is this a good deal and good first camera for LF 4x5? Horseman L45

this camera is available locally. I saw it today and it looks barely used. I shoot almost exclusively landscapes and I know there are those who say to not use a monorail for outdoor use, but its really not that heavy. someone I know thought it is was good to learn on a monorail and then go to a field camera, not sure why, but I trust him. anyway here is what's included. what would be a fair price? Is this a good deal and a good camera to learn and have fun with?

"Horseman L45 4x5 view camera outfit, comes with 3 rail's, 22 inch, 16 inch and 10 inch, wide angle bag bellows and 2 standard bellows, a regular length and telephoto length, 2 flat lens boards, 1 recessed lens board for 90mm and wider lenses. A Tenba Air case is included. $450"

Thanks

john

Looks like a great way to start. It's solid, and you get the bag bellows for WA lenses. Pick up a nice 90mm and 210mm, some holders and you're good to go. Your first LF camera probably won't be your last, so take the plunge and get started!

I have a Horseman LS, which is very similar to the L45 Pro, but it also has base tilt and it has the expandable rail rather than the fixed length monorail, which weighs more. The Horseman L series is a very solid, precision monorail. The L45 is stated to be 4.6Kg, and I just measured my LS at 6.1Kg (13 lb. 10 oz.). But you would be carrying 2500 extra grams (5lb 5oz) whenever you brought all three monorails. That is exclusive of lens boards with lenses; and don't forget you will be hefting those around, too. (My lenses on lens boards are in the range of 1lb 2oz - 2lb 0oz. ) And then each of the film holders... 6-1/8 oz

But, although I have taken my own kit outdoors 'into the field' a few times, and on location for fixed location indoor commercial shoots a number of times, I would not take it outdoors as a routine! Simply changing L45 monorails is a pain in the field (and I can avoid that task with the expandable monorail).

I have a Dynalite soft case which I customized to fit the Horseman LX, but it is a bit of a cumbersome load when accompanied by the bag with lenses, the bag with film holders, and a sturdy tripod! (second photo shows a lensboard with adapter to mount a Canon dSLR!)




Getting a full kit with variety of bellows and monorails as you listed would List for $5200 according to the 1992 Horseman price list, and getting it all for $450 is a steal.

Unless you want to shoot 4"x5" hand held.

Looks great; whatever you buy you will likely sell within a year or two once you have a little experience so it's good not to spend too much on it. Look for a 210 and 120 lens and you're all set to go

450 is a lot that you can put towards a field camera, which you WILL get at some point.
been there, done that.

the thing about a studio camera..besides that it really is that heavy..

is that you can get an omega view or similar for dirt cheap. one of the two I had was... free. the other was about 100, and that came with a lens.
if you were spending 100 bucks ok. but 450, no. not when your eventually going to want a nice toyo or other field camera.
posting based on my personal experience.