By Dave Gallagher
I have been in the large format business for over 20 years now. Architectural photography is a medium that I still have a passion for and love the technical aspects of the format. Loving the medium and shooting it myself, we have all the best gear in our demo collection or as my wife says “toys that make male photographers weak in the knees.” So it was a great pleasure today to sit with Martin Vogt of Arca Swiss and really ask him the technical questions as to why they engineered their product a certain way, what they had in mind when they came out with a certain accessory, etc.
Now as people know, we use our social media, web presence, and online forums to spread the gospel of what we truly love about our marketplace in photography. Arca Swiss has chosen to do just the opposite and still does not have a website of their products in 2010. While I can’t comment as to why this is the case, what I can say is that this makes it difficult to truly understand all the technical advantages of their product line. So today was a real eye opener for me. We explored all the backwards and forward compatibility of the product line. We discussed circle of confusion calculations for different pixel pitches in DB’s in order to maximize the acceptable hyper focal distances in his new electronic focus module. And he gave us a few hints of what is coming in the future. As it is almost 2AM right now in Cologne, I don’t have the ability to repeat these conversations presently in this blog. But I have to tell you that this is a Technical camera that I can calibrate to my personal digital back and that calculates my focus and perfect hyperfocal distances for each new digital lens that I add to my system. This excites me more than a combination of metal and plastic should. Yes dear, I admit it….. and now it’s time for bed……
Arca Swiss RM3Di with the E-module and the Rodenstock HR 32mm
Focus and Hyper focal distance calculations on the RM3Di E-Module
Bellows Adapter for the Arca Swiss RM series bodies
Arca Swiss Rotaslide
Extension Adapter for lenses longer than 120mm
ARCA-SWISS Rm3di
The innovative precision camera ARCA-SWISS Rm3di has self-locking geared AIP (all in plane) vertical and lateral shifts. The precision focusing mechanism and integrated lens mount are swivel-mounted and simply turning this unit enables horizontal as well as vertical Scheimpflug. The camera hand grips are made of a new, very durable and tactile material and are designed to enable a quick change from portrait to landscape format without having to adjust the viewfinder or back. So taking hand held photographs with a correct perspective has been made comfortable and efficient. Images can be viewed aside from using the focus screen with an innovative, variable and flare-free viewing system for lenses with focal lengths from 23–210 mm. Points of light in the viewfinder indicate, depending on how many, the necessary camera shift: one point of light requiring a 5mm shift. The viewfinder also contains a depth of field indicator for the corresponding focal lengths. The precision of the focusing mechanism allows repeatable settings with an accuracy of 10 microns. In addition, the focusing mechanism comes equipped with a standard electronic sensor. In combination with an additional module, the indicator also displays the measured distance, adjusted distance, the depth of field for 4 f-stops as well as if the camera is levelled.
With the ARCA-SWISS R lens mount, because of its large bayonet diameter, there are no limits to the choice of lenses. The ARCA-SWISS Rm3di can use digital backs up to 60 mpx or film backs up to the format 6x9cm. Like all cameras in the R-Line, the ARCA-SWISS Rm3di has built-in mounts for its many varied uses: for the viewfinder and tripod, attaching a bellows system for expanded stitching, for long focal length and macro lenses. Moreover, the camera can be used upside down on a tripod without any accessories. The ARCA-SWISS Rm3di can be used with the ROTASLIDE sliding back adaptor without affecting the focal plane. The ARCA-SWISS Rm3di is also compatible with all ARCA SWISS system components of the F/M Lines, such as the binocular viewer, the
lens shade and bellows as well as other accessories with which the functionality of the ARCA-SWISS Rm3di can be even further expanded in new and creative ways. The ARCA-SWISS Rm3di exceeds the capabilities and precision of all previous cameras. The ARCA-SWISS Rm3di is solid, compact and so light that location or on the move photography is no longer a cumbersome task but a creative pleasure.
Design Award for ARCA-SWISS
Rm3d wins red dot design award ARCA-SWISS’ new Rm3d was awarded one of the international design world’s most acclaimed distinct ions for its outstanding and innovate design: the 2009 ‘red dot’ for product design. The jury of experts awarded it the coveted prize for high quality in design.