I am returning to some 4x5 photography after being away for about 25 years and am finding lots of misinformation around on film photography including movements on view cameras.

Personally, I do not photograph buildings or cereal boxes, so never had any need for any front movements at all. There are no pine trees where I live. I photograph nature, which has no strait lines or right angles. However, I often make use of rear swings and/or tilts to incline the plane of focus for improving depth of field.

I find youtube videos and other instructions online recommending front swings and tilts for this and find many so-called field cameras with rear tilts only. And those are from the bottom, not the center, which is much more convenient. What is wrong with this picture? How has misinformation crept into the knowledge base of humanity? Rear swings and tilts do not distort anything, though this seems to be what everyone thinks today. They do not require any additional coverage, and center the image on the field of view, make light falloff symmetrical.

I am currently building a lightweight 4x5 with rear swings and tilts only, since these don't exist in the market. The front part of the camera is greatly simplified and rigidified in this case. Only a small and square bellows is needed at the rear of the camera. The front is basically a system of rigid extension tubes on a rear box. Mine will have only 4 inches of focus travel, with 5 inches of bellows draw. I will have front extensions to allow my 90mm, 135mm, 240mm, and 480mm lenses to function together. The 90mm is on a recessed lens board, the 135mm is on the front of the basic box, the 240mm is on an extension box, along with the 480mm. This lens set is designed so that they all have infinity focus with the rear standard in the same position, giving the same four inches of focus travel for all.

Comments and suggestions welcome.