Sinar-F in the field

[Anthony Lewis]

I have a F2, but find it far two bulky to go even a few kilometres from your car. Sinar is not a backpacking camera - no matter what they say, particularly if you are hiking overnight.

I bought myself a Toho FC45 which is a monorail backpacking camera.I have five lenses in Toho mounts. I had SK Grimes make up a Toho to Sinar lens board so I can use these lenses, and others, with my Sinar P2 and F2 cameras.

[Ed Richards]

If you mount your lenses on Technika boards, you can move them between cameras pretty easily. While I use an F2 in the field, I am mostly shooting architecture type shots, meaning I push the movements a bit. Even with that, I am thinking about a cheap folder like a Shen-ho for everything does not require full Sinar movements. You not only save on the camera size and weigh, you save a bunch on the tripod and the physical size of the kit.

[Frank Petronio]

That's true. We can argue that the Sinar F-series is compact enough for practical field work but you have to admit that a Sinar or most of the monorails feel like you need a sturdier tripod to compensate for their higher center-of-gravity. It just feels like you're going to tip over when you go too light cameras of that type.

So you end up with a heavier, larger tripod with a monorail. Maybe a Gitzo 3-series instead of the 2-series that you could get away with using with a lighter wooden flatbed camera.

To Sinar's credit, I think the F was aimed at architectural photographers who needed something lighter than their Sinar P but shared components. It never represented itself as a hobbist or backpacker's camera.

[Drew Wiley]

Have to completely disagree with you Frank, based upon years of personal experience.
Because the Sinar rail could be positioned at any point along it length, it was extremely
simple to balance. As long as the tripod was stiff, it could be exceptionally lightweight.
This was the case even when I used a 450 lens. You have to be more careful with a
heavy lens causing shutter vibration, with a #3 Compur for instance. But even then
results were acceptable unless you were planning huge enlargements. I thought the
Sinar-F system was superb. And if something wore out or broke it has always been
easy to acquire replacement parts. Plus you could interchange components with a
Sinar P studio system. I still use one for architecture sometimes. But my achilles heel
is shoulder bursitis. I can carry a backpack twice the weight of hiking companions half
my age and outdistance them, but lifting a Sinar 4X5 repetitively seems to bother my
shoulder in a way that lifting a folding wooden 8x10 even heavier does not. But I miss
the Sinar because it was must faster to operate than any folding camera.

[Drew Wiley]

Poscript to Anthony - if you think the Sinar F is not a legitmate backpacking camera,
how did I undertake literally hundreds of backpack trips with one, in remote desert
canyons, over high mountain ridges, even using ropes sometimes, for over twenty
years and thousands of miles? Once I even scaled a huge ice column below El Capitan falls and chiseled off the top with my ice axe and propped up the Sinar there for a totally unique edge-on shotof the monolith (at least as far as large-format is concerned). The camera is a tad bulky compared to little wooden folding cameras, but
the fact that the tripod mount is so small (sparing you the need for a tripod head),
the tripod itself can be lightweight (noted in my post above) and you can use lightweight long lenes due to unlimited bellows extension (verus heavy telephotos)
means that it is a very practical system for travel!

[Anthony Lewis]

Drew,

I'm sure you are right. I have an F2 and found it cumbersome to fit in a backpack. Then there is the all the other photographic gear to go with it, lenses, dark slides, filters , film, and so on. Then if one is going overnight, I would need to take a tent, sleeping bag, food and clothes. I just found all this a bit difficult in one backpack - that's me.

But it can be done and I truely applaud you for doing it. I think the Sinar is one of the greatest cameras to have because of their versatility. With a Sinar you can shoot any subject you like, longest lens to the shortest lens, macro, any movements and so on.

You also make a very good point about being able to use light non telephoto lenses with a Sinar because of the bellows extension - again saving weight.

However for overnight work I bought the Toho, (maybe I like monorails) which is incredibly small and light for backpacking, and can take up to the long Fuji 450mm C lens. I have five lenses in Toho mount with one adapter so I can mount them on the Sinar. This system works great for me.

Maybe my wording was a little harsh on the Sinar for backpacking.

[Blapto]

Frank, I have that case & straps only because it came with the 5x7, and never used it for anything other than storage. I still cringe when I see that pic in their literature of the guy hauling that thing on his back up the stairs, wearing a suit, and hand-carrying the tripod in a case ... not a very salient pic. I never had lederhosen and can no longer quite fasten my climbing knickers at age 74 'cause I can only suck it in just so long.

I don't suppose you could scan this in? It sounds fantastic. The Sinar literature that is, not you in climbing knickers.

To contribute and justify reviving this thread, I walked about 2 miles on Friday with the F2 in a duffel bag, padded with towels. Not a problem. I'll fit something up to allow me to put it in a proper pack and I expect I'll be able to use it for 10-15 mile day trips without a problem. It might be a little much for a week long hike, but I still think it will be OK.

The method that I think I'll take will be to build/adapt padded compartments into the pack, much as I do when I go hiking now with my RZ67 or 35mm/digital setups. I suspect I'll end up with two. One large pack that would work for a day's rough terrain or a few days hiking and one smaller "location" pack that would be just for carting everything down to the studio, or for the last mile from the car.

[Frank Petronio]

Check this out: HALFBREED SINAR/GLENNVIEW CAMERA on http://www.glennview.com/sinar.htm

[Steve M Hostetter]

I use a P rear standard and an F front standard with a 6" and 12" rail attached to sinar pan tilt head on a graphite pod. I've walked many miles on rough terrain with no problems. I did break a strap on the XL f64. backpack , still broke but I manage
I tried using a custom made box but it just added unwanted weight
good luck

[Jerry Bodine]

I don't suppose you could scan this in? It sounds fantastic. The Sinar literature that is, not you in climbing knickers.

Sorry, I left this thread for a while and just stumbled upon it again. Here's the crummy quality scan of the Sinar literature, using my wife's d*****l and my very limited abilities with it.