No one seems to have contributed a Toyo 45CX review to this forum yet. It appear s that it is a viable alternative to the thoroughly reviewed Calumet Cadet with a few differences: Heavier (9 pounds vs. 5 pounds), More Movements (Rear Shift, for instance), Slightly More Expensive ($549 vs. $399) and perhaps a tiny bit st urdier construction (but maybe not, it has a lot of plastic).
I'm trying to get a sense for how much difference a twice-as-heavy camera body m akes if you want to lug a monorail camera around in the great outdoors. On one h and, 9 pounds is pretty heavy. On the other, by the time you add up an eight-pou nd tripod, two-pound head, lenses and accessories you're getting over 20 pounds either way the proportional difference isn't that great.
Also, as a beginner (less than beginner, actually) I can't get a sense for what 80mm of rise front and rear versus 60mm of rise front only or 30 degrees of tilt (Cadet) versus 45 degrees (45CX) means in terms of typical nature, still-life a nd landscape "art" type photography. My guess would be that 30 degrees tilt each way is a lot for most purposes but that 60mm vertical freedom on front only is more likely to be a restriction. But I'm just guessing.
And if anyone has a 45CX and would like to review it, I'm sure it would be a use ful addition to the forum.
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