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Arca Swiss M-Line Two - Quick release Question

celina20

Member
Hi,,,Can you tell me wich Quick Release is used with this M-Line Two. I am buying this camera and want to know wich Quick release I have to buy.

I have a Gitzo GT5540Ls and Markins M20.



Thanks a lot

Luis
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
That's an Arca short base clamp on the main rail of the camera and I'm pretty sure that will come with the M2. The clamp on the tripod head is the newer style Arca quick-release clamp. Note that it has TWO different dovetail slots, the normal one is clamping the bottom of the short base but the smaller dovetail you can see under that will actually clamp the main camera rail directly.

So basically there are two sizes of Arca rails, normal and small, and normal is what most everybody else copied, like RRS, Kirk and Wimberley. Newer offerings from Arca like the RM3D have smaller dovetail bases as standard, and why the new Arca tripod clamps go both ways.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
The B&H site is down, so I have no idea which head you have. Simple answer is this: Ballheads are not generally "convenient" to use with a view camera as they make it difficult to level roll and pitch axes independently. Being able to do that is desirable when shooting with a view or tech camera, so this is why a regular panhead or a Cube is so desirable.

All you need on top is a clamp for the regular Arca base. Note however that RRS's standard QR clamp will often NOT lock down tight enough on Arca brand plates, so I do not recommend using any non-adjustable QR clamps for that reason. Finally, the standards on the M2 need some breathing room to achieve their full range of movement, so while you could conceivably mount the rail directly to the new Arca head clamp, it can limit adjustability so it is advisable to use that base shown as a spacer...
 

darr

Well-known member
Luis,

I currently use a M-Line Two with a RRS B2-Pro II clamp mounted on a Gitzo Rational 4 Pan head. Jack's recommendations are correct about ball heads not being generally "convenient" to use with view cameras. This view camera is fairly small when compared to my AS FC Compact 4x5". For me the easiest way to move this camera along its rail is to first secure the back standard on the end of the rail and then I do not move it for rail adjustments. The front standard is what I move for rail focusing as it moves differently than my 6x9 AS FC Compact. It pretty much slides along the rail without much friction. The rear standard is where your rise and shift is done and the front standard is where your Orbix and swing are completed. I like the way Arca designed this camera as the back stays square 100% of the time. It is very light and easy to use. Here is a shot I did right out of the box shortly after my M2 arrived in January:



I wish that I had the Rodenstock 120mm f/5.6 Apo-Macro-Sironar digital Lens and not the film version when I shot this.
 

celina20

Member
Answer from Chris Barrett : " In these photos I am mounting the Arca on a Manfrotto 410 Tripod Head. There is

a short rail clamp that holds the camera's rail to the tripod head. That rail clamp is included with the camera " ( as Jack said )

Luis
 
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celina20

Member
Beautiful picture Darr. Do you think that a Digital lens will really make a difference ? In my case I have a Sinar Back 54M , 49mm x 37mm, 9 microns.

Thanks

Luis
 

darr

Well-known member
Beautiful picture Darr. Do you think that a Digital lens will really make a difference ? In my case I have a Sinar Back 54M , 49mm x 37mm, 9 microns.

Thanks

Luis
Yes, I am thinking more sharpness, less flare/diffraction, and designed to help with color fringing. Since digital sensors are shinny, they can reflect more light than film and can cause flare which can cause diffraction. The digital chips that record our images have to do what film does, but they do it in a much smaller area, meaning the finer details get squeezed down. So we need higher-resolution lenses that help limit flare/diffraction. I do not know if manufactures use more lens coatings on a digital lens or a different type of coating altogether, but they also have to address digital sensitivity towards color fringing. I do think they are different from their film-based examples, but exactly where and if it is easier, cheaper or the opposite to manufacture, I do not know. But for me, I do not have to process film and I love the immediate feedback! This alone is worth gold to me in terms of time and stress when it comes to shooting commercially. I am new with the digital back + view camera, but I am already hooked!

Here is a link to an article explaining some of the science about 'diffraction limited photography' if interested.

The only digital lens I have at this moment (besides a few for my Nikon D700) is a Schneider Apo-Digitar 47/5.6 that is in an Alpa mount on my Max. That lens + camera combo is super sharp!! I have only had time to test it twice without shimming the back, and so far it blows me away! :D

I am using a P45 back (39M - 49.1 x 36.8 mm) with the M2 and also with my Mamiya RZ IID. For portrait work, the RZ + P45 work just fine at f/5.6-8, but I love macro shooting on a rail and will need to develop a different technique than what I am accustom to with film. I will replace my Rodenstock 120 macro with its digital version when I have the funds.

Thank you for the compliment on the picture. I love working with the M2 and I think you will also. When I finally got to try an Arca back in the '80s, I never left their system, so it was only natural for me to evolve to the M2. Arca's versatile system sold me years ago and I am glad I stayed with them. Alpa is probably another system I will be staying with. I am glad I can write some of this great equipment off through my business or I do not know how else I could afford to play with such incredible image-making tools!

Please keep us posted here after you start shooting with your M2. I would love to hear and see your results.

Kind regards,
Darr
 

celina20

Member
I have a lot of questions for you before "pull the trigger".

1 ) How do you compensate the lack of rear tilt of the M-Line Two when , in order to level the sensor plane ,you have to tilt the whole camera ( "up" to take a picture of tall building, "down" in macro photography for example ) Whish you can understand my question. My English is not the best.

2 ) How do you focus with the M-Line Two / 47mm Digitar combo ? Groundglass, Live View ?. I spend a lot of time with both methods with my Ebony 45SU ( with Slvestri 6x loupe ) and Sinar x ( with LC Shutter ) . Just want to know if it wil be easier or more precise with th M-Line Two.

Thanks a lot

Luis
 

darr

Well-known member
I have a lot of questions for you before "pull the trigger".

1 ) How do you compensate the lack of rear tilt of the M-Line Two when , in order to level the sensor plane ,you have to tilt the whole camera ( "up" to take a picture of tall building, "down" in macro photography for example ) Whish you can understand my question. My English is not the best.
(1) Your English is just fine! I make my perspective corrections in Photoshop -- this is one reason I made the switch to digital -- so I can do my darkroom sitting down and see the results before I print. Trying to see corrections on a ~6.45 cm area is difficult.

2 ) How do you focus with the M-Line Two / 47mm Digitar combo ? Groundglass, Live View ?. I spend a lot of time with both methods with my Ebony 45SU ( with Slvestri 6x loupe ) and Sinar x ( with LC Shutter ) . Just want to know if it wil be easier or more precise with th M-Line Two.Whish you can understand my question. My English is not the best.
I do not use the 47mm with the M2 as it is mounted exclusively for use with an Alpa camera.

(2) When I am shooting with the M2, I compose using a Kapture Group Sliding Back that I purchased used from Capture Integration in Atlanta (Steve Hendrix is a great guy to deal with). Then depending upon the height my tripod is at, (I am a 5'3" petite female that stands on a stool at times for photography), I slide either a Hasselblad Reflex Viewfinder #47070 or a Hasselblad Magnifying Hood over the ground glass to compose. Mostly it is the Magnifying Hood, but it is nice to see it right-side up with the reflex viewer at times. BTW, the Kapture Group Sliding Back was designed to accept these Hasselblad viewfinders. I do double check with a stronger loupe on the GG before sliding the digi-back over.

It will be much more precise shooting with the M2 than with the 45SU. I had a 45SU for about a year and thought it was a beautiful piece, but I love my rail cameras more for their precision. It is a personal attraction to the wood field or to the metal view cameras I think. I own a very nice Ebony RSW I bought used a couple of years ago. Even though I do not get to use it much anymore, I am reluctant to let it go.

Hope this helps.

Darr
 
1) I have always Squared the camera up to buildings by using the tripod head and not the rear tilt. Hence the desire for a good quality geared head.

2) I can usually get pretty good focus with my Kapture Group sliding back and an 8x loupe. It is almost always improved, though, by working tethered to a laptop where I can view the focus at 100% and adjust where necessary.

Best of Luck,
CB
 
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