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For maximum sharpness of an image made with a view camera, or any format camera, the lens and film (digital sensor) planes should be exactly parallel to each other; and when photographing flat surfaces (artwork, posters, documents, etc.), lens and film planes must also be perfectly parallel to the copy. All view cameras have mechanical variations in the accuracy of their "zero" centering positions for swing and tilt movements and these tiny variations can cause a noticeable lack of focus precision.
The Zig-Align mirror system allows you to reposition & align a camera quickly without disassembling it. In this set, the View Camera Parallelism Plate (ZP2) is used in the spring back of the rear standard, and the Ring Module (mounted on camera lens board) is placed on the front standard (in place of the lens) for alignment of the camera standards. When viewing through the small hole in the Ring Module, you will see a series of concentric rings. How skewed the series of rings is determines the accuracy of the camera's alignment; by using tilt and swing adjustments the rings can be centered thus assuring camera to copy plane alignment.
Note: Lens board must be able to be removed from the camera to use this mirror set. If the bellows cannot be removed, a small flashlight or penlight can be placed in the bellows to illuminate the mirror for alignment. Requires a blank lens board for your camera to mount the Ring Module.
