Best 8x10 For My Purposes - Looking For Input

[Don Dudenbostel]

I've used my V8 since the early 70's. No complaints at all other than its quite old now and shows its age. I'm the 3rd owner and it was made in the 30's. I updatedcthe camera to the current front standard in the mid 70's and replaced the bellows. Just this year I purchased a new Canham traditional and plan to retire my V8. Its currently on display in a museum exhibition of my work but will keep it and let my friends use it.

The V8 is superb, very portable, stable, plenty of movements even for studio product work and a true joy to use. The Canham is everything tv V8 is plus lighter and takes a wide angle bellows allowing better movements with wide lenses.

[Fragomeni]

Read this for info on the Century Universal:
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...rsal_8x10.html
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Peter Y.

Thanks for this Peter! Very interesting! I kind of want one more now just because of the Weston usage. I absolutely idolize Weston.

I've used my V8 since the early 70's. No complaints at all other than its quite old now and shows its age. I'm the 3rd owner and it was made in the 30's. I updatedcthe camera to the current front standard in the mid 70's and replaced the bellows. Just this year I purchased a new Canham traditional and plan to retire my V8. Its currently on display in a museum exhibition of my work but will keep it and let my friends use it.

The V8 is superb, very portable, stable, plenty of movements even for studio product work and a true joy to use. The Canham is everything tv V8 is plus lighter and takes a wide angle bellows allowing better movements with wide lenses.

Don, you should sell her to me at the discounted starving artist price! I promise I'll keep her well and in use as she should be! She's not ready to stop yet and I'll make sure she gets another lifetime of use and exceptional care and maintenance. Let me know if you think we can maybe make that happen!

[Fragomeni]

Hi can anyone talk to me about the Tachihara double extension vs. the triple extension? My main question is whether or not I really need the triple and if I get a double, can you easily purchase the parts to turn it into a triple? Thanks!

[Maris Rusis]

I use both the double extension and triple extension 8x10 Tachiharas.

The double extension camera is a better field camera because it is lighter, marginally more compact, and has a shorter minimum bellows extension for very wide lenses.

The triple extension Tachihara can be made to do everything the double extension does at the price of initial expense, minor weight increase, and slightly more bulk.

The triple extension camera kills the double version in the studio, for portraits, and for table top work. Why? The reason is the the triple extension Tachihara can focus with the back and that is utterly essential for any kind of close-up work. A front focussing camera like the double extension Tachi changes the lens to subject distance while focussing. This changes the repro ratio (magnification) while you chase focus. At worst the image on the ground glass changes size as you rack back and forth but never comes into focus at all. Most frustrating!

If I had but one 8x10 camera it would be the triple extension Tachi. That's the one I bought first.

[eddie]

If I didn't know all you old guys would pee yourselves over them I would have thrown them out with all the rest of that old junk.

har har har! be nice to the old dorff users frank....now they will not be able to sleep.