Sorry ...Wine induced typing. That should have read, " There will be the argument that they build racing bikes out of it"
Sorry ...Wine induced typing. That should have read, " There will be the argument that they build racing bikes out of it"
Kerry,
Your are right.... my aluminum Linhof is the smoothest and most precise camera that I own, besides the Leica. Too bad no wooden field manufacturers have seen fit to put that kind of craftmanship into the metal of the current family of wooden field cameras. So this is a mute point. Robert...actually my cameras take a lot of beating so I would like to have the toughest metal available. Aluminum is fine on my Wisner 7x17 and 12x20 but like it or not... weight not being a factor....IMO Brass feels the best to me with titanium coming in 2nd and aluminum (current quality grade used) dead last. And if you want to know about the strength of aluminum just ask Ron Wisner about the UPS damage rate of his ULF cameras. The aluminum, not the wood is what is damaged. One dropped box in shipping will bend aluminum silly. I have received more than one camera with this kind of shipping damage. And....as to Shen-Hao destroying the American economy...give me a break! Ask Keith Canham how he feels about this. Last year he told me that he would be really happy if other companies completely took over the ULF market. The reason...not enought profit in ULF for him. Bye.
I think the use of titanium in field cameras is a gimmick.........an attempt to add snob appeal no less. I was a machinist for 20+ years before I moved into photography full time, so I'm familiar with engineering properties of various metals. For me painted or plated mild steel will do the job just fine. Aluminum may be ok in a monorail or technical camera where parts are either cast or extruded but in a field camera it's not ideal for some of the reasons Emile explains above.
When I ordered my 5x12 I asked for black painted finish on metal parts as I prefer that look but they said only the standard titanium finish could be supplied. If I ever get the time an hour with a spray can should fix that.
Clayton
I think the use of titanium in field cameras is a gimmick.........an attempt to add snob appeal no less.
For this, we can thank Lance Armstrong (or at least the Lance wannabees) and the credit card companies. Titanium isn't even a precious metal, but has a certain cachet these days because the credit card companies have convinced the average American consumer that carrying a piece of plastic with the word "Titanium" on the front somehow offers them higher social status than a similar piece of plastic bearing the lowly "Gold" or "Platinum" monikers.
Aluminum may be ok in a monorail or technical camera where parts are either cast or extruded but in a field camera it's not ideal for some of the reasons Emile explains above.
Aluminum can also be easily (and relatively affordably) milled into complex shapes using CNC milling machines. The parts can be thicker where they need structural strength and they can be thinner and contain voids where less strength is needed. Titanium alloys, on the other hand dulls cutting tools at a ferocious rate. The problem Emile cited is not a failure of the material, it's a failure of the design. Designing a camera to use brass hardware, and then simply replacing the brass with aluminum is bound to lead to issues with stuctural strength. To get the best combination of strength and light weight, a camera should be designed from the ground up based on the material from which it will be built. If you look at a Linhof TK45S, an ARCA-SWISS F-Line or a Canham DLC it is obvious they were designed from the start to be made out of aluminum.
We've drifted a bit off topic, but to declare an unseen camera as "the best" simply based on choice of material seems premature. Ultimately, no matter what material is chosen, the "feel" of the camera - the smoothness of operation, the rigidity, etc. - have a LOT more to do with the design and the quality of the construction than the "prestige" associated with the materials selected.
Kerry
Actually I said that the Shen-Hao 7x17 "potentially" might be one of the best ever. I left room for doubt there, intentionally I might add. I agree that it would be best if a ULF camera was designed from the ground up from scratch. I'm kind of surprised though that the Layton or Walker camera companies did not go this route... for at least an 8x10 or 11x14 model. That would have been really something. Anyway...I just received an e-mail from Shen-Hao profusely apologizing for the error in the original price given for their 7x17 and also for the fact that they have no pics or specs yet. These will not be available as soon as we would like but they promised them when the metal parts were completly finished which is being done as we speak. Best regards, Emile.
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