Does anyone know if the Toyo field cameras (45A, AII, AX) will fold without having to remove the lens? My lens is small--135mm Sironar with a 40.5mm filter size. Thanks.

-- Peter Latner (peterlatner@yahoo.com), October 26, 2001

Answers

I use the 45AX. It will not fold with a lens installed.

-- Jim (jimzpace@yahoo.com), October 26, 2001.

I own a 45AII and cannot see any way to fold it with a lens installed, even the tiniest one.

-- Jean-Marie Solichon (jardin-exotique@monte-carlo.mc), October 26, 2001.

Hi Peter

I only know thad I can close my Horseman HF ( Handy Field ) and also a todays FA with my 135 mm Sironar N, but I also readed in a German Fotomag it isn`nt possible. But on TOYO I don`t know. Maybe it would work with a G-Glaron 150mm thats smaller then the 135mm Rodenstock.

-- Armin Seeholzer (armin.seeholzer@smile.ch), October 26, 2001.

I haven't looked closely at the Toyo but given that it folds up somewhat larger than the Horseman HD/FA I would expect that the lenses listed above would also work. I know that I can fold my FA with a Fujinon 105 or a Schneider 120 Angulon mounted and I am told by Schneider that you can fold it with the 80 mm XL mounted.

Ted

-- Ted Harris (slberfuchs@aol.com), October 26, 2001.

Peter - The Toyo 45 field cameras (45A, 45AII, 45AX, etc.) will not fold up with a lens attached. Too bad - I wish they would. I use the 45AII and have to remove any and all lenses before folding the camera. Good cameras, though. Bill

-- Bill Stone (william.stone@juno.com), October 27, 2001.

Yes, it will, but only in extreme cases. A couple of years ago I bought my Toyo Field 45A secondhand. It came with an older 135mm Yamasaki lens mounted on a recessed lens board and this combination folded nicely with the lens on. Now I have replaced the Yamasaki with a 90 mm Congo mounted on the same recessed board and I use to fold the camera with this lens on to carry one extra lens and to shield the bellows agains dust. The lens has to be short enough to fit within the recession and the rear element also has to be tiny as not to hit the screen. My 120mm Apo-Symmar is not small enough to fit in the camera by folding.

Regards,

-- Olli Jaakkola (olli.jaakkola@uta.fi), October 28, 2001.