Toyo vx125

I like mine. It is very fast to setup and pack away. I am using it as
a field camera. The movements are smooth and lock tightly. The tilts
on both standards are a bit too stiff even with the friction knobs
loose for my tastes. See a more in depth opinion of this camera at
http://www.sphoto.com/equipmen t.html#4X5

Cheers,

Steve Hoffmann

My photography web site, last updated on 7/7/00
http://www.sphoto.com
Landscapes, scenics, zoo animals, and
macro photographs of insects and flowers.
Extensive photo tech tips and digital imaging content.

I compared the Arca Swiss F-line C, Linhof Technikardan S45, and the Toyo
VX125. I went w/ the Toyo. Some observations:

Linhof: most compact, but my biggest complaints were (1) taking it down was
sometimes tricky (2) the tripod attachment point is at one end of the
telescoped rail, so if you use a heavy, long lens, the weight dangles in the
air. Linhof sells a stiffener bar, but it's one more thing to carry. (3)
Bellows are long, but a little stiff. A bag bellows would be necessary for a
90mm lens I intended to use. At least accessories are readily available.

Arca: Nice camera, but the main complaint was that the stock bellows was way
too stiff, even for a 150mm lens (the stiffest of the three), requiring the
bag bellows for even a 150mm lens when significant rise is used. Accessories
were expensive and hard to get. The Linhof board adapter was around $350
additional, plus another $450 for the leather bag bellows (can be used out
to 210mm w/ no movements, according to Arca, but as my long lens is 300mm,
I'd still have to carry around two sets of bellows, which isn't feasible in
the field, as I already carry the 4x5, 4 lenses, 6x6 slr, 4 lenses and
accessories for that, and a big gitzo tripod.

Toyo: Quickest to set up since it has the telescoping monorail. Rail is very
stiff, stiffer than the Arca, IMHO...very solid in a strong wind, perched on
a gitzo 340 at the edge of a cliff, etc. Bellows is very supple, so soft
that one can easily use a 90mm lens w/out a bag bellows (I even was able to
apply max. rise to a 58XL at the photo show w/ no bag bellows!). Not as
compact as the Arca or Linhof (about 1 inch taller), but faster to setup
than the Arca since you don't have to remove a top rail section and slide it
on...just depress the red buttons on the rail to unlock it and pull until
they lock into place. The only drawback is when using a 300mm lens, you have
to screw on these rail extenders (a little slow), and 300mm is the longest
non-tele you can use (but it's sufficient for almost everything...for
longer, I use medium format w/a long tele). The Toyo weighs the least,
accessories are the least expensive and widely available. True, the tilts
are a tad stiff, but I use my index fingers and thumbs of both hands and
apply the tilt to the base at the pivot point..makes adjustments more
precise. The geared front/rear focus and rise/shift are a big plus. The
fresnel is perhaps the brightest there is. I bought mine as a kit from
Yodobashi Camera when I lived in Japan...about $2600 at that time w/ Linhof
technika board adapter, Toyo 4x loupe, plus I got the compendium hood for
free using the 10% rebate on Yodobashi gold points.

Feel free to email me if you want to know more.

--Jim

I recently purchased the VX125 after reviewing comments on this newsgroup,
the large format site  http://http.cs.berkeley.edu/~q tluong/photography/lf/
and the photo site http://photo.net/.  After taking approximately six months
to review various sites about field v mono, wood v metal, I opted for a mono
with an extendable/collapsable rail.  I narrowed my choice to Linhof and
Toyo.  The VX125's competition is the Technikardan 45S.  I think either
camera is a good choice, but I decided on Toyo because of customer
relations, not on the attributes of the camera.

I purchased my first Mamiya in 1963.  I found the company to be responsive
to the customer and they stand behind their products.  My experiences with
Linhof have been otherwise.  E-mails go unanswered and phone calls to HP
marketing have not been any more productive.  There is an exception to this:
Mr. Bob Salomon of HP Marketing, who posts here on a regular basis, is an
excellent ambassador of Linhof and the other product lines that HP Marketing
handles.  My concern is what happens when he retires?  So, I decided to
stick with Mamiya and went with the Toyo.

The VX125 is an excellent camera.  It's rigid on the tripod.  I didn't care
for the quick mount that comes with it.  I prefer to mount the camera
directly.  I back pack the camera for primarily landscape work.  It's quick
and easy to set up and take down.  I read horror stories about the
Technikardan being difficult to fold up.  Other people say that's not a
problem.  The VX has plenty of movement and the supple bellows is great.  I
don't think you will be disappointed with the VX125.

I purchased my camera overseas via the internet.  If you are from the U.S.
and are interested in doing that, let me know and I'll share my experience
with you.

Good luck,

Brad Franzen