If you’ve been wanting to make the jump into large format photography on a budget, the Kickstarter for The Intrepid 4x5 may be your ticket. The Intrepid Camera Co., based in the UK developed a wood platform 4x5 camera. They aim to change the face of the large format photography scene by making it transportable and much more economical.
The camera is a rethink of the traditional, it has a classical appearance with all the functionality you would expect. But has been cleverly re-designed to allow for a much more economic manufacturing method, a saving which we will pass onto photography enthusiasts new and old.
Intrepid Camera full motion
The benefits to using wood are pretty clear right out of the gate. Weighing in at just over 2 lbs (1.2kg) it’s much lighter than traditional 4x5 form factor which can weigh upwards of 9 lbs (~4kg). The camera is also much cheaper seeing as it’s built from high quality birch plywood. This would actually be manageable to take on a hike and would fit easily in your backpack. At around $250 USD it’s also insanely cheap for a large format camera. It’s an additional shipping fee for anything outside of the UK, however it isn’t a ton.
Carrying Intrepid camera
The camera will be taking Technika 4x5 Boards for lens mounts, which the lens is not included but can be picked up from KEH fairly easily. One thing to note is the hinges will come as aluminum instead of wood which is shown. You can get more information and place your order on their kickstarter page, you have until Wed, Nov 19 to make your decision.
[via Intrepid Camera Co.]
I hope these guys do well. My first large format was a wooden kit from a company called Bender Photographic (since defunct), and it has served me extremely well.
My only concern looking at this kit is the wooden knobs. I hope they can lock the camera down tight enough.
I would definitely look at this, but I should learn how to develop 4x5 negatives, and all the that jazz before making the jump. Looks pretty cool though