Achieving adequate DOF in 8x10

[Willie]

f/256 and contact print?

[John Kasaian]

f/256 and contact print?

For the win!

[Michael Roberts]

Jesse,
I made a night-time photo from the top of the GE building (aka 30 Rock) last year with a 300mm Nikkor M (a "normal" length lens for 8x10). Two exposures, one at f22 for 4min and one at f16 for 2min. Some front drop, but no other movements.

You can spend thousands on a new 8x10...or not. The camera I use cost me $125 plus another $180 for a new bellows.

For the type of photos and 8x10 format you are considering, I suggest you look for something like a 240 G-Claron, Nikkor 300M, and Nikkor 450M.

I also think you'll find a used, comparatively cheap Kodak 2D doesn't weigh much more than the Gibellini (10lbs w/o extension rail vs. 9+ lbs. and $1,500 or so difference in price. But, to each his own as far as equipment and prices. Personally, I prefer light-weight vintage wooden folding cameras (e.g., Rochester Optical Company).

[jesse1996]

This is perfect! I will still need a few movements since I plan on doing light work outside of my normal boundaries. Amazing photo too!

[Michael Roberts]

Thanks. If it were me, I would buy the new Intrepid 8x10--super light weight (2.2k) and unbelievably affordable for a new 8x10--and look for a Nikkor f9 300M (~$550) to start. Once you've made a few photos, you can decide whether your next lens should be longer or shorter. You can pick up f9 240 Schneider G-Clarons fairly cheap in barrel form, and they screw directly into Copal no. 1 shutters (that's what I did). The f9 450 Nikkor Ms run around $650 used but in good condition. These are bigger lenses and need a Copal no. 3 shutter. The 240 and 300 are very compact and light weight.

The f16 version of the shot above is soft at the corners; the f22 is very sharp. I made the f22 exposure first, but felt the building swaying in the wind, so I decided to do a second exposure with half the time. Both were unaffected by the wind. No tripods are allowed at this location, so I had to set the camera on a concrete parapet. Come to think of it, I may not have even used front fall b/c there is a glass partition on the deck below that I knew I would have to crop out.

This shot was dead in the middle of peak tourist season in NYC (I happened to be there for a conference), and astronomical twilight wasn't until around 10:30-11:00PM, so it was very crowded, long wait for the elevators, hot, really humid, windy, it was late, and I was tired. All in all, pretty miserable. But, of course, the view is spectacular. So, being LF photographers, we deal with the conditions and carry on to get the shots we are after. Having done some of this kind of work, I assume you're familiar with how this goes. Just know that it gets harder with bigger, heavier equipment and backpacks.

I shot this same scene a couple of years earlier with 4x5 and liked the tranny so much I wanted to go back with the 8x10. The 8x10 tranny fucking rocks. Lady Liberty, up in the upper right, is dead-on sharp under an 8x loop. I haven't printed this yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Shot on Velvia 100.