I have a good Crown to carry around for a beater and "shooter of opportunity", but would like to add something more modern and convenient (geared movements) and overall more precise for occasional tourist-type architectural work. I will keep the Crown for a daily beater, since I'm fearless about carrying it bumping around in my truck--and if somebody breaks out a window and absconds with it I'm not out much.
Compactness and portability are important, but although I'm a big guy in good physical condition, I'm nearing 70 and have retired from hiking in the mountains. I just want something I can backpack a few hundred yards from the parking lot or the highway, and set up and use with a minimum of hassle. I have no extreme lens/bellows/rail requirements, the usual 90-360mm range is fine. I'm also retired on a fixed income, so obviously not looking at $2500-$5000 cameras, more like clean users in the $600-$1000 range. After looking at all the options, it seems a stout compact geared movement monorail in the 20-pound range or so would be ideal. Going further down that road, I have seen several nice used Horseman LE's and Sinar F2's which fit my wallet and seem to fit the application I have in mind (decent luggability with plenty of movements, excellent build quality with plenty of precision, and a reasonable price on the used market).
I'd appreciate opinions on which of these two might make the best pick. Parts and accessories seem to be readily available (although sometimes expensive) for both. Of the two, I intuitively liked the looks of the L-shaped configuration and adjustment setup of the Horseman, an idea that struck my ex-engineer mind as totally logical. But the F2 also seems very compact and rugged in it's design, and I'm sure is also very precise.
Opinions comparing these two from the more experienced would be welcome and appreciated.
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