Swebo Tech Cam

[dougpeterson]

I'm highly biased, but IMO one of the greatest benefits of technical/view cameras is that they will last you many generations of digital tech. That is you invest in a (Cambo/Arca/Alpa/Swebo/Whatever) in 2021 and expect that the digital sensor/camera you purchase in 2030 will still be compatible. That affects everything from getting repairs/service to sourcing new parts for compatibility with new lens or camera mounts or accessories needed for some new use case you find.

From that point of view, it is a bit disadvantageous to buy from a newcomer rather than a long-established brand with a good reputation and large userbase because (at least in my opinion) it is more likely the long-established brand will be around in 5/10/20 years. Of course, buying from a long-established brand is not a guarantee either – plenty of such storied companies went out of business in the last 20 years, but it's my opinion that the ones that have survived that historic transition from film-to-digital are the most likely to have continued staying power. Of course, if your feeling is that a company is new to the scene, but is well-backed and likely to stick around, then you can disregard this point. And, for sure, this is only part of the wider matrix of considerations when deciding on a make-model to purchase.

 

[P. Chong]

I think you can.

Ohhhh, I'd want one of those but with only tilt at the front and only rise/fall at the back. Would be smaller and lighter and still more capable than the expensive and seemingly crappy T/S adapters around.

I wonder why they don't simply sell you the separate bits and pieces to put together whatever kit you want.

 

[Pieter 12]

I'm highly biased, but IMO one of the greatest benefits of technical/view cameras is that they will last you many generations of digital tech. That is you invest in a (Cambo/Arca/Alpa/Swebo/Whatever) in 2021 and expect that the digital sensor/camera you purchase in 2030 will still be compatible. That affects everything from getting repairs/service to sourcing new parts for compatibility with new lens or camera mounts or accessories needed for some new use case you find.

From that point of view, it is a bit disadvantageous to buy from a newcomer rather than a long-established brand with a good reputation and large userbase because (at least in my opinion) it is more likely the long-established brand will be around in 5/10/20 years. Of course, buying from a long-established brand is not a guarantee either – plenty of such storied companies went out of business in the last 20 years, but it's my opinion that the ones that have survived that historic transition from film-to-digital are the most likely to have continued staying power. Of course, if your feeling is that a company is new to the scene, but is well-backed and likely to stick around, then you can disregard this point. And, for sure, this is only part of the wider matrix of considerations when deciding on a make-model to purchase.

It seems like there is little to go wrong with such a camera (Swebo) that could not be repaired by a competent technician. The stuff that tends to go awry are the parts you put on it--digital back or camera body, lens shutter, for example. Those are third-party and should be repairable or replaceable in the future. Of course, if you drop it and break body parts, that is an expensive proposition no matter what the camera. At least the Swebo, if it is still made, would be relatively inexpensive to replace.

 

[Makten]

I think you can.

Then the question is how. There are so many of these chinese (?) companies that don't even have their own web site, which is really difficult to understand to me. How do they think they can ever earn something of a reputation if there is no way to reach out to them, read about their products and not even know where they are located? Same with many of the manufacturers of camera adapters. Zero info anywhere, just random items for sale on amazon, ebay and such.

 

[P. Chong]

Give them time. We must also note that the domestic Chinese market is probably larger than the rest of the world. It is easier for them to serve their internal market first.

Then the question is how. There are so many of these chinese (?) companies that don't even have their own web site, which is really difficult to understand to me. How do they think they can ever earn something of a reputation if there is no way to reach out to them, read about their products and not even know where they are located? Same with many of the manufacturers of camera adapters. Zero info anywhere, just random items for sale on amazon, ebay and such.

 

[docholliday]

If it says anything about Swebo, I have one of their micrometer rails. It is much more precise than the RRS macro rail, which is horribly sloppy and moves with the weight of a MF camera on it. The Swebo rail was much cheaper as well. Machining (proper machining, that is), is/should be standard whether done in the US or China. The rail I use looks pretty much like the rail on that cam, with the blue micrometer dial on the end. Hell, it probably *is* the same rail!

With that said, the only complaint I had for them was that the AS dovetail grooves on the rail itself was too shallow and wouldn't clamp properly on a lever clamp (which all my gear is). They responded that they will correct it in their next batch and send me a replacement. It's been a few months since I'd heard from them, but I'm sure they gotta sell their current stock before producing the next batch. In the meantime, I have a stubby RRS rail/foot screwed to the 1/4-20 on the bottom and it hold perfectly. Yes, it's inconvenient having to have the lump on the rail, but the quality, smoothness, and no-slop movements are enough for me to overlook the AS dovetailing for now.

If it was an electronics thing, I'd probably still not be worried, as all electronics are horrible nowadays no matter if from the US or China. Even German "quality" isn't what it used to be. Engineers are too worried about making it fit in the smallest package and fu-fu features than battery life and longevity. I do have to say that Phase One engineering is probably some of the higher calibre nowadays.

I took a leap-of-faith by purchasing their rail, but I figured it couldn't be any worse than the RRS rail that now sits in a drawer. Everybody's gotta start somewhere, right?

 

[john]

Perhaps I have missed something, but wondering about the possible lens and camera options....that is possible lens boards and cameras...Leica, Hasselblad, et al.

John