Field camera

From Free net encyclopedia

A field camera is a view camera that can be folded in a compact size. Modern designs are little different than the first folding field cameras form the 19th century. In general they have more limited camera movements than the monorail cameras used in many professional studios worldwide.

Field cameras as they are known today originate from the early interlocking box cameras of the 19th century. At some point the wooden box was substituted by bellows to reduce the bulk of the cameras and facilitate the transport and use of cameras outside of studio settings.

Even if they feature less flexibility than monorail cameras, the modern field cameras tend to have most camera movements for the front standard: lens rise/fall/shift/tilt/swing but are usually more limited in back movements, sometimes having only tilt/swing.

They range in size from 6x9cm to 20x24 inches, but the most popular "standard" sizes are 4x5 and 8x10 inches. They are usually used by large format photographers who either need the portability, or the larger negative sizes.