simon_robinson1 Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Hi, I currently own a Crown Graphic (my first LF camera!) and love it. But now I want to take my LF photography more seriously and find that the movements etc on the Graphic are a bit limiting - I shoot mainly landscape and architecture. To this end I have been looking to replace or supplement the graphic with a field camera that is more versatile. One of the things I'd like is a revolving back - do Ebony's have this feature? Does the Wista RF? What other 4x5's have this feature? Many thanks,Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochen_S Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Technikas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny burk www.dannyburk. Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Simon - Ebony cameras don't have a revolving back, but it's really a non-issue. It takes literally 5 seconds to remove and rotate the back. Don't limit your selection to one of very few bodies that has that feature, or the selection will be small indeed. Regards, Danny www.dannyburk.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_robinson1 Posted March 13, 2005 Author Share Posted March 13, 2005 Danny, are you saying the the backs on the Ebony's can be fitted in portrait orientation as well as landscape? If so, that's exactly want I want! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_hamley Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Simon, That's what he's saying. Although the back does not rotate, you can remove the back, rotate from vertical to landscape (or the reverse) and replace it. As he said, about a 5 second job. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j._salty Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Super Speed Graphics have the revolving back also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Most modern field cameras that I am aware of let you easily switch orientation from "portrait' to "landscape" orientation: Ebonys, Canhams, Toyos, Horseman, Sinars, Arca- Swiss, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip_glass Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 The Toyo AII has a true revolving back as opposed to a back that can be reoriented. It is a useful timesaver if you change orientation a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_briggs2 Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Virtually all modern 4x5 field cameras have a back that can be repositioned to either portrait or landscape orientation. The repositionable backs are unclipped, removed from the camera, replaced in the other orientation, and reclipped. This only takes a few seconds. The position of revolving backs can be changed continuously, and without removing the back from the camera. Revolving backs are more likely to be seen on a camera intended for the studio -- these cameras will tend to be heavy and bulky for field use. It's a weight vs convenience in use tradeoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_robinson2 Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 "portrait orientation as well as landscape?" Are you trying to refer to Horizontal and Vertical compositions? If so, then SAY that. The "mode" mentality doesn't recognize that a portrait or a landscape photo can be done well with either a horizontal or vertical composition. Damn. The computer generation is dumbing down photography, big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_fenner Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Some prefer revolving backs; some don't care. Where you are is for you to decide. If you could choose the same camera with a revolving back over one you had to remove, I can't see why someone would choose to remove it (although there is a tiny weight increase usually). The Gandolfi Variant L3 has a revolving back, as does the Wista SP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyammons Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 burke and James has a rotating back and a bit more movements I think, but its not a graflok back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_mccolloch1 Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 I have a Tachihara 4x5 field Camera with all the movements, including a back that can be rotated. If you are interested I can provide complete specs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_moeller Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 About the only cameras that I'm aware of on which the back can't be changed from portrait to landscape, either through revolving the back or removing and remounting the back (a "reversible" back), are the current Toho 4x5 (on which you basically remove both standards and the bellows as one piece, rotate the whole thing, and remount it) and older cameras that are long out of production (like the older Graphics). Reversing and revolving backs have been standard on just about everything for a long time. Whether having a true revolving back versus a reversing back is important is a personal decision; I have cameras with both and really don't find enough advantage in either setup to make it worth worrying about. Your milage may vary... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_hicks1 Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Dear J. Robinson, 'Portrait' and 'Landscape' are understood by almost all experienced photographers to mean 'vertical' and 'horizontal'. In other words, he did say it. You might equally invite a response that goes, "LEARN THE VOCABULARY", but few would be so rude. We all have to learn sometime. This is nothing to do with 'mode mentalities' or the computer generation: it was certainly current 30+ years ago. Cheers, Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pvp Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 <I>Damn. The computer generation is dumbing down photography, big time.</I><P> Sorry, JR, I have to go along with Roger on this. The terms "portrait" and "landscape" have been used to refer to the respective orientations of an image for a very long time, perhaps much longer than you or I have been around to challenge the use of the language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_robinson1 Posted March 14, 2005 Author Share Posted March 14, 2005 Thanks for your support Roger and Alan! It was my understanding that the terms I used were widely understood and recognised. Anyway, due to my age, I'm not sure that I could be classed as being a member of the computer generation. Cheers, Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffdyck Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Simon, Just to clarify - there may be some confusion with regard to what you meant by "revolving" back. While most modern cameras allow you to set the portrait / landscape / vertical / horizontal orientation of the shot by simply removing the back and rotating it 90 degrees (if necessary), some cameras (like the aforementioned Toyo 45AII) feature a "true" rotating/revolving back that allows you to rotate the back (in-situ) to any angle you would like with a full 360 degree range of movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan_fontanilla Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 To remove and replace the back to change orientation on my Arca Swiss Discovery takes about...2 seconds. You can also remove part of the back to expose the Graflock clips...in about 1 second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_hicks1 Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Dear Jeff, I had always understood that the terms were 'revolving' and 'reversing' back. But of course I could be wrong. Cheers, Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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