Wista 45 SP vs Horseman LB
john
architectural work.
I have recently moved to London and it is no longer possible to drive to
and park at locations - Tube,taxi and walking being the transport options.
I saw a Wista 45 and liked its compact size and lightness I have also
heard Horseman do a similar model the LB/LE?.
At present I use a 90mm SA f8 and a 210mm SS f5.6 but am just about to
purchase an ultra wide 65mm or 58mm and would like to know which camera
handles these wide lenses the best.
In short - anyone with knowledge of the relative merits of these cameras,
could they post their views.
Many thanks
John
B Peters
I have the Wista VX, which is the same as the SP without the micro swing on
the back. I use it with both 65mm and 90 mm lenses. For much in the way of
movement with either lens the bag bellows is required. For verticals with the
65mm it is either necessary to drop the bed or raise the front about 7mm.
While a 58mm is probably useable on this camera, for really convenient use a
65mm or longer is indicated.
As a landscape camera the Wista is great. I carry my whole outfit in a
relatively small Lowe Photo Trekker backpack- camera, four lenses, roll back,
film holders, filter meter, loupe and lunch! While it will work for
arcitecture, it is less versatile and conveninet for this application than a
monorail. For compactness you night consider a Technicardan, or any of the
modern monorails where the bellows detaches so the standards can be rotated to
90 degress and the camera packed flat.
Hope this helps.
Bill Peters
Wilt W
architectural work.
I saw a Wista 45 and liked its compact size and lightness I have also heard
Horseman do a similar model the LB/LE?.>>
NOT the Horseman LB/LE. They are monorail cameras weighing about 10 pounds
(4.5 kg), while the Wista is a field camera. The problem with field cameras
is that there are limited movements particularly for the back. So they are
less suited for some types of situations than monorails.
Horseman does have field cameras, but I don't know much about them. I took a
workshop from a pro who does architectural shots, and he uses one of the new
Toyo camera which is a monorail yet very light and compact.
--Wilt
Charles Pezeshki
of salt.
I bought the Wista cuz the minimum bellows draw was the same as the
Horseman, and was considerably cheaper. The Wista doesn't have great
movements at infinity focus with my 65mm Fuji-- about 1/2" of rise with the
normal bellows. The bag bellows would probably really help-- but there are
fundamental problems, in that you can't tilt the back and then focus the
front element on anything far away, cuz the dovetail track doesn't line up.
I can't imagine that it would be any different for the Horseman, but I DON'T
KNOW!
For what I want to do (panoramic landscape photography), the Wista is
awesome-- a crafted, beautiful jewel. Would it be the most awesome
architectural camera with a 65mm lens on it? Considering the need to tilt
the back, I kinda doubt it. I don't have a 75mm lens, but I have a feeling
that adding that extra one cm would get rid of the back tilt focussing
problem.
Chuck
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Tom Haller
FWIW Wista makes a bag bellows that takes a fancy recessed lens board
that lets you get at the lens controls from the side. You can see it
on their web site: www.wista.co.jp/e_wista/english.htm. It's an
expensive proposition, but maybe this would get the rear element of
your 65mm close enough to focus on infinity while tilting the back.
I'm thinking of getting a VX myself, partly because of the short focus
& availability of bag bellows. Would you happen to know the usability
of this camera with a 90mm lens? Assuming the use of a bag bellows,
would full front rise be possible? Looking at pictures of the camera
I wonder if the rear element might bang into the metal box.
Tom Haller
Tom Haller