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Show us your Tech Cam

danlindberg

Well-known member
Mouth watering set up Dan!
What have you done with your wooden grip, looks very shinny? you polish it with wax?
Which lens is it on the 17' adaptor? And the hood, is it extendable? ... I'm curious : )
What always gets me is the money you tech-camera guys fork over for the collapsable lens hood...
Agreed - but no infinity focus with the 47XL and the 17mm T/S :(, or is this something else? Would love to see what you've shot with this combo.

Cheers, -Peter
No polish on the grips, I guess it is only how the studioflash lands on it...

Oh yes, infinity focus with the SK 72 L :)

I had to think long and hard before I made the jump with the collapsable lenshood! I figured that it should be worth while the investment in the long run, but I agree it is heartbreaking to leave $15 on the counter. Oh well, once it is done you concentrate on photography again....:D
Note that I use a Heliopan (brass) stepup 40,5 - 72mm and thus a 72mm rubberlenshood. I can use it extended and full shift with the lens without vignetting.

The second of February I am going 800km north in Sweden to snowy mountains and I am bringing this setup only! A one-lens-camera in a backpack and crosscountryskiis. I am so much looking forward to this.

I love the viewfinder :D it weighs nothing and is more accurate then one might think at first glance, the new (to me) TS 17 adaptor and the arrangement with the cable - all in all a superb package.

Actually, today is the first tryout with the TS 17......
 

jotloob

Subscriber Member
Steve,

That'll get you expelled from the Alpa club - listing such an inexpensive pimp item! You must of course direct people to the bargain priced Alpa hood :ROTFL::ROTFL: (which is only 25x the cost).

It would be funny if only it wasn't true ... (the cost)
These words give me a good start into the week . :thumbs: :ROTFL::ROTFL::ROTFL:
 
Dual 17mm T/S with 34mm T/S

Couple people asked for a picture. Sorry for the iphone quality photo, just took a couple snaps of the setup after our shoot.

 

WWLEE

New member
Having now read through the six pages here on this topic, and having drooled all the way through, I pose the following question to this esteemed and experienced crew (does flattery help?!):

What would you recommend as a great tech camera outfit? What body, what two or three lenses, what viewing mechanism, how to handle latency, is the Cube helpful enough to warrant the expense, etc? Approx. cost would be helpful, too, before I take the plunge... I'm not made of money, but I lust after the perfect image! I know there may be a few recommendations of different systems, so perhaps adding the major couple pluses and minuses of any recommendations would be most helpful.

I currently have an IQ180 and the PhaseDF system with the 35mm, 80, 150 and 300 lenses. My priority is landscape photography, so the current setup is not optimal, although it works fine in some situations. Also, I like photographing in remote, cold, wild places (emphasis on cold!), so to the extent a certain rig is not good in the cold, I should avoid it. Also, weight and portability matters since I often hike in many miles to get to a location.

Thanks in advance!
Will
 

Shashin

Well-known member
There is a fine line between money and a larger credit line. And if we are talking your money, well my wife doesn't care.

If your DF works in what to describe as cold, a tech camera should--it is just a mecanical shutter and manual aperture that you need to worry about (you already know what you IQ180 does). I can't see talking about portability and a Cube in the same sentence--there are lighter heads. I use a P0.

Personally, I would go to a dealer with your gloves and bag and play with some of these cameras. I would also think about any special filtration you would use like strong ND filters. I think the choice is going to be personal and how you work with the camera may trump simple size and weight specs. I certainly would handle these with you cold weather gloves.
 
Here's one of my MAX with the 36 Switar and the Cube mounted to a Kirk LowPod, then ratchet-strapped to a steel beam to shoot a pano. Rock Solid!
 

danlindberg

Well-known member
Having now read through the six pages here on this topic, and having drooled all the way through, I pose the following question to this esteemed and experienced crew (does flattery help?!):

What would you recommend as a great tech camera outfit? What body, what two or three lenses, what viewing mechanism, how to handle latency, is the Cube helpful enough to warrant the expense, etc? Approx. cost would be helpful, too, before I take the plunge... I'm not made of money, but I lust after the perfect image! I know there may be a few recommendations of different systems, so perhaps adding the major couple pluses and minuses of any recommendations would be most helpful.

I currently have an IQ180 and the PhaseDF system with the 35mm, 80, 150 and 300 lenses. My priority is landscape photography, so the current setup is not optimal, although it works fine in some situations. Also, I like photographing in remote, cold, wild places (emphasis on cold!), so to the extent a certain rig is not good in the cold, I should avoid it. Also, weight and portability matters since I often hike in many miles to get to a location.

Thanks in advance!
Will
If I was in your shoes....an IQ 180 already in the bag, wanting to go tech cam and go hiking in remote and cold places, thinking of reliability, size, weight and outmost quality in the files - then I know what I would have done.
I would go with an Alpa STC + Schneider 60XL/TS adaptor! The SK 60 XL can handle the IQ180 with stunning results even with lots of shifts. This means that with a single lens you actually have lots of options. Put the back vertical and make a flatstitch 14 left + 14 right and you maintain 4:3 aspect ratio with a much wider angle of view. Or go landscape and do a flatstich 12 left + 12 right and you get a perfect 2:1 pano. These movements work without problems even with the IQ180.
This would be my solution in your situation :)
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Having now read through the six pages here on this topic, and having drooled all the way through, I pose the following question to this esteemed and experienced crew (does flattery help?!):

What would you recommend as a great tech camera outfit? What body, what two or three lenses, what viewing mechanism, how to handle latency, is the Cube helpful enough to warrant the expense, etc? Approx. cost would be helpful, too, before I take the plunge... I'm not made of money, but I lust after the perfect image! I know there may be a few recommendations of different systems, so perhaps adding the major couple pluses and minuses of any recommendations would be most helpful.

I currently have an IQ180 and the PhaseDF system with the 35mm, 80, 150 and 300 lenses. My priority is landscape photography, so the current setup is not optimal, although it works fine in some situations. Also, I like photographing in remote, cold, wild places (emphasis on cold!), so to the extent a certain rig is not good in the cold, I should avoid it. Also, weight and portability matters since I often hike in many miles to get to a location.

Thanks in advance!
Will
The cold isn't an issue for a tech body or shutter until far after it's highly impractical for the human operating it.

Look through any thread on getdpi which includes the word "cube" and you'll get the idea real quick. Some people pass because it's not in their budget. But no one who has one is anything less than crazy about it.

There simply is no universally "ideal" tech camera. The reason there are no less than a dozen models out there (in a very small niche mind you) is that each has it's own mix of features, size, weight, and aesthetics. For any given person one is going to be ideal, which for another person would make no sense at all.

You have several decisions to make to narrow in on the right tech camera for you.

Handholding? - all of these systems can be hand held, but several of them are much more comfortable/sensible to hand hold. A Cambo Wide RC 400 and RS 1250 for instance have molded wooden handles which is easier on your skin in cold weather, and easier to grip. Naturally whether they fit YOUR hands is something best determined by you by trying them on. Some users never ever hand hold (always using a tripod), some almost exclusively hand hold, so how much this matters depends entirely on you.
Tilt? each system has a different feature set when it comes to tilt. Arca has tilt on every lens without the need for a special panel, lens version, or adapter. Cambo allows both tilt and swing at the same time but only for some lenses. Alpa requires special short barrel version of a lens for tilt/swing and can only accomodate some lenses in this manner.
Shift+Rise/fall? some of the smallest bodies only have one direction of movement and require rotation/remounting of some kind for the other direction. For instance with the Cambo Wide RC400 you can mount a tripod foot on both the side and the bottom to facilitate easy switching from rise/fall to shift. On the Arca Factum you use an L-bracket which provides mount points in either orientation. However, in no case with these small uni-direction bodies can you do both rise/fall and shift simultaneously. If this is important (either for stitching or normal compositional needs) then you need a body like the Cambo Wide RS or Arca Swiss RM3Di which have both sets of movements natively (no remount/rotation required).
Extensibility? Do you have any plans in the future to experiment with a full sized view camera (e.g. for macro, tabletop, still life, or larger ranges of movements)? If you buy a small tech camera is it possible in the future you might add a larger tech camera (for larger range of movement and stitching)? The Arca R series can be used as the front standard on a Arca Swiss view camera and/or the R series lenses can be used directly on a view camera by means of a simple lens plate.
Film? Is compatibility with film important? Each line has varying compatibility with small and large format film.
Range of movement Each body has a different capacity for rise/fall/shift. Lay out the image circles (or if you're working with a good dealer they can generate charts like I did on this thread) to evaluate how much movement you might want/need.

I'm obviously biased towards Arca Swiss and Cambo over Alpa, but I'd be the first to tell you all three make great, precise, beautiful cameras. Even after going through every feature you're missing out on the most important question: which one "does it for you"? And that you can only answer by putting them in your hands and playing. Which one fits your hands, feels natural, and gets out of the way of the image making process? The answer will be different for everyone. That's why we keep demo units in stock for in person or remote-via-rental evaluation.
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
.... is the Cube helpful enough to warrant the expense, etc? ....
Will
Will, Doug has already given a brief synopsis of what's out there for technical cameras, but I think the Cube and related cousins (Linhof, Cambo Leveling base, Photoclam---see, ARCA-SWISS C1 Cube a.k.a The Magic Box

is a worthwhile investment. You mention photographing in the cold elements---and nothing makes leveling your camera easier than the Cube! Think shivering body and hands, trying to level a camera. The Cube makes it easy with a few quick turns of the adjustment knobs. Easier yet with A MFDB with dual axis leveling like the IQ180.

I would even include the Arca D4 in the mix, but haven't had the chance to play with one yet....

ken
 

Shashin

Well-known member
The only down side of the Cube is its weight. If I were only working 100m from a car, I would consider one. But if I have to hike with my gear on my back, the weight is not worth it. Take care of the ounces, the pounds will take care of themselves.
 

WWLEE

New member
Thanks, guys, lots to chew on. I'll do some more reading, maybe see about renting, and perhaps spend some time with Doug for an in-person walk through here in NYC (my home base).

One last thought.... Are you aware of any workshops dedicated to learning and using tech cams? Might be helpful to folks like me.

Thanks again!
 

jotloob

Subscriber Member
Thanks, guys, lots to chew on. I'll do some more reading, maybe see about renting, and perhaps spend some time with Doug for an in-person walk through here in NYC (my home base).

One last thought.... Are you aware of any workshops dedicated to learning and using tech cams? Might be helpful to folks like me.

Thanks again!
Have you ever been shooting large format , like 4x5 or 5x7 or even 8x10 ?
Shootig with a technical camera , digital or film , is very much like shooting LF . The gear is not as heavy and bulky , but it is all like back to the roots of photography , gives you enough time to compose and think about aperture , distance and shutter speed and to think about what the hell is going on in this wonderful and also crazy world .
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
....
One last thought.... Are you aware of any workshops dedicated to learning and using tech cams? Might be helpful to folks like me....
Drop a note to Jack Flesher or Guy Mancuso, your hosts here at GetDPI offer photography workshops. Workshops/seminars are a good opportunity to try out equipment and see what works for you.

ken
 
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