Focusing questions - Cambo 8x10

[welly]

Hi chaps,

Looking for some advice on focusing my Cambo 8x10. I'm shooting with a 300mm lens and finding I'm unable to focus correctly due to the mounts on the rail being too wide. Let me illustrate:



If I need to bring the standards closer together, I'm unable to do so as the tripod mount being too wide, so I'm having to do something like:



which makes the camera rather unstable. Is this my only option or am I missing something? Any Cambo 8x10 users out there with any advice?

Thanks!

[Dan Fromm]

http://www.cambo.com/Html/products_p...t/Item384.html

This search (cambo clamp) on eBay will find a couple of used ones: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trks...amp&_sacat=625

You'll have to fiddle a bit to get the balance close enough to right.

[Brian C. Miller]

I have a heavy Bogen 3036 (studio) tripod, and with two legs out front and one leg in back, under the rail, it's just fine.

[aluncrockford]

Just set it up so the back element is closest to the centre of the tripod.

[Bengt Fredén]

When shooting with shorter lenses, I usually set up my SC 8x10 Cambo the way you have drawn it in your 2nd drawing, only around the rear standard rather than the front one. I have both the SC and the SC-X models, and for the latter this isn't a problem because the clamp travels in a rail of it's own below the focusing rail. For very wide lenses (Super-Angulon, Nikon SW) the single clamp suggested by Dan above is very handy for the regular SC model. However, I try to use the double clamp as often as I can (on both types), for the best stability under long exposures.

Bengt in Stockholm, Sweden.

[welly]

Cheers Bengt. I've actually got the single clamp from my 4x5 Cambo but been a bit concerned about the stability of it. Anyway, might give it a go. I'm sure I tried the rear section between the double clamp but thought it hadn't fit. I'll try again and see how I get on.