The following article was featured in the November/December 2004 issue of View Camera Magazine. The contents are reproduced here with permission from the editors.

The Layton L-45A

JOHN LAYTON ENTERS THE LARGE-FORMAT MARKET WITH A WINNER!

Photograph and text by Kerry Thalmann

The Layton L-45A is the latest in a series of eleven camera designs from longtime large format photographer and photography instructor John Layton. It is the first of Layton's designs to go into commercial production. The L-45A design is similar to Layton's previous award-winning L-1 design, but the materials have been changed from a wood-resin laminate to black anodized CNC machined aluminum. In addition to improved strength, stability and durability, the change in materials has improved the overall manufacturability of the camera. Interestingly, the change from wood-resin laminate to aluminum also resulted in a weight savings without compromising the camera's specifications or features compared to the previous design.

Prior to the L-45A, Layton's camera designs were drawn by hand on graph paper and prototypes were handcrafted in his basement workshop. For the creation of the L-45A, Layton sought the assistance of a professional engineering firm and metal fabrication shop. Engineers at the Keene, NH firm of Knappe and Koester began by entering Layton's previous L-1 design into a 3-D computer modeling program. Refinements were made to the design based on the computer modeling, and once the design was stabilized five prototypes were built at the Knappe and Koester facility. I received one of these five early prototypes for this review.

First Impressions: The first thing I noticed upon unpacking the camera was the quality of the finish work. This may have been a prototype, but the finish would put to shame many production cameras. With rounded surfaces and clean lines, the Layton L-45A possesses an elegant, refined look that makes it truly unique. At 7 lb. 12 oz. my prototype sample is no lightweight (Layton claims the production cameras will be about _ pound lighter than the prototypes). This puts the weight in the same general range as the Linhof Technikardan TK45S and ARCA-SWISS F-Line Classic. Due to the modern materials and appearance, the Layton L-45A is bound to draw comparisons to the Canham DLC. While these two cameras may both be made from CNC machined black anodized aluminum, they really are two very different cameras. While the Canham is nearly 3 pounds lighter, the Layton is more robust and more rigid at long extensions. It also has features (such as rear rise and rear axis tilt) that the Canham lacks.

Unlike many large format cameras that include no documentation, the Layton L-45A comes with a small instruction manual with tips for setting up and using the camera. Even without these helpful instructions, opening the camera, setting it up and using the movements were all very easy. The controls are logically located and operate very smoothly. Once again the quality of the Layton construction and the thoughtful design were evident when using the camera. All movements were smooth and locked down tightly.

In the Field: Of course, the true test of any camera is how it performs its intended task. For this review, I tested the Layton L-45A with a range of lenses from 55mm - 600mm (non-telephoto). One thing I quickly learned is that the rounded contours of the Layton L-45A are not just for looks. They actually serve a functional purpose. In a break from standard field camera design philosophy, the L-45A does not have any spring-loaded ball-and-socket detents to establish neutral positions for the movements. Layton believes such spring-loaded detents make it difficult to accomplish fine adjustments of a camera's movements with any degree of precision. In place of the standard spring-loaded ball-and-socket detents, the L-45A uses two methods to establish the camera's neutral positions for all movements. The first employs what Layton calls defeatable detents. These are small chrome plated levers that, when in place, establish the neutral positions for the front and rear base tilt movements. This allows the camera to be set-up quickly with the front and rear standards parallel to each other and perpendicular to the base of the camera. Once the camera is set-up, should the user wish to apply front or rear base tilt, these defeatable detents can be folded down out of the way and the desired movements applied. The second method of zeroing the camera's movements involves the rounded surfaces of the L-45A body. When the camera's movements are in their neutral positions, these rounded surfaces all line up. This allows the photographer to zero these movements either visually, or by feel (handy when operating under the dark cloth). As someone who is used to the more standard detents, I was surprised how quickly I became comfortable using the camera body's surfaces to zero out the movements. Layton has definitely achieved his goal of a camera that allows precise, fine adjustments without interference from traditional spring-loaded detents.

Another novel approach John Layton has used in the design of the L-45A is the method of attaching the lens boards, bellows and camera back. Rather than rely on the typical slide locks, these parts are attached using simple spring-loaded mechanisms. In practice, this work quite well. Installing lens boards is literally a snap. And if something as mundane as a lens board can be described as elegant, the L-45A lens boards are that and more. Like the L-45A body, the Layton lens boards have attractive rounded edges. Short stainless steel bars (bottom) and pegs (top) are used to attach the boards to the front standard. The result is a lens board that compliments the appearance of the camera, has no sharp edges or corners, is fast and easy to attach or remove and is held firmly in place. Changing the orientation of the camera back involves a similar procedure. Two top-mounted spring loaded catches are squeezed together to release the back, which can then be removed, rotated 90 degrees and re-installed. The bellows are attached to the front and rear standard frames using top-mounted spring-loaded buttons. Changing the bellows is fast and simple (an accessory bag bellows will be available for use with wide angle lenses).

For focusing and composing, the L-45A is equipped with a Maxwell Precision Optics Brilliant Matte focusing screen and a top cover glass (either gridded or plain). This screen brightener from Maxwell instantly became one of my favorite features of the L-45A. In addition to a standard ground glass, over the years I've used a number of fresnels and other screen brighteners. Some do a decent job of improving and evening out illumination making it easier to focus and compose in low light situations. This is especially valuable when working with wide angle lenses. Of all the focusing screens I've used, the Maxwell screen that came on the L-45A is certainly the most amazing. Under typical October mid-day Oregon overcast skies, I was actually able to compose and focus with my 110mm lens without using a dark cloth or focusing hood.

The L-45A comes with a standard spring back (a Graflok compatible panel for attaching roll film backs is planned as an accessory). The design of the L-45A spring back makes it possible to insert and remove conventional film holders, Polaroid backs and Quickload and Readyload holders, using just one hand - another nice touch.

All cameras I've used over the years were able to handle lenses of moderate focal length with ease. The real test of a camera's versatility is how well it handles lenses at the extremes.

Wide Angle Use: To facilitate the use of wide angle lenses, the rear standard of the L-45A slides forward on two dovetail shaped runners that run the length of the camera base. It is possible to lock the rear standard in place anywhere along these runners. With both standards in their neutral and upright positions, the minimum extension, from the ground glass to front of the lens board is 94mm. This is sufficient to focus all current 90mm lenses at infinity. To get the standards closer together, it is possible to combine the base and axis tilts of the L-45A on either the front or rear standards. For example, the front standard can be tilted backwards using its base tilt and then parallelism with the rear standard restored using the front axis tilt. Since, unlike many field cameras, the L-45A has both rear base and axis tilts, the same technique can be used on the rear standard. Using these methods, I was able to just focus a 55mm APO Grandagon at infinity with the standard bellows and a flat lens board. However, at this point the standard bellows are so compressed that movements are not possible. Layton plans to offer both a recessed board (with a 1" deep cavity) and an accessory bag bellows to improve wide angle use and allow more movements with ultra wide lenses. Unfortunately, these accessories were not available for me to test for this review. Even with the standard bellows and a flat lens board, I was able to employ moderate movements (1" of front rise) with a 90mm lens. For anyone requiring more substantial movements, or using shorter lenses, a combination of recessed board and/or bag bellows would be recommended.

Long Lens Use: The generous bellows draw (24.3" max.) of the L-45A and good rigidity at full extension make it well suited for using long lenses. With both standards in their neutral and upright positions, the L-45A has a maximum extension of 21.3". This is more than enough for shooting distant subjects with standard lenses up to 480mm, or telephoto lenses up to 720mm. An additional 3" of extension can be achieved by combining front standard base and axis tilts. In this manner, I was able to focus a 600mm Fujinon C at infinity with nearly 2" to spare. One issue with a very flexible bellows this long is the tendency to sag at intermediate extensions. The bellows of the L-45A is no exception. To avoid bellows-caused vignetting at intermediate extensions, the L-45A has an anti-sag strap that is attached to the top of the ninth bellows pleat and may be clipped to the top of the front standard to counteract the sagging of the bellows.

Summary and Conclusions: Complete specs for the Layton L-45A are shown in Table 1. At press time, the selling price of the L-45A had not been determined, but is expected to fall between $4500 and $5500. This puts it at the upper end of the price range for 4x5 field cameras. For those that can afford it, the L-45A offers a sophisticated, elegant alternative to the traditional field camera. It is very well made, intelligently designed and easy to use. The L-45A handles long lenses with ease, and with the addition of a recessed board and bag bellows should be equally adept at handling ultra wide lenses as well