by Paul Stimac © 2001, for the Large Format Page.
It's a oddity of the camera world. Everything that Bruce Wehman claims his camera is/does is true. I was a skeptic. Now I'm a believer. Can I get a Witness?For a long time I searched in vein for a field camera that could do everything
I was looking for a field camera that:
Really, this camera does do the job. I'm glad I didn't have the money for a Wisner. For pratical purposes, I would not trade this for anything on the market. The only thing I don't like about it is that the front standard doesnt have a zero up and down mark. Bruce told me that I have an early version and that the next batch will have some minor changes. I guessing that this will be one of them. He also said that the next batch will cost more (after I had bought mine, it wasn't a sales pitch) and not have as good of bellows as his current batch. The current batch of bellows are made of neoprene (sp?), making the camera water proof - but remember, lenses aren't, so it's not a good idea to leave it in the rain unless you have the lens off.
If you're looking for a field camera to use and not to show off with, you really should consider the Wehman 8x10. The price is still $1400 and includes two lensboards and an extra ground glass made of plexi-glass plus a lifetime warranty. Knowing what I know, even if this camera was as much as a Wisner, Toyo, etc., I'd still buy it. Of couse every person's taste is different and you may not feel the same way about it - but I'm more than happy with mine.
You can see the specs and pictures of it on his site. I'm too lazy to re-type them here. The best quote on his site "Use and abuse of this camera is not only expect, it is encouraged"