Independent camera maker, Arca Swiss releases a new compact view camera for high resolution digital photography.
Press Release information and commentary in italics.
New: Arca Swiss Pico compact view camera
The new Arca Swiss Pico is an entire ecosystem built on a camera set comprising of view camera body, rear adapter, bellows, two rails (one 10cm, one 15cm), classic plate and monoballFix plate. The Pico mirrorless cameras the retail price is EUR 3,890. And the Pico for digital backs Phase One IQ and Hasselblad V the set retails for EUR 4,090. A complete ready to shoot setup will need a lens. Price is excluding VAT.
Commentary
I first reported this new camera on the GetDPI discussion forum in November 2023, and Arca Swiss just launched the camera a few weeks ago. Here are the photographs I took in November, with my Fujifilm GFX 50S II attached.
This is an interesting release from this tiny manufacturer of high end cameras. Arca Swiss is based in the French town of Besançon and though a small independent has made its name for high precision products. Their name is synonymous with the dovetail plate which is ubiquitous for attaching camera bodies to tripod heads. They have also made a big name for themselves with their innovation in tripod heads. The Arca Swiss B1 Ball Heads are a case in point. Another is the superlative design based on a three axis goniometer which they call the Arca Swiss Cube.
I first saw the Pico, as a pre-release prototype in Geneva in November 2023, and was quite impressed with it. En-route from our post WWG weekend escape in Burgundy and heading to Parmigiani Fleurier, we stopped by the Arca Swiss HQ and manufacture in Besançon. Arca Swiss manufactures all their products in the premises. The manufacture is not open to visit, but we had a good discussion with Directeur Général Jean-Pierre Pieve in their showroom, where he gave us a run-down of all their products.
The concept for the Pico, this new release is not new. The basic concept is a view camera designed for digital sensors. Sinar released a smaller version with increased electronic capability of their P system with their P3 way back in 2002. The P3 had standards which are smaller to fit digital sensors, reduced from the P2 which supports a minimum of 4×5 film plates. My Sinar X, for example, is a specific version of the P2 which is intended for use only with the smallest larger format film – 4 x 5. The P3 is designed to accommodate the much smaller digital sensors, and incorporates digital communications between the standards.
Full movements offered by traditional view cameras like the Sinar P3 are often not essential, and rigidity of the standards are a virtue. We saw Linhof with their Techno in 2008, which uses an L frame which makes the rear standard rigid. The Linhof is still a 4×5 camera, but can be adapted, like the Sinar P2, for digital use. Cambo makes the Actus, which is a popular small view camera with reduced movement capability for the standards. The Actus is probably the closest competitor to the Arca Swiss Pico in terms of technical functionality.
We are in discussions with Arca Swiss MD Jean-Pierre Pieve on a loaner for evaluation and detailed review.
Release information
A new standard for high resolution photography
For more than a hundred years, ARCA-SWISS has been dedicated to offering photographers the best possible equipment and service, and with the introduction of Pico, the company has achieved a new level of innovation and excellence.
Philippe and Martin Vogt’s legacy, Samuel Vogt’s passion and the expertise and enthusiasm of the ARCA-SWISS teams has converged to produce the Pico view camera. This new tool is compact, user-friendly, and highly versatile, designed to meet the demands of modern photography.
Pico sets a new standard for view cameras designed for use with ultra- high-resolution sensors. Embracing the ARCA-SWISS philosophy of craftsmanship, this state-of-the-art view camera stands as a testament to a century of innovation and mastery in camera design and manufacturing.
Efficiency in movement
Pico features intuitive controls, with tilt and swing adjustments located at the front and shift controls at the rear. This configuration offers superb control over the plane of focus, with fine-tuning adjustments for composition, providing a quick and efficient workflow. Our advanced development of self-locking, micro- metric movements has been carried to a higher level, delivering enhanced precision and stability, and ensuring unrivaled ease of operation.
Exceptional rigidity
The patented Pico design is unique and robust. By minimizing moving components Pico incorporates a rigid L-frame that slides within a large, stationary front standard, maintaining the perspective of the lens. The Pico concept ensures optimal parallelism between the front and rear frames, resulting in precision that meets the accuracy requirements for current high-resolution sensors.
Compact and light
Pico was designed from the outset to obtain the very best accuracy and maximum rigidity at strategic points. Made from a special aluminum alloy, Pico is lightweight and compact when collapsed for packing away.
Designed for mirrorless cameras and digital backs
With its wide range of adapters, the Pico system is compatible with the vast majority of mirrorless camera mounts, Mamiya/Phase One, and Hasselblad digital backs. Providing remarkable flexibility, Pico system adapters are quickly and easily interchangeable using a single locking lever on the rear carrier.
Compatible with finest quality optics
Pico is compatible with medium format lenses including the majority of Rodenstock, Schneider, Phase One Blue, and Silver ring lenses. The Pico system is also compatible with older lenses that are still in widespread use and available on the second-hand market. ARCA-SWISS will continue to develop future lens boards to ensure compatibility with the widest possible range of lenses.
Improved comfort, ergonomics and possibilities over tilt-shift lenses
The Pico view camera offers enhanced ergonomics and capabilities compared to traditional tilt-shift lenses, making it a quicker, more efficient, and user-friendly option for photographers. Its design separates view camera movements, simplifying subject framing and focusing, and allowing photographers to work more effectively.
Unlike tilt-shift lenses, the lens remains fixed in position, preventing any perspective changes while using rear shifts, a feature highly beneficial for composition, or when stitching images. Additionally, the flexible design of the Pico view camera supports the use of various lens combinations with either a camera body or digital back.
Innovative ergonomics
The ARCA-SWISS philosophy of user-friendly view camera controls has been incorporated into Pico:
tilt / swing controls are located on the left, and rise / fall / shift controls on the right. With Pico, everything has been designed for intuitive, quick and accurate view camera adjustments.
Also with Pico, advanced development of self-locking, micro- metric geared movements has been taken to a higher level, delivering enhanced precision with stability and ensuring unrivaled ease of operation.
For straightforward lens changes, a new B-mount bayonet located on the front standard employs a system similar to those found on most mirrorless cameras. Additionally, an R-adapter lens board allows for easy attachment of lenses in ARCA-SWISS R-mount.
On the rear standard, a simple exchange of adapters will allow new mirrorless cameras to be mounted using a single locking lever.
The change from portrait to landscape format is achieved simply by rotating the camera body or digital back. Between the front and rear frame, a system of magnets holds the bellows in place. The bellows are quickly installed and set with one click at the front and another at the rear.
When calibrating floating element lenses (at infinity) the FFD calibration point can be set and memorized, using the inner calibration ring on the focus knob.
Two new lenses from ARCA-SWISS
The new 24 mm f3.5 and 50 mm f2.8 Tilt / Swing, both by ARCA-SWISS, are ideal partners for the Pico system. Each is centered on the optical axis and can utilize 8.5° of tilt or swing, for perfect control of the plane of focus.
The ARCA-SWISS 24 mm f3.5 lens
Manual focus, 68 mm image circle. 82 mm filter size. Ideal for architecture and landscape photography offering very low distortion with exceptional image quality
The ARCA-SWISS 50mm f2.8 lens
Manual focus, 73 mm image circle. 77 mm filter size. High performance lens for general purpose, architecture and landscape photography.