Just a note: The polycarbonate rail guides in the function carriers on the rails, can get brittle with age. So be very careful if you remove the carriers from the rails. If broken, there are no new ones available as these cameras have not been made since 1984. Otherwise a nice camera.
The rise and popularity of Digital imaged Photography appears to be connected to the current crop of screen addicted audience. Seems the majority of folks today receive visual information via a electronic screen of some sort. This facilitates image creation via 'puter and screen comfortable and familiar.
A few years ago, decided to have a gander at how good can monochromatic digital could be. To try and get some idea of what monochromatic digital based images were like, visits to the best digital imaging hardware dealer in the area, art museums with digital prints, art galleries and just about any place where what is considered the very best in monochrome digital based images could be viewed. After a significant duration of viewing these digital based images, came away with just not thy cup of tea. Printed digital images just come across to me as cold and electronic and in ways artificial. I'm sure there are others here that will disagree or agree.
The local LF group had a print show, among those prints were carbon, platinum and traditional silver gelatin. Some of these images were simply stunning. The visual effect from these all analog based images were quite different than those created by electronic means.
Other factors has to do with the process of film photography, the simplicity of a view camera yet a view camera has remarkable control over the images if can put on film. Once the film is exposed, there is the chemical based processing, optical printing and print finishing. All of which is quite tactile involving the handling of very real physical items. This is quite a different experience than creating images using electronic means.
Suspect for those who truly enjoy this process, there is little else like it.
Bernice
A friendly hello to the Arca Swiss gang!
Hi Rod!
They moved from Switzerland to France when the EU was created
Well, not really, the common market started in 1957 with 6 countries, creating the roots for a customs union, the EEC, European Economic Community.
Later in 1986 with 12 countries, the initial 1957 Treaty of Rome was revised under the form of the Single European Act, the EEC expanded to many aspects of life and economy under the new name of EU, European Union.
For Arca Swiss, the move from Horgen (ZH-CH, where the Oschwald brothers had their facilities before 1984) to France, close to Besançon (25-F), took place in 1999. At the time there were no longer any customs barriers within EU members.
1999 was also the starting date for the single currency Euro zone, first for bank transactions; eventually banknotes and coins were released to the public as of Jan. 1st, 2002.
So no customs taxes (all over the EU, 28 countries and 500 million people today) and a single currency (within the Eurozone, a fraction of the EU) was a great help for any small company located within the EU and delivering goods all over the EU (the US had decided like this a long time ago, so I really do not have to elaborate )
It is a matter of fact that the Swiss Confederation rejected the possibility to join the EU by a federal referendum in 1992, although the Swiss Federal Assembly had already started the process to join the EU in 1991.
This is a particularity of the Swiss constitution, when a public petition or initiative, following certain very strict rules, harvests enough votes within a given legal delay, a petition or initiative yields a referendum, either local, cantonal or federal.
I think that US states have something very similar.
Hence in 1992 a federal vote following an initiative decided against what the Swiss federal parliament had decided, and Switzerland remained out of the EU.
Another European country rejecting the possibility to join the EU by a referendum was Norway.
For a small family-owned Swiss company with many customers in the EU like A/S, Switzerland not being inside the EU, meant, for example, long delays (up to 10 days in various customs procedures!) and a burden of customs paperwork when a camera simply had to come back from Germany for servicing.
This is the reason why several famous Swiss watchmaking brands have established after-sales servicing facilities within the EU, some of them are located in Besançon, a place in France where watchmaking and precision mechanics is a strong tradition since the XVIII-st century. Imagine when a $200k watch has to cross the customs barrier for a regular clean, lube and adjust service! Swiss watches of EU owners coming to Besançon for regular servicing need no customs paperwork. And yes, luxury watches being mechanical need to be serviced regularly, like your beloved Compur shutters!
In 1999 however, when A/S International established in Besançon, several bi-lateral agreements were signed between Switzerland and the EU, for example freedom to travel between the EU and Switzerland. Customs taxes are also reduced for a large number of goods exchanged between Switzerland and the EU.
But I immediately stop speaking about customs taxes, otherwise moderators would get angry: no politics here!
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They still retain a small office in Zurich I believe.
The last information I have regarding the Swiss office reads as follows:
https://www.moneyhouse.ch/en/company...-ag-1979794081
ARCA-SWISS Phototechnik AG
Roosstrasse 53
8832 Wollerau
canton Schwytz (rather close to Zurich, though)
Bi-lateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU make the exchanges between the two companies, A/S International in Besançon, France and A/S Phototechnik in Switzerland much easier than if Switzerland was simply a 3-rd party country with respect to the EU.
Emmanuel,
Thank you.
Rod
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