There has been so much gushing over Ebony cameras here I thought a counterpoint might be in order. I purchased an Ebony 45SU after reading all of the glowing reviews here in the forum.
After using my previous Arca Swiss 4x5, my first reaction with the Ebony was how dark and hard to see the focusing screen was by comparison. It just didn't have the crisp and snappy image quality of the Arca Swiss. The bellows focusing hood of the Ebony is no match for the Arca Swiss even with a sweater draped over it. Add the reflex hood to the Arca Swiss and the comparison pales further.
Secondly, after coming from the precise focusing and movements of the Arca Swiss, I found the Ebony to be quite sloppy. Turning the focusing knobs to move the rail any distance causes the locking knobs on the left side to tighten simultaneously thus requiring one to loosen them as one focuses. The highly acclaimed asymetric back tilt is indeed a nice feature, but I found it's adjustment to be a bit coarse as well. It detents in the neutral position and is a bit difficult to move initially. This would be an incredible feature if they could make it geared. For the premium Ebony charges for it, they certainly should.
The mirrored levels are a good feature but their location under the leather strap makes flipping the cover up a bit difficult. As someone else suggested, converting the strap to a metal handle would be an improvement.
I'm not trying to bash the Ebony. It's no doubt the best made wood field available. But for the exhorbitant price Ebony charges, I think it ought to be perfect and it isn't. Thanks to Jeff Taughner at Badger Graphics, I'm now in possession of a Linhof Master Technika 2000 traded for the Ebony.
Bookmarks