One of the things that bugged me on my own 4x5 is the single knob locking both raise/fall and tilt, making it impossible to set up raise & tilt with any precision. This new design, to be included with the "DeLuxe" version solves this issue by using two knobs. The raise/fall slit was extended and the guide was redesigned to act as reinforcement for the front standard, now that the slit goes almost the entire length of the piece.The side effect of this new feature is a reduced raise capability or reduced drop capability, depending on how the parts are mounted. When the parts are mounted as pictured, the raise and drop are around 1" inch each for a total travel of approx 2". When the slider is mounted backwards (the raise/drop knob is below the tilt lock), the drop is limited to .625" and the raise is extended to 2". Changing the mounting option requires no tools and takes a couple of minutes.
The new slide guide (offered for all kit versions) when used without the independent raise/tilt mechanism (used with a single knob lock for both raise/fall and tilt) slightly increases the travel range (compared with the previous design) to 3" (2" raise, 1" drop).
Using a drop bed with front and rear tilts gives the same as front fall/drop and is the usual route taken with other cameras - if that makes the decision any easier
ReplyDeleteGlen, clearly that is always an option, but I however always hated when I had to drop/raise the bed to achieve drop/raise as I see it as a major pain in the ass to adjust everything. The design of the camera will allow raising and dropping the bed (maximum 45 degrees while keeping the standards parallel).
ReplyDeleteYep I agree actually as it's just one more thing to have to adjust to get correct.
ReplyDeleteAnd it usually needs to be done in a hurry when the light is changing or disappearing.
Are you able to do concentric screws? I've got an old Acra swiss here that has a lever that is used to loosen/tighten base swing, and a screw handled knob to loosen tighten the base tilt. They both go through the same hole. Easy conceptually, maybe using thick walled brass tube for the outer adjuster and and a close fitting bolt for the other. Not sure which should be which on your design though.
Just a thought
Glenn, I could use concentric screws but that would raise the price (significantly) due to more complicated machining. It's a balancing act between having more functionality and limiting the complexity of machining (which results in higher production cost).
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