Originally Posted by
6x6TLL
I have the F Metric Field version that has 110mm front standard size, much more compact and lighter than the standard 141mm version. I opted for the Orbix control on the front standard, which is really nice. The bellows is conical and packs up in a thin "sandwich" that doesn't take any more thickness than the folding rail itself, so about 15cm collapsed, 30cm extended, and I too carry a 15cm extension rail.
The main downside of this setup in my mind is the 110mm front standard means that if I want to convert sometime in the future to 8x10 I will have to replace both standards and bellows, rather than just the rear standard and bellows. With the rising cost of 8x10 film and the added weight and bulk, I might just stick with 4x5. Between it and medium format I feel I cover most of what I like to shoot pretty well.
All of this mounts on a D4 Arca head, and as Neil points out, you can mount the rail directly on the D4 head as it's the same width as the bench, which coincidentally is the same width as a standard Arca mount plate. I considered the Arca Cube head as well, but the D4 seemed to be a bit lighter, smaller, and the gearing offers much of the same precision as the Cube.
The whole kit packs quite handily into a shoulder-carry Lowe bag with 90mm, 150mm and 210mm lens, dark cloth, light meter, loupe, and a few film holders. Still looking for a 300-350mm option, haven't quite landed on one yet.
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