aly324
26-Jun-2019, 06:57
There was a brief thread (https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-126276.html) here about the pinhole successor to the Sky Bow (or Celestial Bow...) that mentions the latter. The Sky Bow was distributed by Kangrinpoche but is now discontinued. Otherwise there's also not much on the camera aside from one thread (https://forum.xitek.com/thread-859660-1-1-1.html) on Xitek.
I recently picked up a used copy of this camera with an Apo-Symmar 120mm attached, and wanted to share some photos and a preliminary impression of it. First, I must admit I am brand-new to LF and haven't used or even held any view camera. So if anything below sounds naive or inexperienced please correct me.
I previously used several medium format roll film rangefinders (Mamiya 6/7, GF670, etc.) and was looking to replicate that experience in a larger format. With a Grafmatic 6-sheet back, the Sky Bow works surprisingly well for this purpose. The body itself weighs about 670 grams, so the whole set-up (with lens and Grafmatic back) is a quite manageable 1.4 kg. The previous user must have tuned the cam for the lens, because as far as I can tell it is very accurate (judging from my slides and the ground glass). I also bought a cam for 135mm and intend to switch in my Planar 135/3.5 later. We'll see how well that works, but Kangrinpoche tells me they are willing to help me fine-tune RF next time I am in Guangzhou. They still sell cams for 90, 127, 135, and 150mm.
I don't have a Chamonix Saber to compare it to, but I have handled the Polaroid camera that the Saber is based on. It's certainly smaller and lighter, but the focusing mechanism is not as smooth. With the Sky Bow you can cock, focus, and release all with your left hand in one fluid motion, and indeed the camera is intended to be used this way. (I have removed the a pictured release cable, custom-installed by the previous user.) The tensions in the hinges can be adjusted with hex keys simply if focusing is too tight or becomes too loose over time.
There's also the possibility to switch lenses and cams, which is not possible on the Saber, although switching cams requires a hex tool and infinity alignment and may be impractical on the fly. With the bellows fully retracted, you can lock the base arms solidly by pushing the sides forward. In this mode it may be possible to zone-focus a wide angle lens with a helicoid reasonably accurately. Or one can use the bellows and focus using your own markings on the pie-shaped cam. I have a 75mm on the way to experiment with.
Construction is decent, with a few points of weakness and some unavoidably primitive and skimpy parts. The front standard has a bit of play both front-back and left-right rotationally, but only if you force it. Used with care it doesn't seem to affect focus accuracy appreciably. The RF patch is bright and clear, but is covered by cheap uncoated plastic. RF coupling is done with an engraved pie-shaped cam that rotates with an arm connected to the front standard. The arm is probably a weak point. We'll see how it holds up.
The bellows extend to approximately 18cm. The cam as it is now is coupled with the 120mm lens down to 1.2m or so, but the RF patch can focus closer--if one had to patience and means to grind the cam accordingly.
The camera body and especially the "bow" are curious looking and attention-grabbing for street photography, but overall I think it's rather pleasing. It is quite an impressive product, considering (from what I gather) it was essentially designed and produced by a single individual (though distributed by Kangrinpoche).
I recently picked up a used copy of this camera with an Apo-Symmar 120mm attached, and wanted to share some photos and a preliminary impression of it. First, I must admit I am brand-new to LF and haven't used or even held any view camera. So if anything below sounds naive or inexperienced please correct me.
I previously used several medium format roll film rangefinders (Mamiya 6/7, GF670, etc.) and was looking to replicate that experience in a larger format. With a Grafmatic 6-sheet back, the Sky Bow works surprisingly well for this purpose. The body itself weighs about 670 grams, so the whole set-up (with lens and Grafmatic back) is a quite manageable 1.4 kg. The previous user must have tuned the cam for the lens, because as far as I can tell it is very accurate (judging from my slides and the ground glass). I also bought a cam for 135mm and intend to switch in my Planar 135/3.5 later. We'll see how well that works, but Kangrinpoche tells me they are willing to help me fine-tune RF next time I am in Guangzhou. They still sell cams for 90, 127, 135, and 150mm.
I don't have a Chamonix Saber to compare it to, but I have handled the Polaroid camera that the Saber is based on. It's certainly smaller and lighter, but the focusing mechanism is not as smooth. With the Sky Bow you can cock, focus, and release all with your left hand in one fluid motion, and indeed the camera is intended to be used this way. (I have removed the a pictured release cable, custom-installed by the previous user.) The tensions in the hinges can be adjusted with hex keys simply if focusing is too tight or becomes too loose over time.
There's also the possibility to switch lenses and cams, which is not possible on the Saber, although switching cams requires a hex tool and infinity alignment and may be impractical on the fly. With the bellows fully retracted, you can lock the base arms solidly by pushing the sides forward. In this mode it may be possible to zone-focus a wide angle lens with a helicoid reasonably accurately. Or one can use the bellows and focus using your own markings on the pie-shaped cam. I have a 75mm on the way to experiment with.
Construction is decent, with a few points of weakness and some unavoidably primitive and skimpy parts. The front standard has a bit of play both front-back and left-right rotationally, but only if you force it. Used with care it doesn't seem to affect focus accuracy appreciably. The RF patch is bright and clear, but is covered by cheap uncoated plastic. RF coupling is done with an engraved pie-shaped cam that rotates with an arm connected to the front standard. The arm is probably a weak point. We'll see how it holds up.
The bellows extend to approximately 18cm. The cam as it is now is coupled with the 120mm lens down to 1.2m or so, but the RF patch can focus closer--if one had to patience and means to grind the cam accordingly.
The camera body and especially the "bow" are curious looking and attention-grabbing for street photography, but overall I think it's rather pleasing. It is quite an impressive product, considering (from what I gather) it was essentially designed and produced by a single individual (though distributed by Kangrinpoche).