After many request i made a videos (2 this time, one in Italian and other in Tuscan-english for my fans) when i try to explain the most important difference between tailboard camera and folding camera.
Summarizing quickly:
Opening setup: the open setup of tailboard is more quick and easy than folding, but folding, when is close, is smaller and lighter than Tailboard.
Open and close system: tailboard is an “open camera”, in any moment of camera life you could change camera parts, increase the format, the length, add movements and so on without changing on the camera, the folding camera is “close camera” you can’t increase or change format in a second time.
Costs: in a Tailboard camera you choose the best configuration for you and then choose how much you spend, the folding camera was born as a complete camera and therefore with a higher starting price
Bellow the two videos and links for more details of the two cameras.
StenopeiKa tailboard camera http://www.stenopeika.com/prodotto/stenopeika-tailboard-camera-configuration/
StenopeiKa 8×10 se2 folding camera professional http://www.stenopeika.com/prodotto/stenopeika-810se2-folding-camera/
After the article about me and my products on Naturart magazine, i made a collodion portraits session to Tesi brothers at Giorgio Tesi Foundation in Pistoia, Italy and also i made a video to say thanks to the art director of magazine.
To made this portraits session i used my StenopeiKa 5×7 tailboard modular camera with native wetplate holder, and my Sine-igne 200 f4 wooden lens, extremely sharpness in the central part of fram and fine focus on the edges, this combination is perfect for collodion photography, especially for portraits.
I add also the picture of the Narturart article and the video below.
Today in this article and quick video that you find on the end of article, i’ll show you the fine focus system add-on.
Why this explanation?
Because the tailboard modular camera born with out fine focus, born only with fast focus, and… why? Because first of all you save a money, and second reason the fast focus is very very very smooth and in my personal opinion, and also in opinion of my tester, this kind of quick focus is sufficient for 90% of photographic needs, but for the remaining 10% and for all the most demanding photographers who do not want to give up, I have also introduced this precious news.
The focus setup is very simple and comfortable, You have the whole length of the baseboard with the fast focus, when you lock in the fast focus, you have a further 3 cm for precision focusing.
Also this add-on is modular and like the other accessories you could add to your camera also in a second time.
For that reasons i made a video (here) to show you the simplicity of the operation (change the format with same camera) and also i write this article to explain better the other possibilities of tailboard camera.
So, to made the video, for test and for workshop, i always use a 5×7″ tailboard with a start configuration without movements but with native wetplate holder (rendering on the left, without bellow).
In this configuration the focus glass in on other magnetic frame, magnetic like frames bellow and native wetplate holder, that you remove after the focus setup.
How i tried to explain in the video, as well as changing the size simply by changing the back body, you can add baseboards (and back bodies) to stretch the bellows extension as you want.
In the picture on the right you could see an example of this kind of configuration (standard camera + 1 additional base board + 1 back body + 1 bellow not in the picture), note well that you can re-use the same wetplate holder.
In addition to this, as I said in the last video, the bodies can be changed with others having the movements, like the next pictures.
The bodies can be changed at any time, also the addiotinal base board.
With the top configuration you will have a camera with movements like monorail view camera but easier to transport.
Why this kind of camera? Why not a folding camera?
Stenopeika tailboard modular camera, is a new concept of large format camera, magnetic, modular, you can choose a configuration today and change tomorrow with same camera (without changes).
This camera was born for everyone who haven’t got clear ideas of format and technique that he want to make. With this camera a photographer without a clear idea could start his photographic activities with a little budget and change the camera features in any moments during the camera life.
Many times i find a photographers (professionals and/or amateurs) that want to star with collodion technique but for collodion 4×5 is too small, 8×10 is too big to start but 5×7 isn’t a good format for film, don’t need movements to save money and/or want use also the film some times so… the impossible camera… for that kind of photographer I thought this camera, magnetic and modular so that at any time you can add / remove accessories, bodies with other formats with or without movements, base boards, bellows, all configurables and interchangeables, when it close, the dimensions is not so bigger than a folding camera, and also, with top configuration, you could have a camera with all movements in both bodies, all in one camera.
And also, if you are a collodion photographer you save money, because a the same price of folding camera, you have a tailboard “full configuration” and wetplate holder.
So… BUILD YOUR CAMERA! choose your configuration today and change it tomorrow (with same camera)