Topic: The Intrepid 4x5 Has Arrived!

[Adam Doe]

My Intrepid 4x5 camera arrived today, with some stretch goal goodies as well! I've only just unboxed it and won't have a chance to play with it until tomorrow evening. Looking forward to it though. It's nice and light compared to my Crown Graphic. Construction seems pretty good at first blush. Will see once it takes a few field trips.

Intrepid 4x5 Camera by adoephoto, on Flickr

[Domingo A. Siliceo]

Beautiful camera, Adam.

It seems the kids from Intrepid have had a great success with their 4x5 cameras. I'm happy for them.

[Francois]

Really does look good. Congrats on the new toy.

[Adam Doe]

Here are two quick test shots. One on FP-3000B and the other on FP-100C. The camera is going to take some getting used to. There are a bunch of steps to get the camera opened and set up, but that will just take getting to know them by heart. I had a bit of a hard time securing the instant back, but once I did it held tight. Focusing was a bit tough as I was in low light, I shall see how the ground glass performs in better light next time. A loupe helped considerably. The actual focusing mechanism was quite smooth. The lens board that I have doesn't quite fit snugly into the hole in the front so there is a tiny bit of lateral movement of the board when I fire the trigger. If I steady the board with a finger it seems to be fine. I see more gaffer tape in my future. I didn't have time to experiment with any of the movements, but I will hopefully have some this weekend. These impressions are initial as I really haven't had time to run this camera through a solid field test yet.

[jharr]

A major part of LF photography is the process of setting up the camera and taking the photo. Given the same lens, most 4x5 cameras will capture the same image. It looks like the image quality is there with this camera, so all that's left is deciding whether or not you enjoy the process of taking a photo with it. I like my Speed Graphic, but I don't "love" it. I am enamored with folding field cameras like the Shen Hao and Tachihara. They are beautiful whereas press cameras are functional and durable. I am certain I can get the same image from both cameras, but I think I would enjoy the process with a Calumet or Wista. So all of that to say, if you like using it, it's a great camera.