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Wista Field 45DX / 45-II / 45SW

The Wista Field 45 cameras are wooden field cameras that were made by the Japanese company, Wista. They are notable for the beauty of the wood used in their construction, as well as the varnished brass. They are lightweight and very compact when folded, making them highly portable and well suited for large format landscape work. They can accommodate an impressive range of focal lengths, from 47mm up to 300mm, and the cameras make use of the Wista lensboard. There are three models of Wista Field 45.

The Wista Field 45DX was the first of the Wista Field lineup. This camera features an array of movements: front rise of 35mm, fall of 30mm; front shift of 40mm; front tilt of 40 degrees forward, 30 degrees backward; swing of 12 degrees in either direction; rear shift of 16mm in either direction; rear tilt of 90 degrees forward, 18 degrees backward; and rear swing of 12 degrees in either direction.

The 45-II model is a slightly simplified version of the 45DX that omits the rear shift and the 45SW version features removable bellows.

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Wista Field 45

Brass, wood, and large format photography - these are a few of our favorite things.

Wista 45DX

We have been working hard with one of our customers lately, helping them on their quest for the perfect 4x5 camera. They started with a Graflex Crown Graphic, but brought that back in favor of a Linhof Technika IV - which, from a certain perspective, is just a heavier, more versatile, more robustly-made version of the Graflex. This customer called us, not too long after making this switch, saying that the Linhof was not the camera of their dreams either: too heavy. This led us to wooden field cameras. We suggested coming in to look at this Wista 45DX Rosewood. It is definitely lighter but, perhaps, not as robust. We'll see how the relationship between the two goes. Some might find a customer buying and returning cameras to be a tedious and frustrating practice and, the truth is, sometimes it can be. It can also be a tedious and frustrating experience being a photographer, navigating a wide world of cameras and trying to find the right one... it's expensive, too. We understand that, so we try and help alleviate that tedium and frustration with our customers. We want to be good guides for them as they find their path through the world of photography. In the process of talking over the phone with them about the Wista, we were reminded of just how beautiful this camera is.