Opinions on the Ebony RSW45

[hnaa]

I know there are a lot of Ebony users in here, so I wanted to hear your opinions, if any, on the Ebony RSW45? It seems like a super deal, and with just the movements I need for landscape. And supposedly it should have ample movements with a 75-90mm lens. There is ofcourse always the Chinese alternatives, but I'd rather get it right the first time.
Well, actually this is the second time, about a year ago I got a beautiful Sinar F1, with 90mm lens and all the accessories. Since I don't have a car, I really didn't get it out there enough, and then, for financial reasons, I had to sell my gear. Now I am out of the water again, and looking for a light, high-quality 4x5 landscape camera, that isn't too expensive, and the Ebony RSW45 seems like it's the thing. Looking forward to hear from you.

[Jack Dahlgren]

The advantage over something like the RW45 is the ability to handle short focal lengths. If you are using those short lenses then it would be a good choice. On the other hand, it has a relatively limited bellows extension, so long lenses at close distances aren't going to be workable.

Take a look at the RW45 as well. Though if you are using lenses shorter than 90mm it gets tight.

[Eric Leppanen]

In addition to Joe Cornish's RSW45 review on the Ebony camera site, I presume you have also seen Nick Rains' review on LL:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/ebony.shtml

The RSW45 is a relatively quick-to-setup, lightweight wide-to-normal camera. It can also handle longer lenses in a pinch, although it is less than optimal for that purpose. The simplest longer lens solution would be to use a vintage telephoto such as a 240mm Tele Xenar or Tele Arton, although these lenses will make the camera front-heavy and are not something you'd want to backpack with for long distances. By using an extended "top hat" lens board the camera can support a 200 or 210 mm lens at infinity or a bit closer (a Nikon 200M or 210mm plasmat would work here), although front movements would be limited due to vignetting caused by the top hat. Theoretically the cleanest long lens solution would be to use the optional Ebony 452 extension back, which can support a lens as long as the Fuji 400T telephoto. I haven't heard of many folks using the extension back, though, presumably because it is expensive and a bit bulky to carry around.

I use my RSW45 as a lightweight landscape and architecture camera, using 80, 110 and 150mm lenses. For longer lenses I use a different camera. Because I only use wide-to-normal focal lengths I have equipped my RSW45 with the Ebony wide angle fresnel, which makes the 150mm ground glass image slightly dimmer (but not enough to be bothersome) but greatly improves the evenness of ground glass illumination of the wide angle lenses, particularly the 80 (it also works quite well with 47 and 58mm wide-angle lenses). The wide angle fresnel is not especially expensive, and for me it has significantly improved the handling of the camera.

I think whether to buy the RSW45 comes down to whether you'll feel limited by the lens support. If wide-to-normal is all you shoot, then the RSW45 is hard to beat for landscape purposes. The large titanium knobs, separate controls for front rise and tilt, and the overall quality is all first rate. I've owned mine since 2003, and I still enjoy using it.

If you'd like to investigate the longer lens situation further I would definitely suggest corresponding with the folks at Robert White, as they are quite knowledgeable on this subject.

[RJC]

I used an Ebony RSW45 for 8 years and it was the perfect lightweight camera for hiking into the Scotish Highlands with my 80mm and 150mm lenses.

Eventually I found the bellows extension too limiting and didn't want to go down the extension back route to longer lens use. I therefore opted for a SW45S II (a hybrid between the SW45 and the 45S) at only 300g heavier and with rear rise/fall and front swing/shift, a more versatile camera. I read all the rave reviews about the 45SU and asymmetrical movements but this model was just too expensive and too heavy (I can carry a lightweight tent for the extra weight).

Not being able to afford to keep the RSW45 as well I recouped my initial outlay (having bought the camera new and looked after it well) in monetary terms - so I consider that I hired the camera for the loss in inflation/currency movements in 8 years. I'm sure if you purchased a used version and looked after it you'd recover your costs if you later found the useable lens range limiting.

Rob

[cjbroadbent]

I've worked my way through a good many 4x5s. The SW is my final ideal camera. It is totally hassle-free. The front and back are precisely square on. A must with shortish lenses (unless you're shooting trees). The SW is non-folding, the lens lives on the camera and the whole thing is ready to shoot right out of the bag.

[hnaa]

Hmm,
just stumbled on the Walket Titan Wide XL, seems like a very nice camera. Priced almost exactly the same as an Ebony RSW45. I guess the ABS and steel construction of the titan could be more stable perhaps? Any thoughts about pro et contra for these two cameras?