The Tachihara Hope
4×5 inch (10,16X12,7 CM) Field Camera, film or glas plate camera
–Tachihara Camera Works was founded in 1925 by Maso Tachihara and based in Kita-ku, Tokyo, Japan. The hand-crafted cameras are made of 300 to 500-year-old Hok-Zakura, a type of cherry wood that only grows in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. This wood is meticulously dried for three years before being utilized in crafting the cameras. Featuring chrome-plated mechanisms and sheepskin bellows lined with silk, the finished cameras underwent eight coats of hand-rubbed lacquer, ensuring a durable finish. It is believed that Tachihara ceased operations around 2010, and although their website remained online until 2013, the company’s production came to an end.
the Tachihara distinguished itself through its exceptional quality and full control, including movements familiar to large format photographers such as swing, tilt, rise, and fall.
While most of the information I’ve come across indicates that Tachihara Camera Works introduced their new 4×5 and 8×10 view cameras in 1979, Michio’s father, Maso, was the original founder of the business and had an impressive 40-year career making cameras for Konishiroku (Konica Camera Corporation).
Being a wooden camera might lead you to think that it’s heavy, but the 4×5 camera only weighs 3.3 lbs./1.5 kg without a lens attached. When folded, it measures only 7” x 8” x 3 1/8” (17,8 cm x 20,3 cm x 7,9 cm).
The Tachihara field camera was one of three Japanese handmade cameras introduced in 1978. An article from Popular Mechanics magazine in January 1979 stated, “It’s hard to imagine a Japanese camera that isn’t made in an ultra-modern automated factory.” However, the Ikeda, Tachihara, and Nagaoka view cameras defied this expectation, being meticulously handcrafted with a keen focus on quality and detail.
My lenssens
- Nikkor -SW 90 mm 4.5 (wide angel) is a 27mm equivalent full-frame lens
- Nikkor W 150 mm 5.6 (standaard) is a 45 mm equivalent full-frame lens
- Rodenstock Sironar N 210 mm 5.6 (short tele) is a 63 mm equivalent full-frame lens