But why do lenses matter? Well, simply put, not all lenses are created equal. Generally speaking in recent photographic history, lenses are designed to work both with a single camera system as well as made to cover with very little overlap only the size of the piece of film (or sensor) inside of the camera. With Mirrorless cameras becoming more and more common the idea of adapting lenses from one system to another is becoming much more common.
Lenses with larger image circles are more ideal for usage with view cameras because it allows for more movements within that circle. Tilting, shifting, rise, fall, and swing movements all require more “room” within a lens. The larger the image circle of a given lens, the more room becomes available.
As you can see from the chart above, given the smaller sensor size (when comparing against medium or large format) of modern cameras, the 24x36mm sensor can have a fair bit of movement when paired with the larger image circles of medium format lenses.
But, I already have a lens that does that…
So you may be asking, why wouldn’t I just buy a native Tilt Shift lens (Canon TS-E, Nikon PC) for my camera? And the answer all comes back to movements. Tilt shift lenses only allow for 2 of the 3 directions of movements (and usually don’t allow for more than one adjustment at a time depending on camera orientation). Only a view camera can give you the full range of movements for perspective control.
When comparing the cost of these incomplete solutions you will also find that they are similarly priced. But for the same investment, why would spend the same amount but only get 2/3rds of the features?
It was only a matter of time. First was the Fuji GFX, then came the Hasselblad X1D, The Leica SL and Nikon Z was soon to follow, and now even the new Canon EOS R can be a part of the Actus family.
Because of the smaller bayonet size of the Canon EOS-R it is able to be used across the entire Actus (Actus XL or Actus-G with Optional AC-78E Interchangeable bayonet) range.
Just replace or attach the four mounting screws, and your EOS-R is ready to be used.
Our design team is busy updating our lens compatibility list to reflect the latest camera bodies, so please keep checking back for more information as it becomes available.
Cambo Actus-G with Actar 60, AC-782, and Canon EOS-R
Cambo Actus-G with Actar 24, AC-782, and Canon EOS-R
Contact your Cambo dealer of choice to get yours ordered!
Will you be attending Photokina or Photo Plus Expo this year?
We invite you to stop by and see the latest product releases and get your hands on some of the best designed and manufactured camera equipment in the world! Cambo will be showing the full range of Tech cameras, Wide RS and the updated ACTUS series, updated Studio Stands and more!
Hall 2.1, Booth A-017
An international flight not exactly something in your budget? How about something a little more local?
Booth 458
Looking to attend Photo Plus Expo but don’t yet have a badge? Use our link to get your free Expo badge, or save 15% on a Conference badge today!
Frequently here at the Cambo USA office we get asked questions that go something like this:
“I’m considering buying an Actus, and I don’t know what lenses to look for. What can you recommend?”
For anyone who has used an Actus (or have spoken with us at length) know that this is a very loaded question. Because there are so many different configuration options (and due to the nature of being able to adapt several hundred if not more legacy lenses to the system) it’s sometimes hard to quantify which lenses are going to work best for what system.
Without getting too technical, the answer to the compatibility question mostly relies on the Flange Focal Distance (FFD) of your camera body of choice when compared to the same measurement from your lens of choice.
FFD is the distance between the image plane (image sensor) and the front of the camera interface (mount or bayonet).
This measurement can also be known as: “Ahhhh why did this helpful article suddenly become all about math?”.
Generally speaking, for the greatest number of users, the Actar series of lenses will be a great starting point. These lenses were designed to offer the widest amount of usage across many different camera types. The only exception to this rule would be of course the Actus DB for digital backs (which is a whole other conversation in itself) because unless you are using a back with an electronic shutter, there is no way to trigger the capture process with these lenses.
“I see there is a ______ lens adaptor, can I use it on my camera?”
To make things a little clearer, please reference the below PDF for a general list of what modern or relatively available lenses could work to fit your needs. Or download a copy for yourself here.
This is not an end all list, because of the sheer number of lenses available that could possibly work. However, this should give a pretty basic starting point for looking at which options may be the best for your needs.
Please join Cambo USA at the 55th Annual Society of Photographic Education conference coming up in a few weeks in Philadelphia.
We will be sharing a booth with Phase One and showing off some of the best made equipment in the photographic industry. Including the latest accessories for the Actus series of cameras, Studio stands, light booms, and more.
When March 01-03, 2018 (Exhibits Fair) Where Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
We’re happy to announce another lens option for the Cambo Actus.
A special order Carl Zeiss Contax Distagon-35 refitted for use on our view cameras.
The skilled technicians at Cambo carefully remove the helical focussing mount and replace the aperture control with a manual, 15 bladed, version.
This beautiful lens works perfectly paired with both mirrorless medium format cameras and DSLRs. Even with Nikon (Nikon has the longest Flange Focal distance), thanks to the new barrel without helical.
The below test shot was made with an Actus-GFX. 5mm of fall, combined with horizontal shift to enable a stitched image.
But why? The R&D team at Cambo have this to say:
“Rebuilding a Contax 645’s 35mm into a new housing, getting rid of the helical and replacing the aperture may seem like putting a lot of effort in something you could achieve a lot easier. By i.e. mounting the lens to a Contax to Canon adapter. One reason to do it the ‘hard way’ was obviously the broader range of cameras for which the lens becomes suitable after this operation. Another is making better use of the lens’ image circle.”
They continue with:
“Stacking the lens to an adapter causes serious vignetting when shifting the rear standard of the Actus. This is caused by the relatively narrow Canon bayonet (although the biggest bayonet for 35mm cameras)”.
“The side-by-sides shown here (Above) are made with a Phase One back (using its ES shutter). In its Actar-35 incarnation the Distagon covers the complete sensor and still enables a fair bit of shift. Used via an adapter, it just covers the sensor and a minimum amount of shift will vignette.”
Due to the special conversion requirements of needing a donor lens, this service will need to be arranged with your Cambo dealer of choice. A list of dealers can be found at Cambousa.com/dealers and we at Cambo USA would be happy to provide more information or to begin the conversion process.
We are happy to announce the latest addition to the Cambo Actar series of lenses pre-mounted for use with the Actus camera system.
The ACTAR-105 is a lens dedicated to the Cambo Actus in combination with any DSLR or mirrorless camera, mounted to the Actus. This lens is permanently attached to an Actus lens panel and has a focal length of 105 mm. This makes it an ideal companion for dedicated studio and primarily macro photography.
Cambo’s ACTAR-105 is based on the Rodenstock HR-Macro lens with a focal length of 105mm, dedicated to the Cambo Actus series.
It is optimised for maginifications between 1:4 and 4:1, with a floating element for the best performance at the set magnification.
It can be used on the Actus in combination with mirrorless and DSLR camera bodies, as the lens has no shutter.
The design of this lens is build of 8 elements in 4 groups.
focal length
105mm
aperture range
f 5,6 – 16 (manual)
lens construction
8 elements/ 4 groups – 1 floating group
coating
multi coating
front filter thread
m40.5
size L x W x H
75 x 98 x 130 (includes Actus mount)
weight
548 gram
image circle
82 mm
build for
Cambo Actus (non DB)
works in combination with Actus for
Canon, Nikon, Canon M, Sony A7, Fuji X, Panasonic, Leica M, Olympus OMD, Fuji GFX
availability
November 2017
Available November 2017, get your first look at Photo Plus Expo 2017.
This 2nd part of my examination of the Cambo Actus GFX system focuses (literally) on the lens tilting functionality. The tilting lens stage allows the photographer to alter the plane of focus, usually to match the plane of focus with the subject, to achieve better depth of focus with near-to-far subjects, or with macro focus situations.
The Cambo Actus technical camera system allows the front lens stage to tilt, altering the plane of focus to match the subject.
This lens tilt takes advantage of the Scheimpflug principle, a geometric rule that describes the orientation of the plane of focus of an optical system (such as a camera) when the lens plane is not parallel to the image plane.
Tilting the lens such that the desired plane of focus intersects the plane of the lens, and the image plane at one point, known as the Scheimflug intersection, is the core function of the Scheimpflug principle.
Arranging the lens tilt so that the desired plane of focus intersects with the image plane, and the lens plane, at the same point, allows for enhanced focus along that focus plane without resorting to extra small ƒ-stops, and in most cases achieves sharper focus in the desired area. The following image illustrates how this works in practice. The first image has the lens plane parallel to the camera back, and the result is a limited depth of field that is particularly troublesome for near-to-far subjects…
Here the back of the camera and the lens plane are parallel in a normal orientation—the focus is on the guitar pick which is very close to the lens—the focus falls off into the distance.
The second image has the lens tilted forward so that the lens plane intersects the plane of the face of the guitar, and the back of the camera—the result is an illusion of infinite focus or extended depth of field, even at a wide open ƒ-stop…
Here the lens has been tilted forward enough that the plane of focus matches the face of the guitar, and we have perfect focus along the whole length of the guitar, near-to-far.
The beauty of the medium format, mirrorless FUJIFILM GFX is that focus peaking in the electronic viewfinder makes the chore of determining the best angle for the lens easy—just tilt the lens until the red highlights show up along the edges in the image!
Besides the obvious application here in the still life above, subtle lens tilts can work wonders in ultra-close-up macro photography. This is something the Cambo Actus system excels at…
The Cambo Actus GFX with the 90mm Actar lens is ideal for extreme macro work. Small lens tilts can greatly enhance the apparent depth of focus at closer than 1:1 magnification distances.
Here the lens has been tilted to place the focus across the plane of the flower center. Closing down the ƒ-stop just a bit extends the depth enough that all of the petals are also tack sharp!
There is nothing quite so luxurious as a view camera for macro photography, and the Cambo Actus GFX is a joy to use with extremely precise geared focus movements along the extended rail—the focus peaking of the FUJIFILM GFX is fantastic for nailing the focus.
The Scheimpflug principle also has application in landscape photography…
Here I’m setting up a shot with foreground rocks leading up to the lighthouse—an extreme near-to-far composition.
The foreground rocks are only 24 inches from the front of the lens with the light house over one hundred feet away.
There is no way to achieve this level of depth of focus in a single capture without the use of a tilting lens stage.
While it is possible to capture several shots with differing focus depths, and merge them using focus stacking, the look of the Scheimpflug capture achieves a subtle “standing in the scene” kind of feel that just works better for this type of image!
Here is a short video showing another shot from the same day of shooting…
The Cambo Actus with the FUJIFILM GFX is truly the ultimate technical camera for demanding photography in architecture, still life, and landscape applications. While the system is not cheap… roughly $2,795.00 for the Cambo Actus, another $1000 – 1700 or so for a large coverage view camera prime lens, and you’d still need to purchase the FUJIFILM GFX body ($6499.95 from B&H) , if you are looking for the ultimate technical system, this is it!
I was able to borrow the system for a only a week, and had limited time to work with it, but I really enjoyed working with the system. This camera inspired many ideas for photographs that I would like to pursue at some point in the near future. In the meantime, here is a gallery of images from my testing—click on the thumbnails below to see larger images! You can find out more about the Cambo Actus system of cameras, available with adapters for Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Fuji-X, from their website here: https://www.cambo.com/en/actus-mini/cambo-actus-mini-view-camera/
Once again a huge thank you to Lee for his very in depth review. To purchase a Cambo Actus GFX or any of the many other Cambo products, please visit Cambousa.com/dealers to find the Cambo dealer nearest you.!
I recently had the opportunity to test the Cambo Actus technical camera with the FUJIFILM GFX—this was very exciting for me because I could renew my experience with view cameras in a new digital configuration! The Cambo Actus is essentially a view camera front end to just about any digital camera that gives the serious photographer the ability to use full lens tilt & shift with back shift.
The Cambo Actus consists of a front lens board with tilt/shift on a rail system with a bag bellows that connects the front lens to the back board using a clever magnetic attachment.
The Cambo Actus system uses large image circle view camera or enlarger lenses connected to a digital camera body through a bag bellows and a body adapter back standard. Basically replacing a view camera film holder with a digital camera body. I had the system set up for the amazing FUJIFILM GFX, a medium format 50 megapixel camera, and had an Actor 24mm & 90mm lens to test the full tilt/shift capabilities of the system.
The shifting function of this type of camera system is primarily used in architectural photography to control perspective convergence. This was how we had to work before the days of Photoshop and Lightroom lens corrections. The idea is to keep the camera back perfectly vertical and use the shifting back to get the top of a building in the shot. A carpenter’s bubble level is very useful to square up the camera…
Here is a short video where I show the process with the Cambo Actus and FUJIFILM GFX…
I was using the Actar 24mm with is fairly wide angle for the GFX medium format camera.
Here you can see the perspective convergence in the building behind me. It was actually much more severe in the un shifted GFX shot—it makes the building look like its leaning backward!
Sometimes when the image is perfectly corrected with all the lines parallel, it can look a little off, like its over corrected. You might have to deliberately under-correct (allow for slight convergence) to make it look right…
The shape of this building still looks a little strange, even though it is technically correct.
The shifting back of the Cambo Actus is also extremely helpful when stitching multiple shots together to get undistorted wide angle shots! I took advantage of the horizontal shift to capture a shot of the Ames Free Library in Easton Massachusetts when the best vantage point for the building was too close to show enough of the scene.
Instead of panning the camera, I shifted the back left to right to get 3 shots of the scene.
Shifting the back of the Cambo Actus allows for perfect alignment with the building, so all the lines are parallel, and multiple shots blend together seamlessly with no effort. The image below shows the individual shots shifted to the extremes of the extra large image circle…
This sequence shows the extreme shift inside the image circle of the lens!
The result after merging in Lightroom/Photoshop…
I added a better sky into the merged scene in Photoshop, but the panorama merge was done in Lightroom.
The Cambo Actus system is definitely the big boy way to shoot architecture, but the camera has many other applications that take advantage of a tilting lens! Stay tuned for part two of my exploration of the Cambo Actus GFX where I look at achieving infinite depth of field effects with a tilting lens!
Please take the time to visit Lee’s website varis.com for more great reviews, tutorials, and stellar images.
Thank you Lee for taking the time to test and share the Actus GFX. For more information or to purchase one of your own please visit Cambousa.com/dealers to find the dealer nearest you.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of Lee’s review coming soon!
