Rm3d here for real?

[PeterA]

Just an update - I am working on getting an example in my hands to try out. This may take a couple of months - as the company is apparently about to start shipping a few in the next few weeks.

The camera apparently also is able to incorporate the arca sliding back so that you focus on the ground glass and then move the digi back over if you want to focus using ground glass versus 'guestimate'

as an aside - there are two verions of the camera for different Film sizes - One version is able to take a 4x5 film back.

The Sinar arTec looks like it has been more purpoosefully designed for digital capture...however - even though I have a Sinar 75LV I dont understand why I cant get an H adaptor and use the back from my H3D11-39. etc etc then when you look at teh Sinar offers - you see that if you are existing owner of a Sinar back - you cant buy teh artec at the same price ( less back) as being offered to peopel buying both.

These companies are very weird in the way they treat existing customers..very very weird - almost as if to say ( sometimes) hahahah we gotcha!

 

[PeterA]

Update - I am no longer interested in the Arca Swiss system - it does not give me what the arTec system gives.

 

[shakeshuck]

Update - I am no longer interested in the Arca Swiss system - it does not give me what the arTec system gives.

Peter,

Please elucidate.

One thing I have realised about the R series and the Artec relates to longer lenses; by applying tilt at the lens board, you are effectively offsetting the lens from centre - this may or may not add complications to other aspects of usage.

Graham.

 

[stephengilbert]

Good news Jack, the Arca won the Red Dot design award. http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=47993

I am fairly confident that two or three of these cameras exist. There is even a photog in D.C. who claims to use one. (http://asmp.org/culture/bestof2008/Hoachlander/index.php) There just isn't any way to buy one.

 

[PeterA]

Peter,

Please elucidate.

One thing I have realised about the R series and the Artec relates to longer lenses; by applying tilt at the lens board, you are effectively offsetting the lens from centre - this may or may not add complications to other aspects of usage.

Graham.

Focusing is by Fresnel - but that means adding MFD back after focus ..Or add an Arca Swiss sliding holder - which then totally defeats the original design advantage ( size)

The arTec has inbuilt sliding system as well as a superior focusing system not requiring dark cloth - the 3X magnifier slides all over the focusing glass in its own dark cover ..more elegant system.

 

[jklotz]

I played with a working RM3d with the electronic focusing and leveling thingy at the show this past weekend. Maybe I can clarify a few things. Firstly, the electronic wismo is not necessary to use the camera - it is an add on. Specifically what it does is twofold:

1) It has a distance measuring device which tells you in feet or meters, how far away the object you are trying to focus is. It is an ultrasonic rangefinder measuring device. There is a sensor in the helical focus mount that is also connected. When the distance the sensor is reading meets with the distance the helical focusing sensor is reading, a green LED illuminates telling you are "on". It's really cool how it works - you can see a readout of the distance you are focused on change as you turn the focus ring. Course' using a 35xl @ f16, you've got so much dof to begin with, I'm not sure how necessary it is.

The other issue is, using the ultrasonic rangefinder, as opposed to a laser, means you are averaging over a wider area. Shooting a building would be no problem. Landscapes, however, might be - how do you tell if it is seeing the rock 5 feet in front of you or the mountain at infinity? Course' I haven't tried one in the field, so maybe it works great. I just don't know.

2) It has 4 LED's laid out in a diamond pattern. As you level the camera, they turn on or off, depending on which direction it is tilted. When all of them go off, it is level.

Again, I've been using a Cambo WDS professionally for 4 years with none of this electronic trickery, and it works just fine. That being said, do I want one? Hell yea! It's really cool looking camera.

I got an hour long demo of it at the show, so if I can answer any questions, fire away.

 

[jklotz]

Oh, and I wanted to add a few things to my last post:

Viewfinder - the nicest one I've seen. It is bright with very little distortion. The cool part, however, is twofold: 1) it zooms to match the focal length of the lens you are using. 2) it has a mask that is held on by magnets. The mask has holes in it that allow you to see the amount of rise and fall you are applying, which, in turn, can then be applied to the camera. In other words, add, for instance, 10mm of rise to the viewfinder, then apply the same amount to the camera and the shot is the same in both. Very cool

Tilts - built into the camera, not the lens panel. Therefore all of your lenses have tilt ability. Same thing with the helical mount. One benefit is that you can also have a traditional view camera that uses the same lenses. Actually, Martin, the Arca rep, showed me how you could get a rear standard, a rail and some bellows and they hook right on to the RM3d, essentially making it the front standard.

All in all, pretty cool, assuming you can actually get one....

 

[chmilar]

One question has been nagging at me since I first saw the rm3d video at Luminous Landscape:

How does the tilt mechanism interact with the focus? Does the focus distance correspond to the centerline of the image, or somewhere else?

 

[jklotz]

One question has been nagging at me since I first saw the rm3d video at Luminous Landscape:

How does the tilt mechanism interact with the focus? Does the focus distance correspond to the centerline of the image, or somewhere else?

I don't know that the electronic focus finder takes tilts into account, but I didn't ask. I can tell you my solution, but I don't think everybody would accept this as an acceptable one. I always shoot tethered to a laptop. I don't trust anything other than viewing the image at 100% on the screen personally. Course' I've got clients to please, which changes the equation for my purposes. Your milage may vary....

 

[archivue]

One question has been nagging at me since I first saw the rm3d video at Luminous Landscape:

How does the tilt mechanism interact with the focus? Does the focus distance correspond to the centerline of the image, or somewhere else?

i believe so !

 

[Clawery]

I am working on getting more detailed information from Arca-Swiss on the Rm3d so we can post and keep everyone informed. We will post it ASAP. Steve and I were fortunate to get a demo from Martin at Photo Expo in NY. It's a very nice system and I can't wait to get one in hand and test it.


Chris Lawery (e-mail Me)
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[Clawery]

I am working on getting a definitive answer from Arca-Swiss on how the new focus system will interact with the tilt mechanism. Attached you will find a press release from Arca on the Rm3d and a spec sheet.

Chris Lawery (e-mail Me)
__________________
Sales Manager, Capture Integration
Phase One, Leaf, Cambo, Canon, Apple, Profoto, Eizo & More
National: 877.217.9870 | Cell: 404.234.5195
Newsletter: Read Latest or Sign Up
RSS Feed: Subscribe[/font]