Ebony SV TI without rear rise

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hi i would like to get people's comments on their experience with the SVti. i had one and felt that it was a bit cumbersome due to all the rear adjustments and sold it. now i find that one thing i really want is a compact field camera that has shifts at least in the front or the rear. as far as i know there are few other cameras that offer this feature as well as zero detents so i have thought again about the Ebony. i love their build and quality and am thinking about having a camera made that is essentially the SVti but without rear rise. thanks for your

-- robert (ralfoto@aol.com), May 13, 2002

Answers

Maybe I'm missing something but I'm not sure why someone would want to pay extra money to have a camera made custom with less features. if you don't use rear rise why not just not use it. isn't it only two extra locking knobs?

-- Ed Candland (ecandland@earthlink.net), May 13, 2002.

You might be pleased with the RW45 or the really stripped version by Robert White, the RSW 45 (non-folding).I own an RW 45 and think that it is perfect for use in the ourdoors.

-- Rolf Katzenstein (rgk@farmington.com), May 14, 2002.

Robert, While it doesn't have the cachet of the Ebony name, the Wista DX has rear shift and zero detents. It's compact and light. The bellows aren't as long as I would like, but it's not a bad field camera.

-- Ben Calwell (bcalwell@aol.com), May 14, 2002.

Robert, take a look at the Toyo A field cameras. They are compact field cameras with shifts in both front, and rear. The AII has a rotating back, and the AX is the same camera without the elaborate back arrangement. If you get the AX, buy the folding focusing hood for it. There are plenty of good used ones around. Check Midwest Photo (mpex.com).

-- Eugene (TIAGEM@aol.com), May 14, 2002.

Robert,

So far you have not had responses from SVti users, and I think it is because they do not understand your objection to rear rise. For landscape and architectual photography it is good to have available as much rise and fall (both front and back) as possible. At least, having these features does no harm. That is one reason that I bought an Ebony 45SU. It does not fold, and it is a very simple camera, as well as a superb camera. The lack of zero detents has not led to any problems whatsoever.

An Arca-Swiss Metric is quite different from a wooden field camera, and it certainly has rear rise. Still, with detents and geared movements, it may be an option for you to consider. I'm not sure, though. Could explain in what way rear rise was cumbersome for you?

-- Michael Alpert (alpert@umit.miane.edu), May 14, 2002.



The last sentence of my response was meant as a question: Could you explain in what way rear rise was cumbersome for you?

-- Michael Alpert (alpert@umit.maine.edu), May 14, 2002.

Robert, a correction to my previous post. The Toyo 45A field cameras have front shift, only. Rear swing, but no rear shift. You used the words compact and build. The Toyo fields fold very compact, and they are built like metal tanks. Quality is high, and these cameras can be obtained from many sources at reasonable prices. I hope you check them out before investing in a custom-built Ebony.

-- Eugene (TIAGEM@aol.com), May 14, 2002.

Robert, It sounds as if one of the non-folding Ebony cameras is what you need! Probably the 45S or 45SU. I appreciate that there are other makes out there, but once an Ebony has been "sampled" you would be hard pushed to match it.

-- paul owen (paulowen_2000@yahoo.com), May 14, 2002.

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