I realise that the sentence that I've emphasised in bold reflects a widely held view. I think that it is factually incorrect in the case of some monorail cameras. For example, Arca-Swiss monorails are used by many people as field cameras. Indeed the company makes a monorail specifically for field use, although I think that its standard cameras work just fine in the field. I don't believe that field cameras of comparable quality are lighter, or break down more compactly, than the Arca-Swiss in the photo two posts up, especially since the changes in Arca-Swiss standard/lens board size. As far as I know, there is also no field camera that offers anything close to Arca-Swiss's degree of modularity.
When purchasing a camera, I think that it's a good idea to compare cameras of comparable quality, regardless of construction style, rather than summarily dismiss an entire class of camera. I also think that it's useful to consider overall bulk and weight of the system, not just the camera.
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