58mm XL lens need recessed lens panel?

[James Winspear]

Hello to you all as I've just joined this forum.

Can anyone tell me if I need to use a 7mm recessed lens panel on an Arca Swiss F-Line Metric camera. I'm also using a P25 digital back.

Thanks,

James

[Walter Calahan]

I use a recessed board for my 58 mm on my Arca, but I shoot film.

I'd check to make sure the rear element won't smash into the P25. That would be a bif ouch.

[John Brady]

I don't know if this will help or not but, I use the 58 xl on a flat board with an ebony 45su. They list the bellows extension on their spec page as:
MIN/MAX BELLOWS EXTENSION 58-365mm
You can compare that to your minimum extension and that may give you your answer.
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[Ted Harris]

Why not just ask Phase One? They are usually very knowledgeable about this sort of stuff.

[butterflydream]

Yesterday night I played with my arca swiss for my 58mm and 75mm super angulon how they look on movements. I took out bellows and practiced focussing and movement shooting a candle light and street lights in the dark, without film. I did this to judge if I have to buy a bag bellows, recessed board and a Silvestri-arca adapter board for these lenses.

Maybe you could to the similar experiment without bellows in the dark.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

I have the 55mm apo grandagon on an Arca Swiss F-metric "field" 110->141.
Not exactly the 58 Schneider but the 55 Rodenstock is very close to in terms of mechanical specifications.
In brief : I have no need of a recessed board, the flat board works fine for me.
If you are using a 6x9 configuration 110->110, no problem either with a flat lensboard ; the 58 will probably focus easily on a flat lens board with the universal 6x9 leather bellows, the usable range is 55mm to 150mm.
However my camera is the 'field' 4x5" model (with 110mm front boards) for which the universal leather bellows 110->141 is very flexible and can be easiliy collapsed.
The situation might be different for another A/S camera ; however the "official" A/S specifications for the (discontinued) 171->171 models states that the 55mm can be used with a "flat" 171 lens boards. "flat" because F-line 171 standard boards are in fact slightly recessed, unlike older Oschwald boards.
If this is so, the same will certainly apply to the current 141->141 model.
See the old catalog here, page 21
The 47 Schneider requires a recessed board in 6x9, the 7mm-recessed model ; but a plain board in 4x5 (171). The 58 is not mentioned, my guess is that it works like the 55 Rodenstock.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/ARCA.pdf

[James Winspear]

Thanks for all your comments, I'll just try the 58mm with a flat board first and see how I get on with that. Teamwork Digital in London seem to think that I need a 7mm recessed board, hmmm, maybe that has something to do with selling me one for £69+vat..............?!!

PS: Is there an Arca forum, as I've looked on Google and so far haven't found anything.....?

Cheers,

James

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

James
My understanding is that you have a 6x9 model with 110mm flat lens boards. can you confirm ?
If you have the 6x9 model you have the option to use the shorter leather bellows
This is the reference list of 6x9 (110->110) A/S leather bellows

ref 071000, 20cm, 55-150mm, universal pleated leather
ref 071010, 15cm, 35-75 mm, wide-angle pleated leather, with less pleats
ref 071011, a square leather bag bellows for utra-short focal lengths e.g. the 24 Schneider or 28 Rodenstock.


PS: Is there an Arca forum
Here we are ! ;) Not kidding : i'm both an A/S user and I live in the city where the company has its European office & workshop ;)
Eh, I have an idea : what about setting up an Arca forum where we could, for example, post complaints about the fact that there is no company web site ;-)

[James Winspear]

Hi Emmanuel,

Yes that is the one. Using it with a P25, and have really only started using it since I stared leasing the super expensive digital back! I think that it may of paid for itself by now........?! not the digi back though.......

Cheers,

James

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

James : great, no problem, the Arca Swiss 6x9 gang is on-line ;)
I have bo the the 6x9 and the 6x9-to-4x5 extension so I know the configuration quite well.
And I know personnaly a French photographer who uses the 6x9 with a digital back.

So for the 58 your option might be to use the shorter pleated bellows to be more flexible. Try with a flat lens board and the standard 55-150 bellows and see what happens.
In fact you can do what you wish, recessed or not recessed, long or short bellows you'll be able to focus all configurations at infinity easily, the choice is only a question of comfort if you need a lot of tilts & shifts. (by the way, comfort is a british word that crossed the Channel at some time in the XIX-st century ;)

[mdd99]

You can e-mail Arca-Swiss in the Chicago area at arcaswiss@aol.com or try Badger Grapihc at nfo@badgergraphic.com.

If they don't know, try the European factory.