FS (Worldwide): Gandolfi Variant L1 4X5 Camera

[Ben Rubinstein]

Hi,

I'm selling my Gandolfi Variant (black) 4X5 Camera.

For information about the camera please see: http://www.johndesq.com/jdp/gandolfi.htm and http://www.bromwellmarketing.com/gandolfi.htm as well as the rather awful Gandolfi site http://www.gandolficameras.com/

Basics, lenses from 55-315mm, base and axis front tilt and all the usual front movements, back tilt and swing. Graflex back.

Sorry for the awful photos!

Also included but not shown are two lens boards (technika compatible), A Copal 0 and a Copal 1, and a homemade and not that pretty but perfectly functional bag bellows.

There are a few areas of missing paint on the body as shown in these links, the GG is a bit loose, rattles a bit.

http://www.studio-beni.net/g6.jpg
http://www.studio-beni.net/g7.jpg
http://www.studio-beni.net/g8.jpg

I'm offering the camera for £550/$1100 plus £30 postage (EMS Insured) to Europe and the US, please PM for a quote for postage to other countries. Paypal accepted, buyer pays fees. Bank transfer to my UK account welcome. If you are in the UK and want to avoid paying duties then I'll be back in the UK on the 15th of June and can post it then using Special Delivery for 18 quid. If you are interested in that let me know and we can sort out payment then.

 

[Georg R. Baumann]

Ben, can you please send me a PM with your phone number, I am interested but would love to talk to you about that first. Scratch that, got your number....

....Thanks! I call you Sunday evening, really interested, hope it is not gone by then, LOL, I am sure we could work something out!

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Ben,

Great camera! Are the lens included and if so what are they? The movements on the front and back seem very generous. The front shift is a clean design. Also is there front swing?

Good luck!

Asher

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

There is front swing Asher, no lenses I'm afraid, not at that price, heck most of my lenses cost more than the camera!

George, I'm keeping it for you mate, no problem.

 

[Georg R. Baumann]

Ben, although initially really interested, I decided against it.

Good Luck anyways and thanks!

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

Cheaper than that Alpa 12 George! Had a look at that thread of yours, damn nice camera but whoooooo what a price! Did you decide to go for stitching in the end?

 

[Georg R. Baumann]

The Alpa is a beauty isn't she?

Well, I decided I try to sell a few prints first, then invest into a MFDB instead of going film and scans.

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

You have to work out just how much you are going to shoot and what sizes you are going to enlarge to before a MFDB makes any kind of sense.

Personally I worked out (after asking expert advice) that using roll film wet scanned with a Nikon 9000 was sufficient for a quality 8X enlargement which saves the huge investment that drum scanning needs, a consumer flatbed can't come close to that. I have a Horseman 6X12 roll film back on a newer and smaller LF camera (very few movements but you pay for the size, it has sufficient rise and that is what I needed) and shooting B&W film with pretty static subjects allows me to use very little film to achieve sellable results. I shoot with my 5D till I find a composition or idea I like then return with the big boy to do it properly. I get the large print sizes I need at relatively little expense. There are very very few non commercial (i.e. people who can pass on the cost to the client) shooters who can justify a MFDB, for landscape shooters the fact that you are exposure time limited (only a few seconds at max on some backs) would make it almost impossible for stopped down low light photography. The digitar lenses with MFDB's are also diffraction limited at about f11 which doesn't help.

Seriously, have a look again at a decent 6X7 camera or a 6X9 roll film back on a LF camera before giving up on film and scanning. After an initial investment of about $4000 on camera and accessories including a scanner your costs go down to about £0.80 per frame. You would have to shoot rather a large amount of film to end up justifying that MFDB and I've never heard of a landscape photographer making enough in sales just to offset the interest on that amount of money over the amount of years needed to justify it after all other costs are taken into account.

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

BTW people cost is now £550 inclusive of insured postage worldwide, paypal fees and only £10 extra for the appropriate RRS camera plate. After that it goes on ebay.

 

[Ben Rubinstein]

Sold to a lady from this forum!