Another useful trick for Toho users

[Frank Petronio]

Most of the newer Arcas I see have a tiny amount of slop around the detent and their standards are not always parrallel. While I usually trust the levels and my eyeballs for field work, if I were doing something that required more precision I would use an accurate level to get both standards as square as possible.

I think this is one area where the Sinar has it over the Arca, at least the Norma or P cameras. But then you pay with bulk and weight.

No free lunches with these things...

[tim atherton]

"Most of the newer Arcas I see have a tiny amount of slop around the detent and their standards are not always parrallel. While I usually trust the levels and my eyeballs for field work, if I were doing something that required more precision I would use an accurate level to get both standards as square as possible."

I've found this to be precisely the case with two different arcas I've owned. Ever so slightly annoying.

[GPS]

I just checked my AS metric - no slop whatsoever, no play either. It is easy to make tilts with at least 0.25° precision.

[tim atherton]

not exactly handy though - it weighs more than my 8x10...

[GPS]

It weighs less than my Mamiya Universal outfit (but that weighs a ton). As a matter of fact I constructed a case for it and I carry it standards on the rail, ready to get out in much less than a minute.

[Harley Goldman]

Like Kerry, I also own an Arca and a Toho. Both have their place and both are a pleasure to use.

I am not sure why gps is coming on with a bad attitude, but in my opinion, it is quite unnecessary in this forum. There is absolutely nothing to be gained by calling someone else's gear a piece of crap. Attempting to create animosity? gps, if that is your idea of a fruitful exchange, you should take it somewhere else.

[Mark_3632]

I hate equipment snobs.

I considered a Toho. I can see why you folks like them. A better deal popped up on a used F1. I liked how lite the toho was.

[Bruce Watson]

Leonard was nice enough to offer some observations and corrective techniques for the Toho. The thread rapidly degenerated into... something else. I'm not going to comment on any of it. I'm just going to make an observation of my own.

Taking all the slop out of a system meant to move is impossible. The only way to take *all* the slop out is to weld it. Even techniques like set screws have slop. Anyone willing to claim that their system has zero slop needs to go retake Physics 101; the laws of physics respectfully disagree with such a claim.

But zero slop isn't needed, nor is it even desired. The way I handle what little slop I find in my Toho is to make adjustments while looking at the ground glass. A novel approach, yes? The slop doesn't matter if you can put the plane of focus where you need it to be, and then lock it down with sufficient rigidity to maintain it. And as Terry says, the Toho is surprisingly rigid.

There's nothing wrong with the Toho design. Indeed, there is much that is right with the Toho design. Every camera - *every camera* - has it's own personality. The trick is to find a camera whose personality complements your own.

[GPS]

Bruce, why is zero slop on a camera standard "not even desired"??

[Ed Richards]

What it would take to get zero slop, or even close, would mean that the slightest bit of crud on the rails or tracks would bind them up. Not a big issue for your optical bench in the clean room, but a drag in the real world.