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Deciding between Alpa TC, STC or Cambo 1250

Jamgolf

Member
My factum could drift if moved or slightly hit (think moving the tripod from one place to another), especially on really warm days. I asked Martin to fix it last month, and also requested a design change in the future, something like a real lock mechanism.
For now it no longer drifts, and the movements feels much tighter, as one would expect.
Please excuse my ignorance. Is Martin an Arca employee, a designer or machinist of sorts?
 

jagsiva

Active member
Martin is the owner/operator/chief of everything...

They also have a couple of guys that know glass as good as anyone.

The 60MP CCD back is a great matchup for tech use.
 

Jamgolf

Member
You really don't need the HPF rings on the Cambo. If you need critical focus, shooting tethered via USB3 capable MFDB is a great option. (insert whooshing sound of cash for IQ series MFDB here).

But for camera porn, here is some of John Milich's handiwork: http://forum.getdpi.com/gallery/files/7/4/cambo_x1.jpg

ken
Ken

Thanks for sharing that picture of John's solution. Looks pretty good. I sent him a note about this too.

I understand what you are saying about not needing an HPF ring. I have been shooting with a Horseman 617 and you really dont have any choice but to guesstimate and set focus distance. It works. But I am always unsure and over-compensate by stopping down a couple of stops further than I need to. Sometimes that results in unwanted motion blur. I really do not want that same feeling with this setup.

Jawad
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Yeah you read me perfectly. My third thread will be about lenses :) Well one lens to begin with.
I did a partial trade of equipment for a Credo 60 with another photographer.

This Dante fellow sounds like folk I'd tell my kids to stay clear of :)
Well, ahead of the lens thread, I'll throw a strong recommendation to start with a Rodenstock 40HR and if it's on an Alpa then definitely get it with the 17mm fitting and either a 17mm spacer or tilt adapter.

It's a personal thing but if I were to just have one lens with a full sized sensor tech camera then it would be the Rodenstock 40mm. I probably shoot mine 75% of the time, probably more.
 

Jamgolf

Member
Well, ahead of the lens thread, I'll throw a strong recommendation to start with a Rodenstock 40HR and if it's on an Alpa then definitely get it with the 17mm fitting and either a 17mm spacer or tilt adapter.

It's a personal thing but if I were to just have one lens with a full sized sensor tech camera then it would be the Rodenstock 40mm. I probably shoot mine 75% of the time, probably more even.

Thanks for the recommendation Graham.
Actually I am considering the 40HRW as my first lens.

Ideally I would like a 32mm but that would probably not be possible at this time.
But 70mm HR is another lens I am considering. It has a 100mm IC and based on what I have seen in the images thread, it seems to be optically very good.

So yeah its either 40mm (85% odds) or 70mm.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
I too highly recommend the 40HR as it stays on my WRS more than 70% of the time (I also have a 72 and 120 which both see action depending on where I'm shooting).

Don (Dante's poor cousin) :D


you may want to look the thread Ken started awhile back regarding tethering via the USB3 with a Surface Pro 2 or 3. I've done it now for a couple months beginning with the smaller 2 and now the larger 3 and it makes life much simpler.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Great combo - if I didn't already have my 90HR I'd actually go with the 70 myself too.

The 32 was the other likely lens that you'll be recommended. It is phenomenal but it's 40mm brother is no slouch either. :thumbs:

Btw, when it comes to technical camera lenses 'optically good' really doesn't cover it. Even my film era Schneider & Rodenstock wide lenses completely blew away anything available for my medium format DSLR, and that includes my current Phase One/Schneider lenses
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
Btw, when it comes to technical camera lenses 'optically good' really doesn't cover it. Even my film era Schneider & Rodenstock wide lenses completely blew away anything available for my medium format DSLR, and that includes my current Phase One/Schneider lenses
very good point! :thumbup:
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
Ken

Thanks for sharing that picture of John's solution. Looks pretty good. I sent him a note about this too.

I understand what you are saying about not needing an HPF ring. I have been shooting with a Horseman 617 and you really dont have any choice but to guesstimate and set focus distance. It works. But I am always unsure and over-compensate by stopping down a couple of stops further than I need to. Sometimes that results in unwanted motion blur. I really do not want that same feeling with this setup.

Jawad
Ahhh, Credo 60. USB enabled, Dante approved. :D

You're ready to tether with the Surface Pro. There are a couple of good threads on tethering with the Surface Pro here in this forum, with good user tips and experiences. I wrote a blog article awhile back on the tethering with the Surface Pro, which also has a shopping list of recommended items. Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2: A Game Changer for Phase One IQ Series and Leaf Credo Medium Format Digital Backs | Kendoophotography's Blog

And since you already have the Credo 60, the cost for acquiring the Surface Pro and related tethering items is relatively minor. Really.

I have both the HR40 t/s and HR70 t/s. You can't go wrong with either, though the HR40 remains my hard fast favorite. It's also Dante approved. :D I could easily go on a trip packing only the HR40 t/s as my one-lens wonder (and I have done so) and be totally happy. It's that good.

ken
 

jagsiva

Active member
Now that we are on to lenses...

40HR - fantastic, relatively small, good movement

32HR - fantasticer!! large, but less flare than the 40HR (which is likely just picking on my part). If the 32 was a girl, my wife would leave me

70HR - no experience, but since you mentioned it, the NEW 60XL is superb. Huge IC, great quality, no need for spacer, and small. Also, fairly priced.

90HRSW - same wet your pants outcome as the 32HR, maybe a touch better. The 32 is awesome since it does things so well at such a wide angle, the 90HRSW is just perfect, and almost to its max IC of 125mm (extremely good to about 120mm). Both of these also live up to Dante's wrath on your wallet.

PS. 32HR needs a CF if you really want to compare quality across the frame with he 40HR.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
And so at this point we plummet into justification for white collar crime to support the technical camera crack habit :ROTFL:

The ultimate combo - 32HRW & 90HRSW with some other filler glass until Rodenstock develop equally mind blowingly phenomenal glass to match those two.

Slap them on your soon to be acquired Alpa with tilt adapters etc and there's nearly $20k in lenses right there :eek:

Now you start to really understand the wrath of Dante :D (and it won't stop just there btw - you'll need to add a CUBE, SUV camera bag, cable release systems, Surface Pro 2/3, and so on)
 
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Jamgolf

Member
There is universal admiration for 32mm, 40mm and 90mm which really means I cant make a poor choice.

40mm seems to be a consensus 1-lens recommendation.
Which focal lengths do you guys tend to use the most? 40mm?
 

Jamgolf

Member
Jagsiva mentioned lens flare on 40mm. That is my only concern about this lens. I tend to shoot into the sun frequently and really get *issed-off if l find flares or streaks or rainbows upon returning home, since its not always easy to spot them on LCD.

Following are some examples of what I tend to shoot. Do you think 40mm hrw would flare in such cases? Should I really just bite the bullet and go for 32mm if its much less flare prone?





 

Jamgolf

Member
Ken

I have not yet read the surface pro threads or your blog post. But I am sure I will do that once I have the setup and get my feet wet a little bit.

Thank you

Jawad
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
All I can add is that at this level you likely won't be chopping & changing lenses much after your initial investment so get the best that you can afford. If that means a stretch to get a 32 vs 40 and forego the next longer lens for a while I'd say that's the better investment. YMMV.

I initially had a crop sensor back and so 24XL, 35XL and 47XL lenses were great for several years until I got my IQ160 and IQ260. Changing out cost me some $$ but ultimately was a good decision. If I were starting again, I'd definitely think very carefully about your ultimate set up and start with your 'anchor' lens, whichever that might be. Is that the 32 or 40? If I could have afforded it I'd have the 32 but The 40HRW is a better lens than my abilities today period so it's all kind of moot.
 

jagsiva

Active member
Did not mean to suggest the flare was terrible, it is just "there" compared to the 32HR. You could easily shade for it. When I throw the 23HR on in the same spot, then there is real flare that is almost impossible to fix.

I would go with focal length, IC, cost (whatever that means). IQ in the Rodie HR line ranges from A+ to A+++ .
 
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GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Did not meant to suggest the flare was terrible, it is just "there" compared to the 32HR. You could easily shade for it. When I throw the 23HR on in the same spot, then there is real flare that is almost impossible to fix.

I would go with focal length, IC, cost (whatever that means). IQ in the Rodie HR line ranges from A+ to A+++ .
I'd say a++ to a+++ personally.
 

GrahamWelland

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



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

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Btw, we can't compete with Gerald as he raised the bar to 11!!!

And if you're curious that's the IQ260 plus Alpa STC & 34mmm tilt adapter and 90mm HR
 
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