C41
Kodak Portra 160
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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The Ebony SV45 is a 4x5-inch folding field camera produced by Ebony Camera Company in Japan, introduced in approximately 1995. It is constructed from African ebony wood with titanium hardware and metal fittings, representing the premium tier of the Japanese large-format field camera market. The SV45 is distinguished from other Ebony models by its provision of geared movements on both the front and rear standards, allowing precise incremental adjustment by rotating knobs rather than making free movements by hand and locking them. This feature, rare in wood field cameras of the period, brought the SV45 closer to the operational precision of a monorail camera while retaining the folding-field-camera form factor.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 4x5 format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
A hand-built Japanese ebony-wood and titanium 4x5 field camera with full geared movements, built to the highest production standard of its era.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 4x5 in (standard double-dark holders, roll-film backs, Grafmatic) |
| Mount | Ebony lensboard (non-Linhof; specific to Ebony standard) |
| Years | ~1995 - ~2010 |
| Movements | Front: geared rise, fall, shift, tilt, swing; Rear: geared tilt, swing |
| Bellows | ~350mm standard extension |
| Build | Ebony wood body, titanium hardware |
| Weight | ~2400g (unverified) |
| Battery | None |
Ebony Camera Company was established in Japan and operated as a small specialist manufacturer producing high-end wood field cameras for the professional and serious amateur market. The company occupied a niche at the top of the Japanese wood-field-camera segment, above the Tachihara and Wista SP in both price and build specification.
The choice of African ebony as the primary body material was a deliberate differentiation. Ebony is denser and more dimensionally stable than the cherry or mahogany used by competitors, and its characteristic near-black color with fine grain gave the cameras an immediately recognizable appearance. The stability of ebony is particularly relevant to large-format camera construction, where wood movement under temperature and humidity changes can affect the precision of the focusing standards.
The SV45's geared movements were the key specification advantage over simpler field cameras. On cameras without gearing, movements are made by loosening a lock, repositioning the standard by hand, and re-locking; on the SV45, rise, fall, shift, tilt, and swing could all be adjusted by rotating calibrated knobs, with the movement held in position by the gearing itself. This made fine incremental adjustments - particularly front tilt for depth-of-field control via the Scheimpflug principle - considerably easier in field conditions.
Ebony ceased production in approximately 2010 when the principal maker retired; no successor operation continued the line. Used Ebony cameras have appreciated in price on the second-hand market as a result.
The Ebony SV45 represented the furthest development of the Japanese hand-built wood field camera concept. It demonstrated that a wood-bodied camera could offer monorail-grade movement precision in a field-portable form, using materials chosen for both mechanical and aesthetic merit.
The camera attracted professional landscape and architectural photographers who required the portability of a field camera but could not accept the approximate movement adjustments that characterize simpler wood-field designs. For architectural work where front rise and front shift corrections must be precise and repeatable, the geared standard was a substantial practical improvement.
The combination of ebony and titanium also produced a camera that aged well aesthetically; unlike painted metal cameras or lacquered wood bodies, the ebony develops a patina with use, and titanium hardware does not corrode. Used examples in good condition often look nearly new despite years of field use.
The Ebony SV45 uses Ebony's own lensboard standard, which is specific to Ebony cameras and not directly compatible with Linhof Technika boards. Adapters exist but are uncommon.
BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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