This XMAS? The most sophisticated 4x5 field camera: a TOKO FL-452 in ROSEWOOD

Description: Here is a hard-to-find TOKO FL-452 4X5 folding field camera in ROSEWOOD. One reason they are so hard to find, is only a few hundred were made. But the main reason is that those few who own this camera refuse to part with it. What so special about this hand-made 4x5 camera? Aren't there a lot of wooden, folding field cameras to choose from? The TOKO FL-452 offers features that very few wooden, folding, field cameras offer. First is the amount of bellows extension. On the FL-452, it's 360mm (14"). Most wooden field cameras, like the Wista have only 300mm (12"). That means you can't use a standard 300mm lens. A few, like the Tachihara, offer 330mm (13") of bellows, but that prevents you from focusing close with a 300mm lens. With the FL-452, a 300mm lens is no problem -- you can even use a 500mm telephoto lens! Next, are the camera movements. While most field cameras offer very similar basic movements -- such as front tilt & swing, and rise & fall -- the FL-452 stands out on the REAR standard. It not only has rear tilt & swing, it offers rear SHIFT. In addition, the FL-452 stands out with its rear focusing. Most folding, wooden field cameras (like the Wista) have a fixed rear standard. This creates a problem with wide-angle lenses because the front of the camera bed will appear in the bottom of the image. The only way to handle this is to drop the camera bed, and then tilt the front & rear standards backward -- and hope the front standard has enough rise to make it all work out. Some cameras (like some Tachiharas) deal with this problem by allowing for the rear standard to move forward a couple of inches -- and the FL-452 has this feature as well. But in addition, the FL-452 doesn't only allow the rear standard to move forward -- it can move BACKWARD. This is a very hard to find feature, but it's an important feature because it allows you to use the REAR standard for focusing instead of the front standard. Think of FRONT standard focusing as COARSE-focusing -- to get the composition correct. But REAR focusing gives you FINE-focusing because the change is much slower and easier to control. In this sense, this feature makes the Toko FL-452 a TECHNICAL camera. And not only does the FL-452 allow for the use of longer lenses, it works great with super wide lenses too! The minimum extension is ONLY 65mm, so you can use super-wide lenses without a problem. And with a 1/2" recessed lens board (NOT INCULDED), you can even use 47mm ULTRA-wide lenses. Compare photos #4 and #5. They show you the FL-452 at its widest and narrowest bellows settings -- simply remarkable. The FL-452 has a standard spring back and takes standard 4x5 film holders, as well as MIDO and POLAROID film holders, and even 6x7/6x9/6x12 120 roll film backs. The back can easiy be switched from a horizontal to a vertical position with two convient levers on the top corners. The ground glass has grids at every 10mm -- horizontal and vertical -- as well as marks for 6x7, 6x9 & 6x12 roll film backs. The wood is hard, sturdy Rosewood and all fixtures are brass -- an attractive combination. And notice the workmanship. Less expensive 4x5 field camera use metal plates at the corners. The Toko has much more time-consuming, but much sturdier, tongue-in-groove edging -- see photos. This is also much more attractive. In addition, the metal is Toko cameras is solid brass -- not aluminum that is simply brass plated (which can flake off). On the front standard, the Toko FL-452 uses easy to get Linhof/Wista-type lenses boards (NOT INCLUDED). These work with #0, #1 & #3 shutters. (Like many field cameras, the FL-452 is designed for slighly off-set lens boards -- meaning the hole for the shutter is slightly lower than the center of the lens board. This gets the center of the image circle in the center of the film. The #3 shutters are so large that they cannot be attached off-center on Linhof boards, so it's necessary to manually drop the front standard slightly if using a #3 shutter. Here are the FL-452 specs -- compare them to any other wooden, folding, 4x5 camera you are considering: front rear Triple extension tracks: two tracks forward (one sliding, one geared) one track (forward or backward) geared 360mm bellows extension: 155mm sliding + 145mm geared 60mm geared Tilt: 90° forward / 40° back 20° forward / 28° back Rise/Fall: 75mm rise & fall none Swing: 20° left & right 12° left & right Shift: none 20mm left & right Height: 185mm (7.25")Width: 220mm (8.5")Depth: 92mm (3.75")Weight: 2.1 Kgs (4.6 lbs) All of the FL-452 movement features have locks on them. They must be unlocked before they can be adjusted -- and once locked they are very secure. The geared focusing is adjusted by dials on the right-hand side of the camera bed -- with identical LOCKING dials on the left-hand side. All Shift and Rise & Fall each have matching dots when centered. The FL-452 has a silk-lined, black leather bellows, and adjustable leather hand strap on the top. The TWO tripod sockets on the bottom are both standard 1/4" sockets. IT WORKS JUST FINE and it LOOKS JUST GREAT -- see photos. This camera is as close to new as you can get. The only mark I see is a tiny scrape on the bottom plate near one of the tripod sockets -- see if you can notice it in the photo of the bottom. The last photo is a shot taken with MY Toko Nikki II camera (the predecessor to the FL-452) and a 65mm Fujinon lens in Zion National Park. Also included is an eight page user manual for the Wista 45-DX 4x5 field camera. It's on a CD in PDF format and explains how to use everything -- almost. Unlike the FL-452, the Wista lacks any back focus, but you'll figure that out yourself. The back focus works exactly like the front focus -- except that it can be moved forward OR BACK. And it all comes in an original TOKO box! Talk about a great Holiday gift for someone!!! YOU???? You won't be seeing one of these, in this condition, for a LONG time!!! "TO KO", in Japanese means "Time of Opportunity" -- here's your chance. If you have any questions, please ask me. NO RESERVE. NO HANDLING FEES -- the shipping cost is what the carrier charges , and not a penny more. For additional shipping services, please ask. Check my great EBAY seller feedback -- and shipping options. Returns HAPPILY accepted for ANY reason. Check out my other items -- I will COMBINE SHIPPING IF YOU ADD ALL ITEMS TO YOUR BASKET BEFORE YOU PAY

Price: 999.99 USD

Location: Englewood, Colorado

End Time: 2024-12-09T03:01:41.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD