selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

That's the way to go. You don't need to scan 4x5 at high resolution to get excellent results and huge TIFFs or JPEGs. I find that 2400 dpi is more than enough. Even 1200 dpi is plenty for most images.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

5x4 is wonderful. there are two cameras i can recomment, as i currently use them. for studio use, the linhof technikardan cannot be beat. a competitor to that is the sinar p, but with micrometer drives on the front and rear standard, they can be a bit slow to use.
for field work, the linhof super technika models 4 and 5 are the go to cameras. with rising, tilting, falling, shifting front standards and with the rear standard using built in bellows for pretty much unlimited movements, they are perfect. but... ah, there's always a caveat, they weigh 10 pounds sans lens and sell for upwards of $1,000.00. so, for field, wisner, zone VI, wista, shen hao wooden field cameras will do 95% of what the linhof will do and weight one half the amount. and also you can find good ones on ebay for less than $1,000.00.

for really inexpensive gear, the redoubtable speed graphic in all its variants. no rear movements, but in the field, these are not often necessary. those, in great condition can be had for well less than $400.00.

good luck, and if you need assistance or have questions, let me know.
cody

fuji, nikon, schneider all make excellent lenses. i would watch out for what is called "schneideritis" in the lenses, particular the schneiders. those are small dots appearing on the edges of the elements when looking full on at the lens. avoid those.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

And probably for much less at a yard sale. Just be sure that the fittings are snug and that the bellows has no light leaks.

I have not yet needed a repair but I bet you can find someone to do it by searching the internet.

Bob Werre

When it comes to inexpensive 4X5 monorail type view cameras, the original Calcumet and Burke/James each made a copy of the Kodak view camera. They sold originally for about $140 w/o lens. Both cameras had the same features but the B&J had a red bellows and dual knobs. Indeed the Calcumet was also made in a shortie version for those who did wide angle field/architecture type work. I started with the B&J and it served me for several years. Calcumet in later years sold lo-end Super Cambo cameras which were better but also more costly and also heavier.

Carl D Loc: Albemarle, NC.

Dear Cody,
While your choices of LF cameras is reputatable, I will gladly match my Toyo 45a field against yours and I will match my Cambo Legend against your Linhof's. In fact Deardorff's beat us both.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

hah! Carl - so the gauntlet has been thrown down. okay, i accept. the technikardan provides the ability for extreme movements not matched by any other 5x4, with the exception of the sinar p and their derivatives. the toya 45a is an excellent camera and the cambo legend is also nice, but machined tolerances are somewhat less than the technikardan.

i've used deardorff in 4x5 and 8x10 and it is difficult to find good ones, that are not worn. nice for studio work, but the i.c.a. tropical 5x7 which i use in the field is impervious to inclement weather. and so, we are both happy with what we have for cameras. but, how about your lenses (hah hah). a challenge for you! so there.
cody

Carl D Loc: Albemarle, NC.

I use Schneider and Rodenstock lenses.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

schneiders ane rodenstock are industry standard. i've a number of them. for the 120mm wide i think the schneider can't be beat. i also use a number of fuji w series lenses and i find those excellent also.
glad you are continuing to use large format. oddly enough, referencing my previous post, i prefer my 5x7, as it affords me a larger "canvas" for composition. but that's just me. nothing beats a contact print from either format, that is for sure!

Carl D Loc: Albemarle, NC.

I have tried Fugi's as well and it's a good lense. The one I haven't tried is a Nikkor and you don't see much of them. Do you have any experience with them?

Bob Werre

I've sold all my view camera lenses a few years ago but I built a slotted box that held a 47MM Super Angulon, 65mm Nikkor W, 75mm Fuji SWS, 90mm Nikkor, 125 Fuji WS, 150mm Fuji WS, 180MM Fuji A, 240mm Fuji WS, 300MM Repro-Clarion, and 360MM Fuji WS. One thing about the Fuji lenses is that they claimed a slightly wider field (80 degree vs 70 for the Schneider/Rodenstock for 'normal lenses') thus giving a bit more movement. My Nikkors came late--loved the 65 but the 90 was so-so compared to an older F8 Super Angulon. The great thing about the faster F stop Nikkors was focusing the darn things in dim light, like interiors! The one great lens I never had the cash for was the Super Angulon 165MM! When I started going digital I owned a 4x5 Super Cambo location camera, another 4x5 Cambo Legend PC with the base tilts for studio work (too heavy for 'sane' location work) plus my trusty but old Cambo 8x10. I once positioned the 8x10 in a cherry picker--that was really fun! I often shot 8x10 split into 2 4x10's. You just need a extra dark slide cut in half and remember to rotate film between shots.

While working in other studios I gained experience with old green 8x10 Calumets with reducing backs and many vintage Kodak Commercial Ektars, and Sinar Standards and P's. The P was beautiful to the extreme but often too heavy for practical and economical use. We had several of those large body mounted shutters that put streaks across the film if you weren't careful. I only used a Linhof a couple of times, again maybe too much for the results.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

as the prior poster noted, the 65mm and the 210 nikkors were very good. i keep a couple of those in my bags for field use. the 120mm super angulon has always been a mainstay of my lenses. but it was, and still is, probably, a heck of a lot of money. i think that's why i don't eat peanut butter anymore! but the 120mm fuji lenses are also good and will get the job done.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

hi Bob,

you gotta laugh. those calumet 401s in all their grey and green metal variations were probably the most used cameras in the most studios in the U.S. - you couldn't destroy them and they came through for studio and some field photographers for decades on end. the cambos offered excellent value for the money, but did not seem to stand up to the daily wear and tear of commercial studio work as well as those calumets. they did, however, offer more extensive movements. the commercial ektars were very cool lenses, and i think, still desireable, as daily users. and the Sinar Ps - the micrometer drives did drive me nuts. it seemed i spent more time focusing the things than making the picture. i always thought the C model was the perfect iteration of that camera, but few are seen today.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

You don't, get a large format camera instead!!!!

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Stop now. You will never have enough money. Ever. Just enjoy the photos you see. And it has nothing to do with wide aperture.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

What I would recommend is to search online for an architectural pic you would like to be able to copy and post it here to get some realistic advice. As is, there's no way for others to understand what type of pic you would like to take.

Most of the posters here have gone right to the hardware aspect but that is not the answer to your question. You might as well have asked "What type of guitar amp and pedals do I need to buy to play like Eric Clapton, or what type of paints and brushes and canvas do I need to paint like Picasso. The fact is you can get the same equipment but you can't just get the same results by spending money on hardware.

If you have the skill you can buy the film and hardware for a few hundred dollars as has been pointed out. But chances are the pros are using medium format digital cameras and lenses and lighting costing $20,000 to $80,000.

But if you could take those pics, what do you plan to do with them? Will you print them or post them online, or create a portfolio and try to get a job with them? Would anyone be able to tell the difference between your pic taken with a 4x5 camera or a medium format film camera or a dslr stitching 6 or 9 shots together?

You could buy pro equipment but will you get pro results?