I am looking to buy some good field folding 4x5 camera. I have not experience with LF cameras but I would like to move from DSLR to LF and I am wondering between Tachihara and Shen Hao but recently one offer to me to buy a MPP for around $ 1100 with two lens - 90mm/8 and 150/4.5. Is it reasonable to buy it??? or to buy a new Shen hao with old lenses?
It sounds like you will be using film and not a digital back. If so, the two most important things are the stability of the standards and the quality of the lenses. The next most important item is scanning the images, but that's an entirely different topic.
Compared to studio view cameras, field or press cameras typically have limited movements on the rear standard, usually only swings and tilts but no rise & fall. The front standards usually have rise & fall, swing & tilts but this varies from brand to brand. This is because it is designed to be portable. No matter what features a camera has, it's important that the camera has solid standards that don't move or flex at the hinge point once it's locked down (If you find a used wooden student model you'll see what I mean). Standards that are not fully secure will cause unreliable, inaccurate focus.
An excellent field camera is the
Toyo 45AX. It folds up into a very small, hand held unit which protects the standards from damage. It doesn't fold up with the lens attached, though.
As for lenses, you can't go wrong with either German brands of
Rodenstock and
Schneider. I wouldn't take a chance on Shen Hao lenses unless you can get a side-by-side comparison.
