planning to get into LF with Toyo 45a

[Man from moon]

Dears

Good morning
I am planning to move from medium format to large format camera

i decide to take a used Toyo 45a camera
And i will use it for landscape most of the time
with the medium format (6x6)Currently
I use 50mm,80mm,150mm lenses , also 250mm but not to much
And i am planing to take 90mm,150mm,210mm lenses for the large format , also in the future maybe i will take 300mm

My concerns is :
1- is this camera the right choice for me !?
2- do i need to change the bellows if i want to use 210mm or 300mm lens? And if its not necassery , do i will face any movments restrictes ?

Thanks in advance guys

 

[Paul Howell]

It's a very good view camera, have you thought about a field camera? Difference is that a field camera will fold up for easier lugging around. Do you hike or shoot near your car and the road? I have a view camera and a speed and crown graphic, although a true field cameras they fold up for when hiking, but have limited movement and the backs don't rotate. A field camera will have better movement but not as much a view camera. Not sure if you need additional bellows for a 300. My longest LF lens is a 210 which works fine on the Speed.

 

[B.S.Kumar]

No one except you can decide whether a particular camera is the right choice for you.

For landscape, the Toyo 45A is perfectly suitable.

Maximum bellows extension for most field cameras is around the 300mm mark, so close focusing is restricted. The Toyo goes to 324mm. You can always use extensions. Wista cameras use Technika boards for which extension rings are easily available. Perhaps they are available for Toyos as well, I'm not sure. Toyo has a rear extension box.

For 90~210mm lenses, there is no problem.

Kumar

 

[B.S.Kumar]

Paul, the 45A is a field camera. You may be confusing it with the 45D or 45G, which are view cameras.

Kumar

 

[voceumana]

I have a Toyo 45A with rotating back and like it very much. I suggest 120 (or 125) and 210 mm lenses as the 1st 2 you get. In the 120 mm range, consider a Schneider Angulon (not Super Angulon) as a nice, compact wide angle lens. I have a 90 mm Angulon and it performs very nicely--but doesn't allow much in the way of camera movements as its image circle is limited. The Super Angulons are larger, more elements, heavier, and can limit camera movements (because of their size inside the bellows) on the Toyo, though camera movements with a wide angle are not usually very extreme.

If you want closer to a "normal" lens, 180mm is probably better than 150mm, as you'll get a much larger image circle for camera movements.

I think the 45A can focus a 300 mm lens at infinity, but can't get super close.

You don't need to change the bellows for the lenses that this camera can accommodate--the limit for focal length is the length of the extension of the focusing bed, For really short lenses, you'd probably want to use a recessed lens board, though they are a pain to use.

 

[jeffreyg]

I also have one with a 120, 210, and 300 tele plus a very old 135 that was give to me. I have a detachable rear extension that Toyo made or still makes. It is not a bellows and attaches to the back and takes the film holders giving you 4 more inches of extension .

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

http://www.sculptureandphotography.com/

 

[Paul Howell]

Yeah, I looked on line, found a ebay ad for a mislabled 45c, it was a view camera, should have dug a little deeper.

 

[Mick Fagan]

Very recently I worked alongside someone new to view cameras who had just purchased a Toyo 45A. It is a very nice camera, robust and has a feature I thought was terrific; a rotating back. Alongside my Shen Hao HZX45-IIA with both cameras looking at the same subject and identical lenses attached, that rotating back is very nice for minute adjustments, whereas I needed to move the whole camera for the same outcome. That is a small issue, but a nice feature to have.

We tried various lenses from my range and he has concluded he will use 90mm, 150mm and 250mm as his kit. We managed to attach a 65mm lens with a recessed board, but in reality, the bellows were so scrunched up we both thought a 75mm lens may be a more optimal very wide angle choice. As far as I know there are no other bellows available; bag bellows would be nice. That said, the 65mm lens we managed to fit, has virtually no room for movements so it doesn't matter that much, but the bellows were really scrunched up.

With the 250mm lens mounted, there was enough room to extend the bellows for close portraiture. The 250mm lens with 4x5" cameras is surprisingly useful for many things, great coverage and the ability to isolate subjects in the field noticeably different than a 210mm and demonstrably different from a 150mm lens.

Mick.

 

[jim10219]

I too would recommend something around 240-250mm instead of a 210mm. 90mm is a great wide angle size and there are plenty of examples out there. It's also about the widest you can go without needing an expensive and hard to find center filter. 240-250mm is great for portraits, and gives you a bit more distinction between the 150mm lens than a 210mm. Then, maybe look for something in the 350-400mm range in a telephoto design so you'll have a longer lens available. 150mm, is a must in my opinion because it's a very usable and common size, so finding good examples cheaply is easy. I love the 65-75mm range, but it's rare to need something that wide, and movements are usually limited. Plus center filters are expensive and hard to find. 90mm is widea enough in most case, and many of the more modern examples will give you plenty of movements.

The Toyo 45a is a good camera. Wether it's right for you, only you can say. I will say with landscape, I don't typically use many movements. I'll use a bit of rise from time to time and maybe some front tilt, but that's about it. My Speed Graphic has enough for me for landscapes. Toyo is a good brand, but as with any camera, condition is extremely important.

 

[Huub]

I can agree with most posters above: the 45A is an excelent camera and i used one for years with much pleasure. It is rugged and sturdy and allows for enough movements for landscape and portraiture.

I started with a set of 90 - 150 - 210mm, but changed the 210mm for a 240mm as i found the 210mm to close to the 150mm. Later i added a 360mm tele-xenar, which is about the longest lens you can use on the camera without resorting to adding the extension back. Due to the limited bellows extension a normal 300mm might be not the ideal lens, as close focussing will be limited.

The bellows on the 45a is fixed and can't be interchanged for a bag bellows. It makes replacing a worn out bellows with a new one not the easiest task as it has to be reglued, but it can be done. Another consequence is that using very short lenses makes the bellows very cramped, tho even the 47mm SA XL is usable on the camera.

A third thing to consider is that the 45a uses the smaller 110 mm Toyo style lensboards. These are fine and when compared to the Linhof style boards, perhaps even of a slightly better design, especially when using recessed lensboards. But there ain't any tophat style boards for these boards as far as i know. So when wanting to make use of a tophat someone should be able to make a custom one, or you could combine an 110 mm to Linhof adaptor board to be able to use a Linhof tophat. And a third option is to search for one of the Toyo 45a which were factory fitted with a front standard that accepts Linhof boards in stead of the Toyo boards. These camera's are pretty rare tho.

 

[Kilgallb]

Consider a Toyo 45CF, they can be found new for less than $1000. If you are back packing they are about the lightest camera available. I have used mine with a light weight travel tripod. Not the best but workable. This makes a big difference on a long climb..