Tony: Another vote for the Wehman 8x10. At 12 pounds it does weigh more, but it will survive the day (week?) in your back pack. As for the ground glass, the front base extension swings up and completely covers the back of the camera when folded.
Tony: Another vote for the Wehman 8x10. At 12 pounds it does weigh more, but it will survive the day (week?) in your back pack. As for the ground glass, the front base extension swings up and completely covers the back of the camera when folded.
I picked up a Gowland 8x10 over the summer and I've been using it as a portrait camera with a 355 G Claron. The regular Gowland appears to have a thicker rail than the new ultralight version, and the front standard holds the 900g lens in place without causing me concern. (Rigidity is in the eye of the beholder, and I doubt I'm the most critical.)
I pack my stuff in a mid-sized Gregory backpack and wrap the camera in my focusing T-shirt. Film holders shield the ground glass nicely in my opinion. A Bogen 3236 is overkill for it but that's what I have, so I use it.
I carry my Gowland on day trips in a knapsack designed for laptop computers. Haven't broken a groundglass yet.
What is the deal with that man/woman holding the "beast" camera at the bottom of Gowland's camera page (http://www.petergowland.com/camera/)??
The man/woman looks like a pasteup, but the 8x10" TLR is real. Last I checked, Lens and Repro (www.lensandrepro.com) had one for about $6000.
The mock-up is just a play -- Gowland made his mark as a fashion photographer and Peter was making light (no pun intended) of the fact that the camera the composite model is holding weighs over 30 lbs. You need to look like Ah-nold to carry the darn thing.
Peter Gowland's ultralight 8x10 metal view camera, that he calls the LITE, is a design he made originally for me and for which I had input in evolving. I wanted the lightest 8x10 possible for backpacking the camera into wilderness areas. The weight criteria I wanted was 5 pounds, if that could be managed (it seemed unreachable for awhile during development), but somehow Peter exceeded that parameter by bringing the weight in at about 4.5 pounds for a camera equipped with a 5.5" lensboard and that could be used both horizontally and vertically. The substantial weight reduction, over every other 8x10 design, enables this camera to be used in places and situations where a heavier camera - frankly put - would not make it (at least it would not make it on my back!). For example, I can think of a number of specific day trips or backpacks in the Adirondack Mountains that I could realistically accomplish alone and without 'Sherpa' help with this camera - because of its weight - that I simply would not do if this camera did not exist (I would then 'downscale' to 4x5 as the format of choice). My specific 8x10 has a custom feature of a zero position for the front standard that I also have on Peter's 4x5 - this aids efficient use. The 8x10 Gowland Lite is a specialized piece of gear with its own niche use. It is NOT ideal for general large format photography but shines where light weight is the most important criteria. Peter has said that he would only make three of these cameras (two others - besides mine - since the cost of designing and machining of the totally new parts used in this camera made more economic sense in a limited run batch than to make only one). So it could be that there will be only two other LITE's around. I do look forward to perhaps someday meeting and comparing notes with these other owners .. deep in the wilderness.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks