[LargeFormat] Wisner and Ebony Field Cameras

[Pete Caluori]

From: Clive Warren <Clive.Warren@megacycle.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 14:25:58 +0000

At 04:26 13/01/02 +0000, Pete Caluori wrote:

>Greetings,
>
>I know you're asking about Wisner and Ebony cameras, but from your
>requirements perhaps you might want to take a look at Canham as well.
>Canham's bellows and camera design make easy work of using short lens' and
>they have a generous bellows.  I use a 72XL on the 4x5, with standard
>bellows and get plenty of movement.  I've also used the same camera with a
>Fuji 450C.
>
>Good luck Clive!

Thanks for the suggestion Pete. I did have a quick look at the Canham web
site and the cameras have a fairly unique approach to the folding stuff
(metal rather than money).  Is your Canham the all metal or wood/metal
camera?  It seems from the web site that the version with some wood is a
5x7/4x5 and also accepts a 4x10 back - well that''s interesting....

The other thing that I like about the camera is the way that the metal
parts function to achieve bellows extension. The one thing I do not like
are the fastening knobs, but I guess that could be changed easily enough.
How do you find it for stability when racked out to near max. bellows
length? It seems a bit larger than some of the competition, I guess from
being a modular 5x7/4x5.

Presumably it has a rotating back, but didn't see any mention of this on
the web site.  Also, does the bed fold up into the camera?

Cheers,
            Clive

Hi Clive,

Canham takes a unique approach with his camera; they way I sum it up: it's a 
cross between a monorail and a field camera.  In incorporates features of 
both.

I have the metal camera: DLC.  I'm not 100% sure about the other models, but 
I think the wood 4x5 is really a 5x7, with a 4x5 back and either back can be 
fitted and with the cange of bellows and back.  It can also be fitted with a 
4x10 back.  I'm actually considering getting his 5x7 for this very reason.  
Lens boards for all of his cameras (at least the 4x5 & 5x7 models) are the 
same.  I think this is also true for his larger cameras as well.  The back 
does indeed rotate.

The knobs do protrude, but it's one of the features that attracted me to the 
camera.  This is one of the few cameras that I can operate in very cold 
weather while wearing large gloves!

Stability while fully extended is not a problem, but I must elaborate a 
bit...  This camera as any, contains a series of compromises.  In trying to 
make the smallest package, with the largest amount of movement, a compromise 
was made.  While most wooden field cameras fix the front and rear standards 
at two points for stability, the DLC is only fixed at one point - the 
bottom.  Even when fully locked, if you manhandle the camera the back 
"could" move.  Now with that said, using care I've exposed a sheet, removed 
it from the camera, reinserted it and exposed a second time.  The resulting 
negative was in perfect register.  This "problem" is most noticable when 
using the 72XL with movement.  I don't have a bag bellows, instead use Keith 
Canham's recommendation of forcing the standard bellows into position.  I 
have to use quite a bit of force, but the bellows will deform then pop right 
back into position.  With all that bellows compressed and deformed and a 
huge lens like the 72XL only a short distance from the ground glass, the 
force it exerts on the rear standard significant.  To align the standards, I 
use the bubble levels bult in and overcompensate before locking them down.  
It sounds like a pain, but it's really easy and quick to do.  BTW, his 
bellows is IR proof.

The camera does fold for an easy package to carry, but not into a "box" like 
most field cameras.  The front standard folds onto the bed, then the rear 
standard folds onto the front.  I've set this camera up, exposed and packed 
it away in just under two minutes.  No, I wasn't trying to set a record , 
just trying not to get zap'd by lightning.

Let me know if you want any more info.  I just acquired a digital camera, so 
I could take a few pix and send them.

Regards,  Pete

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