Building a Technical Camera set up (with Digital back)

[just4fun]

* Sorry, I think I post this in a wrong forum, should have post in "large format" - moderator please move it (or should I repost?)

Hello!
After reading a lots of posts and see many pictures at DPI, I am thinking about building a Technical Camera setup that will use my existing digital back.
I am currently own:
- a Hasselblad CFH-22 digital back
- a Leaf Aptus II-5 V Mount Digital back
... question is: what should I buy next? Note that I want a smallest, compact and cheapest set up and any brand will do! I also ok with Chinese Adapter too
Looking forward to read your advises, Thank you very much!
Sonny

PS: I can get good deal on a used lens like this, is this needed for this project?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...bJv7Qe83YM_9kKS8mUmZRoQMryfgTH2nFsxoCmXzw_wcB

 

[dchew]

If you want to use lenses like that that do not have brand-specific mounts, I suggest looking at the Linhof Techno. Lens boards are only a few hundreds Euros.

Dave

 

[TimG]

Hi,

I'm in a very similar position - I shot 5x4 film for nearly 7 years (Linhof Technikardan) and gave up when Fuji Velvia 50 quickload was discontinued,

Last week I met up with a Phase One dealer and took a load of shots with some different digital backs and basically I've gone with an IQ 260 as it seemed best suited to a technical camera for landscapes that fitted within my budget, I used a techno on the day - which fell into line with the Technikardan that I was already used to from 5x4

I'm pretty much going to get a Techno, and as you say the biggest reason comes down to the cost of Lenses, for example the Rodenstick 32mm Digaron would almost certainly be my main lens for landscape and architecture, in the UK - with post Brexit exchange rates, that lens would work out roughly £5500 inc tax - the lensboard would be an additional £100, but any decent dealer would probably throw that in as part of a deal...

Looking at any of the "pancake" cameras, such as the Arca RM3DI, Cambo RS, or some of the Alpas - the lens costs become extremely expensive and in some cases are almost twice as much - consider I want a technical camera so I can continue using all the movements I require - that means buying some of the additional mounts that support Tilt and swing (such as the Cambo lens mounts)

On the face of things, the Cambo system seems quite attractive (WRS 5000, RS 600 with the sliding back etc) however the same Rodenstock 32mm lens, with a tilt/swing mount on a Cambo is an eye-watering £10200 including tax........ The same lens on an Alpa - with a swing adapter, comes in at around £9800 including tax, the Arca-Swiss R-line lenses seem to come in the cheapest at £7100 (presumably as the tilt is built into the camera, rather than the lens mount)

Go back to the Techno, and suddenly - the lenses are all half price... The question really is do you prefer a pancake setup, or an older style field-camera setup? For me I prefer using a ground glass to live-view, so a Techno with the small sliding back and linhof brightscreen will be the setup I'm going for - as I feel that I;m getting the best value for money on the lenses and system in general,

 

[Paul2660]

In regards to the lenses and expense.

The tech lenses by brand due tend to cost more, I don't see 2x as much however. At least on Arca brand.

Acra charges on average around 900.00 to mount. The longer lenses cost more due to the increased, (1) number of tubes, or (2) back adapters to push the back out from the camera.

I am basing this on Rodenstock HR or HR-W or HR-SW lenses, as for a IQ260 I would not consider anything older. (pink band HR, blue band HR-W and yellow band HR-SW)

Example, Rodenstock 40 HR-W varies in price from 5,500 to 5,800 depending on source. This is base lens no mount just a copal shutter. The cost to mount on Arca for the tech line is around 1K.

Paul C

 

[Geoff]

Techno vs. pancake - the voices are on two sides on this one, most folks with pancakes. There are advantages to both, with the pancake having parallelism of the lens to the back guaranteed, easy setup is easy, and three major brands (Alpa, Arca, Cambo). Parallelism on the Techno is only an issue if you shoot wide open (I'm at f11, so it doesn't matter). There are a few smaller "view cameras" now being made as well for the A7 etc., an interesting setup.

For the Techno, Anders Torgers excellent write-up: Review: Linhof Techno

Or some other thoughts: http://www.gigi-photos.com/techno-report-gg-1-22-2013.pdf

Having used both:

- the Cambo WRS is a pancake, easy to use, relatively compact. Lots of flexibility, especially if one doesn't need tilt (although it can be added). I've used it with an older 47 lens, and in most ways its easy to focus, quite satisfying. That said, hard to bond with the camera - not sure why. Perhaps the lack of visualizing? Don't know.

- Techno - used with stitching backs (KG and Silvestri) for good GG work, or with direct mount of the back on the camera. Lots of flexibility in setup and use, easy tilt/swing should you wish it. Rise and fall easy, side shift is either by front (no back shift), or use of sticking back. A compact 2 position shift back has been introduced, and is very neat. Get to know Paula at Linhof Studios, most helpful.

The main advantage of the Techno is the ease of modifying it - first, adding other lenses, especially if you aren't sure which ones you want. That experimentation is hard to do with the pancake, as the entry cost per mounted lens is stiff. The Cambo has a relatively modest price (~$1k) for mounting existing view camera lenses in a helical, so that's not too bad. The Alpa is another animal altogether - park fiscal restraint at the door. While a pancake, such as the Alpa, is quite charming in its precision; the only difficulty with something like the STC is that the movements are only in one direction.

You can easily add stitching backs or a variety of different setups easily to the Techno. Some of the pancakes (say Arca) have flexiblity available, but the costs get up there... Part of your decision may rest on portability and setup ease. The Techno is clearly the most similar to your TK. For me its largely head vs heart - the pancake makes sense to the head, but the heart likes the Techno. Those of us who have them are quite fond of the camera.

 

[kdphotography]

If possible, it's always best to "try before you buy" unless you're already intimately familiar with a camera system. I don't know if any slots are available, but Capture Integration in Bluff, aka "Pigs 2017," in April 2017 is a week long pseudo-workshop where you can try different technical cameras, digital backs and lenses---while having a lot of fun with like-minded photographers. This is not the typical CI in Carmel (or elsewhere) because of the location and workshop length. See, https://captureintegration.com/don-kens-anti-workshop-2017/

That being said, don't discount finding a used technical camera either. It's not like having to worry about wear and tear like a typical DSLR or automobile. I'll be selling my Cambo WRS and moving to the new Cambo WRS 1600. CI will probably have my old Cambo WRS shortly. As long as you limit yourself to one to three lenses, you really can keep a lid on costs. It's not like having to worry about a shiny new blue ring on a lens barrel...

Ken

 

[voidshatter]

... question is: what should I buy next? Note that I want a smallest, compact and cheapest set up and any brand will do! I also ok with Chinese Adapter too

Then it's worth considering solutions like this and this.