Quote Originally Posted by Alan Klein View Post
I'm not experienced enough to add anything that would clear this up. But I have a related question. The camera I bought, a Chamonix 45H-1, has tilts and shifts available on both standards as well as asymmetrical tilt on the rear standard only. Why would they set asymmetrical tilt up on the rear?
https://www.chamonixviewcamera.com/cameras/45h1
When tilting, the axis of the tilt is the only place focus won’t change when you adjust tilt. It doesn’t look like that camera (as with many field cameras) has rear focusing with respect to the tripod mount (and even if it did, it does change the magnification slightly, though has never bothered me). (Edit: scratch that—the whole rear bed racks in and out from the center section.) Monorail cameras are usually more flexible in this regard—front and rear independently focus.

Moving the tilt axis into the image area provides one line of preserved focus. But that line’s location will be a compromise, and will require luck for it to be right where you want to preserve focus when tilting. I have never been that lucky—I always have to refocus when tilting.

Another thing—the Cambo put the axial tilts at the mid-point, but for that to work it also has to the set back from the standard to align with the film plane/ground glass. That puts knobs in the way of sliding in film holders. Dealing with that issue requires further complexity. The Sinar P uses a curved track below the standard, so the tilt axis floats in air. Beautiful but not cheap. But the Chamonix tilts around an axis well forward of the film plane, so the line where focus is preserved is going to move all over the place as you tilt.

Rick “whose Sinar P also has asymmetric tilts” Denney