Shooting landscapes with a monorail?

Frank Dean,  Blacksmith

A
Frank Dean, Blacksmith

  • 5
  • 3
  • 40
Woman wearing shades.

Woman wearing shades.

  • 0
  • 1
  • 45
Curved Wall

A
Curved Wall

  • 5
  • 0
  • 77
Crossing beams

A
Crossing beams

  • 9
  • 1
  • 100
Shadow 2

A
Shadow 2

  • 5
  • 1
  • 70

Recent Classifieds

Forum statistics

Threads
198,839
Messages
2,781,679
Members
99,725
Latest member
saint_otrott
Recent bookmarks
0

Bob S

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2019
Messages
392
Location
georgia
Format
Hybrid
Pretty sure St. Ansel didn't use anything as small as 4x5 for "serious" work by the time the Graphic View was out.

I did get one of those cases with the Graphic View II that came in yesterday's mail. I didn't even know it was included (lens, Graflok back, and five film holders I did know about); makes the camera an even better deal, even if the shutter's completely toasted.
He also didn’t have access to today’s films and lenses. But John Sexton, Bruce Barnbaum and many others with an association with Adams do shoot 45.
 

Rick A

Subscriber
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,926
Location
Laurel Highlands
Format
8x10 Format
That looks like something St. Ansel would use. :D
What Ansel Adams used.
upload_2021-8-13_11-36-40.jpeg
 

Nokton48

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Messages
2,990
Format
Multi Format
The Domke postal pads are really good.

Yes those Domke Postal Pads are good. I would snap that Z6 white strap to my 4x5 Norma case. Believe it or not it worked for me. I never stood on the case in the landscape field but I could have.
 

Alan9940

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
2,421
Location
Arizona
Format
Multi Format
Hint: don't try to carry the tripod with the camera still mounted. Not that the camera's likely to come loose (at least not with the head I have), but it's really awkward and seems to gain fifteen pounds when carried that way.

I carried my 8x10 Deardorff with Schneider 360/6.8 lens mounted on top of a Ries A100 tripod head combo over my shoulder for about 20 years without issue. I would fold the dark cloth in half and toss over my shoulder for padding. Personally, I found this to be a very comfortable and convenient way to move the setup from place to place. No idea how much it all weighed in total, but if you're familiar with the equipment I listed, then you'll be keenly aware that it ain't light! :wink:

I will admit, though, that at nearly 70 years young now it's an Intrepid 8x10, Fuji A or C lenses, and a carbon fiber tripod, if I plan on hiking any distance at all. Not as young as I used to be! :smile:
 

Vaughn

Subscriber
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
10,080
Location
Humboldt Co.
Format
Large Format
I strapped a hard case with a some sort of 4x5 rail camera in it (belonged to the university) to the top of my Kelty frame pack -- looked like a 6'4" Sherpa -- and hiked 8 miles or so up the trail. Then from camp wandered straight up the mountainsides, etc.

Dang-- to have those legs, lungs and heart again!

A bad reproduction from a dusty neg from the above trip -- learned why changing film under one's sleeping bag can be problematic.

Trinity Alps (Thompson Peak) perhaps 1979. This wilderness has just been closed to hikers until November due to fires and lack of personel to manage the wilderness use.
 

Attachments

  • UpperCanyonCreekBasin.jpg
    UpperCanyonCreekBasin.jpg
    437.4 KB · Views: 137

xya

Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
1,036
Location
Calais, Köln
Format
Multi Format
for many years I carried an early linhof kardan standard into the field. weighs next to nothing, folds to a light monorail tube with the standards attached that fold to not more than the size of a book. as it is so light, you only need a light aluminium tripod. I strapped the tripod to the monorail and carried this in my hand. the rest was in a very small backpack. you are ready within 2 minutes and you can make a whole day out.
 

ic-racer

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
16,546
Location
USA
Format
Multi Format
Anyone do this on a regular basis? If so, how does one pack and carry? Backpack? Rolling case? I bought a Busch Pressman to use as a field camera, but it has limited movements. My Omegaview has all the movements, but it seems awkward for use in the field.
Not monorail, but some in our local group used jogging strollers to haul 7x17" and 8x10" format field cameras.
 

ic-racer

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
16,546
Location
USA
Format
Multi Format
The only time I used a 4x5 monorail was in graduate school. I did not have a car on campus and I could not carry it with my bike. I wound up shooting my assignment either in my apartment or just out side. It seemed impossible to transport.
 

John Earley

Member
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
423
Location
Central Virginia
Format
Multi Format
Not monorail, but some in our local group used jogging strollers to haul 7x17" and 8x10" format field cameras.
I use a jogging cart to carry my 4x5, 5x7 or 8x10 gear. Works great as long as you don't try it on very gnarly trails.

Pocahontas Park
by JOHN EARLEY, on Flickr

I had an extra rail for my Toyo 45G that I cut down to 7" and with a good bit of padding I was able to carry the camera in a backpack. I just screw the regular rail onto it and it's ready to go. I normally use my Shen Hao when I'm out and about so this is only used on a rare occasion.
 

Neil Poulsen

Member
Joined
May 28, 2005
Messages
520
Format
4x5 Format
I've used an Arca-Swiss F-Line 4x5 in the field for years. The telescoping rail system makes it a simple task to have both standards on one 30cm rail. The camera, 4 lenses, and dark cloth fit nicely in an F-Stop ICU which slides right into my Kelty P2 backpack.

Ditto, but with a different backpack. My camera now is more Oschwald era than F-Line. But either camera is portable.
 

Mal Paso

Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2019
Messages
374
Location
Carmel, Ca USA
Format
4x5 Format
I've always used a monorail for everything. Camera on the tripod, on the shoulder with the focusing cloth for padding. Everything else goes in an Amazon Basics Backpack. 3 lenses, 12 holders, spotmeter, bag bellows, extension rail and bellows coupler. I have a Cambo SC that weighs almost nothing and a SF I can use in wind. I find myself using a 370-400mm close mixed with the landscapes and need bellows for that.
 

abruzzi

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2018
Messages
3,060
Location
New Mexico, USA
Format
Large Format
I shoot my Technikardan 45 in the field all the time. The only thing I don’t like about it is that the steps to fold or unfold it require loosening the rail position lock, shift, and swing on both the front and rear standard, moving everything into place, then locking all six locks. The problem is about 1 in 20 shots I forget to lock one of the locks. That happened this morning, I forgot to lock the front standard in position on the rail, and I didn’t notice until I started folding it back up. So I’m hoping it held focus, but I won’t know until I get a chance to develop it. But that’s a flaw in me, not the camera. Oh, and when Bob says it’s the size of a book, think calculus textbook, but still, it’s surprisingly compact, and very easy to use.
 

Andrew O'Neill

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Jan 16, 2004
Messages
11,981
Location
Coquitlam,BC Canada
Format
Multi Format
I did exact same as DonW, with a Cambo as well for several years. Then I got an old Linhof Tech IV, and never touched the Cambo again. Poor thing is still sitting in its box...
 

GLS

Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2018
Messages
1,726
Location
England
Format
Multi Format
+1 for the Technikardan.

I currently use it with the Lowepro Whistler BP 450 AW backpack. It fits the camera, 72, 90, 150, 210 and 300mm lenses, standard bellows, bag bellows, cable release, Sekonic L-758D, loupe, 6 x Toyo double holders, Lee filter holder/hood, and numerous filters. I then strap my Gitzo tripod to one side of the pack and a 1.5L water bottle on the other. All of this does weigh a bit, but perfectly doable.

The pack really is about at its limit though, and I would like to get something bigger at some point to allow another lens or two, more holders etc. Maybe something from F-Stop.
 

Donald Qualls

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 19, 2005
Messages
12,295
Location
North Carolina
Format
Multi Format

narsuitus

Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2004
Messages
1,813
Location
USA
Format
Multi Format
I use a Calumet CC-402 wide-field/short monorail 4x5 inch view camera for shooting landscapes.

The lenses I use include:
135mm Fujinon f/5.6 (38mm equiv)
90mm Fujinon f/5.6 (28mm equiv)
65mm Schneider f/8 Super-Angulon (18mm equiv)
Pinhole lens on mounting board

The 90mm is the lens I tend to use most often for landscapes.

I carry the equipment is a large hard case. If needed, I put the case on a luggage carrier with wheels.

I mount the camera on a Tiltall tripod.


Monorail
by Narsuitus, on Flickr
 

DREW WILEY

Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2011
Messages
13,934
Format
8x10 Format
I backpacked at least 10, 000 miles with the Sinar 4X5 monorail system. And I'm including a lot of steep high-altitude off-trail usage. The next 5000 miles or so are a little more difficult to recount, since I sometimes used the Sinar, but more and more started using a little Ebony 4X5 folder on long treks instead, as I got older. Now I frequently have a Sinar 4X5 Norma in my backpack for day hikes, or else an 8x10 Phillips folder, or even MF gear, but still rely mostly on my 4X5 Ebony for multi-day hikes. The Sinar is much faster to use, and more versatile, than any folder or technical camera like the Technika, which my brother used.

Any extended trip also necessarily includes all kinds of extra gear and supplies in the same pack - sleeping bag, tent, mountain-worthy clothing and gear, sufficient food and stove stuff, and in my younger years, a certain amount of climbing gear too. Since I prefer longer narrower perspectives, I keep an 18 inch cumulative rail on the Sinar, which is of course easily shortened if I need to shoot a wide angle lens instead. I use true external frame vintage US-made packs for all of this. Any official camera pack wouldn't begin to carry enough, or last very long either. Now the bigger question is, how much longer will I last before I wear out?
 

dpurdy

Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2006
Messages
2,673
Location
Portland OR
Format
8x10 Format
I started with an Omega rail camera for which I had a custom aluminum case made. Lugging that thing with a couple lenses and a stack of film holders and a tripod, I had to stop every short while to catch my breath. I can't work by looking for pictures out of my car window like hunting for pheasants. I got rid of that camera and got a wooden field camera with 14 inch bellows and tilting/sliding back along with rising tilting sliding front standard and that is the way to go.
 
Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here.

PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY:



Ilford ADOX Freestyle Photographic Stearman Press Weldon Color Lab Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Top Bottom