Metal or wood? and the 72 XL

[Neil Grant]

..thanks for the earlier replies about a suitable camera for the 72mm lens. The metal field cams is was considering like the LMT and Toyo are very heaving and maybe not well suited to extreme wa lenses. Maybe a wooden cam is a better option (
given I don' t want a monorail)?
What do you people think about the Chamonix 4x5 cameras? They are lightweight but are they precise enough for wa lenses? Can they warp out of shape due to humidity? Let me know what you think, thanks.

 

[B.S.Kumar]

Have you seen this? https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/fs-ebony-wide-45-camera.191656/
The bellows extends from 70mm to 130mm.

Kumar

 

[DREW WILEY]

Follow up on Kumar's tip if you plan to specialize is very short WA lenses. I believe Chamonix also now offers these kinds of specialty cameras.

 

[grat]

The Chamonix construction is varnished hardwood (cherry or teak), anodized aluminum, and a carbon-fiber composite material that seems exceptionally rigid, with the occasional bit of stainless.

I wouldn't leave it outside in the sun / rain, but I'd be very surprised to encounter any warping under normal use.

As for precision, they're not geared, so it's a question of how delicate your touch is. The N/F series, the front standard bolts into the focusing rail, and it has a textured based that grips the rail reasonably well, but a good thwack can shift it's position. So don't do that.

Chamonix claims a minimum bellows draw of 45mm (!!!) on the 45N1 (most of the other 4x5's are in the 50-52mm range), but I don't think the stock bellows would work well. Fortunately, they offer a bag bellows, and they're trivial to swap out (2 minutes or less, no tools). They also offer a "universal" bellows which has a bag-ish section at the front to allow for more movements with wide angle.

The H series is a bit more "traditional" design with focus knobs on both standards, and can be stored with a lens in position. The front standard looks slightly more rugged with a lever lock. Bellows draw is listed at 60mm.