Monorail in Field Conditions...

[Orgnoi1]

OK another newbie question from me :p

Is there anything special I should know when using a monorail in field conditions aside (of course) from the fact that the monorail takes up a TON more room to carry and such?

[Ash]

It's gonna be heavy, it's gonna need a strong tripod. Bout it :)

[Bruce Watson]

Is there anything special I should know when using a monorail in field conditions aside (of course) from the fact that the monorail takes up a TON more room to carry and such?

You must be joking. The lightest 5x4 camera commonly available is a field monorail from Toho. (http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/toho.htm)

I've been using a Toho for five years now. Excellent camera. Very stiff, very light weight, and full movements on both ends. I use it with a very light carbon fiber tripod.

I bought mine from Badger Graphic Sales. (http://www.badgergraphic.com/)

[Ron Marshall]

Another vote of confidence in the Toho. I use 75 to 450mm lenses and a light CF tripod. Packs into two tiny packages.

[Harley Goldman]

I use a Toho and an Arca in the field. The Arca does not take up a whole lot more room than my old Wista wooden field camera, is much faster and easier to set up and way more rigid and solid. The Toho is quite compact and is also pretty easy to use. So I guess it depends on what monorail camera you have.

Nothing special to know about using one in the field, either.

[Orgnoi1]

Well the problem is... I HAVE a monorail already a Toyo-Omega 45D... certainly not going to go buy another...LOL...

And I wasnt joking... I only recently bought my camera so I am asking a legitimate question as to if I should be weary of conditions and such... I am a newbie to LF...but not to photography... =)

[Walter Calahan]

My Arca Field monorail folds up nicely. Very small package that is very very strong.

If you're not going to sell the Toyo-Omega, just go out and use it. All the surprises are for you to discover. Grin.

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

I'm not real familiar with the Toyo system, but I believe they make a short rail or short rail extension for their cameras (something in the 6" or 150mm range). If so, get one of those and run both standards onto it for transport and carry the longer rail separately in your pack. That should make for a much more compact system to be carrying around on your back.

If Toyo doesn't make a short rail, you could just pick up a used standard rail on eBay for cheap and cut it down to the desired length and use it specifically for transport and wide angle use and switch to the longer rail when needed.

Kerry

[Eric James]

You might get some ideas from this thread:

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

[Bruce Watson]

Well the problem is... I HAVE a monorail already a Toyo-Omega 45D... certainly not going to go buy another...LOL...

And I wasnt joking... I only recently bought my camera so I am asking a legitimate question as to if I should be weary of conditions and such... I am a newbie to LF...but not to photography... =)

It helps to get better answers if you give more complete information in your question :) I wouldn't have brought up the Toho except that's how I interpretted your question. Sigh... "Language is a virus" -- Laurie Anderson

There's no trick to using a monorail in the field. If you can use it in the studio, using it in the field isn't that much different other than you have to carry everything you think you'll need with you. That and the heavier the camera, the heavier the tripod.

Good luck with it.

[Orgnoi1]

It helps to get better answers if you give more complete information in your question :) I wouldn't have brought up the Toho except that's how I interpretted your question. Sigh... "Language is a virus" -- Laurie Anderson

There's no trick to using a monorail in the field. If you can use it in the studio, using it in the field isn't that much different other than you have to carry everything you think you'll need with you. That and the heavier the camera, the heavier the tripod.

Good luck with it.


LOL look at my signature...;)

Actually this thing wont be making it into any packs or such... generally railroad photography is done in fairly accessable areas by truck... and for packing in I would probably take my 1D Mark II and a lens thats water sealed...just in case...

Really (purely) my questions were in the area of "does outdoor conditions have any detrimental effects to monorail (studio) cameras more so than field cameras" then anything else... :) which I feel was answered...

With the amount of gear I go shooting with definately the monorail would be the last camera that would end up off the beaten path... :D

[BradS]

The Toyo monorail will serve you well in the field - especially if you don't need to lug it too far from your vehicle or if you have a pack animal. I used a Toyo monorail in the field for about a year...The only problem with it is the bulk. Once you get where ever you're going, they're a wonderful camera to use. Enjoy!

[MIke Sherck]

Watch out for smacking things with the end of the monorail! I use a Calumet CC-400 for 4x5 and had a few near-misses with that, but got used to it (and cut the rail down to 16", which was a big help!)

Other than that, it worked fine. I screwed it to the top of the tripod and threw it over my shoulder and was good to go. Have fun!

Mike

[Ken Lee]

I'd rather have a little stress getting the camera to the scene, than getting to the scene, only to experience stress with the camera.

I have owned a variety of field and monorail cameras, and now use a monorail exclusively. I don't back-pack, and hiking distances from the car are fairly short.

I now use a Sinar P - a monorail, and not the lightest monorail at that. It cost me (used) around what I paid for a new Tachihara. I spent a little more and got a 5x7 kit for it. Now I have a 5x7 also, instead of 2 delicate wooden boxes. Carrying case ? I don't use one. It's strong enough to put in the trunk of the car, and cover with the dark cloth. By comparison to the light field cameras, it's impervious to weather.

Having all movements (all smoothly geared for that matter) at your disposal, makes it possible to work effortlessly and intuitively. If you have lateral shift on a field camera, that's good. Having shift both front and rear ? Dunno how many field cameras offer that. Being able to operate all adjustments while remaining under the dark-cloth... priceless.

Yes, it may take a little more effort to get the camera to the scene (no more than using many 8x10 cameras), but once you're there, you're... THERE.

[erie patsellis]

Ross,
That 45D has seen more time in the woods than studio time.


erie

[Alan Davenport]

Ross, since you're planning to do photography of railroad stuff, it seems pretty likely that you will seldom need to work far from where you can drive. That's the only real downside to monorails (Toho excepted) in the field -- they are generally cumbersome to carry about. Aside from that, they also tend to be more solidly built, and offer every conceivable movement in large measure. Most field cameras have to make compromises in order to keep size and mass within reasonable bounds.

My personal, non-professional, semi-qualified (I sometimes use a monorail in the field) analysis of your question is: No problem.

[David Karp]

Until I bought my Walker Titan SF I almost always used a monorail in the field. Not a problem. Architectural photographers do it all the time, and it sounds like what you want to do is a close relative of architectural work.

Actually, once the monorail gets to where you want it in the field, it is easier to work with than any field camera. Not to knock field cameras, but most monorails have the full range of movements on both standards, and usually the available movements exceed most lenses ability to handle them.

[Orgnoi1]

Ross,
That 45D has seen more time in the woods than studio time.


erie

LOL you DEFINATELY would be the one that would know....=) I am about 90% ready to shoot... hoping to get out next week...