Movement & Control
Original mechanical design for a deliberate photographic process.
TC191: Control at Each Stage
Independent front and rear whole-standard tilt, each ±20°, inclines the corresponding shift mechanism. These movements are separate from the tilt of the lens and camera. They change the direction in which the standard shifts—not simply the angle of the complete camera on a tripod.
Fine Focusing
A lead screw converts rotation of the focusing dial into controlled linear travel. TC191 dial graduations correspond to 0.04 mm per division. These values describe displacement per graduation, not measured positioning accuracy or repeatability.
Reframe within the tilted image plane
Tilt is used to position the plane of sharp focus according to the Scheimpflug principle. On the TC191, the rear shift mechanism can operate within the inclined sensor plane. With the lens fixed and the sensor plane unchanged, the camera can move within that plane to refine framing without having to establish focus again.
This distinction is most useful at the rear standard. Moving the lens changes the optical geometry and should not be treated as equivalent to shifting the camera within an unchanged image plane. Available travel also depends on lens coverage, bellows extension and mechanical clearance.
Separate controls. A connected system.
Each standard provides ±35 mm horizontal shift, ±25 mm rise and fall, ±20° swing and ±15° tilt, in addition to its ±20° whole-standard tilt. The rear camera interface rotates through 90° and locks for landscape or portrait composition.
The standard configuration uses a 250 mm focusing rail and four-fold bellows. Interchangeable camera adapters, bellows and lens boards allow the configuration to follow the equipment and the photograph.
