Gibellini LF camera - any experiences?

[Sal Santamaura]

I made the conclusion for everything by myself, including the LF gears...A friend of mine bought a brand new G. He is a senior photographer, and wanted to try lots of 8x10 cameras. He experienced Sinar, Arca, Deardorff, Toyo, Linhof, etc.
The G was belonged to him before.

"Rubbish warcraft", he called the G 8x10. "A real lemon", he added again.

1. Rear group
The springs of holder fixing weren't fixed. So, the rear group is easy to drop down when changing holder if you pushed a strength a little more.
2. The central focusing system couldn't be fixed because its sliding focusing tolerance was too much. The damping was relied on the front screw(s). But the screw(s) incredible didn't fix. So the screw(s) would drop regularly.

3. Rubbish bellows

4. Rubbish ground glass
My friend couldn't find the exact word to describe the GG.

5. It couldn't bear any little heavier lenses. It moved everywhere, and shaked.

He lost any interesting to try one film to use the G 8x10 after unfolding it onto his tripod. He immediately threw it away to trade a Sony RX1R.

He lost a sum of bulks and his nose out of joint...

Thanks for following up. I still can't make sense of your first post, but the second one got your point across: it's junk.

...people start throwing around the word "junk" when they haven't actually used the camera in question...

I assume "people" referred to me. That one-word descriptor seems an appropriate summary of pierre's post. I don't use words lightly, and stand by my characterization.

Ari's camera might be completely different than the one pierre was describing. That has no bearing on the description's applicability.

[Ari]

They might call something junk only because it's a new product, one without a pedigree. Or they might simply be Leicaphiles.
Either way, it's not a healthy attitude for oneself or for the market.
We're very lucky that cameras of this kind are still being made; the fact that a company is willing to try new designs and materials is commendable.

Bear in mind that the owner of Gibellini is 26 years old, with a background in industrial design, not photography.
Before buying the camera, I didn't read any reviews or testimonials, I looked at what was being done, was sufficiently impressed, and thought that it deserved a chance.
The customer service is a whole other thing, but I'll happily defend the camera's build quality and design.

[pierre506]

They might call something junk only because it's a new product, one without a pedigree. Or they might simply be Leicaphiles.
Either way, it's not a healthy attitude for oneself or for the market.
We're very lucky that cameras of this kind are still being made; the fact that a company is willing to try new designs and materials is commendable.

Bear in mind that the owner of Gibellini is 26 years old, with a background in industrial design, not photography.
Before buying the camera, I didn't read any reviews or testimonials, I looked at what was being done, was sufficiently impressed, and thought that it deserved a chance.
The customer service is a whole other thing, but I'll happily defend the camera's build quality and design.

Dear Ari,
Your information conforms to my principle:
Don't believe any new-made LF gear~

The precent new Gibellini LF cameras are good for showing, not good for using so far. But Gibellini would be a good LF camera in the future if the owner could accept the costumers responses and suggestions, then perfected Gibellinis later. The owner is young and good at industrial design. It's the advantage of Gibellini. But its weakness is obviously, because he is without photographic background. It's a new product.
Rome was not built in a day.
Chamonix, I associate with this famous brand. Nowadays, almost everybody admits it's a well-made & practical tool. Its owner, Hass, has a senior photographic background. He had practised the cameras, his products, almost all kinds of climate and environment by himself. He absorbed his costumers responses same time. He had try to perfect his babies step by step. Then, Chamonix had been getting better and better over 10 years. Hass must cost a lot and gain a lot, too.

I hope the owner of Gebellini could see this thread by himself.
I hope he could treat this thread as a mirror and an encouragement, not as a crisis.
I hope he could gain from the Chamonix story.
I hope LF users could still have more options in the future.
Ansco(dead), Arca(LF dead), Burke & James(dead), Canham, Calumet(dead), Cambo( LF dead), Chamonix, Deardorff(dead), Ebony(dying?), Fotoman, Frica, Gandoff(dead), Gebellini, Gowland(dead), Graflex(dead), Seagull(dead), Horseman(dead), Kodak(dead), Linhof(LF dead), Lotus, Phillips(dead), Ritter, Shenhao, Sinar (dead?), Tachihara(dead), Toyo(dead), Wilderness, Wisnar(dead), Wista(dead), Zone VI(dead)...




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[Ari]

Don't believe any new-made LF gear~

Pierre, I must strongly and respectfully disagree with this.

What I said conforms to nothing except two things:
1. I think the Gibellini is an excellent camera, better than a Canham in many respects, as solid as a Toyo 810M, and as pretty as an Arca
2. I had a bad experience

As for not believing any new LF gear, I wonder if Canham or Chamonix would agree with you; where would they be without their early supporters and customers?
How else will LF users be able to have more options in the future?

Every company makes mistakes, it's how one deals with mistakes that will set one apart from other companies.
I don't know if Gibellini will learn from anything here; as I said, it may be that I'm the one unlucky customer, but you're right, companies should be listening to customers rather than dictating to them.

End result for me is I finally have a camera that works very well, is precise and solid, and I enjoy using it, quirky as it is.
But it's been too frustrating an experience for me to stay with Gibellini.
I do hope others can still take a chance on them, and not have similarly negative buying experiences, because the cameras are certainly deserving of another look.

[Lachlan 717]

And this is why hearsay is inadmissible in most criminal legal systems...

The whole issue around the cameras' quality is based on Babel-translated "I've got a friend" testimony.

Surly, as a collective, we're better than that...

[pierre506]

And this is why hearsay is inadmissible in most criminal legal systems...

The whole issue around the cameras' quality is based on Babel-translated "I've got a friend" testimony.

Surly, as a collective, we're better than that...

"As a collective ", which level?
Precent Gibellini's appearance?
Precent Gibellini's functions?
Precent Gibellini's price?
...
Which feature(s) had touched you to say "Surely, as a collective" ?


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[Lachlan 717]

The part where you have, through some secondhand, untestable opinion, potentially ruined a person's business and potentially ruined Ari's sale.

Is that clear enough?

[Ari]

Pierre, unless I gravely misunderstood something here, your friend, and not you, bought a Gibellini and decided it was "rubbish" and "a real lemon".
You posted his opinion here, which Sal then repeated.
Neither counts as "experience".
The OP asked for anyone's direct experience with the camera, not the summary opinions of an anonymous third party.

I'll repeat: based on my direct use of the camera, I think it's top-shelf stuff, an excellent design and excellent use of materials.
I have a few minor quibbles with some features, as I have with every other camera I've ever owned.
My problem rests with late delivery times, long-unkept promises (fulfilled, but by then too late for me), and what I perceive to be shaky customer service.
People should know that in buying a new Gibellini, they'll be relying on the same people I spoke of in my own experiences, but they'll also be getting a very fine camera.
Your mileage may vary.

[Ari]

The part where you have, through some secondhand, untestable opinion, potentially ruined a person's business and potentially ruined Ari's sale.

I'm not worried about the sale, and I opened this can of worms anyway, Lachlan.
I do get tired of hearing "If it isn't a (insert brand name here), it's garbage."
Or, if you call something rubbish, please explain why; otherwise it's scurrilous posting and irresponsible behaviour.

I never thought the internet would be such a hotbed of rumour and hearsay.

[pierre506]

The part where you have, through some secondhand, untestable opinion, potentially ruined a person's business and potentially ruined Ari's sale.

Is that clear enough?

It's not a 2nd-handed camera.
He bought a brand new one.

Yes, I reported his( one of original Gibellini buyers) feeling.
Did that hurt you?
How could a product(1st generation camera) be improved in the future if the manufacturer couldn't accept the discussion about its weaknesses?

I'd prefer to choose to ruin such kind of business than to shut up.


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