Ebony SV TI Without Rear Rise

[robert lyons]

hi i would like to get people's comments on their experience with the SVti. i had one and felt that it was a bit cumbersome due to all the rear adjustments and sold it. now i find that one thing i really want is a compact field camera that has shifts at least in the front or the rear. as far as i know there are few other cameras that offer this feature as well as zero detents so i have thought again about the Ebony. i love their build and quality and am thinking about having a camera made that is essentially the SVti but without rear rise. thanks for your

[Ed Candland]

Maybe I'm missing something but I'm not sure why someone would want to pay extra money to have a camera made custom with less features. if you don't use rear rise why not just not use it. isn't it only two extra locking knobs?

[Rolf Katzenstein]

You might be pleased with the RW45 or the really stripped version by Robert White, the RSW 45 (non-folding).I own an RW 45 and think that it is perfect for use in the ourdoors.

[Ben Calwell]

Robert, While it doesn't have the cachet of the Ebony name, the Wista DX has rear shift and zero detents. It's compact and light. The bellows aren't as long as I would like, but it's not a bad field camera.

[Eugene]

Robert, take a look at the Toyo A field cameras. They are compact field cameras with shifts in both front, and rear. The AII has a rotating back, and the AX is the same camera without the elaborate back arrangement. If you get the AX, buy the folding focusing hood for it. There are plenty of good used ones around. Check Midwest Photo (mpex.com).

[Eugene]

Robert, a correction to my previous post. The Toyo 45A field cameras have front shift, only. Rear swing, but no rear shift. You used the words compact and build. The Toyo fields fold very compact, and they are built like metal tanks. Quality is high, and these cameras can be obtained from many sources at reasonable prices. I hope you check them out before investing in a custom-built Ebony.

[paul owen]

Robert, It sounds as if one of the non-folding Ebony cameras is what you need! Probably the 45S or 45SU. I appreciate that there are other makes out there, but once an Ebony has been "sampled" you would be hard pushed to match it.