Hi guys, first I'd like to say that I've already spent literally dozens of hours researching LF cameras and visiting photo stores, but I've become almost parali zed with too much information. Fortunately, I?ve been able to narrow my choices down to three monorail cameras. I'd like to turn it over to you all to help me through the final stretch.
The camera I buy will be used almost exclusively in the field and possibly on hi kes. I'm not too worried about the weight of the camera, but bulk is an issue. My subjects range from macro to landscape. I'd like something that is reliable , easy-to-use (and relatively quick on setup/breakdown), precise, and affordable (probably the most important feature).
I'm currently using a Speed Graphic which I outgrew in about a week. I want lot s of symetrical movements that I feel only a monorail design could provide. How ever, I should note that I?m still very new to large format (<5 months) so the l ittle gizmos that Sinar offers are very tempting (DOF, tilt, and swing calculato rs).
Anyway, here are the finalists (in no particular order) along with their prices and their perceived strengths and weaknesses:
Sinar F1 ($700): Good: easy to use; yaw-free; DOF, tilt, and swing calculators; Graflok compatibi lity Bad: not particularly precise, kind of heavy and bulky, not highly regarded
Sinar Norma ($800-$1000): Good: very stable and well built, relatively cheap, light (~5 lbs.), compact, hi ghly regarded, compatible with current Sinar accessories, easy to use, Graflok b ack Bad: not yaw-free, no DOF or swing calculators
Arca Swiss Discovery w/ Caltar 150mm II-N & accessories ($1200): Good: yaw free, cheaper than AS F-line w/ most of features, quality build, Grafl ok compatibility, precise Bad: poor product support, no DOF calculator etc.
Sorry for the exceedingly long post. I hope there?s enough information here to give you an idea of what might be a good match. I?m still open to suggestions o f other cameras, but please bear in mind that I?m only considering monorail desi gns that can be purchased for less than $1,200 used.
Thank you all very very much. I really do appreciate your time and consideratio n to my current situation.
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