8x10 front standard shaking

[false_Aesthetic]

Hey,

It's finally time to pull out my 8x10 and start shooting with it. I have a slight problem though... the front standard shakes a little bit (Agfa-Ansco "field 8x10 from the 50s). This never really bothered me before (shutter speed would freeze motion or I'd be shooting inside). However, my exposures are running 20-80 min now. I'm ok with a little shake (the bellows act like a sail in semi windy conditions) but the standard moving is a bit tooooo much.

I'm wondering if anyone knows of a way to give the front standard some support w/out sending the camera out to be overhauled, changed, fixed, etc. i.e. is there a clip on device or something that would secure the front of the camera?


Thanks

T

[wfwhitaker]

The front rails of the Agfa's are attached to pieces of wood which were glued into the bed. In several of the cameras I've seen that glue has let go so that the entire front assembly rocks. If you can reset those wood blocks in place, it should help alleviate the problem.

Otherwise there may be some slop between the rail and the dovetail slider on which the front standard rides. It may be possible to adjust the sliders to get a tighter fit. But you don't want them too tight or the front will bind.

It's difficult to say without seeing your camera. Set the camera up on the tripod and move the front standard (as you don't want it to do). Watch at the base to see where the issue is. Take it from there. You may just end up using some clamp arrangement if, in fact, it really does make any difference in your images.

[Kevin Crisp]

I've had a couple of these in different sizes but don't have one to look at now. Actually the lack of shake in the camera was the up side of something that weighs this much so something is wrong with yours. Check the wood joints on the front standard, especially at the top, they can come loose. If this is a problem, pull the joints apart a little, apply a small amount of Tite-Bond glue, push the joints back together and wait a couple hours. On your model, the front rise is supposed to lock and people often don't realize this. The geared rise knob, in addition to rotating for up and down movement of the front standard, slides to one side to lock the rise. Maybe you aren't locking it or somebody has stripped it out by forcing it to turn. If the movement is between beds and rails (I am handicapped here but not knowing what is moving) a very light weight plastic utility clamp can do wonders. These weigh less than two ounces, and after all focusing, etc. is done, you can apply it to keep the bed and extension rail tight. Lots of cameras have this issue when there is a lot of extension being used and this helps. This is the best I can suggest without some idea of what is moving. I assume you are seeing something move if you have narrowed it down to the front standard. On very long exposures, I'd have thought the tripod head or something else is inducing shake before the front standard. Usually with a decent sized lens on there the front doesn't move.

[reellis67]

Try placing a wooden board under the bed that extends below part of the front standard (when shooting of course, not permanently). I've seen narrow rails for Koronas that fit under the bed on either side to support the front rails, and I've seen, what I can only describe as a 'plate', that mounted to the tripod on a number of different wooden field cameras that extended below the front and rear standards to lend them support.

My Korona 8x10 is a bit wobbly when fully extended due to the obscene weight of it's Turner-Reich Triple convertible, which weighs more than the camera itself, but tightens right up with a small plate underneath to support the leading edges of the front and rear rails.

- Randy