive 4x5 camera and lenses to my bicycle's kick stand. I'd probably want something a little sturdier to prop up the bike to keep it from tipping over while being used as a tripod - or perhaps using it upside down would solve this problem with the Feisol Bike Mount attached to the bottom frame tube.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras

Jedidiah Smith said:

.... or perhaps find that perfect MF camera out there somewhere...
Thanks for discussion,
Jed

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I use a 2x3 Galvin monorail w/47mm, 65mm lenses (on recessed lens board), and a 150mm lens for ultra-light backpacking up mountain trails. The combined weight of camera, lenses, sheet film, roll film back, and carbon fiber tripod (17" long with center post removed) is about 6+ lbs. It all fits into a small pack. I personally don't need a 4x5 because I don't print larger than 14x17". This combination is also good for 1:1 macro work with the 150 as the bellows draw is only 10"; much less with the 65. With the 47mm I can get a 90 deg. AOV when using 6x8mm format (with a Graflex RH-8 film back that also fits on my RB). Sometimes I tote my RB up trails, but never with 3 lenses - too heavy and bulky - and the wide lenses are not wide enough. When traveling with a group of people where many hand held opportunities arise, I scale things down and pack a Mamiya M645 1000s and 3 lenses which also fits in a small pack.

These cameras (Galvin) were hand built and there was a slight problem with the rear standard - it was a little floppy - but easy to fix with a screw driver and small metal file.

Paul

The Crown Graphic is a good option. On the plus side, it is light and very durable. I don't think anyone has mentioned this so far, but you can use it hand-held (although, like any other large camera, anything under 1/125 and you are taking your chances). You can use a pair of Grafmatic holders and have more than enough sheets for one outing. On the minus side, it has very few movements. You say you like landscapes, in which case, front tilt is often very useful. There is a simple mod you can do to a Crown to get front tilt.

If you want more movements, the Super Graphic is a good option. It is slightly heavier than the Crown but has a metal body which is almost indestructible. It has as much front movement as just about any field camera. It has no back movements but the back does rotate 360. It is a great camera. Although I now use a full field camera, I have used both the Crown and the Super in the field quite a bit and, except for the limits I mentioned, they really do the job.

The main advantages of LF over MF are: 1) you can develop each negative individually, and 2) movements. If neither of these is important to you, then stick then stick with medium format. MF is a huge step over 35mm and unless you are doing very large prints, you won't be able to tell the difference between 120 and 4x5. The perfect MF camera for you, in my opinion, is the Mamiya 7 (there are a few variations). It is not cheap but it is one helluva camera. If that is not in the budget, then go with a vintage folder with a good lens. Honestly, LF has its distinct advantages but the context (mountain biking) is not going to allow you to explore them easily, Keep in mind that with 4x5, you have to setup and takedown every time you stop for a different shot.