what 8x10 camera..?

[figaro]

hello everybody,
I'm new to the forum,a photographer from holland,photographing with a 4x5 sinar.

finaly admitting to myself,there's noting like 8x10..
I want to buy a 8x10 view(field)camera,new or used,and go in to the deep!

i,ve been searching the forum already,but some diehards must know some existing threads,or sites already,about different 8x10 cameras,what do they cost,and what best place to buy them.

any information wil help,
thank you!:)

[kjsphotography]

Check out the classified on here first then,

http://www.apug.org
http://www.ebay.com -> under cameras -> Film Cameras -> Large Format
http://www.photo.net -> Classified which I think is under gear.

Hope that helps.

[Brian Ellis]

How much are you thinking of spending? You can buy a very usable 8x10 for around $400 on ebay (Kodak 2D) or you can spend $6000 or whatever an 8x10 Ebony costs. And there's a lot in between. So the first step is to pick a maximum amount. I've owned three 8x10s, two Deardorffs and a Kodak 2D. If I ever take up 8x10 seriously again it will be with a Deardorff or a Wehman though the 2D was an excellent camera as well.

[archivue]

backpack or not, lots of movements or not, field use or studio, lens with shutter or not (sinar DB)...

if you need movements, the sinar norma is a good compromise !
In the studio Arca M line and Sinar P2
The phillips compact 2 is a nice camera also
The toyo M810 is quite heavy, but quite good !
Ebony are nice and sturdy
Shen Hao improve every day
...

[Gene McCluney]

hello everybody,
I'm new to the forum,a photographer from holland,photographing with a 4x5 sinar.

finaly admitting to myself,there's noting like 8x10..
I want to buy a 8x10 view(field)camera,new or used,and go in to the deep!

i,ve been searching the forum already,but some diehards must know some existing threads,or sites already,about different 8x10 cameras,what do they cost,and what best place to buy them.

any information wil help,
thank you!:)

If you already have a Sinar 4x5 and it is one of the "P" model cameras, or possibly other Sinar models, and you find using monorail type cameras to your liking, then you could get an 8x10 format adaptor back and bellows for your camera. These can be found used. This way you could still use almost all the elements of your existing camera, including the lenses you may already have that might cover 8x10 mounted on Sinar boards.

[Ken Lee]

"These can be found used. This way you could still use almost all the elements of your existing camera, including the lenses you may already have that might cover 8x10 mounted on Sinar boards."

I did the same thing for 5x7. It's great. Unlike the average wooden field camera, your Sinar likely has a complete range of movements, and is almost indestructible.

[John Kasaian]

If you're looking for a used camera to import from a US dealer, try Midwest Photo. Old wooden 8x10 field cameras I think are worth considering are: Deardorff (do a search for Ken Hough's Deardorff Historical website) Century Universal, and Agfa Ansco Universal, Burk & James, Kodak D-2, and the Seneca. All are very capable cameras--I think the Deardorff and the Century are the easiest to take hiking, while the Agfa Ansco Universal offers movements approaching that of a monorail design. Newer wooden cameras you might find on the used market worth looking include the Zone V, Wisner, Gandolfi & Tachihara.

The LF Home Page on the blue banner at the top of this page has lots of useful info on 8x10ing---check it out! :)

8x10 is sooo cool! :D

Have fun! :eek:

[Paul Fitzgerald]

figaro,

"I want to buy a 8x10 view(field)camera,new or used,and go in to the deep!"

a Calumet C-1 magnesium 'green monster', all movements posssible, 34 inches of bellows, 6x6 lens board (anything up to a 420/4.5 Heliar), can take a 6.5x6.5 packard, 8x10 - 5x7 - 4x5 backs available, usually very cheap to buy and fairly easy to sell. Almost forgot, it has the smoothest focusing of any camera made.

Have fun with the hunt.

[Ralph Barker]

After you have perused the "basic" articles on the home page here, as suggested by John K., you'll probably come to the conclusion that the choices tend to boil down to portability versus features versus cost. Monorail designs will have the edge on features, but will be less portable and cost more if you're looking for advanced features.

Reading the "basic" articles on the home page here should give you a good sense of that features to look for, depending on what you want to photograph, and depending on your working style. My suggestion is to then consider where you think you will be in 5 years, and think in terms of a long-term systems approach.

For example, I shoot both 4x5 and 8x10 in both "studio" and "field" conditions. Personally, I've settled on Toyo for both studio and field 4x5, Toyo for studio 8x10, and Tachihara as my 8x10 field camera, "standardizing" most lenses on Toyo field-camera boards, with an adapter board for the Tachihara 8x10. This has worked well for me, but subject matter and working styles vary.

[turtle]

if you want to buy new you might wish to consider the Shen Hao FCL810. There are some owners on this forum who speak highly of it and at $1900 in teh US it is great value.

[Jack Flesher]

As with any camera, you need to decide on your priorities since many of the variables are at odds with one-another; there is no single ideal camera for everybody...

The main considerations are almost always weight, size, rigidity, bellows extension (max and min), types of movements, range of those movements, ease of set-up and cost -- not necessarily in that order. If you want a camera that has all movements and lots of range, it will most assuredly be heavy and most likely be large. If you want ultra-light weight, it will possibly not be as convenient to use as a heavier camera.

Examples: A camera that is light and rigid, but does not have enough bellows to take your favorite-longest lens is going to be a poor choice for you; a 24 pound camera that does it all will be great in a studio, but will rarely travel far from your car.

Cheers,

[william linne]

Kodak Master View. Affordable, versatile, and tough. I once hit a rather aggressive heroin dealer in the head with mine in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco one foggy evening.

W.

[Gene McCluney]

Kodak Master View. Affordable, versatile, and tough. I once hit a rather aggressive heroin dealer in the head with mine in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco one foggy evening.

W.

Geez, and I thought I had it rough worrying about snakes and poision ivy in the subject matter I like to shoot.

[Richard Kelham]

Kodak Master View. Affordable, versatile, and tough. I once hit a rather aggressive heroin dealer in the head with mine in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco one foggy evening.



Did he survive?

[william linne]

Did he survive?

Yah, I think it just stunned him a little.

[figaro]

thanks for the advice sofar.

I'm using a sinar right now(4x5),but i don't want a monorail for 8x10.
i think it is going to be a new Tachihara or a occasion deardorff,shen hoa.

deardorff's with frontswing do about 1000-1500 dollars om ebay,is that normal?
i live in amsterdam,but buying in the states is so much cheaper.
can anybody recomment good foto stores in the u.s.?
(deardorff,tachihara)

the weight is not THAT importent.
i will use a 240mm 0r 300mm
only adjustments for sharpness in landscape photography(frontlens)
don't need frontswing


the romantic in me say's deardorff,my wallet and backmuscelles say tachihara

[Ole Tjugen]

I think Gandolfi has an 8x10" in their second-hand department at the moment. It's a bit more than a Deardorff, but you won't find a better wooden field camera!

www.gandolficameras.com

[Nick_3536]

www.mpex.com

[Miguel Curbelo]

In my experience, communicating by email with the people at Gandolfi is only an option if you have either all the time or all the patience in the world. And then you must be lucky as well.:(