Cambo Actar, anyone ?

[Jérôme.E]

Getting very nice info here ! Thanks.
@Alan Could you please explain why it is difficult to keep aligned the sensor plane with the L-Bracket. I just planned to adapt my F-Metric (6x9) with my Nikon Z, but a technician from Arca (in France) told me it would not work with my Sinaron digital 45mm coupled with the Rotafoot, as you say because of the loss of flange distance it imposes ! So they purpose me the L-Bracket way. Don't know what to do now !

 

[GrahamWelland]

I can recommend the enhanced focus knobs too if you want fine control for macro.

 

[Alan]

Getting very nice info here ! Thanks.
@Alan Could you please explain why it is difficult to keep aligned the sensor plane with the L-Bracket.

In my experience, L-brackets, camera bases, tripod sockets, etc are made to much larger tolerances than depth of focus on a digital sensor. If you have an L-bracket tightly attached to your camera, and press on one side of it with your thumb to cause a seemingly imperceptible rotation, you've just changed it's angle in relation to the sensor plane.

On a camera like an Arca Universalis or similar using an L-bracket attached camera, if you take two rear-shifted shots, left and right, and set them up in Photoshop so they're aligned, you'll probably see a change in sharpness where the two frames meet. There's a chain of tolerances even within the rear standard to camera that add up pretty quickly. (Rear shift plane –> L-bracket clamp –> L-bracket squareness –> camera base –> sensor plane.) The body flange mount method of the Actus and Arca Rotafoot eliminate a couple of those steps (while also introducing it's own squareness to the chain).

Not to say that you can't work around this, or that it's as significant in all situations, but it's something to be aware of.

I just planned to adapt my F-Metric (6x9) with my Nikon Z, but a technician from Arca (in France) told me it would not work with my Sinaron digital 45mm coupled with the Rotafoot, as you say because of the loss of flange distance it imposes ! So they purpose me the L-Bracket way. Don't know what to do now !

For lenses shorter than ~55mm, MF SLR lenses are a good option, since they're designed to clear mirror boxes.

 

[Jérôme.E]

Thank you @Alan for this clear answer ! Much appreciated.
I don't know if I want to take the MF road for shorter focal. I heard quite a lot of mixed feeling here in Getdpi.
The Canon way with 24 and 50 seems ok (but a gap and no so much CI to stick with the 50) and it is a budget (4500€) I did not plan to spend for a kind of "bonus" use with my Arca. And I already have the 19mm PCE but don't know yet how to surely adapt it on the Arca (M39 plate with Nikon F adapter ?)