The Intrepid Camera Co. is a small business trying to make large format photography accessible to a wider audience. Based in Hove near Brighton, the two founders Maxim and Eddie have managed to design a gorgeous lightweight and compact 4x5 camera, complete with ground glass! Created using birch plywood and aluminium, these are cut by a CNC machine to ensure absolute accuracy. https://vimeo.com/151148766
Initially crowd funded as a Kickstarter project, they managed to rustle up £27,000 which was double what they set out to achieve. The company has since expanded to employ more people in order to meet consumer demand and considering the average retail price of a 4x5 camera is around £600, it's unsurprising that this company is doing well with their cameras selling at £250.
Too good to be true? Well, the only worry I have is the longevity of the camera as wooden field cameras have a tendency to warp due to changing temperature and humidity, but hopefully the varnish and some TLC should keep it in good shape. Despite this, it's incredibly light weight for a field camera so I would be a fool not to buy one (the red edition obviously). The only downside is that I will have to wait until it's hand built and delivered which could take about 10 weeks. Let's hope it goes quickly...
If you're interested in buying one, there is limited availability but check out the link below to find out more:
Make sure you do your homework on large format photography as it's a whole new world for the inexperienced! Keep an eye out for my follow up posts on large format photography and my upcoming creative ventures.