I got a De Golden Busch 8x10 on fleabay - I just made a low-ball bid (and offered the seller a chance to relist it when nobody else bid on it because it was so low.) I might flip it, but first I am tempted to do some 8x10 work first. I used to shoot 8x10 studio stuff all the time back in the day, but now I'd like to do portraits and contact prints just to "revisit" the format. I have holders and I already know enough about lenses that I can find some decent old barrel lenses. The two areas I need to learn more about are:

1. What's the best shutter solution for barrel lenses? What should I look for and expect to pay for a nice Packard or ?

2. Considering that this De Golden Busch weighs about 22 lbs. (!) I need a hefty tripod. I stupidly sold my Gitzo Giant last season, but it isn't really a fitting tripod for this sort of camera anyway. I don't want to spend Ries money, so are Berlebaches the best value? (the plastic knobs are troubling) Or are there other good wooden tripods out there? (I'm in the USA.)

If I found a good surveyor's tripod, is there a "drop-in" head for cameras available?

3. While I have a pretty good idea of what to look for in a nice old brass lens, are there any great sources or fantastic deals out there on a plain jane normal lens for portraits and landscapes?

I figure making contact prints or 8x10 chromes in lightboxes is about as far as I'll go with it. Buying modern lenses and scanning one gig files isn't my cup of tea.