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May 9, 2006 – To add a little more flexibility to DSLRs, Rolleiflex and Horseman announced the Horseman LD today. The LD is a bellows system that lets users tilt, shift, and otherwise move the lens quite freely from the camera. The system can also transform into a 4 x 5-inch film camera with a few purchases of optional equipment. The Horseman LD bellows system sells for a retail price of $2,500 and is available immediately.
The Horseman LD comes in two different models, each optimized for either Canon or Nikon digital single lens reflex cameras. The camera attaches to the back of the bellows and the lens attaches to the front; any medium or large format lens can fit onto the front. Canon EOS and Nikon F-mount lenses work, as well as Mamiya and Hasselblad lenses.
The connecting bellows system allows photographers to more easily control the depth of field, shift, and the effects of distortion. If photographers want to keep a subject in perfect focus but still shoot at an angle, it is possible with the Horseman LD bellows. Cameras can be easily snapped into a portrait or landscape position and changed with a few simple movements.
High-end digital camera backs can be used with the bellows in the near future. Horseman has developed an adaptor to fit the backs onto the LD, but it has not yet been released. The company has released an optional 4 x 5-inch film adaptor kit that includes a main frame, connector frame, and ground glass. These components, coupled with a film roll holder and the LD bellows system, will transform the LD into a large-format film camera.