In love - but with what exactly?
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Email the seller and ask!
Good luck.
Good luck.
OP
OP
David Brown said:Email the seller and ask!
Good luck.
Done that! I'm just not patient enough to wait and find out if the seller is knowledgeable enough - am sure response time here is faster
OP
OP
After some webbrowsing and taking another long good look at the pics, it seems this Arca has no tilt on the back standard - something we'd like to see in an 8x10. So it is probably a Model A?
Of course, we pine for an Ebony 8x10 with full movements, but that will have to remain a dream for the future.
There are plenty of Cambo 8x10's around here in the homeland of Cambo, but that seems to be way to heavy and bulky to lug around. The Arca gets praise for its small size and weight, but maybe that extends only to the newer models.
Of course, we pine for an Ebony 8x10 with full movements, but that will have to remain a dream for the future.
There are plenty of Cambo 8x10's around here in the homeland of Cambo, but that seems to be way to heavy and bulky to lug around. The Arca gets praise for its small size and weight, but maybe that extends only to the newer models.
I just got two of these older 8x10 Arca As (axis tilt only) from a local studio. My bellows is tapered the whole way, not like the one pictured. Of course the newer F-line series is built to a much higher standard but I think the older Arcas weigh less and they work just as well as anything out there. I'm going to play with them for a while and sell one, so pay attention and you won't have to drive to Germany, only Rochester ;-)
OP
OP
Frank Petronio said:
Ahhh, so those are the cameras for which the poor Fatif was exchanged. Perhaps you care to exchange some of your experiences with your Arcas? Are they easy to set up, to adjust, how is the gearing? Is the lack of base tilt a real draw back in your eyes? Or do you think some good machinist good modify it without superlarge costs?
I wouldn't even try to modify the Arca to have base tilts when they aren't engineered in. The 4x5s with base tilt (the B) and combined base and axis tilts (C) are pretty common on eBay and ultimately you could buy a couple of cameras to assemble your ultimate kit, and selling off the extras usually at a slight profit.
I like base tilts better myself, especially for landscape work where it is a simple matter to focus on the horizon and tilt the back towards you until the foreground comes into focus. But for most other applications axis tilts get the job done, and if your compositions are centered, as most portraits and studio work tends to be, the axis tilts work to your advantage. But the choice is hardly a deal killer because lots of great photos have been made with either type of tilt, regardless of subject matter.
The newer (>1980s) Arcas are CNC machined and so much more refined, smoother, and tighter. However, the older models have no real shortcomings other than age and more plastic parts - knobs may crack or levels my dry out - none of which is a big deal.
The only gearing is the focusing track, which works fine and is easy to clean. The base rail clamp fits into any Arca-Swiss clamping track, and the 8x10 is easily handled by my light 3 series Gitzo and Arca-Swiss B1 ballhead. That was my issue with the Fatif - it was simply too heavy and required that I purchase another heavy duty tripod. The Arca 8x10 is light enough to work with a lighter tripod. It locks down tight and has a bail for the back, which makes inserting holders a much easier situation (you're less apt to shake or shift the camera with a smooth holder insertion).
Of course wind will still catch the bellows and this is where sheer mass (a Fatif or Sinar P with a No.5 Gitzo) will be steadier no matter what.
Any of the older Arcas -- you need to inspect the foam seals on the bellows and light traps, as these usually are dry and crumbling. The lock downs can be adjusted but not the detents. A Sinar Norma, which only is geared on the standards, not the entire rail, is better in this reagards because you can rebuild everything and reset the detents to acheive perfect alignment. But it is a bulkier camera (designed by the same guy as the Arca!) but I think ranks slightly higher than the older Arca.
Last year I had a 4x5 Arca F and it was the finest camera I've ever had, and I've had most of them. If it weren't for the expense and lousy customer service I'd be even more pro-Arca, but the company has it's head up it's French Fried buttocks.
Bob Watkins of Precision Camera Works (Dead Link Removed) is the authorized Arca service in North America and he is a great guy. He used to work for Sinar and knows his stuff cold. His website has a lot of Arca info (some of which I wrote!)
I like base tilts better myself, especially for landscape work where it is a simple matter to focus on the horizon and tilt the back towards you until the foreground comes into focus. But for most other applications axis tilts get the job done, and if your compositions are centered, as most portraits and studio work tends to be, the axis tilts work to your advantage. But the choice is hardly a deal killer because lots of great photos have been made with either type of tilt, regardless of subject matter.
The newer (>1980s) Arcas are CNC machined and so much more refined, smoother, and tighter. However, the older models have no real shortcomings other than age and more plastic parts - knobs may crack or levels my dry out - none of which is a big deal.
The only gearing is the focusing track, which works fine and is easy to clean. The base rail clamp fits into any Arca-Swiss clamping track, and the 8x10 is easily handled by my light 3 series Gitzo and Arca-Swiss B1 ballhead. That was my issue with the Fatif - it was simply too heavy and required that I purchase another heavy duty tripod. The Arca 8x10 is light enough to work with a lighter tripod. It locks down tight and has a bail for the back, which makes inserting holders a much easier situation (you're less apt to shake or shift the camera with a smooth holder insertion).
Of course wind will still catch the bellows and this is where sheer mass (a Fatif or Sinar P with a No.5 Gitzo) will be steadier no matter what.
Any of the older Arcas -- you need to inspect the foam seals on the bellows and light traps, as these usually are dry and crumbling. The lock downs can be adjusted but not the detents. A Sinar Norma, which only is geared on the standards, not the entire rail, is better in this reagards because you can rebuild everything and reset the detents to acheive perfect alignment. But it is a bulkier camera (designed by the same guy as the Arca!) but I think ranks slightly higher than the older Arca.
Last year I had a 4x5 Arca F and it was the finest camera I've ever had, and I've had most of them. If it weren't for the expense and lousy customer service I'd be even more pro-Arca, but the company has it's head up it's French Fried buttocks.
Bob Watkins of Precision Camera Works (Dead Link Removed) is the authorized Arca service in North America and he is a great guy. He used to work for Sinar and knows his stuff cold. His website has a lot of Arca info (some of which I wrote!)
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