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Technical Camera use in landscape photography

JeRuFo

Active member
All of the above, and people move out of your way when you are shooting :)
Indeed. Although that works both ways, because people also come up to ask questions or take pictures of you, or suddenly are very interested in the view you are photographing.
 

vjbelle

Well-known member
Lots of great posts..... Like some have said, shift and rise are most important for me. 10mm shift left and right produces a 16X9 image that is easily stitched. I hate fixing any keystone problems - even trees - in post as that induces its own problems because of software interpolation. I much prefer to use rise - within limits. I own an Alpa but have relegated it to a shelf and have invested into the Actus system. A lens in Alpa mount is around double the price for the 'SAME' lens mounted in a copal shutter - the same shutter used on the Alpa system. Do that about three times and you will understand my enthusiasm for either the Universalis or Actus. The Actus is the lightest of the two. If I travel with 4 lenses, (lets say 35mm, 72mm, 120mm, and 180mm) I am at a maximum weight with my DB of around 16 pounds including back pack. There's not much lighter out there.....

Victor
 
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Professional

Active member
I was going to ask or maybe already asked about which technical camera to have, the problem with me is that i can't afford too many or at least 2, and i don't go with used, so only 1 brand new, and this is making it even much much harder as i am a landscape photographer and also an architecture/indoors shooter, and one body may not suit me for all types, and each has preference on one body over another, so i can't decide which one i should choose depends on subjective recommendations.

Then, it will come a story or issue of which lens then, and also i can't afford more than one, so i know if i will go this path of technical camera then i have to prepare a deep budget first then choose a line that i know it will serve me and won't let me regret or push me to buy another system/line/body due to missing something with current one i will choose.

So, i hope this thread go more in depth about tech specifications with members experience so to see which one is the best or close of what i want.
 

dchew

Well-known member
Maybe the place to start is list the benefits of a technical camera as you see them, then rank them in how important they are to you. Add to that your constraints (like budget, sensor/film format, etc). Third, what and how you like to shoot.

For example, Torger doesn't stitch, carries a lot of lenses and combines movements. The Linhof is the obvious choice, and Alpa probably would have been the worst choice for him.

For me, I stitch and use rise/fall (but rarely need those movements at the same time), carry only 2-4 lenses, weight is important, and needed something that would survive my, um, rough treatment. I picked an Alpa STC. Although that was in 2011 before the Factum, Universalis and Actus were available. I do think Cambo offers the best feature / price ratio.

The other factor is support. Do you have a dealer close by (or fellow photographer) who specializes in one or two brands? That helps a lot.

There are dealers who have comparison charts. But you need to verify for yourself because very few, if any dealers offer them all so the charts tend to be biased.

I'm not really helping am I. :banghead:

It's just hard to recommend one over the other because the differences are subtle but important, especially in how you work with them in the field. Wayne Fox started with an Alpa and just couldn't get a system down with it that felt right. Dumped it for a while, then switched to an Arca Swiss and likes that very much. So all this is quite personal.

Dave
 

dchew

Well-known member
I will try to list the benefits and disadvantages of the one I know well:

Alpa STC:
What it does:
Shift 18mm each way, lens or back
Rise fall 18mm each way, lens or back
tilt up to 5 degrees (need the tilt adapter)

What it doesn't do:
Can't perform shift and rise/fall at the same time
Can't tilt some wide lenses (43xl for example)

Some nice things:
It is tough. Looks and feels a lot like a brick.
The HPF rings are a real advantage if you don't have live view.
The sync cable and trigger eliminates the wake up hassle.
Excellent website
Beautiful design

Some not so nice things:
It sucks money out of your wallet
You need to plan ahead because you need the right lens mount for tilt.
The FPS options make selecting lens mounts confusing
 
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danlindberg

Well-known member
In my experience movements in landscape photography is a welcome feature.

Instead of repeating what most have already said, I'll give you a practical example.

In the photograph below there was no space to back up further. I was totally squeezed up against a wall. The photograph is shot with a 28mm on a full size sensor meaning a super wide at 18mm in 135 format.
As you can see, it really is a tight tight crop even with such a wide angle lens, thus, very limited distance to the subject. If I had no movements and wanted to see the top of the trees, then the trees would be severely perspective distorted by pointing the camera upwards with a zeroed lens.

Now, with the Alpa Max I could easily introduce 8mm of lens rise (most rise I use with the 28) while maintaining the cam/sensor level. I got the composition I wanted - and this is key - in the raw capture!!

 

Professional

Active member
As i said, to choose one is difficult, i really can't be sure which of the movements i really need more, it is like this for me even if you think it is wrong:

1. Landscape: Tilt, and shift[for panos mostly], maybe rise to a degree in some shots as above.

2. Architecture or some interior design or even outdoor: Rise/fall for sure, and tilt, but i may like to have shift as well if i want some panos but not as important as in landscape.

So, it is like i need the three movements which are Tilt, Shift, and Rise/Fall, and i will use 2 lenses as i am not that so many lenses guy to use, in those areas of Architecture and landscapes i am mostly using lenses in DSLR from 15mm up to 50mm only, not doing much with longer lenses, so i won't buy many lenses if i buy a tech cam, i am a very wide angle shooter fan more than different FL on those 2 areas.

Because i have tilt shift lenses maybe i want to start with a tilt shift tech cam first if i can't have that with more movements at once, later if budget allow i may add another one that is better design or more practical, i can't tell when i can use a specific movement more than other, i may be forced to use what is available until i buy another tech cam with another movement to shoot something else, wish if i have really a big or deep budget then i will go with 2 tech cams no doubt at least, but, it sounds i have to be wise and very patient to what i should buy as first.
 

Bugleone

Well-known member
I don't contribute to this forum usually but have just spent 20 mins reading this excellent thread which I found so interesting. It's more than 50 years since i was trained as a technical photographer but I would like to point out that (not mentioned here) the fact that while you can't actually 'increase' depth of field with tilt movements you CAN put the 'field of focus' in the most optimum position for your shot (with a tech camera)...

.......It seems to me from reading this that the real bonus of using a technical camera for landscape is that you join the quiet, thoughtful and observant branch of photography.....:cool:
 
M

mjr

Guest
I'm a big fan of tech cameras, a pretty wide range out there for whatever you want to shoot. My personal experience after shooting Alpa STC and Cambo WRS is that the Cambo was a better camera for my needs with architecture and landscape shots, purely because for pretty much the same size as the STC, the WRS has rise/fall and shift, I also preferred the roller for adjusting both. Getting the lenses in the t/s mount costs a little more than the straight mount but then you have a compact camera that does everything really well. The Alpa felt nicer made for sure but there's really not much in it and certainly not any impact on image quality in my opinion. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these pancake style tech cams. I don't have experience of the bellows style of tech camera but I am sure they have advantages depending on what you want to shoot.

It's difficult getting hands-on use before making a decision but might be worth seeing if anyone on here is local to you and will let you have a go.

Mat
 

Pelorus

Member
[snip]

It's difficult getting hands-on use before making a decision but might be worth seeing if anyone on here is local to you and will let you have a go.

Mat
This is the heart of it. I thought I knew what I wanted in a tech cam, until I spent a morning with someone that had used tech cams every day in his business for years. I got to hear his point of view, to think about how that fitted for me and above all I got to handle multiple cameras, lenses and backs. I came away with a very different view to that when I arrived. I carried through on it and I couldn't be happier.
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
But the Sony will never have the magic of a true technical camera.

There is something about the pure unadulterated photographic experience when using a technical camera that simply truly satisfying. It is an ironic combination of the latest technology and best lenses, reduced down to manual settings and a most simplistic and satisfying press of a plunger shutter release button. I love the XF for what it does, but for landscapes---it stays home.

If you can make it out to one of the annual Capture Integration in Carmel or other secret destination "Pigs" psuedo-workshops, that is a great opportunity to try different technical camera platforms, digital backs, and lenses.

ken
 

ErikKaffehr

Well-known member
Hi,

My point was to show examples where tilts were useful. Although there was a lot of discussions on this thread there were hardly any useful examples of tilt or shift images. That is the reason I have pointed to the thread on the Sony forum.

It may also be that some of us may care about images than the tools used to make them. Shooting a Sony A7rII with HCam Master TSII is a very basic experience, BTW.

Best regards
Erik


But the Sony will never have the magic of a true technical camera.

There is something about the pure unadulterated photographic experience when using a technical camera that simply truly satisfying. It is an ironic combination of the latest technology and best lenses, reduced down to manual settings and a most simplistic and satisfying press of a plunger shutter release button. I love the XF for what it does, but for landscapes---it stays home.

If you can make it out to one of the annual Capture Integration in Carmel or other secret destination "Pigs" psuedo-workshops, that is a great opportunity to try different technical camera platforms, digital backs, and lenses.

ken
 
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