What constitutes "large" in the term "large format?" Currently, the smallest large format camera is considered to be a camera that produces a 4"x5" negative. Large certainly doesn't have to convey the size of the camera, however. Case in point is the K. B. Canham DLC45.
Designed to be taken out and used and weighing in at just under 4 1/2 pounds, the K. B. Canham DLC45 is small and light enough to slip into your backpack and have you forget that it's there. But when you get where you're going, unfolding the DLC45 will provide you with one of the finest 4x5 camera experiences possible. With a bellows draws ranging between around 2" (53mm) to over 20'" (520mm), the DLC45 can handle just about any lens a photographer would have in the bag.
As for movements, the K. B. Canham DLC45 provides enough to satisfy even the most Type A photographer out there. Whatever fine tuning is needed in swing, tilt, shift, rise, etc., the DLC45 can handle it with ease. With use, photographers will find out that the only limits to the K. B. Canham DLC45 are the limits that they bring to the shoot.
If you've never looked or held a modern, quality-built field camera, track down the DLC45. In terms of weight and elegance, all others will pale by comparison.
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The Amazing Canham DLC45
The K.B. Canham DLC45 is a robust and versatile 4x5 field camera. While wooden field cameras - like the Ebony or Tachihara - often (and justifiably) get most of the attention, there is a genre of all-metal field cameras that also rightfully deserve a closer look and, of that class, the Canham DLC45 should be near the top of the list.
Made from anodized aluminum, the DLC45 boasts both strength and light weightedness. Rigidity is often a major factor when shopping for a field camera; oftentimes designs will sacrifice some sturdiness in order to create a lighter weight camera. Not so with the DLC45. We were impressed with just how firmly its standards lock down, all the while weighing in at less than 5 pounds (4lbs and 11oz to be exact, not counting lens).
Perhaps its most impressive feature is the range of bellows draw of which it is capable. The DLC45 will accommodate lens focal lengths ranging from 58mm to 500mm, without the use of a bag bellows or recessed lens board on the short end. We have the camera pictured here with a Super-Angulon 65mm and, while the compression gets tight, the camera can indeed focus this lens to infinity with little issue.
Throw in a huge range of movements: rise, fall, swing, shift, and tilt on the front standard and everything except rise and fall on the rear standard, and you can get pretty creative with how you flex and twist this camera. At the end of the day, it folds up into this super compact package, easily carried to your next photo destination.