Re: New Badger Brand 4x5 Cameras

I stopped at Badger to buy a lensboard today, and I am apparently the
second to see the Badger Brand monorail and I was impressed as well. 

Tony Galt



On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 13:25:07 -0600, Peter De Smidt
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>Today I stopped by Badger Graphic Sales (www.badgergraphic.com) to
>pick up some supplies.  While there, I asked Jeff about the Badger
>Brand cameras listed on their site.  Just as I asked him, the Fed Ex
>person showed up with the very first camera, and I got to look briefly
>at it.  The camera's solid construction really impressed me. While the
>finish was not quite up to Arca Swiss standards, it was still quite
>good.  All of the movements were easy to work, and they locked down
>well.  Rise is "geared" on both standards.  It's actually a type of
>friction movement, and not a rack and pinion one, but in any case
>turning the knob causes the standards to slide smoothly up and down
>the posts.  The cameras use Sinar style bellows and lens boards. Jeff
>thinks that they are interchangeble with Sinar (and Horseman).  If you
>have need of a real leather bellows for your Sinar, and you don't want
>to mortgage the house, I'd definitely look into this.   The camera I
>looked at seemed a little heavy for back packing, but looked to be
>just right for architectural and studio applications, where really
>long lenses aren't used.  At the moment, the camera has approximately
>254mm of extension, but Jeff says that there'll be other choices
>available soon.   Movements are very extensive.  The cameras are made
>in China for Badger, and there will eventually be three models, a
>field camera and two monorails. Best of all, the cameras are very
>affordable.  
>
>Regards,
>Peter De Smidt