Amateur Photographer - UK (2020-03-14)

I p g p .ukI 14 March 2020^53

For35mm

operation,the

35mmbackand,

in itsownlens

panel,a

Super-Angulon

47mm f/1.8 lens

Right:ThePecoJunior

withXenar105mm

f/4.5lensin a

Synchro-Compur

shutterandequipped

witha 120rollfilm

backforeight6x9cm

exposures

JohnWadelooksatanunusuallysmallmonorailcamera

Plaubel

Peco Junior

THEMONORAILis perhapsthe

purestformof cameradesign.It

incorporatesnomorethana lens

withbuilt-inaperturesandshutter

at thefront,a filmholderat the

backandbellowsin between,all

mountedona railthatallowsboth

tomovebackandforthin relation

toeachother.

Mostmonorailcamerasalso

incorporatecertainmovements:

riseandfall,shift,tiltandswing.It

would take more space than is

BLAST FROM THE PAST

LAUNCHED 1958

PRICEATLAUNCH£70

(accordingto lens)

GUIDEPRICENOW£250-300

(according to lens)

Below:Demonstratingits

movements– lenspanel

shiftedtotheleft,the

backtiltedverticallyand

swung horizontally

Tech Talk

availablehereto

explainthefull

significanceof such

movements.

Sufficeto saythey

allowa camerato

performalmostany

taskfromshooting

highbuildingsto

wide-openlandscapes,

evenextreme

close-upswith

controlover

focusandthe

convergenceof parallel

lines.There’sa greatwebsite

thatexplainsit allin detailat https://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View camera.

Traditionally,monorailcameras

areforlarge,orat leastmedium,

formatfilm,makingthembigand

unwieldy.ThePecoJunioris

different.Allmetalandmadeby

theGermanPlaubelcompany,it’s

extremelycompact.Withthe

bellowsfullyextended,it measures

just28x19x14cm.Thelenspanel

offersriseandfallplusshift

movements;therear

standardoffersswingand

tiltmovements.Focusing

is carriedoutona

ground-glassscreen

undera flip-uphood.

Whenfocusand

compositionarecomplete,

thescreenis swapped

for the fi lm holder.

Accordingtowhatkindof film

backis fitted,thecamerashoots

onplatesorcutfilm(notreally

practicaltoday)orwithmore

workable 120 rollfilmfor6x9cm,

6x6cmor6x4.5cmimages.

Particularlyunusualfora monorail

camera,thePecoJuniorcanalso

beequippedwitha 35mmfilm

back.Monorailcamerasarenotthe

mostpracticalforusetoday,but

forthefilmcamerapurist,small

modelslikethiscanbea lotof fun.

What’sgoodCanbeusedwitha

widevarietyof lenses,shutters

andfilmbacks;versatile camera

movements.

What’sbadNeedsa tripod,slow

touse,bulkycomparedtoa

traditional fi lm camera.

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