MF perspective control

I want a 6x9 handheld/rangefinder that can be used for minor perspective
control occassionally. I've narrowed it down to Linhof Technica 6x9 or
Mamiya Press. Leaning towards Mamiya because of price. Lens quality seems
about equal. Any comments?

--
It is not our patriotic duty to send children to be butchered & slaughtered
& to butcher & slaughter others every time a general or a politician gets a
hardon for a war. Rather, it is our patriotic duty to demand the highest
burden of proof to justify war.

seog wrote:
I want a 6x9 handheld/rangefinder that can be used for minor perspective
control occassionally. I've narrowed it down to Linhof Technica 6x9 or
Mamiya Press. Leaning towards Mamiya because of price. Lens quality seems
about equal. Any comments?

--
It is not our patriotic duty to send children to be butchered & slaughtered
& to butcher & slaughter others every time a general or a politician gets a
hardon for a war. Rather, it is our patriotic duty to demand the highest
burden of proof to justify war.

The Mamiya Press line, excepting the Universal, allows rear movements
with only one or two lenses, the collapsible normal lens. The
Universal doesn't have back movements.

Dan Fromm wrote:
seog wrote:
I want a 6x9 handheld/rangefinder that can be used for minor perspective
control occassionally. I've narrowed it down to Linhof Technica 6x9 or
Mamiya Press. Leaning towards Mamiya because of price. Lens quality seems
about equal. Any comments?

--
It is not our patriotic duty to send children to be butchered & slaughtered
& to butcher & slaughter others every time a general or a politician gets a
hardon for a war. Rather, it is our patriotic duty to demand the highest
burden of proof to justify war.

The Mamiya Press line, excepting the Universal, allows rear movements
with only one or two lenses, the collapsible normal lens. The
Universal doesn't have back movements.

There was a discussion on this in this newsgroup recently. I don't have
the camera and lenses with me in Germany to check it out but somebody
said the wide angle lens can retract as well although it doesn't have
any marking to make you think that. They said something like you grab
the lens and twist it and it can be moved back and then you twist it to
lock it in its new retracted place.

Does anyone have this equipment to hand to try it out?

seog wrote:
I want a 6x9 handheld/rangefinder that can be used for minor perspective
control occassionally. I've narrowed it down to Linhof Technica 6x9 or
Mamiya Press. Leaning towards Mamiya because of price. Lens quality seems
about equal. Any comments?

The Mamiya Press, assuming it has the back movements, is not going to
give you perspective control, assuming you mean keeping uprights
upright. You need "shift" for that and shift it does not have, IIRC.

wrote:
seog wrote:
I want a 6x9 handheld/rangefinder that can be used for minor perspective
control occassionally. I've narrowed it down to Linhof Technica 6x9 or
Mamiya Press. Leaning towards Mamiya because of price. Lens quality seems
about equal. Any comments?

The Mamiya Press, assuming it has the back movements, is not going to
give you perspective control, assuming you mean keeping uprights
upright. You need "shift" for that and shift it does not have, IIRC.

Maybe you are thinking that since you can tilt the back a bit then you
have the equivalent of tilting the lens on a field camera but that
won't get you anywhere with the Mamiya Press for perspective control.
If you imagine the axis of the lens then this must intersect with the
film plane seriously off center but still perpendicular to give you
perspective control. This is not the case with the Press. It will still
intersect in the center and if you have tilted the back then it will
not be perpendicular so the top or bottom of the building will be out
of focus. Even if it could get off-center and perpendicular, the lenses
for that camera wouldn't have a big enough image circle for the
coverage.

seog wrote:
I want a 6x9 handheld/rangefinder that can be used for minor perspective
control occassionally. I've narrowed it down to Linhof Technica 6x9 or
Mamiya Press. Leaning towards Mamiya because of price. Lens quality seems
about equal. Any comments?


Any particular reason for not looking into Horseman. Their rangefinder
line can be found used a somewhat reasonable prices, between the Linhof
and Mamiya.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

You are the perfect candidate for the ALPA12SWA - expensive but excellent.
You won't find anything better in the world, if you can afford to buy it.
Ask me if you like, I got one and you can read my review on the website
which is http://www.gnyman.com
regards George Nyman


seog wrote:

I want a 6x9 handheld/rangefinder that can be used for minor perspective
control occassionally. I've narrowed it down to Linhof Technica 6x9 or
Mamiya Press. Leaning towards Mamiya because of price. Lens quality seems
about equal. Any comments?

"George Nyman" wrote in message
. ..
You are the perfect candidate for the ALPA12SWA - expensive but excellent.
You won't find anything better in the world, if you can afford to buy it.
Ask me if you like, I got one and you can read my review on the website
which is http://www.gnyman.com

George, it would be so good if you would give the direct link

George,

I'm glad that you like your Alpa 12 SWA. Its a fine camera. As you
pointed out, not inexpensive.

You should know that the good folks at Alpa consider me an ignorant
barbarian. Between friends, they're right. That's what I am.

But shift doesn't give the "minor perspective control" that the
original poster seems to want. It really would be helpful if the OP
resurfaced and told us more about its aims and budget.

You didn't mention rise, which can be used to elmininate converging
verticals if the camera offers enough rise and the lens has enough
coverage, but we both know that can be dealt with by flopping the
camera on its side.

To reveal my prejudices, I do most, if not all, that can be done with
an Alpa with a humble Century Graphic. And a little more, because it
can use 6x9 backs. A 38/4.5 Biogon turns out to be surprisingly useful
on 6x9. And a little more, because I shoot 6x9 with long lenses -- the
longest is 480 mm -- on my unmodified little Century. Yes, there's a
trick.

Cheers,

Dan

wrote:
wrote:
seog wrote:
I want a 6x9 handheld/rangefinder that can be used for minor perspective
control occassionally. I've narrowed it down to Linhof Technica 6x9 or
Mamiya Press. Leaning towards Mamiya because of price. Lens quality seems
about equal. Any comments?

The Mamiya Press, assuming it has the back movements, is not going to
give you perspective control, assuming you mean keeping uprights
upright. You need "shift" for that and shift it does not have, IIRC.

Maybe you are thinking that since you can tilt the back a bit then you
have the equivalent of tilting the lens on a field camera but that
won't get you anywhere with the Mamiya Press for perspective control.
If you imagine the axis of the lens then this must intersect with the
film plane seriously off center but still perpendicular to give you
perspective control. This is not the case with the Press. It will still
intersect in the center and if you have tilted the back then it will
not be perpendicular so the top or bottom of the building will be out
of focus. Even if it could get off-center and perpendicular, the lenses
for that camera wouldn't have a big enough image circle for the
coverage.

The Mamiya Press has rear tilt and swing. It doesn't have
rise or fall. You can point it slightly upward and use rear tilt
to return the back to vertical, but then the plane of focus is
angled, which would make it hard to get e.g. a building facade
in focus - I think this is what you're trying to say. Of course,
we don't know what the OP wants to do or the type of perspective
control.

If you need front rise, it's better to buy a camera with front rise.
On the other hand, you can get a fairly large amount of front
rise and a largish negative out of a 6x9 camera by turning it
on its side and only using the top half or 2/3 of the negative.
There are relatively few cameras with both rangefinders
and perspective control, so any choice (I would add the 2x3
Graphic) is going to be a compromise, or expensive, or an
expensive compromise.