Rear movements - would you/do you miss them?

[Brian Ellis]

I could (and do) live without rear shift, rise, and fall. I use rear swing occasionally but could live without it if I had to as long as I had front swing. But I photograph buildings, trees, etc. - i.e. vertical objects - and couldn't live without rear tilt. I don't like vertical objects to look like they're falling over backwards and front rise alone just doesn't cut it much of the time.

[Bill_1856]

I did a survey on this forum several years ago, and was surprised to discover that rear movements were the choice of the vast majority.

[Robert Fisher]

I am with Brian Ellis in reference to REAR TILT - I also shoot buildings, churches with steeples, trees, etc and really need rear tilt on my Ebony SW810.

[eric black]

Rear tilt is the primary movement that I use- second place would go to front rise with front and rear swings as a distant 3rd place. I do primarily landscape photos though and very little architectural work.

[Daniel_Buck]

I like having rear tilt. I don't use it every time I shoot, but I like having it for when I do want it. I could do without rear swing and rear rise/fall (I don't have rise/fall on the rear standard as it is anyway)

[Stephen Lewis]

You have to bear in mind that tilting the rear standard changes the shape and relative size of objects in the frame. I use rear tilt to emphasis foreground objects and to change the size of FG and BG objects relative to one another in the frame. Consequently, the rear movements are really useful.

I use an Ebony RW45, which, considering it has all the movements except rear rise & fall, rear shift and front shift, is excellent value. It will take a 58mm lens on a recessed board, and I've used a 65mm on a flat board. It will also go all the way to 300mm. It's a well featured camera, and the mahogany version is under 2Kg. Well worth a look. HTH.

[evan clarke]

I don't use rear tilt but would die without rise and shift..141mm Arca, geared all the way!!..Evan Clarke

[JohnGC]

I've never met a rear movement that wasn't useful. It adds a little extra weight, but that does not compare to getting a shot exactly how you want it.

[Ed Richards]

I used a Sinar until recently, shooting mostly architecture. I never used rear tilt or swing because I was worried about keeping things square, and since I almost always used wide lenses, I also did not use rear movements on landscapes. I use a lot of front rise and some tilt and swing, and also front fall or rear rise.

However, since moving to the Ebony 45SU, I have gotten hooked on asymmetric rear movements and find I use them a lot because they are so easy to use. This has also lead me to use longer lenses more.

What I miss with the Sinar is the essentially unlimited rise/fall - basically 6 inches worth, which is way more than you can use with 4x5 except in the most extreme cases with long lenses. I find the rise a bit limited with the Ebony and the fall quite limited, at least without the wide angle bellows. Even with them, you can run out of rise or fall with a long lens, but you can make up for it by tilting the bed and releveling the standards. I do find the Ebony a joy to use.

[ki6mf]

I second the comments from Archphoto. A Shen Hao or Chamonix new here in the USA is usually less money than a Ebony used. They both give movements and if you dont want rear movements leave them set and just use the front movements. if you need the movements you have them.