Is there a 'standard' 8x10 to 4x5 reduction back

[Ken Lee]

The Gowland 4x5's are quite light, but among the more popular models, the Tachihara comes to mind as being quite light, yet fully featured and affordable. I sold mine and got an ArcaSwiss Discovery. I hope to sell that when I move up to 8x10, but thought it might be nice to retain the ability to shoot 4x5.

As to lens boards, the ShenHao 8x10 is designed to take Technika/Tachihara sized boards by default. So I can use the same boards I already have, which are small and portable - and made of metal.

When I didn't hear from them after a week, I had a colleague, whose brother works in Shanghai, arrange to have his brother make a local phone call to them. They are very nice, but perhaps a little behind the times in terms of e-business. When the camera arrives, I will post some kind of review if anyone is interested.

[Deniz]

here is an article that i wrote a short while back. http://www.apug.org/forums/article.php?a=58

i hope it helps

[jnantz]

ken -

i have a 5x7 camera whose back is not removable ( just the ground glass ) and i asked a similar question a while back (wanting to make 4-5 exposures using some of the 8-10 portrait lenses i have ... ). tim atherton turned me onto the toho reducing back, and i bought one. it took quite a while to make it through customs in chicago but it was well worth the long wait. the folks at badger graphics were great to work with .

while mine isn't a 8-10 to 4-5, i imagine there isn't much of a differenct between them ( aside from the price ) it was the perfect solution to the problem i had, since my back was not removable. i later bought a 8-10 camera made by the same manufacturer as my 5-7 ( szabad out of sweden ) and it came with both 8-10 to 5-7 & 4-5 reducing backs. the 4-5 back is a graflok back pretty much like the one deniz shows how to make. if you have the time, tools and patience, you might consider making your own, it'll save you a pretty big chunk of change.

- john

[Ralph Barker]

Toho also makes a reducing film holder:


http://www.toho-machine.co.jp/Reducing.htm

The key point, I believe, is to think about how you'd want to use any sort of adapter, and then pick the approach that best suits your individual needs. For example, one of the reasons I went with the approach that I did (illustrated above) is that the Toyo back provides a Graflok interface, thus allowing me to use Graflok-based roll-film holders, as well.

[Ken Lee]

I heard back from Shen-Hao. They do make a reducing back, and ask $200 USD for it.

[Nick_3536]

Ken what email address are you using to contact Shen-Hao?

[Ken Lee]

Nick -

The address is zhangfmli AT vip.sina DOT COM

(I have obfuscated the address in an attempt to spare them from spammers)

[Nick_3536]

Thanks Ken. I've not been getting any response from that. I wonder if my ISP is having problems.