questions about metal 8x10 field cameras

[steve barry]

Hey Andrew. i was looking at lenses and coverage ciricles and noticed a nikkor w 150 5.6 had a circle of 400mm. would give me some movements.

[steve barry]

Gem, good to know. maybe i will try first on reg bellows before i try tracking down a bag bellows for 8x10, and paying an arm and a leg for it.

[steve barry]

i think the nikkor w 150mm 5.6 will give me more movements on 8x10, than my current nikkor SW 90mm 4.5 does on 4x5. i could be wrong. but, the 90 on 4x5 is plenty of movement for me, so the 150 should be good.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Isn't it the Nikkor 150 SW that will cover 8x10?

[steve barry]

oh your totally right. SW. Gem even said that too and i missed it.

[andrewrb]

Hey Andrew. i was looking at lenses and coverage ciricles and noticed a nikkor w 150 5.6 had a circle of 400mm. would give me some movements.

Oh, I wasn't talking about image circle size. Even when I'm shooting with my 240, I have to put a little elbow grease into the actual camera movement due to the bellows cramping up on me. But I'm also doing some drastic movements. I only assume that since a 150 is wider, the lens will be physically closer to to rear standard, making movements more difficult because the bellows are restricting you. Your camera and lens might be able to handle much more movements then the bellows would allow with a wide angle lens, hence the need for bag bellows. Thats all I was trying to say

[Michael Kadillak]

I currently own and shoot four 8x10 cameras. A wooden Canham 8x10 (that I have the conversion back to 8x20), a Linhof Color Karden, A Toyo tan M and a black Calumet C1.

Over the last year here is what I have learned. The wooden Canham stays converted to 8x20 unless I want to backpack 8x10. I do not do a heck of a lot of backpacking for LF/ULF. The older I get the more I realize that there are plenty of images to be made with LF within a reasonable distance from my truck. The Color Karden is my studio and/or architecture camera because it is as rigid and precise as it gets. The Toyo is a great camera that is quick to set up and shoot. I like the fact that the back goes in reverse unlike the Kodak Master that I had years ago that has the back fixed.

But at the end of the day if I find myself not pressed for time and not far from the truck the Calumet C1 regularly sits on the top of my tripod. The bellows never sag, the adjustable base plate balances the camera effectively, the standard ground glass is the best I have ever used and the bail back and the dark cloth wire are simply marvelous. It was the best $350 I have ever spent in LF. I was terribly disappointed that I let many entrenched in personal paradigms convince me that this camera was a waste of time in years past. Nothing could be further from the truth. The modest increase in weight over the Toyo is not that big a deal. Fact is that when I spread the tripod legs out and put it on top I know that it is going to stay there.

To each their own. At the end of the day as long as we are all consuming sheet film it really does not matter what camera or lens it is shot with.

[steve barry]

thanks everyone for the recommendations and the information.

I settled on another Norma. She arrived the other day, as did my nikkor sw 150 and sinar pan tilt head. I was very surprised that the 8x10 norma does not seem to weigh any more than my 5x7 norma with a 4x5 reduce back on it. all together, it feels very right. hopefully i will be able to shoot with it tomorrow. i think film holders and film are on my doorstep. only thing left to find is some tripod legs - my bogen 3046 with center column wobbles quite a bit.

[Gene McCluney]

I like the fact that the back goes in reverse unlike the Kodak Master that I had years ago that has the back fixed.

I recently acquired a Metal 8x10 Kodak Master View, and I don't understand your statement above. The Kodak 8x10 back, as well as the 5x7 back and the B&J accessory 4x5 back are all "reversible" in that you can clip them on for Horizontal or Vertical orientation. They fit just like the reversible backs on wood field cameras.

[Michael Kadillak]

I recently acquired a Metal 8x10 Kodak Master View, and I don't understand your statement above. The Kodak 8x10 back, as well as the 5x7 back and the B&J accessory 4x5 back are all "reversible" in that you can clip them on for Horizontal or Vertical orientation. They fit just like the reversible backs on wood field cameras.

What I meant Gene was not that they the backs are not changeable from vertical to horizontal but that the back assembly is "fixed" in its position on the camera. In other words the camera extends forward from a fixed back position ie. the back does not go in the reverse direction toward the photographer.

The Toyo M 8x10 is nearly an identical camera to the Kodak Master 8x10. One of the big differences is that the Toyo has a two bar machined gear that allows the camera back to go backward or reverse away from the base plate on the camera and the forward similarly goes forward. With long lenses it allows the tripod mount to be more balanced as opposed to having the tripod mount on the end and the bellows extending to the front only.

It is not good or bad, it is just a difference. Cheers!