# Anyone with Cambo Actus experience with Canon (EF or RF) turning your camera into a view camera?



## cayenne (Apr 15, 2021)

Ok this system costs WAY too much money, but wow...this looks interesting.

The thought of using this for super macro or using my camera(s) as a view camera with all the movements a large format camera has really set my GAS meter off.

I would have to think that using large format lenses would easily resolve the canon and other camera bodies I have.

Here's a video (unfortunately not many images on it, but show the system) of the CA using Canon: (the second video show better actual action of the unit)

Cambo Actus-G & Canon EOS R + EOS R VS GFX50s

This is it more in action, but with a non-canon body, but the movements and shifting look VERY interesting to me:

Cambo Actus and Fuji GFX50s Review

But geez, this thing costs as much as a really nice new digital camera itself....

I've been trying to figure out a better cost effective way of doing this.

I thought perhaps I could get an Intrepid 4x5 camera, about $320 or so US....get some sort of EF to 4x5 graflex adapter (I think I've seen fotodiox sell these?)....and I could do something like this for about $500-$600....but the movements aren't as precise and easy to control...

Ugh, this thing would be about $4K for me to get fully set up....but I could then shoot it with my 5d3 and my Leica m10m and gfx100....

Anyway..had anyone used anything like this?

I have to think using your digital back like a view camera with all the movements, and extreme macro you could squeeze out of it and using a huge number of lenses out there, not terribly expensive could really give a lot of creative possibilities.

Thoughts? Links? Advice? Experience?

Thank you in advance, thought this an interesting topic...especially with the new Canons coming out with larger MP sensors.

cayenne


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## deleteme (Jun 8, 2021)

cayenne said:


> Ok this system costs WAY too much money, but wow...this looks interesting.
> 
> The thought of using this for super macro or using my camera(s) as a view camera with all the movements a large format camera has really set my GAS meter off.
> 
> ...


I had looked at the Actus a few years ago as a way to get tilt and shift for architectural photography. However the 17 TS-E came out and the 24 TS-E was already here so I dropped the idea. The real issue for me was the singular lack of wide angle lenses.

For macro it is a different story as there are a lot of lenses to choose from.

One issue you may need to research is that MF lenses do not resolve as much as lenses designed for FF 35. I discovered this to my intense surprise back in the 70's when I was getting into 4x5. The best lenses were not resolving nearly as much as the best 35mm lenses because they simply did not need to. 4x5 film needs far less magnification to yield an 8x10 print than a 35 neg did and as such, the lenses were not nearly as challenged as the lenses for the smaller format. 
While we admire the quality of the best Schneiders, Rodenstocks, Nikkors and Fujinons, they were all designed for much larger formats.

Here is something that may help you get into the project for less money:








Novoflex BALPROTS Universal Bellows with Tilt/Shift


Balpro T/S, Universal Bellows with Tilt/Shift Feature for Cameras up to 6x7 Format.




www.adorama.com


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