using a CC=400 in the field?

[stradibarrius]

I have a new to me Calumet CC-400 mono rail. What are some real world methods of hiking with it??
would I remove the rail and pack it in and the set it up in the field?
what are some good bags?

[Gem Singer]

Purchased a new CC400 from Calumet in the early 1980's. At that time I was living in Bend, Oregon.

Big mistake. The camera was not a good choice for hiking in the Cascade mountains. It was heavy, bulky, and I was never able to find a suitable carrying bag for it.

Got a 4x5 Calumet Woodfield (Tachihara) folding flatbed camera for hiking and used the CC400 as a studio camera.

I realise that does not answer your question, but I thought I'd pass along that bit of experience FYI.

[Ben Calwell]

My first view camera in 1982 was a long-rail 400. It's great for working from your car, but hiking with it would be a pain. I found it faster to use than a field camera. Just lift it out of the case (tripod quick release plate on the bottom), put it on the tripod, rack out the bellows, and you're good to go.

[goodfood]

Hi, I have same experiment as Gem Singer, got a long rail CC400 at early 70. Still in storage at home. For hiking and over sea, I bought a Calumet Woodfield, maximum four lenses with Fuji Quickload. The other way to carry the CC400 is to cut short the rail to your require. Use the long one at home, bring the short one outdoor.

[Jon Shiu]

It will fit in a large daypack.

Jon

[Kirk Fry]

Screw it on a tripod and sling over shoulder for back packing. Set up is really fast. It is a non-starter for airplanes. I take a crown graphic now in my carry on. KFry

[drh151]

Mule.

[Frank Petronio]

It's not the most compact but lots of fantastic photos have been made with old Calumets, you can't beat the price and that's the trade-off.

Most people either keep it on the tripod and hoist it over their shoulder - throw a plastic bag over it to keep it cleaner. Don't bump into trees.

If you pack it, one way is to use a top loader pack and put it on the top, upside down, so the rail can hang over the sides. Swaddle it with a dark cloth or jacket and just let it ride like that.

[stradibarrius]

Frank your idea is the closest to what I have had so far. I want to try LF in the field a time or two before I go spend the money for a field camera.

[Jon Shiu]

It will fit with the rail oriented vertically in a panel loader pack. If metal parts stick out, they will probably hit you in the head when you are putting it on/off.

Jon

[stradibarrius]

Jon I had also thought of doing that. I could slide everything to one end of the rail andinseet the rail vertically with stuff to cushion the set up.

[Frank Petronio]

Or for that matter, just slide everything to the end and put the rod over your shoulder, like Huck Finn running away from home.

Some people, if they realize that they only will use a 150mm lens or so, will cut the rail shorter to make it more manageable.

[rdenney]

I carried a monorail camera (a later Calumet made by Cambo) in a Kelty external-frame backpack, with the rail across the top of the pack and the camera body extending down into it. When I folded the top flap over the pack, only the ends of the rails stick out. That pack had a metal hoop around the top edge of the pack opening, and I had to reshape it to allow the camera body to be lowered down through it.

But nothing can make that camera lighter.

If I were attempting long trail hikes with a fixed-length monorail camera now, I would convert a baby jogger.

I was pretty fit when I hiked with that 45-pound setup down into the Maze in Canyonlands. And to no avail--the pictures were not worth the effort. I would have been better off with a more portable camera that didn't pose so much difficulty. Better to live with smaller prints than pictures reflecting exhausted mental processes.

Rick "who hikes now with a Pentax 6x7 kit in a Lowe Photo Trekker Classic" Denney

[Jon Shiu]

Jon I had also thought of doing that. I could slide everything to one end of the rail andinseet the rail vertically with stuff to cushion the set up.

When I packed it, I compressed the standards to the middle of the rail, and just packed stuff below and above, since the widest (deepest) part of my pack is in the middle, rather than the ends.

I have to admit I switched to a Tachihara for field work.

Jon

[Gary Beasley]

I guess it will be a kindness if I don't tell you about my Ebony 4x5. You will see it soon enough. :-)

[Joseph Dickerson]

Lots of good advice above.

You might also contact Photo Backpacker. Bruce makes custom camera "cradles" that work great in the Kelty Redwing, and probably other, backpacks. They don't seem to be as well known as they should be, or maybe I just hadn't noticed them before but, I just received one for my Sinar F1 and it works great. Holds the camera securely, and protects it from the inevitable bumps a backpack will receive. Only takes a moment to slide both standards and the tripod block to one end of the rail and tuck it into the bag. The camera body and rail are secured with velcro straps so that nothing is flopping around inside the pack. Really well designed, as is all of Bruce's stuff.

Your Calumet is approximately the same shape/weight as a Sinar. I'm sure Bruce could accommodate you. The Kelty Redwing will also be adaptable to almost any camera you should acquire in the future.

Like RD, I also used to carry a Calumet/Cambo in a Kelty external frame pack. It's definitely another option. Kelty still makes the external frame pack, by the way. I just bought one for my grandson. Little twerp's growing too fast for an internal pack. His is practically identical to mine, which is probably 40 years older. Somethings just keep on keepin' on.

JD

[Scratched Glass]

You could easily spend more on a backpack than you did on the camera. Unless you need the movements I'd get a Crown Graphic. You can put them in practically any backpack with lens attached.

[stradibarrius]

Well I have found that it fits fine in My Kelty Redwing. So I will be able to make it work. If I find that 4x5 field work is my thing then I will get a wood field camera.

[Frank Petronio]

Metal not wood!!!

Or trust me, a Crown Graphic (plywood no less).

[Kirk Fry]

If you have never used a crown graphic, try one, once. It took me 30 years to discover how handy they are. No they are not view cameras, but they do produce beautiful large negatives kind of like a view camera. They look clunky but they handle great. A super graphic and a speed graphic are too heavy. Think of the crown as your mini digi cam. kfry

[Photomagica]

Use a good frame pack - internal or external. Collapse the CC-400 to the middle of its rail and drop it upside down in the top of the pack. Let the rail stick out the sides and pull the top flap over to keep the camera in place. I've carried one in an old frame Kelty pack this way. Not the lightest rig in the world but works fine if you are good and strong.