Starting to look at the Actus kits and am certainly overwhelmed. I tried combing FM and sending messages to users but FM tells me I'm too new to send messages.
I'm a long time view camera user and am just trying to bring some of that slow workflow to my digital workflow.
I'd appreciate any and all feedback into how you choose your base kit and glass used etc.
The Actus can be frustrating and, depending on your intended use, downright painful, especially if you want to travel with it. It's a very well made camera, but it still needs some extra care in packing for travel. I used a hard-shell waterproof case with pick foam for it and its lenses. If you plan to use it extensively in the field, then you might need to plan some field sensor cleanings, because it is a dust pump. And the lens selection for use with mirrorless cameras can be a little thin, particularly on the wide side.
Cambo offers the Actar 19 (which is likely a rehoused Nikon TSE 19), the Actar 24 (a rehoused Samyang TS 24) and a rehouse service on the Contax 645 35/3.5, meaning you have to provide them with a copy of the lens and then pay them to make it usable on the Actus. All three are decent (24) or good (19 and 35), but none are primed to take advantage of Sony's 61MP sensor, and none of them have huge image circles. The amount of shift/rise/fall you get doesn't really put the amount of movement the Actus can do to any kind of test. Mamiya and Pentax also made 35s for 645 that suffer a bit in comparison to the Contax. Past 35, you can use the medium format lenses designed for tech/view cameras, but I strongly recommend sticking with those designed for digital. They're made to play well with the thick DB sensor toppings, so that's a good thing for Sony cameras. As a flag-waving Rodenstock fan, I can't recommend the HR Digaron-S 60/4 and 100/4 more highly. They're pricey little beasts, but they're high resolution, low aberration lenses from wide open that will let you use every mm of movement the Actus allows.
So that's the bitch of it, but the rewards of use can also be quite high. I made a lot of panos with the gear in my two go-rounds with the Actus, but the pain of traveling with it limited its use quite a bit. I sold mine a couple of weeks ago and am working with a machinist to produce a right-sized tech camera for my Rodentstock 35/4, 60/4, and 100/4 to use with a Hassy CFV 100c. It won't have anywhere near the movement (it will be a choice of shift or rise/fall, depending on the orientation of the camera on the tripod mount) and I'll probably only have tilt/swing with the 100, but that's the lens I use it most with, so that shouldn't be a problem. The goal is to make it an easier traveling companion and, assuming the design works as well as I want, it should be perfect.
Anyhow, let me know if there are specific questions I can answer for you.
I picked up a Hartblei TS Adapter for Hassy / Sony E to see how that will handle my needs before I jump fully into the Actus.
2020 brought the full transition or rather 90% from film to digital.
I shot 8x10 for almost 20 years but the pandemic, teaching full time, and having 2 kids has stretched me thin time wise. I still have view cameras (4x5 and 11x14) and despite going digital in the last 5 years I rarely make hand held images. The slow nature and tripod based work of a view camera have carried over into my workflow.
I miss view camera movements even if digital sensors may not necessarily need it for the work I make.
I photograph landscapes and post industrial scenes in New England.
I'm sorry I didn't see your post sooner. I'm not sure if you are still looking or considering an Actus. I've been using one personally for a number of years now for landscapes, isolated scenics, and macro work and I absolutely love it. It's an Actus G (which I upgraded from a B). I added the base tilt accessory too.
I use it mostly with a Fuji GFX50S and an array of lenses including: Mamiya 645 35mm f3.5 C N, Pentax 645 35mm f3.5 A, Mamiya 50mm f4 G, Pentax 645 75mm f2.8 FA, Rodenstock Apo-Rodagon 105mm f4, Fuji Fujinon CM-W 125mm f5.6, Schneider Makro-Symmar HM 120mm f5.6, and Pentax 645 150mm f3.5 A. I've also tested, bought, sold, and traded other lenses over the years to get to my current group.
Let me know what questions you have and I'll be happy to answer any of them the best I can. I too once shot with a 4x5 view camera and have always loved the control of using a technical camera outdoors, hence my move to the Actus.
