I should mention that with longer lenses I rarely use tilt, so the top hat board is not a problem for me. I guess it depends on what you photograph. I mostly photograph landscapes and use the longer lenses for things far away that I cannot walk to, etc., so I am not so concerned with tilt in those situations.
You can easily use a Nikkor 300M for subjects at infinity on the VX. Certainly, you are not going to be focusing on items close to the camera with that focal length.
Last edited by David Karp; 9-Jan-2019 at 13:11.
I realize that Bob... My plan for a longer bellows has always involved an extension board.Originally Posted by Bob Salomon
Extension bed, an extension board would be an extended lens board.
Oops, yes of course! That's what I getting for answering posts in between other things... I would prefer not use an extension board or tophat. I want to use an extension rail/bed/track so I can preserve axis tilt. Cheers, Rob
Hello,
When I had my Wista SP I used a G-Claron F9 270mm and had no problem and then preformed great. I know it's not 300mm but close and I didn't need to make other changes.
BTW: I still have the lens and board.
Hi Rob, Your email has been rejected for some reason?
To close the circle on this thread, I think my idea of a longer bellows made out of thinner material is a non-starter. (Bob's "No!" response to the original post seems to apply to both the ideas I outlined!) My 45VX came with a new synthetic bellows installed. It's a nice bellows and has the full draw needed to use the camera. However, it doesn't compress quite as much as the original (I presume) because the camera just barely closes. The tolerances are extremely tight. The replacement synthetic bellows needs to compress by about another 2 mm to make closing the camera easy.
So that means that for my "longer bellows in the same space" idea to work, the material would have to be incredibly thin. Maybe that's possible -- I don't know. But it clearly isn't possible using the material used to make the modern synthetic replacement bellows I have.
Thanks all for the ideas and suggestions.
Before you go to a lot of trouble, why don't you just try an extended lensboard? I've been using one with a 300mm Nikkor M on my Wistas for years. Front tilt is tiny bit limited a bit by mechanical vignetting from the extension tube, but there's a lot of movement still usable. Making tilt (and swing) adjustments with the front is just like working with base tilts, but a bit more pronounced; i.e., not really a problem at all. Plus, you'll find you probably won't use movements as much with longer lenses anyway; it's just the nature of those kind of shots.
I guess I'm saying, "get over your addiction to axis tilts and get on with it. It's not so hard."
Best,
Doremus
It's not so much an addiction Doremus as trying to avoid compromising unless I have to. Is it safe to admit on the LFF that you also shoot digital?In my digital personality, I've built an entire photographic workflow around tilt-shift on a tiny APS-C sensor https://www.robdeloephotography.com/...tshift-on-APSC). Talk about compromises! Not only is it not axis tilt -- it's just rear base tilts. You may be sure that I know all about base tilt...
My Wista 45VX was supposed to be my "Ahhh, not compromising" kit. But that's a fantasy. It's always about compromises. Especially with large format. What was I thinking? So yes, I shall get over it quickly!
FYI, here is a picture showing a rather well used OEM Wista bellows on the left and a set from Custom Bellows on the right. The height from the table surface to the top rim of the front plate is 17mm on the OEM bellows, and 21mm on the CB bellows. The CB bellows easily compresses a few more mm, and I suspect that the Wista bellows would have sat a bit thicker when new. The Wista bellows have a papery feeling outer with a fabric lining, which the Custom Bellows are a synthetic outer, also with a fabric lining.
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