Arca-Swiss Misura 8x10

[Ari]

Does anybody have any information on this rare animal?
It seems to have disappeared as soon as AS introduced it.
B&H lists it as special order, but that could mean anything.

Looking at construction and design, it would seem to be a good choice for wide-to-moderate lens shooters looking for a compact 8x10.
Must have deep pockets as well, naturally.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any insights from users, past owners, dreamers, sellers and the like.
I think it looks like a pretty groovy 8x10 and would like to know more about it, if possible.

Thanks in advance.

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[konakoa]

Ari, I have and use one of these. Send me a PM and I'd be glad to help if I can with your questions.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Arca-Swiss Misura 8x10
Does anybody have any information ..

Hi!

I visited Arca Swiss International last month (July 13th, 2017) and the 8x10 misura was available to anybody who wanted to place an order!
I do not own one, but I know the model quite well, having manipulated it many times and discussed about this camera with the Vogt family.

[Ari]

Merci, Laurent.
I've since been told that the 8x10 Misura is still available, but is less popular in North America, so it's less visible here.

Reading more, I'm not sure I can live without rear tilt; it's quite handy for any urban/architectural/industrial photography.

Is there a consensus on using the Misura but living without rear tilt?

[dsphotog]

You could use the tripod to tilt the whole camera... then adjust the front tilt.

[Johnny LaRue]

You could use the tripod to tilt the whole camera... then adjust the front tilt.

If I understand what you guys have been saying these last few months, dsphotog's recommendation wouldn't work to keep buildings square since the back would be tilted up or down.
To keep a building level on the ground glass, the camera back would have to be level and square to the subject, and then front rise would be needed.
I've only owned one LF camera thus far, it has full movements front and back, but I've never needed rear tilt even though it was available. Maybe that helps.

[neil poulsen]

That's what I was wondering. Even if one didn't have rear swing, it would be possible to duplicate the same effect by rotating the camera a bit and adjusting with front swing and maybe some shift.

[Ari]

Hey everyone, thanks for the replies so far.
I've been talking to konakoa who's been uncommonly generous in sharing his experience with both F-line cameras and the Misura. Here's what I've gleaned:
The Misura's standards sit lower to the rail, offering a little more stability, and a little less top-heaviness.
The front standard of the Misura has many times more front rise than an unmodified F-line front standard; I suppose this was done to offset the lack of rear tilt.
The modularity of the A-S system permits using longer rails on the Misura when needed; I use a 300mm lens at 1.5x extension for close-ups, and the Misura is probably stretched to its limits for that type of work.

[B.S.Kumar]

Rear movements are quite useful. For the specific example of the building in Johnny LaRue's post, the whole camera is tilted up, the back is tilted forward to be parallel to the building, and then the lens is also tilted to be parallel to the back. A little more rise can be achieved this way, provided the bellows allows it.

Kumar

[Ari]

Rear movements are quite useful. For the specific example of the building in Johnny LaRue's post, the whole camera is tilted up, the back is tilted forward to be parallel to the building, and then the lens is also tilted to be parallel to the back. A little more rise can be achieved this way, provided the bellows allows it.

Kumar

Hi Kumar,
You're describing indirect rise, if I'm not mistaken. I've had to use it quite a few times when I wasn't able to secure a higher vantage point, or I ran out of front rise.
This is what I'm struggling with, the non-possibility of doing these movements I've become used to doing.
I'm going to give it a try with my Toyo monorail: no rear movements except 2-3 cm of rise, and see how limiting it is to frame a building correctly.

Another thing I was told: the Misura has rear rise, the F-line does not.
So in addition to generous front rise, the extra rear rise on the Misura is another way of compensating for the lack of rear tilt.
Furthermore, rigidity is slightly better on the Misura vs F-line because of a lack of rear movements.

[B.S.Kumar]

Ari,

Yes, I was specifically describing indirect rise. Frankly, a monorail is the easiest way to photograph nearly anything except action. In today's world, particularly with large format, it is also likely to be the cheapest. I fear the Misura is a lot of compromise, for a lot of money.

Kumar

[Ari]

Thanks, Kumar; I didn't say this would be a logical purchase, just a long-desired acquisition. :)
It seems to have as many pros as cons.
The only champion of the Misura that I've heard from is someone who actually owns the camera.

[Peter De Smidt]

A regular F-line is an amazing camera. They are my favorite field cameras. If you need more front rise than an F-line offers, and you don't want to use indirect rise, perhaps you could add a Misura front to a regular F-line. Or buy both and mix and match as needed.

[Ari]

I had thought of that, Peter, but the F-line rear standard sits higher than the Misura's rear standard, negating the effect of a different front standard.
For the lens to be centered on the F-line's front standard, it must be racked up quite high, or an accessory extender is needed.

These photos tell the whole story (photos thanks to konakoa):

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[Peter De Smidt]

Got it, Ari. Thanks. Have you come across any user reviews on the riser?

[Ari]

Information is very scarce, Peter, on the 8x10 Misura; the 4x5 has more reviews, and it's the same set-up, just scaled up for 8x10.
For that reason alone, I'm deeply indebted to konakoa for the wealth of information and experience he's sent me thus far.
Nothing beats hearing from a guy who's lived and worked with the camera for a long time.

[B.S.Kumar]

If it's desired just go for it. If you love it, it's cheap. If you don't, it's just a few bucks :)

Kumar

[asf]

It looks like it has enough built in rise (can't quite make out how much from those pics) but if not it should work with the Arca front extender for the f line 8x10

If so no rear tilt may not be a problem

I see konakoa's pics now, 90mm rise is pretty good

[Ari]

If it's desired just go for it. If you love it, it's cheap. If you don't, it's just a few bucks :)

Kumar

Couldn't agree more!


It looks like it has enough built in rise (can't quite make out how much from those pics) but if not it should work with the Arca front extender for the f line 8x10

If so no rear tilt may not be a problem

I see konakoa's pics now, 90mm rise is pretty good

90mm rise is amazing for a field camera (I use the term loosely here), at that point you're almost always limited by the lens.
I think if you're using a 150XL, you'll run out of rise on the lens just before the camera's rise is exhausted, or very close.

Thinking back to how many times I used rear tilt, it was quite often (using indirect rise as described by Kumar).
Yes, with 90mm of front rise, some situations won't require rear tilt, but then there'll be those times when being at ground level is your only option, and you'll wish for rear tilt.

I'm making a decision soon; I may have to forego the quirky Misura for the sensible F-line, only for fear of not being able to make that 5% of shots when really needed.

[Ari]

Thinking out loud:

I don't consider myself an "architectural photographer" by any means, but I like to shoot buildings and other structures.
It's great when I get it right and it all comes together. That said...

1. Most architectural shooters are using DSLRs with T-S lenses, which means a fixed rear standard (DSLR), and a few are using medium-format solutions, many of which employ a fixed back as well (e.g., Linhof Techno, Sinar LanTec, Alpa, etc.).
2. Having a non-tilting back is not a huge disadvantage, it must be overcome by other means
3. I could see rear tilt/swing as being more important to a studio/product shooter, even to landscape photographers, but for someone shooting buildings for personal projects, front rise and correct camera positioning are key.
4. To see for myself, I did a walk-around for an hour with my Toyo G 4x5, a 90mm lens, and did not use rear tilt or swing. I had no problems squaring buildings and then applying front rise (the Toyo offers 120mm - nice!) to get a properly-framed shot.

[asf]

Given sufficient front rise no need for rear movements beyond shift

Adding the front frame extender will ensure you have rise beyond anything you could ever need

I'd prefer not having rear movements given sufficient front rise and the ability for geared front tilt

I'd go for it

[Ari]

Given sufficient front rise no need for rear movements beyond shift

Adding the front frame extender will ensure you have rise beyond anything you could ever need

I'd prefer not having rear movements given sufficient front rise and the ability for geared front tilt

I'd go for it

Thanks, I'm inclined to agree with you.
The rest of my work is portraits, so really only front movements needed there.
The other advantages: lighter in weight by at least 1kg over the F-line Metric, and it's pretty much a self-contained camera right out of the box.

[neil poulsen]

. . . I fear the Misura is a lot of compromise, for a lot of money. . .

Well said, and quite funny. ;)

Frankly, I've never really understood the idea behind the Misura. It leaves me perplexed as to why Arca would put so much into such a "compromised" design that would likely never be mainstream.

[Ari]

Well said, and quite funny. ;)

Frankly, I've never really understood the idea behind the Misura. It leaves me perplexed as to why Arca would put so much into such a "compromised" design that could never possibly be mainstream.

It's a fair assumption, but a closer look at both the F-Metric and Misura will show the important differences in each camera.
After my extensive communication with konakoa, who owns both cameras, I feel that the Misura is a better camera for me. YMMV

less expensive
lighter
fully compatible with all Arca rails, carriers and standards
standards sit lower, less prone to vibration
rigid, fixed rear standard (except for rise and shift)


The Metric can do it all, but also comes with more weight, and more hardware to operate and store
Orbix is standard on the Misura, though it's not fully geared as on the Metric

You can buy an extra extension bracket and rail for the Misura, for those times when extra stability or longer extensions are required.