Ebony and Chamonix wholeplate cameras

[Sal Santamaura]

...Are Toyo still making these holders?

No and, if it were, the holders would be much heavier and have less effective light traps than Chamonix holders. The Toyo holders would also probably stink:

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ead.php?t=8417

[Per Berntsen]

No and, if it were, the holders would be much heavier and have less effective light traps than Chamonix holders. The Toyo holders would also probably stink:

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ead.php?t=8417

Well that's some story! I think I prefer the smell of Canadian maple ...

[Richard K.]

I have tested them with the following result based on vertical orientation. Compared to the ground glass image, negatives are cropped 1mm on the bottom, 0.5mm on the right and have 1mm more information on the left and top. Result from Lotus holders was identical, so Chamonix copied my Lotus sample perfectly. ......I've not been able to duplicate this outstanding performance with any other holders (in WP or other formats) similarly tested, including Lotus, Lisco/Fidelity or Toyo.

I honestly didn't notice the 1 or 0.5 mm difference on the edge! Now I'll have to try to recall if I missed anything important in my photographs and redo those where critical information was lost or distracting information was included... (I know some of us DO pay that kind of attention to edges and corners and I'm not mocking you, honest, just myself!) Couldn't agree more with the last line quoted, Sal! Chamonix are the best I've used and at a fantastically reasonable price!

[Songyun]

Songyun,

If I buy an Ebony, it will be a custom version with no back movements, and short bellows, something like the SLW810, which weighs 3.2 kg. I suppose a WP version would weigh well under 3 kg - the Chamonix weighs 2.9.

Yes, there are several Copal 1 lenses that cover 8x10, but most of them have an image circle just larger than the format. WP has a diagonal of 260 mm - 40 mm less than 8x10, with more room for movement with these lenses.
For instance, the Fujinon AS 240/9 has an image circle of 336 mm, which allows for quite limited movements on 8x10.
The Fujinon CS 300/8.5 covers both formats well, but I don't plan on getting any lenses longer than that - I will be working mostly in the 190/210 - 300 mm range.

300mm Fuji A and 210 Fuji W?(80 degree) should give you enough IC on 810, Anyway, it looks like you are really interested in WP, just make sure every year order enough film during ilford special order time.

[Alex Wei]

Alex,
I have asked Hugo if it's possible to have a custom front standard with separate knobs made. The Chamonix 8x10 has that. In any case the Chamonix solution is somewhat better than the Zone VI, because of the tilt lock. In my opinion this makes the camera well suited to architecture, since you can raise and lower the front without releasing the tilt. I never use tilts with architecture, but frequently a front rise.
With landscapes I often use both together, the tilt for depth of field, and the rise/fall to keep trees or other verticals straight. It works as long as the verticals aren't too close to the camera. If they're in the foreground, stopping down is the only solution, of course. I would imagine that diffraction would be less of a problem with a larger format, since the magnification factor is smaller.

Yeah, I think I forgot to mention that I shoot architecture in New York city, and run out of rise often because of those tall buildings. I have to tilt the whole camera and use both front and back tilt to correct the geometry. Maybe a bit extreme, but most of my building shots are done this way, so I just forgot the Chamonix WP design actually good for archi if you don't rise that much.

For landscape, I use tilt and rise often together, so, I will contact Hugo also for another request for custom made front.

Looks like you want a WP camera, welcome to the "dedicated" group

[Per Berntsen]

300mm Fuji A and 210 Fuji W?(80 degree) should give you enough IC on 810, Anyway, it looks like you are really interested in WP, just make sure every year order enough film during ilford special order time.

The 80 degree 210 Fuji looks very interesting, but they seem to be hard to find.
And yes, I'm aware of the Ilford special order.

[Per Berntsen]

For landscape, I use tilt and rise often together, so, I will contact Hugo also for another request for custom made front.

That's good. Apparently the factory is closed until March, Chinese New Year.

Looks like you want a WP camera, welcome to the "dedicated" group

Thanks!