You guys are a BAAAAD influence!!!!

[Calamity Jane]

As ya'll probably know, I started LF about a year ago by building a 4x5 camera, then another one, then a colour enlarger, then bought an old Seroco folder. My darkroom is all set up for 4x5 colour and B&W. Never had any intention of doing anything larger than 4x5! Lenses are TOOO expensive for 8x10.

Then I got into Tintypes and set up a hobby business doing Tintypes for Cowboy Action Shooters, both live sessions and doing Tintypes from digital files. I built light-tight drying chamber, portable darkroom, and so on and so on.

Well, I had a couple of enquiries asking if I could do 8x10 Tintypes and I told the customers 8x10 Tintypes would be EXPENSIVE! They were unphased.

Now I told you (as if you didn't know) that 8x10 lenses are expensive and I wasn't really interested in 8x10.

So, this morning, while trolling that auction site for some more 4x5 film holders, I stumble across an old wooden 8x10 of unknown ancestry, complete with a lens, that's of the right vintage for my Tintype work, and it's got a "buy it now" price that's less than what I'd expect to pay for an 8x10 lens. Sure, it's not a Deardrof, but Tintype portraits doen't require a fantastic camera or a flawless lens. Sooooooo, well . . . . I gave in to temptation.

You guys are a BAAAAAD influence!

Guess I had better go back and look for a couple of 8x10 holders . . . .

(Somebody PLEASE take away my VISA card!)

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7520672147

[paulr]

according to the nice people on a musicians' message board that I visit sometimes, you've come down with a bad case of gas.
Gear Acquisition Syndrome. and yes, it's contagious, and yes, everyone here should apologize for passing it to you.

[Juergen Sattler]

It happens to all of us:-) Three years ago I got into LF with a cheap Crown 4x5, then I wanted more movements so I bought a Sinar F1, then I realized that it's hard to hike and backpack with that monorail, then I got a Technika III, didn't like the movements or the controls, then on to a wooden folder until finally I bought a new Canham metal. I thought that now I was all done buying LF photogear (I won't even go into the lenses I went through)

Then I found this old Korona 8x10 with lens on the auction site and I got really cheap and I thought - heck, it would be fun to restore it, make it look real nice and then just use it as a display item. Well ........ I bought one 8x10 holder ..... then chrome 8x10s ...... and wouldn't you know I convinced myseld that I could NOT live without an 8x10. So I kept shooting with the old Korona until one day I contemplated how much nicer and easier to use and more movements and smoother and........ a new 8x10 would be. I did my homework and bought this amazing Wehman 8x10 camera and this tiny Fuji 300C lens and I am as happy as a little kid in the candy store.

I am afraid now to look on the 8x10 and larger auction site. Wouldn't you know there are bigger formats out there and ......................................... Help, someone help me!

Juergen

[Steve Hamley]

Calamity,

Think how much better they would be in 11x14....

Steve

[Stan. Laurenson-Batten]

I was diagnosed with that GAS syndrome with 10X8. The treatment was for me to do plenty of exposing in the wild open spaces. I am almost cured, but have decided wholeheatedly to continuing the treatment just in case the urge returns...

[Calamity Jane]

Steve: PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTT!!

(that's a "raspberry" in case you didn't know!)

[tim atherton]

Did you ever check out the little tintypes thing in National Geo?

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/bestvintage/multimedia_vid2.html

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature6/

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

CJ, you can write it off on your income tax. ;-)

[Dan Fromm]

Hmm. So Calamity is followed by disaster.

Well, ma'am, in the immortal words of Nancy Reagan, "Just say NO."

[Nick_3536]

Ya forget that 11x14. You want 16x20 -)