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Thread: Monorail cameras question?

  1. #11
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    Re: Monorail cameras question?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Bodine View Post
    Sorry, Rick, but the Normas all have base tilts.
    D'oh! Yes. Typo on my part. The U-frame followers are rigid and don't provide tilt. But the Norma is not yaw-free--the tilt axis is still above the swing axis. The F and P put the tilt axis below the swing axis, making it yaw-free. Not that being yaw-free is all that important to most people.

    Rick "fingers ahead of brain" Denney

  2. #12

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    Re: Monorail cameras question?

    I own a Sinar P which I bought to use mostly for portraiture. It's heavy, all geared and fun to use. Oh, and did I say it's heavy?

    If you plan on carrying it any distance from your vehicle I would recommend the Sinar F2 instead.

  3. #13

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    Re: Monorail cameras question?

    Quote Originally Posted by Łukasz Owsianka View Post
    Hi,

    I decided that I need a monorail 4x5 camera. I would like to buy a used premium or high end model because the prices are low and maybe I can get a bargain. Please tell me something about the range of Linhof, Sinar and Arca Swiss - with camera are entry level, standard, premium or high end models.
    What kind of pictures are you planning on taking? Will you be in a studio? Working out of the trunk of a car? Or back packing?
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  4. #14

    Re: Monorail cameras question?

    Quote Originally Posted by John Kasaian View Post
    What kind of pictures are you planning on taking? Will you be in a studio? Working out of the trunk of a car? Or back packing?
    I will be in studio. But not in my studio - I love my Globica but camera with stand is huge... So I need something that I could put in case and carry in hands (I am traveling by train).

  5. #15
    Roger Thoms's Avatar
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    Re: Monorail cameras question?

    Also Rick, I have never considered my Alpina an oddity and it does have a 6" extension rail.

    Roger "who is deeply hurt by Ricks Alpina comment" Thoms

  6. #16
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    Re: Monorail cameras question?

    Quote Originally Posted by Roger Thoms View Post
    Also Rick, I have never considered my Alpina an oddity and it does have a 6" extension rail.

    Roger "who is deeply hurt by Ricks Alpina comment" Thoms
    Oddity in the sense that you don't see them often. Hey, I called the X and C models oddities, too.

    But there's no denying that an Alpina would fit in a highly portable case even more easily than an F or F2. Sinar's case for it required the standards to be turned on their sides, but it's briefcase size. The case I use is the same size as smaller monorail cases and hangs the camera upside down on the rail. It holds a lot of stuff, and it's pretty easy to carry as luggage for train travel. A P would want a bigger case, probably, and it would be heavier.

    Rick "whose collection mostly comprises oddities" Denney

  7. #17
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    Re: Monorail cameras question?

    I picked up my Toyo GII with extension rail, regular and bag bellows, some lens boards, and a case for $350. Watch ebay and you should find a deal pretty quickly.
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    All comments and thoughtful critique welcome

  8. #18
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    Re: Monorail cameras question?

    As the OP mentioned in post #14, he needs a camera that he can transport easily,and use in a studio environment.

    He should be looking for a folding flat bed camera like a 4x5 Linhof Tech, Toyo A, Wista, etc. instead of a monorail.

    Just be sure the camera he chooses has the movements he needs.

  9. #19

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    Re: Monorail cameras question?

    Plenty of monorails fold compactly and are easy to transport. In fact the very lightest 4x5 cameras, like the Toho and Gowland, are monorails. And the well-regarded Arca-Swiss is more than competitive with less versatile and less capable folding field cameras like the Ebony.

    Even some of the traditional Sinars-Toyos-Linhofs are not that heavy or bulky. A Sinar F2 in normal configuration is only 7 lbs and only a few inches taller than a wooden folder.

  10. #20
    http://www.spiritsofsilver.com tgtaylor's Avatar
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    Re: Monorail cameras question?

    Toyo-View 45C, CX, and maybe the Arca Swiss "Discovery" model. I'm not familiar with the movements available on the Arca but the Toyo's have full movements.

    Thomas

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