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 45SP is a 4x5-inch metal folding field camera produced by Wista Enterprise Co., Ltd. of Japan, introduced in approximately 1985. It is a refinement of the Wista 45 and Wista SP designs, with the defining feature being a revolving (rotating) back that allows the film plane to be oriented to portrait or landscape without repositioning the camera on the tripod. The revolving back is a significant functional improvement over fixed-back field cameras and over field cameras where portrait orientation requires recomposing with the tripod head.
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 Japanese precision metal field camera with a revolving back, bringing studio-grade movement range to a portable 4x5 folding design.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 4x5 in (standard 4x5 film holders, Grafmatic, Polaroid 545) |
| Mount | Linhof Technika-compatible (~96 x 99 mm) |
| Years | ~1985; produced into the 1990s |
| Revolving back | Yes - full 360-degree rotation, indexed at portrait and landscape |
| Movements | Front: rise, fall, shift, tilt, swing. Rear: tilt, revolving |
| Bellows | ~300mm maximum extension (approximate) |
| Battery | None |
| Build | Die-cast aluminum alloy, stainless steel hardware, leather bellows |
| Weight | ~ (see Buying Used note on travel considerations) |
Wista was established in Japan in the late 1960s and grew to produce a range of wooden and metal 4x5 field cameras that occupied a well-regarded position between the mass-market Japanese wooden field cameras (Tachihara, Osaka) and the top-tier German technical cameras (Linhof Technika). The Wista SP designation appeared in the product line prior to the 45SP and indicated the revolving-back feature. The 45SP refined the SP with updated metal castings and detail improvements to the standard locks and bellows frame.
The decision to use Linhof Technika-compatible lensboards positioned the Wista directly in competition with the Technika for photographers who wanted a field camera capable of accepting the same lenses. This was a deliberate strategic choice by Wista, recognizing that Technika boards had become effectively the standard mount for high-quality large-format lenses in Copal and Compur shutters. The 45SP allowed photographers to build a single set of mounted lenses usable across Wista and Linhof bodies.
The Wista 45SP holds a well-defined niche in the 4x5 field camera landscape: it is more capable than wooden field cameras in terms of movement range and rigidity, accepts Technika-compatible lenses, and provides the revolving back that many architectural and landscape photographers consider essential. It achieved this at a price point below the Linhof Technika V and Technika Master Classic, making professional-grade metal field camera capability accessible to photographers who could not justify the German alternative.
Japanese commercial and landscape photographers adopted the Wista metal field cameras in significant numbers during the 1980s, and the cameras were also exported to European and American markets where they were recognized as serious professional tools. The 45SP's combination of the revolving back, Technika lens compatibility, and durable metal construction made it a pragmatic choice for working photographers.
The 45SP accepts Linhof Technika-pattern lensboards, providing access to a wide range of:
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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