This short review aims to provide new users with some practical advice in advance of embarking on a series of trials. While it won't replace a hands-on field trip, it may help to reduce the cost. When I started large format photography an amateur with a limited budget I wanted one camera that I could use for everything. Conventional wisdom suggests that field cameras are preferable unless you need extreme movements. However, I believe that monorails offer benefits other than extreme movements to photographers new to large format.
Most monorails provide front and rear standards with identical movements.
The symmetry of being able to set up any movement on either standard is far more intuitive than using base tilts to simulate back movements or front and rear swing to simulate shift. This symmetry is also a great help in learning to use the effects of the different movements creatively. The problems of using a monorail camera in the field are mechanical. Once you get over the inconvenience of getting it to the right place camera is not a limiting factor in creating the photograph. The problems of using a field camera in the studio are photographic.