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 Wista 45N is a 4x5-inch field camera produced by Japan's Wista Company, introduced around 1980 as a development of the original metal Wista 45. Where the base Wista 45 was predominantly an aluminum technical camera in the Linhof Technika mold, the 45N incorporated a wood body construction - typically mahogany or teak - combined with machined metal hardware, placing it in the tradition of Japanese wood field cameras exemplified by Tachihara and the Wista SP series while retaining the Linhof Technika-format lensboard standard.
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.
View profile →BW
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 refined wood-and-metal field camera - the Wista 45's successor with improved movements and a traditional wood aesthetic.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 4x5 in (standard film holders, Grafmatic, roll-film backs) |
| Mount | Linhof Technika-compatible lensboard |
| Year introduced | ~1980 |
| Body | Wood (mahogany or teak) with machined metal fittings |
| Movements | Front: rise, fall, shift, tilt, swing; Rear: limited tilt and swing |
| Bellows | ~300mm maximum extension (standard bellows) |
| Rangefinder | Optional coupled rangefinder |
| Viewfinder | Ground glass (with loupe); optional optical viewfinder |
| Battery | None |
| Weight | ~ (not verified) |
Wista introduced the 45N around 1980 as the large-format market was evolving. By that point the original metal Wista 45 had established the company's credentials as a credible Linhof alternative, and the market was showing demand for wood-bodied cameras that offered the warmth and lightness of traditional field design alongside the lens-mount compatibility of technical cameras.
The broader Wista range at this period included the metal 45, the all-wood SP, and various derivatives. The 45N represented a hybrid approach: wood body panels on a metal frame with metal standards, retaining the Technika lensboard compatibility of the metal model. This was a common approach among Japanese manufacturers in the early 1980s as they sought to differentiate models within a range without fragmenting the lens ecosystem.
Wista cameras of this era were distributed internationally and appeared in European and North American markets, where they competed directly with the Toyo 45A and Horseman VH as alternatives to the Linhof Technika at a lower price point.
The 45N occupies the crossover position between the utilitarian metal technical camera and the traditional wood field camera. For photographers who valued Technika-board compatibility - the practical ability to use the same lensboards across a Linhof, Wista, or Toyo body - the 45N offered that compatibility with a more traditional aesthetic and a slightly lighter build than the all-metal 45.
Wood field cameras of this period appealed to landscape and fine-art photographers for whom the craft object was part of the practice. The 45N delivered Technika interoperability without requiring a photographer to carry a camera that looked and felt like a technical instrument.
The 45N accepts Linhof Technika-format lensboards, giving access to the full range of Copal and Compur shutter-mounted large-format lenses:
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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