4x5 field camera with geared movements

[Drew Wiley]

I don't care much for Arca's marketing exaggeration. They no doubt make a precise product. But when they claim "Grandpa's 8x10 and 450 lens allowed for an inch of slop" ... Well, I wouldn't tolerate even 1mm of slop in my 8x10. Gearing is just a convenience at best, other than for the focus. I don't know what all the fuss is about, at least in a large format context.

[Alan Gales]

Gearing is just a convenience at best, other than for the focus. I don't know what all the fuss is about, at least in a large format context.

I'd agree with that. I've bought and sold many Cambo and Calumet monorails that used friction movements. The friction movements worked fine. I owned a Sinar P with geared movements. Using those geared movements was really enjoyable but they made the camera heavier. Nice for a studio camera but not so nice for backpacking. Like Ken says in post #3, he doesn't take his Sinar P far from the car.

[Luis-F-S]

Sinar F. "F" is for field right?

I think Ken Lee has your answer in post #3. Get a monorail camera for when you want geared movements and take your field camera along when you do a lot of hiking.

+1

[Drew Wiley]

I have geared Sinar P components. They would be an outright disadvantage in the field - significantly greater weight mandating more solid tripod support, and risk of grit or sand getting into the gearing - and none of this would give me a bit better accuracy in the actual images than using my much lighter Sinar F or Norma components. Wouldn't even save much time doing adjustments or focus, if any. I understand the popularity of all that gearing in image-mass-production studio environments. I happen to prefer monorails in the field, and have backpacked thousand of miles will non-geared Sinars. But I also shoot 4x5 and 8x10 folders when pack space is limited, or when lighter cumulative weight is a priority, as it seems to be more and more often as I drift into my 70's. Einstein got it all wrong. Gravity increases with time.

[Alan Gales]

I have geared Sinar P components. They would be an outright disadvantage in the field - significantly greater weight mandating more solid tripod support, and risk of grit or sand getting into the gearing - and none of this would give me a bit better accuracy in the actual images than using my much lighter Sinar F or Norma components. Wouldn't even save much time doing adjustments or focus, if any. I understand the popularity of all that gearing in image-mass-production studio environments. I happen to prefer monorails in the field, and have backpacked thousand of miles will non-geared Sinars. But I also shoot 4x5 and 8x10 folders when pack space is limited, or when lighter cumulative weight is a priority, as it seems to be more and more often as I drift into my 70's. Einstein got it all wrong. Gravity increases with time.

I used to have relatives in and just above the Missouri bootheel. Heard of the Mason Dixon line? It was a great place to shoot old barns and small towns but I haven't been down there in a long time. The soil there is really sandy and when the wind blows it picks it up from the flat farmland. Sandy places like that are not good for geared movements.

Einstein may have been plenty smart but he wasn't perfect.

[Drew Wiley]

Try a geared camera in a place like Death Valley in the spring, when its windy blowing fine clays, salt, Twenty Mule Team Borax, and just about every kind of abrasive, corrosive mineral sand nobody has otherwise even heard of.

[Greg]

I have geared Sinar P components. They would be an outright disadvantage in the field - significantly greater weight mandating more solid tripod support, and risk of grit or sand getting into the gearing - and none of this would give me a bit better accuracy in the actual images than using my much lighter Sinar F or Norma components. Wouldn't even save much time doing adjustments or focus, if any. I understand the popularity of all that gearing in image-mass-production studio environments. I happen to prefer monorails in the field, and have backpacked thousand of miles will non-geared Sinars. But I also shoot 4x5 and 8x10 folders when pack space is limited, or when lighter cumulative weight is a priority, as it seems to be more and more often as I drift into my 70's. Einstein got it all wrong. Gravity increases with time.

Agree with you 100%. About 20 years ago up for auction was a 4x5 Sinar Norma which had been in a studio fire and was completely covered with soot. On close inspection the picture of is noticed that the bellows looked fine. I had the single opening bid and won the camera for less than the shipping costs. I was taking a big chance. Camera arrived and it did look horrendous. Took it completely apart, cleaned every piece, lubed it (can't remember exactly), and reassembled it. Bellows was quite dried out so replaced it with a newer one. Have used the camera thousands of times since then under all types of conditions, and it has never failed me to this day. On the other hand, used a Sinar P on a windy beach in Connecticut over the course of a few days. Had to send the camera back to Sinar to have it cleaned. Took little to mess up/clog up the gears.