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Cambo Actus, thoughts, experience, or regrets

Shashin

Well-known member
Hi folks. I am thinking about an Actus B to mate my Fuji X system with my Pentax 645 lenses. I would be very interested in anyone's feedback on the B, G, or DB/2. I have used view cameras before, so using these types of camera (both film and with p25+ backs) are not new to me. But any thoughts on your experience on using this camera are welcome as well as how much value you think it adds to your photography or even things you found out were nice to know after using it.
 
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vjbelle

Well-known member
Hi Will..... I've posted considerably about the Cambo Actus. I have both an Actus G and Actus DB2 and am happy with both. They are not perfect but nothing is. It's critical to make sure the standards are parallel. I suggest you take a look at my post https://www.getdpi.com/forum/medium...t-rear-standards-parallelism-field-actus.html from about a week ago.

Aside from that issue which is something that is important on any technical camera with adjustable front standards I have found the camera easy to use and very light. You'll have a lot of fun with it.

Victor
 

dchew

Well-known member
Hi Will,
I just bought a used Actus db2 myself. So far it seems like a simple, well-designed camera. My main purpose is for product photography so I will not be traveling with this much. I am going to add the fine ratio gear drive for focus; I will know in a few weeks if that was worth it - it is quite expensive. I plan to focus stack, and based on some math of how I use the Alpa I will move the focus in 0.15mm increments. That is tough to do with the standard drive knob.

It is worth reviewing Victor's thread about getting the front/rear standards registered with each other. My zero detents are off a little for both swing and tilt. The Starrett 98-4 level Victor recommends is wonderful and a perfect size for the job.



As for critiques, I don't have much yet. That may change as I get to know it better.

  • It would be nice to adjust where the detents are if you find them be off like I did. Maybe that is possible...?
  • You can't see the rise/fall mm from the back very well. That only matters when you are trying to set it back to zero, and you can count the 5mm detents in your head.
  • I like the way the whole thing assembles. The bellows goes together easily with a solid click to know you got it right.
  • I haven't put any heavy lenses on yet, but both standards seem solid enough (db2 version).
  • My biggest gripe is not with the Actus but with RRS, who makes their quick clamps too loose for true Arca dovetails. I've standardized on RRS quick clamps, which doesn't grip the Actus rail.
  • It really shines with longer lenses. Based on your intended use, you will probably get away with only the std rail, depending on how much macro you intend to do. I have the 300mm rail too, but not sure yet if I will use it.

Dave
 

Audii-Dudii

Active member
I have a "B" version from an early production run that I bought used and I have now used it for several years.

Although its issues are well known and documented -- i.e., basically, keeping the standards parallel so as not to introduce unwanted movements when it's used in the field -- I nevertheless consider it to be a very clever and decently well-built design. I've recommended them to several photographers over the years and, so far as I know, they are all similarly happy with their Actii (Actuses?) as well.

Of course, with me being me, I have made a couple of modifications to tailor mine to my particular set of tastes and preferences, as well as to make it possible to use it with several camera bodies and lenses for which Cambo makes no mounts or lens boards. (Note: I am always keen to lighten my load -- most of my photography is done while walking around, often for several miles, while carrying my camera / tripod combo over my shoulder -- because for reasons I don't understand, every ounce seems to have multiplied itself by the end of my outings. While an Actus is fairly light as-is, it can be made slightly lighter still without too much effort if one is willing to limit the boundaries of its performance envelope in some ways.)

For my purposes, these mods have definitely improved its performance overall, although the truth is that by rejiggering certain aspects of its design, I have also further compromised other aspects of it that aren't relevant to my usage, hence YMMV!

In short, no one camera is perfect for all purposes or all photographers and it's difficult to predict in a vacuum how well any particular camera will meet your needs / preferences without actually using it to take your photos.

As such, perhaps you might find it helpful to rent one for a week or weekend? I know Capture Integration rents them and I'm sure there are other firms that do so as well.
 

Hausen

Active member
I really like my Actus XCD for the X1D. My only frustrations are that I can't get a wide enough lens for what I do with the setup. I am a long exposure shooter and I have to carry some black out cloth because anything over 30s I get light leaks. I like to be under bridges, at rivers edge at the base of mountains and a lens around 65mm is just not wide enough and stitching 4m exposures can be problematic. Besides that it a cool piece of kit. I might sell mine and get the XCD21.
 

scho

Well-known member
I converted my Actus B to a G after getting the Fuji GFX 50R, but still use the same collection of MF and LF lenses that I had for the B. Two most often used lenses are the Cambo Actar 60mm and an old Pentax A-35/3.5.
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I highly recommend the Actus G for the ultimate flexibility. I started with the DB, then picked up a second DB+, had the DB stolen (which I’d converted to Sony rear mount) and so concentrated on the DB+ plus which I upgraded to a G which allows me to use my MFDB/rear tilt adapter, plus GFX mount and any of the smaller format cameras should I want to in the future.

Its a rail camera with bellows so I’m sure that you’ll get along with it fine. I bought the fine adjust tilt & focus controls but have yet to fit them.

My only complaints are the ease of which the swing detent is obviously off a little, the tiny locks that absolutely need to be tightened when setting focus/rise, also the front/rear standards do flex a little when adjusting them so be sure to let them settle after touching your camera/digital back.

All told though, I love using mine. I just wish that my IQ4150 had a tilt LCD sometimes.
 
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Shashin

Well-known member
Thanks to everyone for chiming in. I really appreciate it. I certainly welcome others to add to this thread.

This has given me something to think about. Although my wife has given me her blessing, I am still sitting on the fence. (You all knew I was crazy, but just not the the same way you guys are crazy!)
 

Paul2660

Well-known member
+1 on tilting LCD for IQ Digital back. Had so hoped this would make the IQ4. Cannot be that hard to implement. Everyone else had figured it out besides Hasselblad on X1D series. Live what they did on their 907x digital back with the tilting screen.

Paul C
 

Duddingston

New member
Hi Guys,
I used to be a professional photographer now just a pensioner going senile. I bought what I thought was a Cambo Actus DB off Ebay, turns out it is a Chinese copy.
I have been told one route to go down to get up and running is to buy a mirrorless 6x9 camera, put the camera on the back and the lens at the front end.
I am short on resources so can anyone suggest what I should buy in what will be the second hand market, probably on Ebay ?
Many Thanks
Mike
 

rdeloe

Well-known member
Hi Guys,
I used to be a professional photographer now just a pensioner going senile. I bought what I thought was a Cambo Actus DB off Ebay, turns out it is a Chinese copy.
I have been told one route to go down to get up and running is to buy a mirrorless 6x9 camera, put the camera on the back and the lens at the front end.
I am short on resources so can anyone suggest what I should buy in what will be the second hand market, probably on Ebay ?
Many Thanks
Mike
Do you need (or just want) movements, like a view camera? And what kind of camera do you want to put on it, as in a medium format back, a medium format system camera (e.g., Fuji GFX), full frame, or APS-C?

There must be something in the water because someone over at DPReview's medium format forum asked a very similar question just now. I'll paste my answer to that person in here for you. Here's the link to the thread on DPReview if you want to see how that one goes: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4535093 That person was also interested in adapters, so I covered that too.

========================
I used to shoot a Sony A7R with dual Mirex adapters and Pentax 645 lenses. You want dual adapters of some kind to get a fuller range of movements. For example, you could have an A7R series camera with a Sony E to Canon EF shift adapter, and then a Canon EF to Pentax 645 (or whatever) tilt-shift adapter. That way you get shift independent of the direction of tilt.

Another option to consider is APS-C with 35mm film lenses. Don't laugh. I shot the heck out of a Fuji X-T2 with a tilt-shift adapter and Olympus OM lenses. Most of the pictures in this series are from that outfit (with a few actual Fuji XF lens shots mixed in): https://www.robdeloephotography.com/Works/How-we-see-trees/

Currently I'm shooting a Fuji GFX 50R with a digital view camera (Toyo VX23D) and all kinds of different glass; relative to an actual medium format back it's quite economical. Details here: https://www.robdeloephotography.com/Pages/Toyo-VX23D-and-Fuji-GFX-50R

A nice middle ground for medium format is a 50R with a Fotodiox or Kipon tilt-shift adapter and your favourite medium format lenses. I think the best value and quality combination is Pentax 645; others have their favourites from Mamiya and Hasselblad. Contax 645 would be awesome, but you can't control the aperture with a dumb tilt-shift adapter. If you go this route, ask me about using lens collars on the adapter (essential in my view).
 

diggles

Well-known member
I got the Actus-G for the GFX 50s in July of this year and I have to say it's a fun camera to use. It has a lot to do with the reason I've been getting excited about photography again.

My first inclination was to use medium format lenses with big image circles and the available adapters. Over the last few months I scoured the forums looking for lens reviews and comparisons. Then I hit ebay to try practically every Pentax 645 and 67 lens that has good reviews on the pentaxform. The Pentax lenses that I kept are the SMC Pentax-A 35mm and the Pentax 67 55mm with adapter–the new one. The HD Pentax 645 35mm is a great choice too, but it costs much more than the Pentax-A 35mm and the difference in IQ is negligible.

The Pentax lenses are really good, but the more I looked into all this the more I learned about Rodenstock and Schneider. That led me to try a number of different LF lenses, including APO Sironar Digital, HR Digaron, and APO Digitar lenses.

I ended out selling the GFX and getting a digital back to use with the Actus because the GFX doesn't allow the use of wide LF lenses. An upside to the Actus-G is that it is very simple to use it with a digital back. All you have to do is get the digital back holder, nothing has to be removed or bolted on. Currently I'm using it with the 32hr, 50hr, 70hr, and 90 Sironar Digital lenses and they all work great with the Actus. The whole kit fits into a medium sized backpack, complete with a surface pro for tethering.

When I first starting using the camera I did notice a number of times that the front swing moved ever so slightly while in the bag or while setting it up, but I never noticed until I was putting everything away–aargh. Now I make sure everything is zero'd out in between every new shot setup. All that being said, I believe I am experiencing an issue with the front and rear standards not lining up perfectly as well. I had noticed that the bottom right corner is slightly soft in many of my images, no matter which lens. Based on earlier posts in this thread it sounds like an issue others have been experiencing that can be mitigated.

Just a couple days ago I ordered the Cambo WRS 1600 for two reasons. I want to see if that fixes the soft corner, and most of the medium format architecture photographers I know of use a technical camera–so I want to see if I like using it. If I do like using it I'm not sure where that will leave me with the Actus. At the moment I can't imagine parting with it, but…
 

Audii-Dudii

Active member
I know this post isn't responding to any other post in particular and my particular Actus is presently using a 35 mm body, not a medium-format one, so I'm technically posting this in the wrong forum, but I have mentioned it here before without any objections and since it has been pressed into service again recently, I thought I would provide a brief update as to its status, if only for grins and giggles.



As the photo above shows, I haven't tidied-up the cosmetics from this latest round of modifications, but I will be tackling that tomorrow or maybe the day after. In the meantime, though, it's fully functional (at least with regard to those functions that remain ... lol) and I've now done a handful of test outings with it around my neighborhood to confirm everything is setup properly and working as expected.

Although the Actus B is quite light compared to most cameras of this type, I photograph on foot -- no "drive-by shooting" for me! -- and often cover several miles on an outing, so the less weight I have to carry around, the better! As such, one of my goals in modifying my Actus is to reduce its weight as low as possible without compromising its functionality for my purposes. YMMV, of course!

The bare camera -- with lens panel, but without a lens, camera body or monitor attached -- now weighs just 1 lb., 12.3 ounces. Of course, by removing the front standard and shortening the rail, it now has only rear rise / fall / shift movements, but this is fine for my purposes (urban and suburban street and alley scenes photographed at night.) It also solves the pesky problem of taking photos using unintended and unnoticed tilts and swings once and for all time!

I also removed the fine-focus adjustment knob, because once I have the FFD set correctly for the family of lenses I'm using, I don't need it and if I ever do need it, it's a very simple matter to reinstall it. Likewise, I have replaced three of the four locking knobs with screws because once everything is adjusted properly, I have no reason to ever loosen them, so why carry the extra weight? (FYI, when one is trying to reduce the weight of a camera, one has to take advantage of every possible opportunity, no matter how small the amount of weight is saved, because a large weight reduction is comprised of lots of small reductions.)

One nice aspect of the Actus' design is the Arca-style dovetail on the bottom of the base rail, which makes it easy to, say, hang from it a mounting bracket for an external HDMI monitor. Although this does add a fair amount of weight -- 1 lb., 3 ounces for the monitor, mounting bracket, HDMI cable, and battery box containing two 18650 cells -- I find the convenience of working with a 7" display more than compensates for it ... again, YMMV.

Perhaps surprisingly, with the exception of cutting the base rail shorter (which can be easily and relatively inexpensively replaced, if it's ever necessary), nothing I have done has permanently modified the Actus in any way and it can be returned to its original, OEM form in a matter of minutes. Future plans include replacing the aluminum lens panels with DIY carbon fiber panels (which my calculations suggest will save ~ 2.0 ounces) and replacing the bellows material with Monokote, a plastic film that's used for covering model airplanes, which should save another ~2.0 ounces. Mind you, neither of these modifications are absolutely necessary, but I enjoy tinkering with cameras, so why not? :cool:
 
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Duddingston

New member
Do you need (or just want) movements, like a view camera? And what kind of camera do you want to put on it, as in a medium format back, a medium format system camera (e.g., Fuji GFX), full frame, or APS-C?

There must be something in the water because someone over at DPReview's medium format forum asked a very similar question just now. I'll paste my answer to that person in here for you. Here's the link to the thread on DPReview if you want to see how that one goes: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4535093 That person was also interested in adapters, so I covered that too.

========================
I used to shoot a Sony A7R with dual Mirex adapters and Pentax 645 lenses. You want dual adapters of some kind to get a fuller range of movements. For example, you could have an A7R series camera with a Sony E to Canon EF shift adapter, and then a Canon EF to Pentax 645 (or whatever) tilt-shift adapter. That way you get shift independent of the direction of tilt.

Another option to consider is APS-C with 35mm film lenses. Don't laugh. I shot the heck out of a Fuji X-T2 with a tilt-shift adapter and Olympus OM lenses. Most of the pictures in this series are from that outfit (with a few actual Fuji XF lens shots mixed in): https://www.robdeloephotography.com/Works/How-we-see-trees/

Currently I'm shooting a Fuji GFX 50R with a digital view camera (Toyo VX23D) and all kinds of different glass; relative to an actual medium format back it's quite economical. Details here: https://www.robdeloephotography.com/Pages/Toyo-VX23D-and-Fuji-GFX-50R

A nice middle ground for medium format is a 50R with a Fotodiox or Kipon tilt-shift adapter and your favourite medium format lenses. I think the best value and quality combination is Pentax 645; others have their favourites from Mamiya and Hasselblad. Contax 645 would be awesome, but you can't control the aperture with a dumb tilt-shift adapter. If you go this route, ask me about using lens collars on the adapter (essential in my view).
Thanks for the response but most of what you have written has gone completely over my head !!! Let me give you some background .....
I was a professional a (successful) professional photographer before I went into farming. later divorced and now in exile in France where I have built a studio over my stables.
I used to use leicas for every day work, a Hasselblad for portraiture and a Sinar 5 x 4 for pack shots etc. But everything has changed beyond my comprehension !
So I first went out to buy a Leica CL which is useless with (Bowens type) studio flash because it only has "live View", next I bought a Hasselbald on Ebay only to be scammed out of £2,500. I looked at buying a second hand Linhof but they were too expensive so settled on a Cambo Actus DB only to find the one I bought is a chinese replica !!
I now have another Hasselblad H4 40D and I was told I could use the digital back on my cambo with a fire wire cable which I then bough but can't figure out how to connect it to my laptop to power the back. I am in way over my head here as well !
I was then told I could pretty much use any mirrorless camera and lens with my Cambo so I am now looking to buy a second hand 6 x 9 camera and lens to use with it.
So my question is what camera and lens should I buy and where can I buy the necessary adapter plates for the camera ?
A second question might be how to attach a fire cable to my PC ? I have already bought a thunderbold 2 to fire wire adapter but a my PC does not have a USB "C" port .........
If I can find one and eventually stopped going on forums to ask for help I might one day actually get round to taking a photograph or two !!
Thanking everyone in advance
Mike
 

Ray Harrison

Well-known member
Hi Mike,

I know all of this can be frustrating when the tech has shifted over the years! It might be worth taking a step back and assessing where you are.

(1) You have a Hassie H4D-40 after some eBay frustrations. If I recall correctly, the only H4D back that could take a clip-on battery was the 60. The others required firewire tethering either to a computer or external battery.
(2) Firewire is pretty well deprecated but there are still some options - though potentially annoying. You don't have a thunderbolt/USB-C port on your current PC.
(3) You have a "knock-off Cambo Actus DB" from eBay that you'd like to convert to being able to use with a mirrorless camera.
(4) You have the makings of a very nice studio in France!

Does that sum things up? Let me know if I've mischaracterized or gotten something wrong. Laying things out can help others here help you and I definitely think you've come to the right forum for that help. While I am a newer member here, I am a long-time reader and I owe a considerable debt to the great folks here who freely share their immense knowledge on a wide array of topics over the years. You won't find a finer or more knowledgeable group of people :).

For your firewire power connection, it's potentially true that something like this FW800 powered hub (https://www.digitalback.com/product/fw800-powered-hub/) may work as long as you aren't specifically trying to capture images to your PC through Phocus, though the folks at Capture Integration here in the states can better confirm (@Steve Hendrix ). If that doesn't end up being an option, another is to pick up a cheaper or used windows laptop/desktop with thunderbolt 3. I've tried firewire->thunderbolt with a phase back and it was reasonably stable, though a Mac in my case. Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C are different, though Thunderbolt incorprates USB-C connections. In situations where data is transferring between the camera and the computer, my understanding is that straight USB-C would be a challenge (if it even works at all) and I'm not sure with just doing a straight power connection either. I'm pretty certain that running from firewire all the way to what's presumably a USB-A style connector on your PC won't work at all.

There are quite a few Actus users here who can chime in on what possibilites exist with your knock-off Actus DB and its ability to convert to mounting a mirrorless camera (that is, if it is really similar to an actual Cambo). Any images of your knock-off Cambo that you could post may help too.

On my own rather meandering medium format journey, I did a fair amount of research in the beginning on the older backs - much of it by reading threads here on GetDPI - and ultimately decided against the older Hasselblads because of not being able to easily power with a battery, and like you I wanted to eventually use the back on a view/tech camera. And while I realize everything I have suggested requires more outlay, one more option if you'd like to use Hassies would be to consider an older phase one P+/early IQ or leaf credo back with H-mount (e.g. a Credo 40) where you can use a battery in the back itself. You can still use these with Cambo. You can also use the backs to some degree with the older H1/H2 bodies or the moderately more expensive H4x bodies. There's expense here, but it also has the advantage of a bit more flexibility and simplicity along with hopefully a lower level of overall frustration.



Cheers,
Ray
 
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Duddingston

New member
Hi Ray,
Firstly you have the situation pretty much as is. I bought the fire wire cable to use my Hasselblad back with the Cambo but apparently I can't do that. In my effort to connect the fire wire to my PC I have bought a fire wire to thunderbolt 2 adapter which doesn't connect to my PC. It appears I need a thunderbot 2 to a thunderbold 3 adapter and a pc with the new USB C port so this afternoon have ordered a notepad with a USB C Port. The alternative would have been as you say to find an old Mac or some such thing.
It is not even certain what I am trying to do will work.
Your idea of Leaf Credo sounds fascinating, I have never heard of such thing but if I understand correctly this could become my digital back for my Cambo ???
Follow this link to see what I actually bought https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164238347608 it is the word "Compatable" I should have taken more notice of !!! Photo also included.
If the Credo is what I need, how much will this cost me and where will I find one ? The next step I presume will be to find a lens etc ?
Phew ! Time for a gin and tonic !
Mike
 

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Duddingston

New member
Hi Ray again
It has been suggested to me one way forward might be to buy a Fuji GFX 50 or some such other medium format camera and stick it on the Cambo.
Do you have a view on that idea ?
Michel
 

diggles

Well-known member
Hey Mike,

A month or so ago Steve at Capture Integration, www.captureintegration.com, had a very nice preowned Leaf Credo 50 for sale. That would be worth looking into. They are easy to talk to, just give them a call.

I came very close to buying it, but I ended out going with the Hasselblad CFV II 50c because it was about the same price and has a couple features I like that the Leaf does not. It has focus peaking and an electronic shutter-meaning that you can use a lens without a built in shutter with the Hasselblad but with the Leaf your only option is to use a lens that has a shutter built in. The menu system for the Hasselblad is also very intuitive and has just what you need to get the job done without a bunch of other bells and whistles.

Both the Leaf Credo 50 and the Hasselblad have the same sensor. The only drawback I've been able to figure out with the Hasselblad is that you are not able to use Capture One to process your images, but hopefully that will change in a future.

Warren

PS - I was in the same boat as you about 6 months ago. Up to then I'd always shot 35mm and everything just worked with no fuss. So I just assumed it would be the same with medium format. Not so. There are so many little details that I never even considered, but it has been quite a fun learning curve and I couldn't have figured out what I have without this forum.
 
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