Tilt & Shift

[hodad66]

I just picked up a SWEBO TC 18 view camera. SWEBO I am using it with a Panasonic 67 45mm lens.

I am totally new at this kind of thing but very intrigued. Here are a few of my first shots and some
images of the camera.

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I have two enlarger lenses on the way to try them out too.

 

[Ad Dieleman]

Interesting product, but can't find even the most basic product specs, like max. shift, max. tilt, min/max extension. A matching 24mm lens specifies that Flange focal distance reaches 84mm. So the bellows unit will add a considerable extension; can you measure the distance between the E-mount flange and the front flange?

I'd use this primarily for architecture-type shots, so geometrical distortion is critical and it's a pain to correct for it when using lenses shifted.

 

[hodad66]

Interesting product, but can't find even the most basic product specs, like max. shift, max. tilt, min/max extension. A matching 24mm lens specifies that Flange focal distance reaches 84mm. So the bellows unit will add a considerable extension; can you measure the distance between the E-mount flange and the front flange?

I'd use this primarily for architecture-type shots, so geometrical distortion is critical and it's a pain to correct for it when using lenses shifted.

Are you talking with the bellows extended or as close as possible?

 

[Ad Dieleman]

Are you talking with the bellows extended or as close as possible?

The bellows min. extension, so fully collapsed.

 

[hodad66]

I am guesstimating 3/4 inch but the e mount actually embeds into the bellows.
Contact the manufacturer through Amazon, which is what I did. He was very helpful
as I had no idea on how to specify Pentax 67 and Sony e mounts.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

That SWEBO mounting system sure looks like a nice piece of equipment.

 

[hodad66]

That SWEBO mounting system sure looks like a nice piece of equipment.

I purchased a Fotodiox TILT-R first but the weight of the 6X7 lens overwhelms it and my
copy had a light leak. I was looking at the Cambo Actus and just missed a good, used
deal...... then I found this unit. Larger than the actus but less than half the price. Also
the Actus doesn't have back tilt.

 

[hodad66]

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I picked up a couple of enlarger lenses on ebay which are much smaller & lighter than the Pentax 67 lens.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

That's an expensive gadget... but your results are superb

 

[hodad66]

actually it's cheap as the closest you can get to match it is the Cambo Actus which
is just short of two grand.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Cambo Actus which is just short of two grand.

Goodness. Not that I would expect this sort of thing to come cheap... Probably the most expensive cameras I've ever seen in use were the studio cameras used to make 10*8 transparencies (I was working for a publisher at the time, and we needed them for reproduction of paintings).

In absolute terms, it costs more than my humble camera (a6500). But if I aspired to taking the kind of pics you have shown on this thread, I'd call it a great investment. They are amazing. And the gadget has its own kind of beauty too!

Certainly gives me a want-one itch! But, getting real, I don't even use the extension tubes much.

 

[bdbits]

I've wanted to try a tech camera, just to experience what it is like. However, I realize after getting over the honeymoon I have with anything new and technical, I would probably tire of it and the investment would go largely unused. Sometimes, I just want to take a picture without much fussing.

Hard to argue with the results, though.

 

[hodad66]

Images of the maturing inflo (bloom spike) of my white Plumeria this morning. Sony A7RIII,
El Nikkor 75mm f4 enlarger lens mounted on SWEBO TC18 view camera.

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Today I should get a box that I can customize to carry the camera around. That will lead to more
playing around with architecture and will test the enlarger lenses with infinity focusing.

 

[hodad66]

Apple    iPhone 11 Pro Max back triple camera 4.25mm f/1.8    4mm    f/1.8    1/4s    ISO 500

set up thew box so I feel safe in transporting the SWEBO

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[AlwaysOnAuto]

Have you thought about how you might employ this shooting hot rods, John?

 

[hodad66]

Have you thought about how you might employ this shooting hot rods, John?

Next car show I will give it a try!! Things are slow due to Covid-19

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Yeah, no kidding they're slow. Like parked with four flat tires slow around here.

 

[Petrochemist]

actually it's cheap as the closest you can get to match it is the Cambo Actus which
is just short of two grand.

It's a lovely looking bit of kit, but it's not that hard to get an old 5x4 camera & modify it to take a digital body.
If I ignore the many unnecessary extras (an extra standard, monorail extension, extra bellows, changing bag, dark slides, graphlok back, reflex viewer...) both my Toyo view cameras together would be around half the cost of your lovely toy. - the first was brought piecemeal with the extras for ~£450, the second was just £150

Mounting a digital camera via a sliding back would add less than the same again, but I think I'll go with a DIY solution instead, as I can't justify that much to add a digital option.

Your kit does look a whole lot better than mine though, and is probably much easier to use (better designed for short bellows lengths). I freely admit I'm unlikely to ever get results as good as yours, but we all know that's more down to the skill of the photographer than the hardware.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

but we all know that's more down to the skill of the photographer than the hardware

Very right. Kit might make something physically possible that wasn't before, but it doesn't make it happen. If it was that easy I'd take two!

 

[hodad66]

It's a lovely looking bit of kit, but it's not that hard to get an old 5x4 camera & modify it to take a digital body.
If I ignore the many unnecessary extras (an extra standard, monorail extension, extra bellows, changing bag, dark slides, graphlok back, reflex viewer...) both my Toyo view cameras together would be around half the cost of your lovely toy. - the first was brought piecemeal with the extras for ~£450, the second was just £150

Mounting a digital camera via a sliding back would add less than the same again, but I think I'll go with a DIY solution instead, as I can't justify that much to add a digital option.

Your kit does look a whole lot better than mine though, and is probably much easier to use (better designed for short bellows lengths). I freely admit I'm unlikely to ever get results as good as yours, but we all know that's more down to the skill of the photographer than the hardware.

I would have had no idea where to start on the quest that you completed........ my hat is
off to you! I have never touched a view camera before and one thing I do like is the
precision of focus with his rails.

This morning I tried my first pano and it came out decent but the Pentax 67 45mm
had plenty of CA.