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Thread: Choosing an 8x10 field camera

  1. #31

    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    Greenbank, WA
    Posts
    2,605

    Choosing an 8x10 field camera

    Jason: If you want to talk to Mr. Canham, call him, don't email him. I am very pleased with my JMC, you should look at it. I'm not familiar enough with all the other options to comment, though a Deardorff should be a less expensive viable option, so long as you get one in good shape with a bed that is tight.

  2. #32

    Choosing an 8x10 field camera

    Jason,

    I have THE solution. You just gotta be open minded. The answer is the venerable Calumet C1 or C2. The black or green beasties are are surprisingly capable with movements that come close to a monorail, are indestructable, have some parts still available from calumet, and best of all DIRT CHEAP. In fact one is available as a buy it now for $500 on ebay. There are currently three listed. As a kind of endorsement, this is still the camera Cole Weston uses (or at least his Ries ad in View Camera sez). I used one for a while and other than the fact that they are heavy as skunk it is still one of my favorite cameras. Buy one of these and you'll have enough money for some really sweet glass which we all know is the most important thing. With this camera you can do architecture, portaiture and landscape, if you're the kind who works reasonably close to the car.

    This baby has it all, Movements, Indestructability, and CHEAP. Think of it as a Ford F350 in world dominated by bimmers.

    Hell, I bet you could use it as a car jack.

    Kevin

  3. #33

    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    Greenbank, WA
    Posts
    2,605

    Choosing an 8x10 field camera

    If Cole Weston is still using his Calumet 8x10, then it must be more portable than I thought. You can take it with you.

  4. #34

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Massachusetts USA
    Posts
    8,476

    Choosing an 8x10 field camera

    You can take the camera, yes... but fresh film: that's another question entirely.

  5. #35

    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Posts
    51

    Choosing an 8x10 field camera

    Jason, this looks like an eBay deal... other wise I second the Kodak Master View 8x10. If you are very lucky you may find one for $1000

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15248&item=7503923043&rd=1

    jay...

  6. #36

    Choosing an 8x10 field camera

    If a used camera is an option, then I'll second the suggestion of the Calumet C1. (Both the Green Monster and the Black Beast are C1 models; the Calumet C2 is a rollfilm holder.)

    The magnesium C1 is not unreasonably heavy. (They're green, but not all of the green ones are magnesium...all of the black ones are aluminum and heavier...Calumet continued to use green paint for a while after they switched over to aluminum.)

    I have one, and it weighs only a pound more than my Korona Pictorial View. In fact, I have three 8x10s but the only one I use is the Calumet C1. It's very flexible, has fantastic bellows draw, and can be locked down rock-solid to the point that you can shoot in winds that will cause problems for other cameras. You can make lensboards with a few dollars worth of hobby plywood. The knobs are, for the most part, very large and easy to use with gloves on.

    If weight is an issue, look for one of the newer ultra-light cameras. But if you can put up with 15 pounds worth of camera, a good-condition magnesium C1 is hard to beat.

    (Oh...and $500 is a bit too much to pay for one. I paid around $300 for mine, and other than some very limited paint wear it looks almost new. I got lucky...but you should be able to find one for $400 without too much trouble.)

  7. #37

    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    628

    Choosing an 8x10 field camera

    There has been some talk here about the Canham metal (a great choice), which has been imprecise as to the cost. Badger lists it for $2600.

    I assume you are going to hang on to your Cambo, even if you acquire another camera? If that is the case, my recommendation is to leave the architecture to Mr. Monorail, and get something light, compact, and portable to compliment him. Then you would have something handy to use most of the time, and something awkward to use when absolutely necessary.

    Most architecture shots are not going to get away; that is, if you find one that exceeds the abilities when out shooting with the field camera, you can come back another day with the monorail. Furthermore, you can generally drive pretty close to the subject, so transportability is less of an issue.

    I believe Linhof has some student deals you may wish to look into after registration.

  8. #38

    Choosing an 8x10 field camera

    Don,

    Ebony cameras are great, but...

    I have one of the Shen Hao wide angle 4x5's, the TFC45-IIA. There are two models. The I and IIA. The IIA has interchangeable bellows, so it is EXTREMELY wide angle capable. I have used both the Shen Hao and the Ebony, and with very minor exceptions, there are few differences.

    With the interchangeable bellows, I believe this is an improvement of the design. Since no international patents are in place (even by Ebony's admission), I don't see a problem.

    I do not believe that the enormous price that Ebony commands is in line with the actual quality of the product. Although they are VERY nice cameras, and if the price was right I would have bought an Ebony, they are not worth what Ebony charges for them anymore than Mercedes could charge $300,000 for a $60,000 car just because it had the name Mercedes on it.

    The bottom line is, the price is set at what the market will bear, and I have a camera that, after comparison, is only slightly inferior to an Ebony for 1/5 of the price.

    By the way, I drive a $26,000 Saturn, not a $60,000 Mercedes, and I still get to anywhere I want to go.

    As to the others who admonish Dean for recommending a Shen Hao while moderating a forum dedicated to the product, everyone here with a recommendation has based it on personal experience with the brand and model. Why should Dean be any different? He uses a Shen Hao, he likes it, and he tells people about it - just like everyone else here. What's the problem?

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