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dip toe into view camera with phase back?

faneuil

Member
forgive the ignorance. I come from Mam 645 land.
What would be a 'low cost' method of getting into a view camera with my Phase back?

I assume I need: 2x3 view camera, lenses and lens board and plate /trigger for the phase back.
any help appreciated!

my back has live view, so I imagine I would compose and focus that way

view camera curious,
Eric
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
forgive the ignorance. I come from Mam 645 land.
What would be a 'low cost' method of getting into a view camera with my Phase back?

I assume I need: 2x3 view camera, lenses and lens board and plate /trigger for the phase back.
any help appreciated!

my back has live view, so I imagine I would compose and focus that way

view camera curious,
Eric
What problem are you trying to solve? In other words what will you use the view camera setup for? There are a lot of differences between the right way to go if you want to do, for instance [long-lens-macro product photography] in studio vs [wide angle landscape images in the field].

Tell us more about what you'd like to accomplish and you'll get better advice about what way is best to go about it.

Also "low cost" is a very relative term. Do you have any specific budget in mind?
 

faneuil

Member
thank under $3000 or so.
plan is to shoot more interior and architectural work.
was looking at the toyo 2x3 digital solution.

I see used toyos under $1800 here and there.

eric
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
thank under $3000 or so.
plan is to shoot more interior and architectural work.
was looking at the toyo 2x3 digital solution.

I see used toyos under $1800 here and there.

eric
Generally interior and architecture calls for wide angles and high mechanical precision. The Toyo will do poorly with both. An Arca, Cambo, or Alpa wide angle tech body would all be more logical choices. If you need to stay on a budget you can sometimes find Cambo Wide DS body with a lens for within your budget. Just make sure you get one with an M mount.

Toyo makes an okay budget studio camera where the lenses are typically longer. At shorter focal lengths the same amount of slop (e.g. +/- 1 mm of wiggle movement on the front standard) produces a greater issue.
 

torger

Active member
If your back is one of the newer CMOS backs and you want to shoot technical wide angles you should know that there's limited compatibility with the lenses. As you're new to architecture photography(?) then the choice becomes more difficult as you won't have a good feeling of how limiting the movement limitations will be for your work.

It's quite complex to relate to so I'd recommend to contact a dealer which knows the stuff if you start from zero.

If you want a budget system it's easier to find one for an older back like a P25+ or P45+ as those doesn't have the same requirements on lenses and the larger pixel sizes is a little bit more forgiving.
 

faneuil

Member
will be using my IQ180 CCD back
reaching out to my favorite dealers today!
thanks
eric


If your back is one of the newer CMOS backs and you want to shoot technical wide angles you should know that there's limited compatibility with the lenses. As you're new to architecture photography(?) then the choice becomes more difficult as you won't have a good feeling of how limiting the movement limitations will be for your work.

It's quite complex to relate to so I'd recommend to contact a dealer which knows the stuff if you start from zero.

If you want a budget system it's easier to find one for an older back like a P25+ or P45+ as those doesn't have the same requirements on lenses and the larger pixel sizes is a little bit more forgiving.
 

AreBee

Member
torger,

...it's easier to find one for an older back like a P25+ or P45+ as those doesn't have the same requirements on lenses and the larger pixel sizes is a little bit more forgiving.
Do you happen to know if the P45+ requires an LCC when used with the widest Schneider lens? Does it require an LCC even when used with the Rodenstock 23HR?
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
torger,



Do you happen to know if the P45+ requires an LCC when used with the widest Schneider lens? Does it require an LCC even when used with the Rodenstock 23HR?
An LCC is always suggested. The amount of color cast with unshifted wides on a 45+ is pretty minor and easy to miss until you apply a proper LCC and see the image with no color cast.

Remember the LCC also provides optional dust-removal and optional vignette/falloff correction.
 

torger

Active member
torger,



Do you happen to know if the P45+ requires an LCC when used with the widest Schneider lens? Does it require an LCC even when used with the Rodenstock 23HR?
I have never seen the P45+ with a 23HR, so I don't know. With the widest Schneider, being the SK28XL, I would surely apply an LCC.

There are various reasons for color cast but in the least case it happens directly in the sensor color filters just by changing the angle the light passes through it, so with the current technology it's unavoidable, and when the widest tech lenses were designed it was with awareness of these issues. As well-behaved color cast is 100% correctable with the simplest flat-field correction algorithm it was considered an acceptable drawback. Tech cam workflow is quite slow anyway, so the extra step doesn't cost much time. You also get the added bonus with corrected vignetting and dust spot removal.

As color cast is in comparison quite minor I know some skip LCC for more casual shots, or sometimes even leave it in for effect. But for the perfect picture you should apply it also for the older backs.
 

Lars

Active member
I had a similar idea when I got my Ebony SW23 6x9cm view camera in 2002 - Once prices on digital backs come down I'll use it for digital.
Well, prices never did come down - the backs just got better. :D and of course different lenses would have to be used due to sensor size being much smaller than 6x9 cm.
 
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