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Deciding between Alpa TC, STC or Cambo 1250

Pemihan

Well-known member
Graham, where did you get those small pouches that are lying on your F-Stop?

Peter
 
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Pemihan

Well-known member
I too have the 40HR and can second the praise..!
Also have the SK 60XL and SK 120 Aspheric which are both phenomenal lenses with huge IC.
All three in T/S mount (Cambo) and the 120 as SB.

Peter
 
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dchew

Well-known member
I want to play in the What Lenses Sandbox too!

Graham's recommendation to choose the wide and build up from there is spot on. I have the 40hr, 60xl, 90hr and 150xl. I also have the 70hr and 100hr, but rarely use them since the 60 and 90 showed up somehow at my dealer. They claimed I ordered them, but I don't remember that at all. :)

If you go with the 32 I would think about the 60xl as the gap between 32 and 90. Comparing my copies of the 70hr vs 60xl, the 70 is ever so slightly better on center, but the 60 is more consistent across its bigger image circle. It would fill the gap better down to the 32. That is assuming you go with the STC and use back shift to do panos.

Dave

PS: the 60xl also makes a great one-lens kit since its image circle is so big and good.
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
Careful judging size from Graham's pictures. That tripod would make any gear look small and compact! :D

My 2 cents: I seem immune to Alpa lust. I picked up and handled all three systems and was most comfortable with Cambo. The equipment has never failed me. It's only limited by my own unwillingness to schlep it outside. But to reiterate, the glass is what matters. I made the "rational" decision to go crop sensor and 35XL. It saved a LOT of money. Savings happens once, though, and regret is eternal (or at least until the next upgrade...). Get what you want!

Best,

Matt (who may have an unrefusable offer on a Leica S2 ... uh oh...)
 
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jotloob

Subscriber Member
Btw, once you get set up we expect the following kinds of images!



<need to fix images uploaded from iPhone obviously!>
Graham

I thought your upside down images were intentionally placed like that and that is why I liked your posting . Don't tell me that it was a fault .:banghead:
 

Paul2660

Well-known member
Jamgolf

From my experience, I if you shoot the 40 HR-W directly. Towards the sun like on your examples it will flare and the flare is very destructive. Multi levels of color bars.

You can always place a finger over the sun on one frame but no hood that I am aware will keep the flare out.

The 40 Rod flare is similar to how the Nikon 14-24 flares if you are familiar with that.

The 40 also will ghost flare from indirect light but a hood will help a lot here.

I can't speak for the 32 and flare but as it's similar in design I would assume flare is still a possible issue shooting directly into the sun. But what flare you get most likely will be similar to the 40mm.

You are also correct that catching such flare us sometime hard on the camera LCD. I would consider trying tethered shooting, see Ken Doo's blog for a great write up.

The Schneider 43XL or 35XL will do a better job when shooting directly at the sun. I have taken many straight on shots with both and the flare is not the same or anywhere as destructive.

Paul
 

danlindberg

Well-known member
The STC would be my choice for a one body system. Combines compactness, handholdability (!) and flexibility. I do love my Max though for further possibilities, for instance it happens quite often that I need fall and a two image horizontal stitch at the same time for my interiors. The SWA I use both un urban settings as well as landscapes when I do not need stitching. Together with the SK 35 XL I can handhold this at 1/60 with consistant results.
The TC I also use frequently for a minimalistic, light and one lens (or two) setup when hiking.
So none of those classic bodies collect dust! :)
But again, I would be able to do almost everything with just the STC....

For lenschoice I agree starting with the wide end and simply get the one you want/need. If my choice was a hr40+hr70 or just the hr32 and you really wanted the 32....then I would go 32 and use that one lens for 6 months or 12 months or whatever it takes to get a second. The simple reason is that buying this level of lenses means you can use them for decades while backs will be bought and upgraded several times...

Best of luck on your journey with the finest camera equipment on earth :)
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
Graham, where did you get those small pouches that are lying on your F-Stop?

Peter
That's not thread hijacking, Peter. That's just simply how Dante works in this forum. Thankfully Graham didn't show the image of him with the back of his Land Rover open...:eek: :D

Savings happens once, though and regret is eternal (or at least until the next upgrade...). Get what you want!

Best,

Matt
Tongue in cheek could be a new Dante mantra, but is actually very good advice. It's a lot more costly to juggle around a technical camera system to finally get what you should have (and knew you should have) purchased in the first place.

ken
 

Jamgolf

Member
the glass is what matters.

Savings happens once, though and regret is eternal
Matt:

I think that is "it". I totally agree. I have always purchased the best glass at the expense of the best camera/body and that has served me well, both in terms of image quality as well as in terms of resale value. I think I ought to stick to this formula.

Thank you
-Jawad
 

jlm

Workshop Member
My choice was the sk43 and sk 120 no flare nice and compact and excellent image circle and quality no flare
Filled in the gap with the Rodie 70 a bit bulkier also no flare
All recommended to me my CI at the time and all t/s and used with a iq160
As jack said, if you are going tech, go tech
The wider rodies are huge one user has reported lens damage because he didn't pack it properly, I think he left it attached to the body
 

Jamgolf

Member
Jamgolf

From my experience, I if you shoot the 40 HR-W directly. Towards the sun like on your examples it will flare and the flare is very destructive. Multi levels of color bars.

You can always place a finger over the sun on one frame but no hood that I am aware will keep the flare out.

The 40 Rod flare is similar to how the Nikon 14-24 flares if you are familiar with that.

The 40 also will ghost flare from indirect light but a hood will help a lot here.

I can't speak for the 32 and flare but as it's similar in design I would assume flare is still a possible issue shooting directly into the sun. But what flare you get most likely will be similar to the 40mm.

You are also correct that catching such flare us sometime hard on the camera LCD. I would consider trying tethered shooting, see Ken Doo's blog for a great write up.

The Schneider 43XL or 35XL will do a better job when shooting directly at the sun. I have taken many straight on shots with both and the flare is not the same or anywhere as destructive.

Paul
Paul

Thanks for addressing my concern regarding lens flare. I have tried to look for examples of 40mm and 32mm that might exhibit such flare. On page 3 of the tech camera images thread, post #131 and #132 show that to some degree. Guy's shot with 32mm is clean and Jack's shot with 40mm has flare/rainbow. I don't know if Guy did much post processing to eliminate any flare, but it does not look like it.

Thanks also for pointing out SK 43XL and 35XL and their ability to avoid flare. I will add these to my consideration.

Cheers!
-Jawad
 

Jamgolf

Member
The STC would be my choice for a one body system. Combines compactness, handholdability (!) and flexibility. I do love my Max though for further possibilities, for instance it happens quite often that I need fall and a two image horizontal stitch at the same time for my interiors. The SWA I use both un urban settings as well as landscapes when I do not need stitching. Together with the SK 35 XL I can handhold this at 1/60 with consistant results.
The TC I also use frequently for a minimalistic, light and one lens (or two) setup when hiking.
So none of those classic bodies collect dust! :)
But again, I would be able to do almost everything with just the STC....

For lenschoice I agree starting with the wide end and simply get the one you want/need. If my choice was a hr40+hr70 or just the hr32 and you really wanted the 32....then I would go 32 and use that one lens for 6 months or 12 months or whatever it takes to get a second. The simple reason is that buying this level of lenses means you can use them for decades while backs will be bought and upgraded several times...

Best of luck on your journey with the finest camera equipment on earth :)

Dan

Thanks for your sharing your opinions. Much appreciated.
I think your thoughts on STC reinforce what others have said.
If I get an Alpa it will be an STC.

You are right in sensing that I really want 32mm and it might be best to just bite the bullet and go for it, as lenses can be used for years while back/bodies become obsolete much more frequently.

Thank you
-Jawad
 

Frederic

Member
While the 32HR may be slightly superior to the 40, you should also take your own preferences into account when it comes to choosing a focal length. If you're more of a wide angle guy then get the 32 indeed, otherwise the 40 may suit you better (normal wide, 27mm 24x36 equivalent on the long side).
 

Jamgolf

Member
While the 32HR may be slightly superior to the 40, you should also take your own preferences into account when it comes to choosing a focal length. If you're more of a wide angle guy then get the 32 indeed, otherwise the 40 may suit you better (normal wide, 27mm 24x36 equivalent on the long side).
Frederic

Thats a good point. I am actually a wide angle kind of guy. The three images I posted are taken with Zf.2 Zeiss 21mm Distagon - my all-time second-favorite lens. 32mm HR will have a similar FOV.

-Jawad
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Paul

Thanks for addressing my concern regarding lens flare. I have tried to look for examples of 40mm and 32mm that might exhibit such flare. On page 3 of the tech camera images thread, post #131 and #132 show that to some degree. Guy's shot with 32mm is clean and Jack's shot with 40mm has flare/rainbow. I don't know if Guy did much post processing to eliminate any flare, but it does not look like it.

Thanks also for pointing out SK 43XL and 35XL and their ability to avoid flare. I will add these to my consideration.

Cheers!
-Jawad
Okay I had to check which image. Nothing in post for the flare that I can remember . It maybe due to more smoke compared to Jacks shot. Which would diffuse it more.


Quick shot from this morning in Yosemite. Shot with Cambo and Rodie 32mm with some fall. This is residual smoke from a fire that has been lingering for a about a week.


 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
The 32 is a nice lens. I opted for the Roadie 28 in the end . This was a lens I was using from the folks at CI. The 32 is a truck though.

Honestly they are all very good just a matter of 1st what works with your back. 2nd the look you are after and 3rd is they are not budget friendly so pick wisely.
 

Jamgolf

Member
The 32 is a nice lens. I opted for the Roadie 28 in the end . This was a lens I was using from the folks at CI. The 32 is a truck though.

Honestly they are all very good just a matter of 1st what works with your back. 2nd the look you are after and 3rd is they are not budget friendly so pick wisely.
Thanks for your comments and advice Guy - much appreciated.

I am relying on forum's collective wisdom and experience to guide me "pick wisely" - I am floored by the good will and honest advice and feedback here.
This is an awesome forum. Truely.

-Jawad
 
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