Base tilts or axis tilts?

[gerald_costello]

I have had a Toyo 45A11 5 x 4 field camera for many years and on the whole have

been pleased with the results from it. On a recent trip to Scotland however I

became quite frustrated struggling to get front to back sharpness with the

front base tilt. The constant focusing and refocusing in low light conditions

on a dawn shoot has got me thinking if I should consider changing camera to one

that offers axis tilts, as I understand that the whole business of using front

or rear tilt is much easier with cameras using this system as there is very

little refocusing needed after making the camera adjustments. I was thinking

possibly Ebony 45S or Linhof Technikardan. Anyone got experience of either of

these cameras and/or the pros and cons of axis and base tilts?

[eric_brody]

I cannot comment on the two cameras you mention but have over twenty years experience using base tilt cameras, initially the Toyo 45A and now the Arca-Swiss Field. Even with these cameras, swings are on axis so one gets to use both.

 

I was taught, "focus on the far, tilt toward the near, tilt and refocus 'til all is clear," many years ago and it seems to work for me. I doubt but do not know for sure that axis tilts would be any easier.

 

Good luck.

 

Eric

[profhlynnjones]

Hi Gerald,\

 

I have a great deal of experience with view cameras both in manufacturing and use.

 

There is a huge difference in terms of the swings and tilts. Without commenting on brand name, on axis swings and tilts are so much easier to use that the difference is substantial. Base swings cause the film and the lens to describe and arc which changed bellows draw, focus, and aim point.

 

I was with original US made Calumet, VP of Burke & James (Chicago), importing of Cambo, Toyo, and Wista. Also former owner of Graflex and Ansco VC's.

 

Lynn

[brucecahn]

Try the Ebony 45SU, SV45U or SV45U2 if you can find one. The asymmetrical tilts make it easy. These models have been hard to get in the USA lately.

[User_503771]

If you've been happy with the camera you have, you might want to step back and consider thoroughly what will happen should you change cameras.

 

Will you have to change lensboards? Does the new camera otherwise have all equivalent specs that you rely on (wide angle flexibility, weight, fit in bag, etc.)?

 

Some shots are just hard to get no matter what. I once had to spend about a half an hour -- starting over three times! -- with a monorail wide angle view with axis tilts to get a shot set up correctly. In one corner the near focus was about three feet; far focus was infinity, and there were buildings involved.

 

So, the camera didn't make that much difference; my knowledge of movements and working out the problems was what saved the shot for me -- just as it ended up saving the shot for you.

 

I think at the end of the day, if you've got procedures you're used to in setting up your shots and most of them come off efficiently, you might not get that much advantage out of a camera that might just weigh more and thus be harder to haul around -- a big trade-off!

 

I agree, axis tilts are real nice, but I haven't found the re-focus to be so much less that it's no longer an issue. Re-focusing after adjusting is just about always necessary, no matter what camera you're using.

 

Anyway, if you get another camera, don't sell the one you've got for a while, see how it all goes.

[bob_laubach]

The "Ebony" cameras asymmetrical tilts are similar to Sinar models which tilt somewhere just below optical axis. Both optical axis and base tilting cameras produce yaw when using tilt and swing together, throwing the image area further toward (and often out of) the coverage of the lens. Sinar's system, and probably Ebony's asymmetrical systems eliminate this yaw and you wont run out of lens as fast!

[michael_briggs2]

I think "yaw" is the most misunderstood concept in LF photography. It isn't created by the absolute position of the tilt axis, but the relative positions of the axes. Yaw arises in some configurations of swing and tilt, causing the standard not to be horizontal (See http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00MK96 and the figure at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/Product_Resources/largeformat3.jsp#yaw). I don't see this having much effect on coverage. Base tilts versus axis tilts has a small effect on coverage: with a base tilt camera, as you tilt the lens forward , it also falls a bit. This inexactly compensates for the tilt raising the position of th center of the image projected by the lens on the ground glass. But the disadvantage of the base tilt compared to the center tilt is that the distance between the lens and back changes more so that refocusing is necessary. Between the two, I prefer axis tilts, but there are many well-liked cameras with both configurations.

 

Here is the same question from almost eight years ago: "Axis or base tilts ???" at http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=003BKj

[leonard_evens]

I use the near point far point method to place the exact subject plane where I want it. My camera has base tilt and axial swing. I don't see much difference.

 

This is how I tilt. I choose two points, one in the foreground and one in the background, which should lie in the exact subject plane. I choose the tilt mostly by experience, but in tricky situations I may use Wheeler's Rule, which I won't go into here, except to say that it gives you a very good first try for tilt angle. I focus on the rear point and then refocus on the near point. If I have to move the standards further apart to get the near point in focus, I increase the tilt. If I need to bring the standards closer together to get the near point in focus, I decrease the tilt. Usually a few iterations of the procedure gets me right on.

 

In dim light, it is of course more difficult to focus, even without tilts. I haven't found though that tilts are any harder than anything else. If the light is so dim you can't see much of anything, you have to do something else, and I doubt if switching from base tilt to axial tilt will help you much. You would be better advised to get a brighter focusing screen. I got a Maxwell screen for my Toho FC-45X, and I find it much easier to focus in any kind of light.

[clyde_rogers]

I've used both axis and base tilts, and prefer axis tilts for exactly the reason you describe---less refocus required. That said, both worked fine for me.

 

I also have used an Ebony 45s for the past eight months or so. I really like the camera, but must admit that I find the focal length range limiting. If the range of available lenses works for you, this is a strong, stable, light, quick to set up camera, with many thoughtful touches. Really outstanding, I now understand why Ebony has such a good reputation.

 

--Clyde Rogers