Arca Swiss with 140mm Standards

[Alick Crossley]

Hello Everyone,
I am looking for information on the new Arca Swiss 4x5 cameras with the 140mm standards/boards.

First off, do you think internal flare will be a problem? Are the movements the same? Is the entire line getting changed over, (Discovery, F Line, and Monolith, in all versions?)

As I am just getting into the Arca system, I am a little wary of buying the "old" 171mm if it will become difficult to find parts in the near future. Conversely, perhaps it is difficult to get boards and bellows now for the "new" 140mm?

I am looking at the F Line Classic and Metric, but want your advice on the compact or regular models. Are the compacts much less stable than the regular? I will be using it in the field and in the studio, so while weight and portability is a concern, rigidity for still lives/long bellows extension is still a factor.

Thanks again,
Alick

P.S. Got an email from Rod @ Photomark, he said he has F Line Metric 140mm in stock with micrometric orbix installed. So I will post what I hear when I call him tomorrow.

[Frank Petronio]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could see a simple photo of one? Maybe on their website?

[Ling Z]

Here are some pictures of the new F-Line:


http://www.gregmillerphotography.com/arcaswissfield.htm

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Alick. Just a few words about the difference betwen the compact and the telescopic rail.

First I do not think that there is a significant difference in stability between the folding rail and the telescopic rail. Both are extremely, incredibly stable. Second, the system being essentially modular with precisely machined parts you can swap rails according to the kind of job you are doing. Any rails will fit any function support and this even if you find an old Arca Swiss monorail camera of the sixties.

Probably you could be concerned by the folding rail : how can such a device actually work ? difficult to explain without seing it. My feeling is that if the folding rail was pushed to its absolute mechanical limits on a special laboratory stress/strain machine, it would probably break anywhere but at the joint ;-) So no problem with the folding rail, the new 8"x10" Arca Swiss 'big misura' has a 50 cm folding rail in two unequal parts (a small one, a long one).

New 140mm boards and new bellows will be as easy to find as any Arca Swiss part of equipement.
You can use as usual one 140mm board for each lens. You can use saller 110 mm (6x9 fit) lensboards fitted on a 140 adapting board, so you only need this special 140 mm board. This would be my preferred soultion since I have 100 m boards for may 6x9. You can use the new 100mm circular bayonet system to fit a 140 mm adapting board. Very probably there will be an adapting board for Linhof Technika 96x99mm boards, such an accessory already exists for 171mm boards and third-party companies like S.K. Grimes will do it for you as well. So : no problem with the 140 mm lens boards.

[Frank Petronio]

Ling - thank you, what a beauty.

Small detail from Greg's photos: Is there some reason why he needs to use a RRS plate to mount his camera to an Arca mount on his ballhead? It seems like it would be tighter to simply mount the mounting block into the Flip-Lock recepticle - or are things not fitting quite right?

[Scott Fleming]

Having memory problems Frank?


http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lfforum/topic/500233.html

[Scott Fleming]

You probably have these already. Shows a detail of the rail joint. Don't know if the rail still works the same way but suspect it does.


http://www.tomwestbrook.com/Photography/as_photos.html

[Daniel Geiger]

Regarding movements, I have the new ArcaSwiss 4x5 F-line compact in front of me.
rise 86 mm
shift +/- 78 mm (+/- 50 mm is marked, but you can run it further)
Swing 360 deg (+/- 45 deg is marked)
Tilt +/- 40 deg

Regarding flare, I don't know where it should come from. The inside is meticiously blackend. I can't make any comparisons because this is my first LF camera, and I just shoot a few dozen sheets of film so far.

Re bellows, I bought with my set the standard, a long bellows for the Nikon T 360/500, and a bag bellows. So they are available. From placing the order to having the camera took about 2-3 months.

It all fits in a Supertrecker, if you're concerned about portability: 3.5 lenses (so far), polaroid/QL film holders, 3 boxes of film (2 QL, 1 Polaroid), cloth, filters, gadgets, tripod on the outside. No room for food/water though, for that you'd have to use the external pockets.

Took me a while to figure out that you have to pull the knob on the compact folding rail to release it. No word on any packing material. Had a "planet of the apes/Zoolander" moment. Otherwise I'm happy as a clam.

I was also a bit sceptical about the extension rail and the stability of the whole set up. Having used it a few times, I am favorably impressed. You just gotta love European engineering: Hugy housings, Zeiss lenses, ... Still, I consider getting the Bogen 3252 long lens support for more stability.

Hope that helps. Daniel