Many of the retro-inspired cameras built today are inspired by the 1970s, 1980s, and even Y2K, but one small French company is bringing back an even more historic camera format: the wooden field camera with folding bellows.
The Fasquel & Co. 4x5 Heritage is a new large-format field camera that pays homage to photography’s roots while creating a durable, portable camera for modern film artists.
The field camera is a folding bellows camera format that first appeared in the 1840s, and began gaining popularity in the 1850s. The bellows focus the lens, which is mounted to a lens board. This classic camera format has no viewfinder; instead, a ground glass screen projects an upside-down image of what the lens sees at the back of the camera.
Once the photographer composes and focuses the camera, a sheet filter holder slides into place in the back – or, in the earliest cameras, a freshly prepared wet plate collodion.
The Fasquel & Co 4x5 Heritage doesn’t take inspiration from one specific historic field camera, though the company says the US brand Deardorff (1923-1988) and the UK brand Gandolfi (1885-2017) served as inspiration. Instead, the new camera focuses on quick setup, easy alignment, and durability.
Fasquel & Co – founded by Emilien Fasquel and Enzo Luca in 2002 in France – has previously designed 8x10 and even an 11x14 Heritage camera. The newly launched 4x5 Heritage is designed to be a more portable system. Folded, the camera measures 94 × 192 × 230 mm – about 3.7 x 7.5 x 9 inches. The camera weighs about 1.6kg or 3.5 pounds.
The field camera allows photographers to use 4x5 sheet film using a sheet film holder, but the camera is also compatible with even older techniques, including wet plates. The camera can use a variety of large-format lenses mounted on Linhof Technika-style lens boards.
Despite being hand-assembled, the camera is weather-resistant, the company says. The camera is built largely from mahogany, but some special orders also use ebony, cherry, or walnut. The wooden pieces are protected with a traditional varnish to add durability.
Those wooden components are mixed with black anodized aluminum and steel, while the bellows are made with a synthetic material that the company says is also durable and weather-resistant.
The durability and size, the founder Emilien Fasquel said, are designed to give outdoor photographers access to the 4x5 format.
“Large-format photography has always been about slowing down, being intentional, and creating images with extraordinary detail and character,” Fasquel said. “With the 4x5 Heritage, we wanted to make that experience more accessible without compromising on craftsmanship. Every camera that leaves our workshop is built with the idea that it should not only be a photographic tool, but also an object that photographers will enjoy using and owning for decades.”
Slowing down isn’t just a part of using the camera – the company’s Heritage models are individually assembled in a workshop in France, which also allows the company to offer several customization options.
“Our process combines traditional craftsmanship with modern manufacturing methods,” Fasquel said. “Many operations require specialized machinery for precision and consistency, while assembly, finishing, fitting, adjustment, and quality control are carried out by hand. We believe this combination gives us the best balance between accuracy, durability, and the character that comes from a truly handcrafted product.”
The new 4x5 Heritage, as well as the company’s earlier larger format cameras, are available to custom order from the company’s website. The 4x5 is available starting at €1,790 – which converts to about $2,045 / £1,544 / AU$2,922 / CA$2,897. Fasquel & Co ships internationally; additional duties, taxes, and import fees may apply outside of Europe.
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