Alpa 12 max GG users advise, please

[wentbackward]

Well I'm transitioning away from 5x4 to a modern technical camera. With film, I could drop things in my bag with what now seems, reckless abandon.

The GG is far more expensive than on my view camera. I tend to remove both the back and the adaptor when changing, which leaves the sensor totally exposed. Stray dust, water etc could all make there way in so easily. Looking for tips/advice from others who use the alpa ground glass and a digital back outdoors. I also use a Mamiya/leaf back with the cooling fan and vents.

Paul

 

[GrahamWelland]

I very rarely use the GG any more, at least for landscape shooting. The problem I find is that even with the leather bellows and using a high power loupe that it is very difficult to achieve critical focus compared to using a 4x5. Ditto for composition - I found the real estate of a 4x5 very easy to use to determine graphically the overall shape & flows within the shot, which I could then check for accurate focus afterwards. The 6x4.5 GG doesn't work anything like as well IMHO.

I now tend to embrace more a P&S approach at least for composition - i.e. shoot, review, adjust. For focus, I'm typically either setting via a distometer/rangefinder/manual focus camera, alternatively I'll zone focus or I'll be focus stacking which makes the whole focus process somewhat moot.

Regarding taking the back on & off, it is a perilous process and you will end up introducing dust bunnies despite your best efforts to blow the sensor clean with a rocket blower when putting it back on. The dangerous thing to watch for is the cabling since you need to remove & reattach the shutter/sync cable whenever you remove the back, put the dust cover on, put in the bag, mount GG, etc etc.

 

[darr]

Paul,

Here are the things I use when I shoot outside with my Alpa Max + P45:

1) Newswear Fanny Pack
2) ALPA lens/back adaper protection covers for back and ground-glass
3) Schneider 8x loupe


I wear my fanny pack with the small press pouch on the left side. This pouch is where the P45 with an Alpa cover on its back is stowed. The large pocket in the middle of my pack is where the ground glass is stowed with another Alpa cover on it. I work out of my fanny pack and have been using this technique since my days of shooting film and hauling around old Hassy magazines. The pack also holds my loupe and small meter if I feel I will need it.

 

[wentbackward]

Excellent thank you Graham and Darr. I actually felt butterflies in my stomach when I read the line about not forgetting the cables, too vivid an imagination! The fanny pack is a great idea. I typically hook my bag to the tripod and work from there so hadn't thought about that. I like obvious and simple

I tried focus stacking for the first time yesterday and was totally amazed at how well it worked and how easy it was. I can see this becoming very oft used.

 

[yatlee]

Hi Pual,

That's the reason I got the sliding back. I got one from Kapture. Perhaps, you can look into that option.

Yat

 

[darr]

When did Kapture start making sliding backs for the Max?

 

[stephengilbert]

"When did Kapture start making sliding backs for the Max?"

They didn't. Arca-Swiss, but not ALPA: http://www.kapturegroup.com/solution/three.html#sba

 

[GrahamWelland]

No sliding back for alpa at the moment - I know that kapture group have been looking at this but it's a difficult thing to design or build for the Alpa.

 

[yatlee]

Sorry. I didn't know they don't make one for Alpa.

 

[wentbackward]

I suppose it wouldn't be possible as the back is recessed on the Alpa. Maybe something that swings in on a pivot. I the HX402 graphlock sliding back for my 5x4 but it just adds another 20mm or so to the minimum focal length, which is really tedious. My view cam has no geared movements, hence moving to something smaller.

Yat (a friend here in HK) is not aware of my recent divulgence in Alpa

btw, I would not recommend a Mamiya HX402. It has a few design faults, which I can comment on if anyone is interested. It's fine for macro work. Not so good in the field.

 

[narikin]

Are you stitching? If so,then a GG is very useful /near essential - it can show you a much larger area, marked out for the full stitch, rather than the small section a sensor image will show you.

Saves a lot of trial and error, and get you very close to perfect before fitting the sensor.

 

[Shashin]

While not MFD, I did use a Horseman SW612. The ground glass was not always ideal. I bought a small accessory optical rangefinder. It worked very well with 55mm, 90mm, and 135mm lenses--I usually stopped down to f/11. It was quick and could be carried around my neck or in a pocket.

Most of these rangefinders where made before the 50s/60s, although there are relatively modern ones. I used an Ansco DeJur which was based on the Leica accessory rangefinders. Even the simplest design can be quite accurate. If vertical and horizontal adjustments can be made, you can calibrate these yourself and a number of designs allowed that. The distance scale can be in feet/inches or meters. There were some designs for close-up work. Kodak has a really neat design, but I found the finder could yellow and be dark. Watameter is a nice German design--my W1 goes down to 22in. and can be calibrated. Waltz is another nice design. Leica is naturally very good, but is also collected making it more expensive than other manufacturer's models (but not always better).

Be careful, these little devices are rather addictive. I still kept my Ansco and Watameter after I parted with my Horseman.

 

[wentbackward]

Shashin this is a good idea thanks for the suggestions as I am indeed looking for an RF having now handled the max for a few days. I have used older decoupled RFs for a long time (in fact I run the Agfa isolette group on flickr - pay us a visit, some lovely images in our pool ). I'm thinking of a viewfinder for framing and the RF Slightly offset on an accessory shoe.