mystique of an 8x10 Deardorff?

[Leszek Vogt]

Some of this mystique could be attributed to AA's vortex of his work. Personally I don't have one and don't wish to have one. Perhaps that could have been tweaked and my arm twisted....have we had someone responsible in the follow-up dept. Fortunately it's not a must-have camera.

Les

[Willie]

You guys do know Edward Weston never had a Deardorff. If he had we would all be marveling at Pepper #3 rather than Pepper #30 since it is common knowledge that using a Deardorff makes everything so much easier... ;-)

[John Olsen]

I've got the same setup as Pali K above, Deardorff plus 360 mm lens. It works for me, but I've never thought about whether it had any mystique. It has the movements I need, it locks down firmly, and it's lighter than my 4x5 rail system. Thinking about mystique and prestige is not good for my creative process - better I should think about doing something worthy with whatever I have.

[karl french]

Ansel never liked Deardorffs and Edward complained about his Century Universal.

[Mark Sampson]

Deardorff gained its reputation because in the 1930s and 40s, it was a more capable machine than the competition.
The 'mystique' comes from the work many well-known photographers did with the cameras. So people still value the Deardorff... and that shows in the used prices today.
Sinars (and Linhofs) must have cost more than a new car back in the day, and being large and heavy, were meant for studio use. Probably sold in small numbers, there are fewer to choose from today (if often bargains when found).
Being bulky and heavy, they are perhaps less popular with today's 8x10 users, who tend to be amateurs and artists who work on location, with no client to bill or budget for assistants. So field cameras are more popular, and people may prefer an original, rather than a modern derivative.
I've used several other 8x10 cameras, both professionally and personally. I wouldn't hesitate to try a Deardorff 8x10, if I ever go back to the format. They were and are well-built professional tools that were chosen by a demanding clientele... because the camera could do the job. Today? Still true.

[Jonathan Barlow]

[John Olsen]

Avedons?

[diversey]

I love Deardorff cameras and have 4x5/5x7, 8x10 and 11x14 ones. Deardorff cameras are all-round cameras in terms of looking, feels, functions/movements, studio/field, etc.

[Mark Sawyer]

The one thing that always bugged me about Deardorffs is the rounded lens board corners. Not interchangeable with other common 6x6 lens board cameras, (Kodak 2d, Burke & James, Rembrandt, Noba, Agfa-Ansco...)

[karl french]

Actually, you'll find that the 6x6 round cornered boards work just fine on many of those cameras. Using 6x6 Deardorff boards on my 8x20 Korona with no trouble.