Arca-Swiss 69 FC with 35mm lens

[ethan_pines]

Has anyone used an Arca-Swiss F-Line 6x9 with a 35mm lens, especially with a digital back? I'm

considering picking one up particularly to have shift with a digital back and a 35mm lens, and I'm not sure

if this is a bad idea. Is it too difficult to keep the standards parallel with the precision necessary, or to

make the precise / small movements for that wide focal lengths? Are there other issues I'm not aware of?

 

I know there are options such as the Alpa, CamboWide, Horseman SW-D, ArcBody, etc. But all these are

more expensive than a used Arca 69. The Arca also offers a lot more flexibility in terms of movements,

lens choice, and affordability.

 

Thank you for your input.

 

ethan pines

los angeles

[j_rgen_loob]

Ethan

 

I am using an ARCA SWISS 6x9 metric with orbix (manual) , a HASSELBLAD CFV digital back

and a RODENSTOCK APO SIRONAR DIGITAL 4,5/35mm + ARCASWISS ROTASLIDE slide

adapter .

Lets put the slide adapter away for the moment (special care has to be taken) .

Always regarding the ARCA 6x9 , you need the super wide angle bellow , which has just

one "fold" . Without that bellow , your shift (tilt is not that important for wide angle)

operation is getting almost impossible . The other point is , you will have to turn the back

frame by 180 degrees and put back on the rail . That means , your adjustment buttons

for the backframe will then be on the left side , viewed from the back of the camera . No

problem at all .

The design of the of the ARCA backframe does not allow the full shift with the 35mm

digital lens , because the rear of the lens barrel is wider and longer as for the APO-

GRANDAGON 4,5/45mm , which I also have . (No restrictions for that lens at all) .I can not

say anything about the APO-GRANDAGON 4,5/35,mm lens , but that lens is about 3mm

shorter than his digital "brother" .

The little loss of shift amount is no trouble for me , as the CFV back sensor is 37x37mm

only .

I can not speek for SCHNEIDER digital lenses , as I only use RODENSTOCK lenses .

 

I love my ARCA 6x9 and the equipment I have for it . Working with that camera is a delight

.

 

If you have further questions , come back and I will answer them all as good as my

equipment and experience goes .

 

J�rgen

[ethan_pines]

Jurgen, thank you for the fast and informative answer. You may have just saved me the

financial pain of buying a much more expensive system. I do have a few follow-up

questions:

 

- Mostly I'll be using shift (very little tilt), How important is it to have the metric model? I

can get a used Arca 69, but it isn't the metric version. Same for Orbix -- is this just for

ease, or does it make the movements more precise?

 

- I am certainly getting the wide-angle bellows. When you flip the rear standard /

backframe around 180 degrees, does the groundglass still mount the same as it does

when you have the backframe positioned normally?

 

- How much shift, in mm, do you get with the Rodenstock digital lens?

 

Thanks again.

 

ethan

[j_rgen_loob]

Ethan

 

The metric version of the ARCA SWISS 6x9 is much more expensive .

The metric feature is nice to have and it is just for the ease of use .

The ORBIX is a feature , which you will only need for very special tilt operations . I use it very seldom .

 

When you flip the rear frame , there is no trouble mounting the ground glas . Mounting is the same as before .

 

The following is valid for the RODENSTOCK APO-SIRONAR DIGITAL 4,5/35mm

(not the HR version) when using a digital back with as sensor size of 37x37mm .

The total shift , either way , is 31 mm . Using this lens on the ARCASWISS 6x9 , you can shift a total of 30 mm , but I calculate 29 mm

for a interference free movement .

If your digiback has a sensor of 37x49 , you can only shift 29/25 at a maximum . This has got nothing to do with the camera , but only with the lens and the sensor size .

 

Jurgen

[j_rgen_loob]

Ethan

 

I forgot to mention , that for any 35mm lens , you need a recessed lens board .

 

For ARCASWISS and the APO-SIRONAR DIGITAL 4,5/35 mm it is the 15mm recessed lens boerd .

The type of recessed board varies with the type of lens and brand .

 

Jurgen

[ethan_pines]

Perfect. I will indeed get the 15mm recessed lens board. And I had my eye on the very lens

you are using, which does seem to provide plenty of shift. You are a godsend. I may have a

couple more questions once I have the system, but I think I'm set for now.

 

Thanks again, to you and everyone on this forum.

 

ethan

[michael_notar1]

35mm will be limit of the camera, you will need the horseman swd2 or cambo wds if you

want 28/24 and i hear good things about the 24, and its less than 1/2 of the 28mm.

[ethan_pines]

Yeah - I know 35mm is the limit. I haven't had a need for anything as wide as a 24mm, and

there's no shift with that lens and P25 back. Incidentally, there's no 28mm for the Horseman

SW-D II. Just 35mm and 24mm, on the wide end.

 

ethan pines

[ethan_pines]

Jurgen, have you tried that 35mm Rodenstock Digital lens with film? I'll be shooting both film

and digital. I imagine it's fine for both.

 

thanks

 

ethan pines

[j_rgen_loob]

Ethan

 

The maximum recommended format for the APO-SIRONAR DIGITAL 4,5/35mm is 46x56 mm . That would cover just a 4,5x6 format without any shift possibility . Therefore I did not use this lens for film yet , but I believe the resolution of this lens is no problem . It is designed for digital backs with a pixel size of 9-11 micron .

[ethan_pines]

I'm not sure why they state that the maximum recommended format is 46 x 56. The lens

has a 105mm image circle, which will cover a 6x9 (55mm x 82mm) film area, with a tiny

bit of shift left (approx. 3mm). I just drew a 105mm circle on a piece of paper, and

measured out a 55mm x 82mm area inside the circle. It fits, with approx. 3mm remaining

on all sides.

 

A 105mm image circle definitely covers a 46x56 area and still has area for shifting. Perhaps they mean that 46 x 56 is the maximum recommended format to use and still

have plenty of area remaining for shifting.

 

Thanks again.

 

ethan

[d_g]

@Jurgen,

 

i'm prepare to use exactly the same combo as yours !

How do you focus ? just using the arca ground glass ? no focussing shift ?

Are you using a rotaslide or a similar product ?

Can i use a rotaslide with a Fline 69 and the 35 mm ?

 

Thanks

[bob_salomon]

For lenses down to and including the Apo Sironar Digital 28mm HR the Linhof M679cs is much easier to use with no

restriction with the shift backs either!

[j_rgen_loob]

d g

 

As I have the HASSELBLAD CFV digital back , I use a HASSELBLAD adapter and the RMfx viewer for focussing .

You can also use the ARCA ground glass adapter , but I prefer the HASELBLAD viewer solution .

I use the ARCA-SWISS rotaslide adapter and I believe , that this slide adapter is the very best on the market . For square

format , of course , you do not need a rotating slide adapter . But I am a friend of solutions from one and the same brand .

The ROTASLIDE is not cheap , but perfect for rotation as well as stitching .

To use the RODENSTOCK 35mm digital lens with the ROTASLIDE , the backframe of your ARCA needs a modification .

This is , because of the design of the ARCA backframe and also of the rear lens barrel of the 35mm lens .

If this modification is not done , you can not slide without damaging the 35mm digital lens . This is valid for infinity focusing .

Also , you will need a super wide angle bellow , which just has one fold . A recessed lensboard of 15mm is required .

If you want further information , don't hesitate to call MARTIN VOGT from ARCA-SWISS . His number is : 0033 3 81854060 .

arca-swiss@wanadoo.fr

Martin speaks fluent english . The ARCA-SWISS company is a small but very efficient company and they are situated in FRANCE .

Also , if you have further questions , come back , and I will try to answer them .

 

Jürgen

[bob_salomon]

"To use the RODENSTOCK 35mm digital lens with the ROTASLIDE , the backframe of your ARCA needs a modification ."

 

Necessary for the 35mm Apo Sironar Digital or the 35mm Apo Sironar Digital HR or are their two different mods necessary?

What about with the 28mm Apo Sironar Digital HR?

 

How about with any newer lenses that may be introduced? What about the 35mm Apo Grandagon or Schneider's short

lenses? Do these all need modification also?

[d_g]

"The design of the of the ARCA backframe does not allow the full shift with the 35mm digital lens , because the rear of the

lens barrel is wider and longer as for the APO- GRANDAGON 4,5/45mm , which I also have . (No restrictions for that lens

at all) ."

 

i'd like to know if the same problem will occur with a schneider digitar 35XL ?

[j_rgen_loob]

The information about the design and measurements of the RODENSTOCK and SCHNEIDER lenses can be found here .

As I only have the german versions , you might have a look here :

 

http://www.schneideroptics.com and

http://www.linos.com

 

click on the english language versions .

 

Yes , there is no ARCA modification required for the RODENSTOCK APO GRANDAGON 4,5/45mm . I have that lens and all works fine .

 

Regards Jurgen