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Front view of Wista 45DX with bellows fully extended to about 12 inches. |
Wista cameras from the '80s are the ones to get!
As you have heard from fellow enthusiasts, Wista field cameras from that period have better wood (better cured and more carefully cut and finished) — plus better hardware and workmanship.
| Includes magnifier AND original manual! |
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| You read that right: Included is a FREE Omega Ground Glass Focusing Magnifier #21435 — with neck strap and built-in rubber eyepiece and ground glass guard. AND the original camera manual! |
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Like other 45DXs from the 1980s, this one was positively 100-percent made in Japan — NOT "designed in Japan" and made in a tin shack in China. This is NOT a Zone VI, which is heavier, with longer bellows that don't work with wide-angle lenses. (And Zone cameras simply don't have the Wista quality.)
Face it. NOTHING consistently beats '80s Japanese-made cameras for accuracy, quality, longevity and materiel. Warped or cracked wood? Ain't gonna happen in a well-treated '80s 45DX. Stripped knob threading? NOT in a Japanese-made '80s Wista!
Buy this camera and
save HUNDREDS $$$!
So why buy a new 45DX (for upwards of $3,000 plus tax and shipping)? Buy this good-as-new better-built '80s model for HUNDREDS of dollars less.
Plus, you will have this camera IN DAYS, not the solid month wait to get a new one. And as the ad says throughout, this one is in like-new gorgeous condition. Everything works exactly as it should. I was a professional photographer, not a weekend warrior, so I needed this camera to work flawlessly first time, every time, so it was always treated with the utmost care.
WOW!!! A FREE magnifier!!!
I am including an Omega Ground Glass Focusing Magnifier #21435, with neck strap and built-in rubber eyepiece and ground glass guard. The Omega 3.6x focusing magnifier is placed directly on the ground glass for critical focusing. The long tubular design offers a comfortable distance for viewing and has a rubber base to protect the ground glass.
These are rarer than a snowball in Death Valley in July.
Also included is the original Wista owner's manual that came with the camera.
Not stored in a moldy basement or hot attic
How do you know if a camera was stored in a 180-degree attic or in a half-flooded moldy basement for 30 years? You don't — UNLESS you buy from the original owner. And I am the original owner. I bought this straight from Bel Air Camera in Westwood, Calif. in 1988. It has been always stored in a temperature-controlled environment, not in a leaky storage container in Washington state or varnish-bubbling Palm Springs.
No issues, never mishandled, always protected
Read that headline again: NO ISSUES. NEVER EVER MISHANDLED. Everything works as it should. All the camera movements tested and work to specs. The knobs and gears are smooth and work as they should. Neutral marks are clear and the notch firmly sets into a neutral position, holding tight as long as the shafts of the knobs are in the notches. Spring back is tight and holds the film holders snugly — the back easily sets up for vertical or horizontal positions. The fixed bellows are like new and light-tight: no fungus or dust or damage of any kind.
When not in use, this camera was stored in a padded white Zone VI case. It was NOT stored in a damp cellar or a 150-degree attic. This camera has been treated with the respect and  care all fine photographic equipment deserves. Next-to-no exterior wear, just a couple of very minor cosmetic scratches on the brass fittings (see pictures left) and the bottom plate where the camera attaches to the tripod. No marks, scratches, rubbing, or dents on the wood that I could find. Tripod screw hole is solid and holds camera firmly.
You don't know camera storage and treatment conditions unless you buy from the original owner. How do you know if the camera was dropped? You don't — unless you buy from the original owner, an HONEST original owner (see my feedback).
More camera movements than other field cameras
The 45DX allows for a wide range of camera movements within a super-lightweight, compact frame that is ideal for travel and outdoor field photography. A sturdy tripod weighs more than this camera! Perfect for field work: Weighs 3-1/4 lbs (without lens) and folds to a compact 3-1/2 x 7-1/4 x 8-1/2 inches.
While
compact, the 45DX allows for extensive camera movements including
lateral rear shift (not all field cameras include this essential movement) as well as conventional view camera movements including back tilt and
swing, and, of course, full front standard control. You'll find this handy!
Camera-movement specifications
Back:
Tilt: 90 degrees forward (to close);
16 degrees backward
Swing: 12 degrees left
and right
Shift: 0.62 inches/
16mm side-to-side |
Front:
Rise: 1.41inches /
36mm up
Fall: 1.14 inches /
29mm down
Tilt: 90 degrees forward; 37 degrees backward
Swing: 15 degrees left
and right d right
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Works perfectly; looks like a work of art
As I said, the Wista 45DX here is in EXCELLENT working condition, cosmetically near perfect. This beautiful large format 4x5 lightweight field camera is as stunning to look at as the photographs you will take with it.
According to Wista: The body is constructed
entirely of rosewood to ensure resistance from warping. No metal parts
are used in the joints of the wooden parts — the corners
of the body are joined using tongue and groove joints to provide durability,
strength and rigidity. The hardware is real top-quality brass — not some cheap brass-plated white metal. The brass is coated with clear varnish that retains the original beauty of the brass.
The camera's design
incorporates a recessed baseplate to permit folding and transporting the
camera with a lens up to 150mm attached (though I always removed the lens
for transport, so I cannot confirm this spec). The 12-inch leather
bellows is fixed to the camera and permits the use of short focal length lenses,
without the need for a recessed lens board, according to Wista.
The camera back,
which is fitted with a Fresnel focusing screen, can be removed to rotate
between horizontal and vertical shooting orientations and accepts traditional
Graflok-style 4 x 5" holders.
Lenses for sale too
Please see my other ebay ads for the lenses for sale that went with this camera — all in immaculate condition and mounted on Toyo View lens boards made to fit the Wista 45DX. I'm selling a 90mm Schneider Super-Angulon and a Rodenstock Sironar-N 135mm and Rodenstock Sironar-N 180mm, all with filters.
Camera design
- Large format
4 x 5" view
camera in a compact, lightweight folding design
- Rear shift, tilt, and swing
- Front rise, fall, tilt, and swing
- Fixed 12" leather bellows provides 12 inches of
extension and permits the use of short focal length lenses without a recessed lens board.
- Accepts common Wista/Linhof Technika type 96 x 99mm lens boards
- Manual revolving
camera back accepts Graflok-style 4 x 5" film holders
- Protective focusing glass and a Fresnel lens improves brightness when composing
- Polished rosewood with real brass hardware
- Leather carrying strap
- Folded size: 3.5 x 7.25 x 8.5 inches
- Weight: 3.25 lbs.
Why use a view camera?
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Front and rear tilts allow you to bring the entire image into perfect focus: Enabling critical focus from near to far
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Perspective correction with any lens: Distort or correct the shape of the subject by skewing the film plane — parallel lines (architecture, for example) remain parallel
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The larger the film, the greater the detail: Achieve ultimate image sharpness and high enlargement — 4x5" film is approx. 13 times larger than 35mm or full-frame digital sensors
- Working with a view camera is a slow, contemplative, engaging process: Slow down, concentrate on your vision and what you are actually attempting to create
 
| Above: The Wista DX45 has a great range of movements to allow full creative control. Left: Front and rear tilt enables incredible depth of field. Right: Front rise will help you keep verticals straight and frame precisely. |
Payment methods and domestic shipping
NO INTERNATIONAL
BUYERS for this sale. Paypal only. Domestic shipping is FREE via FAST priority
mail -- NOT slooooow USPS ground or ridiculously slow parcel post. You
will have to sign for this item when delivered.
I pride myself
on bulletproof packaging and ship in sturdy cardboard boxes with a TON
of padding. NO FOAM PEANUTS, which do nothing to cushion the contents and
pollute our lakes, streams and open areas. We have NEVER had ANY shipping
damage on ANY shipped item in the 15 years we have been selling on ebay.
Our attention to detail in packing will amaze you — we pack incredibly
carefully and this camera will be packed with utmost care.
The fine print:
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the item or terms of sale. Do not wait until you buy the item. Good luck and thanks for looking!!
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