4x5 View Camera

The pictures below show four views of a view camera. This particular camera is sold by Sinar as a field camera, though most field camera’s don’t use a rail. They are self contained, like the old cameras you may have seen in the movies that reporters used.
     Studio cameras use a rail like this one because it allows you to extend the bellows much farther than a flat bed. A long bellows extension is necessary to focus close up with anything other than a wide angle lens. It also allows for much more range in camera movements, though I won’t try to explain those here. 		 
 

In the upper left picture, I have labeled the camera’s parts. They are as follows:

  1. Lens, mounted in square lensboard. This mounts onto the front standard, as you can see in the bottom photos.
  2. This is the front standard. It holds the lens in front and the front end of the bellows behind.
  3. The bellows. For close-ups, you may need to extend it as much as three feet. This one won’t go that far and it’s a limitation.
  4. Rear standard. This holds the back end of the bellows and the camera back.
  5. The camera back. This holds the ground glass on which the photographer views the image (upside down) and focuses, usually using a magnifier called a ‘loupe.’ The ground glass rests precisely where the film will be once a filmholder is inserted in the camera back. It moves backwards to allow the film holder to take its place.
  6. The camera railing. The standard holders are loosened and slipped off the ends for storage and transport.The standards slide back and forth on the railing to allow rough focusing. Precise focusing is done with geared knobs.
  7. The cable release. You knew that. View camera exposure times are long. Several minutes is not unusual, so you can’t be jiggling the camera by pushing the shutter release with your finger.


The bottom two pictures show two angles of the assembled unit. There is nothing electronic in this camera. No batteries, no memory chips, no motors, wires, bells or whistles.

If you’re interested in finding out more about large format cameras, and photography, a good site to try is A Large Format Home Page.

See my comparison of the quality of images produced by 35mm and 4x5 cameras.
Look at what 4x5 film looks like, compared to 35mm.
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