Monorails and Backpacking! Is it possible?

[PhotographicBlack]

I have a very nice monorail 4x5 camera and am on a deadline to impress a highly acclaimed local gallery, Camera Obscura. I am unsure if it is possible to backpack with a monorail. I'm in great shape and willing to go great lengths to get a shot. Anyone experienced in this "field."

As a secondary question, Anyone experienced in focusing during the night and if you could give me details in light of making the brightest out of ground glass?

-R

[Ron Marshall]

It is possible, I packed my Sinar F1 (only 7.5 lb but bulky) on a moderate 5 mile roundtrip. Granted that is a short hike, but I have had back surgery.

Now use a 3 lb Toho, so most dayhikes are a breeze.

If you are in good shape then with a good pack and ready/quickloads you will be fine.

Kerry Thalmann has much valuable info on his site about backpacking.

[Frank Petronio]

If you tell us which camera you have people might share a trick or insight as to how they pack their cameras. In the case of the Sinars it is possible to fold one standard over the other by raising one higher and then tilting, making it a fairly compact package.

As for night shooting, a small penlight like a MiniMag can be placed at the appopriate distance. You could also pre-focus and mark your rails with the settings. And since you can usually find infinity along a horizon line, and if you know where, say 30' is in focus, you can probably do a half-decent job of estimating where to put things to hit 60'... with a little extra stopping down for error.

Best of luck.

[Ron Marshall]

I changed the ground-glass to one made by Satin Snow. It was brighter and easier to focus with.

[Alan Davenport]

Sure, it's possible, but monorails are tough to get into most backpacks. I have a Calumet 540 that I have packed with. I made a dummy rail just long enough to mount both standards with the bellows fully compressed, and can get the camera into a Lowe Super Trekker with a 12" rail, 3 lenses and the rest of the needed stuff. For other packs (and maybe the Lowe) a better solution might be to find a plastic storage box (Rubbermaid or similar) that you can put the bellows in for protection. The rest of the components are pretty stout and only need a little padding.

[Carsten Wolff]

I do it all the time, 5x7/4x5/6x17 Arca, in a normal light trekking backpack; I just did a 4-day walking trip through the australian outback (winter). Manfrotto 055 was fine (Carbon fibres aren't necessary in my experience). Total pack weight with all other gear 37lb. plus water. I took about 20 color (6x17) and 16 b/w (5x7) on a 20-mile round trip. Do-able, hey? - As Frank said: which camera do you have?

[Sheldon N]

I've since gone to a wooden field camera, but for a short while I backpacked with a Cambo monorail. Here's a thread that shows how I carried everything...

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=17688

[Doug Dolde]

Of course just get an Arca Swiss Field.

[David Karp]

You can do it. I have done it with a Calumet 45NX and a Cambo 45SF. It all depends on the backpack, and how far you plan to hike. The longer the hike, the less practical it becomes to hike with a monorail. Its not just the weight, its the configuration of the camera.

[PhotographicBlack]

I have a Sinar 4x5 LF and to my recollection, an 18in. monorail. It comes with carrying case, but I assume that's too difficult. If anything there's anything else I'm forgetting, it's because I'm so new to Large Format. I've been shooting medium for 2 1/2 years now and know the SLR and the TLR family pretty well: 4x5 is a whole 'nother animal.

Also, I have a Bogen carbon fiber tripod that's rated up to 15.4 pounds, and a bogen head (the 3028) rated up to 11.1 pounds. I've used them all together with the 4x5 together and they've worked fine. Might there be some shake over a period of 6-7 hours with such a light weight set up? Would someone recomend that I used a more heavy duty tripod?

-R

[David A. Goldfarb]

If it's a Sinar F-series camera, it's quite portable (if it's a P-series, it's heavier and bulkier). There are a few different ways to transport it. Assembled and hanging from the rail is handy for a trunk case, but bulky for backpacking.

You can put it on a short 6" rail and use and bring another 12" rail (you might already have this combination), and carry the camera compressed like a brick. This is the most solid way to carry it in a backpack.

Another method is to unclip the bellows from one standard, fold the standard with the bellows flat against the rail, raise the other standard and fold it down as well, and it's a fairly compact package for carrying in something like a shoulder bag.

Yet another method is to turn both standards parallel to the rail so it makes a flat package that fits in a briefcase.

[Capocheny]

Of course it's possible. You're only limited by what you're physically able to carry... and what you WANT to carry!

If it's the F-series Sinar... it's easy enough to collapse the entire camera and carry it in a big back pack. For example, remove the standards from the rail and wrap them up separately so they won't get damaged in transit. The rail clamps are also easy enough to remove. The only drawback to this is the time it'll takes to set the camera up again. But, again, it's not impossible to do.

I wouldn't even think about lugging the P, P2, or X around. The standards themselves weigh a fair amount. Then, there's all the other pieces of equipment in addition to the camera itself. For example, lenses, meters, dark cloth, and film holders.

If you're planning on hiking long distances, at the end of the day I'd still strongly recommend a field camera of sorts. You'll be much happier with "taking pictures" as opposed to recuperating from a hernia! Or, playing pack horse. :)

Good luck on the decision.

Cheers

[Bruce Watson]

Now use a 3 lb Toho, so most dayhikes are a breeze.
Me too. Excellent little field monorail. Full movements front and back.

[Donald Brewster]

You betcha! I did it with a Linhof Color and an Arca-Swiss Discovery for a several years. I've since switched to a folding wood field for various reasons. Wasn't that big of a deal as the Linhof and A/S were relatively lightweight and reasonably compact. Of course, going really light with a monorail you can use a Toho (see Kerry Thalmann's web site -- http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/toho.htm) or a Gowland Pocket View ( http://www.petergowland.com/camera/index.html ).

[Ron Marshall]

What you also could do, since you have the Sinar case (the ones I have seen are fairly light), is get a Kelty Freighter frame:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=256967

Then you can strap the Sinar Case to the frame.

[PhotographicBlack]

Thank you all for your responces. Being so new to the LF community, I have many unanswered questions that I must either ask myself or help from others.

I am planing a 3 day trip around the Great Sand Dunes. Call it crazy... but I think I've figured out a way to pack it.

Putting a protective barrior around the camera itself and sliding the body all the way up the monorail thus enabling me to place the camera in something soft like a sleeping bag and sliding the monorail down into the rest of the pack. I can pack around the camera and work with extras. I'm packing extreamly light from there on in. I'm in great shap (as I ride a Pedicab, or a rickshaw for a job) and I'm ready to go.

Call me crazy, but this is where I want to show at: http://www.cameraobscuragallery.com/

I'm beginning to like this place. You'll be seeing more of me.

-R

[Brian Sims]

I've packed my Sinar for 100s of miles (20-30 miles at a time). I "close" the camera onto a 6 inch rail and put a constructed foamcore cover over the lens and ground glass and stuff all that into a ripstop bag. I keep everything else (lenses, meter, etc.) in ripstop bags. I found it easier to save weight buy cutting back on food, buying a high quality down bag, and lite tent. Oh yeah, and I now decant the wine into a water bottle.

[Frank Petronio]

If you haul a rickshaw around Denver you are not in great shape. You are a machine!

Stats please...?

[Rory_5244]

Well, I'm a 105lbs. weakling, and I carry my Arca-Swiss F-metric 8x10 in a Lowepro Phototrekker AW II. If I can do it, ANYBODY can do it.

[Blurt]

Can anyone suggest a brand or model of back-pack or camera bag that's really good for an Arca-Swiss Field 4x5 with a few lenses etc?

It has a short collapsible rail, but I will probabaly also buy one of the extension rails.

Thanks!

[Alan Dowding]

Your best bets for backpacking monorails are the arca swiss or linhof technikardin. Both fold to relativly small dimensions!

[Vaughn]

Alan -- check the dates of the post.

That said, my favorite 4x5 monorail for backpacking is the early Gowland Pocket View. Folds up flatter than a pancake and weighs 2.5 pounds with my 150mm/f5.6 Caltar IIN attached!

Vaughn

[Ole Tjugen]

When this thread was started, I used a Linhof Color which I packed in a small Lowepro S&F Rover lite.

Since then I've upgraded to a Carbon Infinity. Both are easily "backpackable", but the Infinity has more movements than just about anything else (and costs about 10 times as much too, assuming you can find one for sale).

[Vaughn]

When this thread was started, I used a Linhof Color which I packed in a small Lowepro S&F Rover lite.

Since then I've upgraded to a Carbon Infinity. Both are easily "backpackable", but the Infinity has more movements than just about anything else (and costs about 10 times as much too, assuming you can find one for sale).

My Gowland cost $220 new...back in, I think, 1984...give or take a year. The Caltar IIN 150/5.6 I bought new, also (both from Calumet)...it was just a little more than the camera. The "good old days" LOL!

Vaughn

[BennehBoy]

Well, the P2 and 10x8 back I just picked up is by no means backpack material, but it does trundle nicely in a peli from the boot of my car - had its first outing today, but unfortunately I didn't shoot any film - need to find the optimum time for the scene I wanted.