I'm looking to buy an Arca Swiss Discovery for field use, to replace a Gowland ( don't ask). Everything seemed to fall nicely to hand when I checked it out at B& H, but the sales guy couldn't tell me whether a) an extension rail is available, or b) the Discovery standards could be used on an F-Line rail. Any ideas?
Marshall
I believe the answer to both is yes, but I will check my Arca catalog when I get home tomorrow. I know the standards will run on other rails.
Of course there is extension rail and brackets available for the Arca-Swiss Discovery. Since all the parts are interchangeable the F-Line Rail should work with the Discovery standards (however I haven't literally tried it). The Discovery is a good rigid camera. The rail itself is short at 300mm. The standard bellows is short and unflexible. Its hard to get full movement at infinity. I dislike ow the swing scale is on the inside away from side facoing out on the standards. The swing is also locked by the shift knob. Of course it moves a bit when you just need to get one movement. The screen has the corners cut off (minor but I want LF to be precise). The levels are very usefully (unlike some cameras). While the recess boards are more sexy, the older flat boards are fine and cheaper. I think the extension bracket(the part that actually attaches to the tripod) could be optional equipment. This would save bulk. It light but rigid. If you think you need swing/tilt and D.O.F. calculators a la Sinar F-Series. You can easily get the Rodenstock D.of. Calculatr. Arca-Swiss main drawback is the customer service. Order for the Swiss are long. Not many people sell it. However I highly recommend buying from Amplis if you are Canadian. Photomark(Rod K.) and Badger Graphics(Jeff) are LF page's favourite stores because they have stuff in stock and they actually know the products.
So the Discovery is distinguished from the F-Line by the carriers and standards, not the rail and bellows then? Do I infer correctly that one could later build a "hot-rodded" Discovery with, say, an F-Line front standard, or an Orbix setup? Thanks, again.
Marshall
Oh, hey! One other thing (Says Lt. Columbo). Any reason to buy it at B&H for $1325 and not Adorama for $1195? Badger?
Marshall
I've recently been in contact with the Arca-Swiss reseller and he told me that the Arca-Swiss discovery had been especially designed for young aspirant professional photographers, so that the system can evolve with the carreer of the photographer. Every thing is modular in the Arca system, so you'll be able to buy extension without problem.. Like already said, the rails are compatible between all models.. you can have various type of them : a folding one for compact model, one with extension .. many kinds, many sizes all fitting with all model and which you can add.. The down size of this modular concept is that you have to buy a lot of stuff..
Sorry, I forgot to add, in case of question, you can ask Arca-Swiss directly by Email at arca-swiss@swissonline.ch They are answering very quickly. They did even answer privately to one of the question I had asked on the LF.equipment news group.
Yes. Everything is compatible with the F line. It is an excellent value with great quality and can be customized to your needs at a later date. Swings, tilts, shifts and rise are all independently controlled by separate knobs. A 210 is very usable in the standard configuration for everything from table top to landscapes.
Thanks for all the help. The only remaining concern seems to be parts and service. OTH, ain't a lot that breaks on a view camera. But it does raise the question: Just who is the "official" U.S. distributor/point-of-service contact, or is it all gray? Linhof's got HP Marketing; Sinar's got its own. What about Arca? And what about the home company itself. Is it now in fairly stable hands?
I dunno why I'm even worried. My other hobby is high-end audio. Just try and find a stable manufacturer in that business!
Marshall
Interesting. When I called B&H asking about the Arca Swiss Discovery, I was told that there would not be one at the store for me to look at when I got their because its a "special order, there aren't any in stock", and therefore "not returnable" once purchased.
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