The best 8x10 field camera?

[Sid Morvan]

First, thanks to all who responded to my first question about focal points. Your quick and concise answers have encouraged me to ask many more questions...
This is a subjective matter, I suppose: Who makes the best 8 X 10 field camera?

[MIke Sherck]

"Who makes the best 8 x 10 field camera?"

Such a beast does not exist, for exactly the same reason as there is no "best" car in the world: people have different needs and preferences. A more reasonable question might be, "Who makes the best 8 x 10 field camera for me?" but even that is difficult for me to answer. A camera with precise engineering and beautiful and plentiful movements might be just the thing I need in a studio -- and completely different than what I need to take on a five hour hike through sand dunes.

What you are going to get in this thread is a broad overview of the compromises other photographers have made, and how they feel about them. Good luck!

[Steve Hamley]

Sid,

You might as well ask who makes the best car.

What you think is the best is a tradeoff of price, weight, features, dealer support etc. that satisfies your intended use of the camera.

Steve

[Eric Leppanen]

Sid,

This is John Sparks' quick answer to your question: www.largeformatphotography.info/8x10.html. But he leaves out many familiar field camera brands (Ebony, Wehman, etc.).

You need to provide more info to narrow things down. What type of photography do you do (landscape, architecture, etc.) and how much in the way of movements will you want? What focal length lenses will you use? Will you hike with it or stay near the car? How much money are you willing to spend?

[Amund BLix Aaeng]

The best 8x10 fieldcamera for ME, is the Wehman http://www.wehmancamera.com/camera.html

It`s sturdy(I don`t baby my stuff), light and cheap(for a new 8x10 camera).
Has some handy features that suits me perfect.....

What we really need is new superlightweight filmholders.. or a 8x10 grafmatic!

[tim atherton]

Sid,

we need a bit more, such as:

what kind of work are you wanting to do with your field camera?

Realted to the above - are you in need of lots of fiddly movements to contort the camera every which way, or are a more basic set okay (which canmean cheaper or lighter - and sometimes both - depending on the camera)

are you going to be carrying it far or happy working out of a vehicle say

is form more important than function (i.e. do you like fondling shiny wood and brass cameras, or couldn't you give a damn as long as it's light, sturdy and compact or cheap)

are you only interested in new, or is older/used and out of production okay?

some of the above aren't always exclusive, but they can give responders an idea where to aim at....

[John Kasaian]

Best in what way? IMHO my 60+ year old Deardorff is the best compromise for wieght, bellows length, stability, intuitive controls, and price. That its a real piece of history, keeps growing in value and looks like a comfortable piece of furniture is an added bonus. Before the 'dorff (BD) I had a Burk and James and a Kodak Masterview---both certainly very capable cameras(more capable than I)---but the Deardorff suited me better and I have no desire to stray. YMMV of course! Since there really isn't too great a difference between field cameras anyway, perhaps a better question would be

"What field camera do you enjoy using?"

After all, if you really enjoy using the thing, you will and if you use it you're almost bound to get better at it and that( to my way of thinking) is what will be the "best" for you.

Cheers!

PS---Just for fun, next time you see someone out shooting with a Hasselblad, politley ask him/her at an inopportune time (like when taking a meter reading or focusing:

"Pardon me, is that a Deardorff???"

[John_4185]

JK said in part: "PS---Just for fun, next time you see someone out shooting with a Hasselblad, politley ask him/her at an inopportune time (like when taking a meter reading or focusing:

"Pardon me, is that a Deardorff???""

Why should anyone want say such a stupid thing to look like a fool?

[Ross Hint]

I visited and took shooting at Banff and Jasper National Parks in the past two weeks with my Sinar P 8x10. The result is very good.

[Michael Kadillak]

Best combination of field usability and operational ease in all conditions I feel is the Kodak Master 8x10. Magnesium body that is rigid and weather proof and very quick to set up and shoot with all of the ammenities well thought out from a photographers perspective. Unfortunately, they are becoming hard to come by these days.

Best light weight modern field camera is the wooden KB Canham 8x10 because it has unlimited flexibilities (7x17,4x10 and 8x20 backs) as well as other accessories and comes in a modern innovative design that uses bolts rather than wooden screws and is supported by exemplary customer service. A 9# field camera with great extension and rigidity that just performs as intended day in and day out.

Cheers!