8x10 Field Camera = Compact and Very Light Weight??

[AuditorOne]

Here is my predicament. I need a very light, easy to carry and setup, 8x10 camera.

I love my Crown Graphic. It is relatively light and portable yet takes very good 4x5 photographs. It has limited movements, but I rarely need anything more than it already has. So my visualized 8x10 needs no more movement than a Crown and should pack up as neatly for carrying as the Crown does.

I have a very nice Cambo 8x10 monorail. It works great in the studio and I absolutely love it for portraits. It has all the movements and, at one time or another, I have probably used most of them. But it most definitely is not suitable for the field. I have taken it in the field but no further than my van can take it.

I am a relatively competent woodworker and am not afraid of machining and assembling wood parts. So if there are no pre-built alternatives, then a set of plans are a good alternative.

I know that this all sounds a little odd but I love being able to contact print. I do it with 4x5 but not all photographs are best at this size. So I want to be able to carry a light, compact 8x10 that fits easily in a day pack with one or two film holders and my wooden tripod. As for movements front tilt and rise, or even back tilt and rise, are perfectly usable. If it turns out I need something better than I guess I'll have to return with a more capable camera later on. I would like to keep my total daypack weight to less than 25 pounds, which of course would include water, a lunch and some wet/cold weather gear.

I don't even know if this is possible yet. My Deardorff is a monster to pack into the hills but I'm sure that lighter weight is possible with good stiffness if movements are minimized.

Anyway, any ideas are appreciated. If you think I'm nuts you can throw that out as well but a lot of people have said that to me over the years without a lot of effect.

[Joe Smigiel]

Have a look at a Rochester Universal or Carleton English-style Field Camera. They have front focus like a Graphic, front rise/fall, front swing, and you can tilt the rear. You may have to modify/replace the back to take modern 8x10 film holders, or you can always try ROC Universal plate holders with film inserts. The Kodak Universal is also a fairly lightweight wooden field camera that I think takes modern film holders.

[Willie]

Philips 8x10. A few models of Dick Philips cameras are out there and they may be one of the best to fill your needs.

[Oren Grad]

25 pounds *including tripod* is challenging but doable. It will help a lot if you have a fair amount of money to spend, plus some patience. The Philips Explorer (fairly scarce, second-hand only), Richard Ritter's 8x10 (available new) and some configurations of Peter Gowland's 8x10 Pocket View (fairly scarce, second-hand only) should all come in at less than 6.5 pounds for the camera body. Choose a small lens like a G-Claron in Copal 1 (210, 240, 270, 305) or a 300 Geronar, go very lean on the other accessories and the pack itself, and you should be able to pull it off.

[Jac@stafford.net]

A data point. The original Century 1 field camera weighs about 9.5 pounds.
It folds up nicely. Look for this badge on the front.

Most that I have found recently are pretty beat up. It is a 114 year old camera. (I have had one in very good condition from the days when more were like that. )

[Vaughn]

Wehman 8x10 http://www.wehmancamera.com/camera.html

Front: Shift - 1.2": Rise - 4.0"; Fall - 3.0"; Tilt - ~; Swing - 30°
Rear: Swing - 20°; Tilt - back 35°, Forward - ~
Bellows: Max - 30.5"; Min - 2.5"
Rotating Back - H/V - Yes
Dimensions: 12"x13"x3.6"
Weight: Standard - 8.7lb., Light Weight - 7.2lb.

I have never seen one, but they are light. Only used ones on the market.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Philips 8x10. A few models of Dick Philips cameras are out there and they may be one of the best to fill your needs.

...if you shoot horizontal most of the time.
.

[djdister]

Philips 8x10. A few models of Dick Philips cameras are out there and they may be one of the best to fill your needs.

A used Philips typically costs over $5,000, but a used Wehman typically runs around $2,000... Your choice.

[Ari]

25 pounds? Very doable.

My Toyo 810M, probably the heaviest field camera around, weighs in at just over 15 pounds. Add to that a lens (I have heavy lenses in Copal 3) and a heavier-than-normal Toyo film holder, and I'm at 20 pounds.
My tripod weighs almost 5 pounds, so there's your 25 pounds of gear.
What I'm saying is: anything you will choose will be lighter, and that will leave you room for clothes, water and food.
So choose your camera based on function and rigidity, the weight will be fine.

You should tip the scales at 25-30 pounds when all is said and done.

[Peter De Smidt]

Perhaps some like the Ebony SLW810 or ShenHao TFC8x10-A?