Page 2 of 11 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 104

Thread: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

  1. #11

    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    1,176

    Re: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

    There is nothing like an 8x10 slide on a light table.

    I recently took some people's advice when I sold my 4x5, and that was to get Bruce Wehman to make me a 4x5 back for my 8x10. I have that now. I have not used it once because every time I go out, I want to have 8x10 loaded up and adding the extra stuff for the 4x5 just complicates everything.

    But then again, I am concentrating on detail-oriented urban landscapes at the moment. If I were shooting atmospheric, long exposure beach scenes as I might one day, I probably wouldn't care as much. I think it really amounts to picking the right tool for whatever your purpose is.

  2. #12

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Posts
    680

    Re: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

    I'm considering the possibilities right now so this is timely, I have three 8x10 cameras, and the conclusion I've drawn is they are too much, the right 8x10 might be a Bruce Wehman or a Richard Ritter model camera. That said it's going to be some serious cash at a time when the economy is bad and I'm on a fairly permanent income.

    The nag in the entire scheme is that I started to do carbon and need a large negative, life is never simple, if it were not for that the large format 8x10s would be gone and I'd reinvest in a new medium format camera like the Mamiya 7II. I have one RB, two Mamiya 645s, a Busch 23 and a Nikon F3hp, none of which I want to take on trips overseas. I've taken the Mamiya 645 to Europe and it worked out so a 7II seems like the best pick. I have a Shen Hao 4x5 but the kit gets big quickly.

    If carbon wasn't an issue I'd down size from 8x10 to 4x5 and medium format and occasionally use the 5x7. That's the bottom line right now. If I could obtain a Richard Ritter carbon fiber model I'd be in heaven. I have a bad back and with the retirement years arriving sooner than expected I could still carry a Ritter camera to places I would want to go.

    Curt

  3. #13
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Location
    Fond du Lac, WI, USA
    Posts
    8,944

    Re: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

    Curt, how about making digital negatives for your carbon prints?
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

  4. #14

    Re: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

    I like it simple. For me, I used 810 for the very occassional client who appreciated it. Those needed transparencies. Otherwise I only used it for B&W that was going to contact printed. They very nice but always a bit of an indulgence.
    When I'm being practical I use 45 because I have a 45 enlarger and 45 scanner. If we're honest with ourselves, there aren't many photos you can make with 810 that you could not have made jsut as well with 45.
    As another poster said, we'd benefit from getting out there and just taking photos.
    Good luck
    Robert
    Quote Originally Posted by Daniel_Buck View Post
    So I imagine I'm probably not the first person to think about doing this. I know specifically Frank Petronio here has gotten rid of 8x10, has anyone else recently done so? Do you regret it?

    I enjoy using 8x10 when I'm shooting, but the rest of the process is alot more of a hassle than 4x5. Carrying my things out, to only being able to hold so much film, and for developing and scanning at least with my small setup and no dark room (having to use a tent and day-light tubes) it's alot easier for me to develop and scan 4x5's than it is 8x10's, and faster too. For my scans and prints, 4x5 is plenty in terms of resolution and quality. So I know my work won't "suffer", but I'm guessing I'll miss the fun of looking at the 8x10 GG.

    My 8x10 has been sitting on the shelf not getting much use, while my 4x5 has been getting the most use. Which is fine, because I can always take the 8x10 if i want to. But if I get rid of the 8x10, I won't be able to grab it when I want it (which is less and less lately) So I'm debating selling my 8x10 camera or not, and the holders, and a few of the lenses that I only use for 8x10. Either just saving the $, or putting it towards a leica range finder that I've always wanted.

    Anyone regret doing this?

  5. #15

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    New York City & Pontremoli, Italy
    Posts
    882

    Re: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

    Quote Originally Posted by Curt View Post
    life is never simple
    Curt
    Ain't that the truth!

    After much deliberation and hand-wringing I bought an 8x10 but I've shot barely 20 sheets in more than a year.

    I've come to the realization that 4x5, and especially 5x7 is more my speed.

    Live and learn...

  6. #16

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    2,588

    Re: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

    5x7 is usually the compromise point between 8x10 and 4x5 because you can still do decent contact prints.

  7. #17

    Re: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

    I say sell it and get the Leica. You won't have any problem carrying that around! I have had an 8x10 before and just never used it because it is such a hassle to take it anywhere. If it wasn't roadkill I didn't shoot it. 4x5 is more than big enough to do just about anything 8x10 can do but it is easier to use and you can do more of it. I don't miss 8x10 at all even when I go back and look at the negs. It is a hell of a lot cheaper to shoot 4x5 too.

    I know this may not be a popular view in a forum obsessed with size, but it is how I see it. You will probably have more fun with the Leica than you ever had with the 8x10. I might be a little biased though since I shoot with Leicas and 4x5s, exactly what you are planning to do. It works great I might add.

  8. #18

    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Stevens Point, WI
    Posts
    1,553

    Re: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

    I think the Wehman with a reducing back is a good way to split the middle. You can get reduction backs inexpensively from 4x5 upward. For 4x5, you can use 90mm lenses (tightly) all the way to 600 with that camera which weighs just 8 pounds. I love my Arca 4x5, but just price out the setup for use with a 600 mm lens. Of course, it is a dream on the wide to 300 mm range.

  9. #19

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Milford Pa.
    Posts
    2,930

    Re: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

    of course i use my 45 more. it is a small, very light, and easy to pack and carry. i love taking it on trips. it is no problem for airplane travel...allowing me to shoot LF overseas.

    i love 810. i would never stop using it. i like the bigger longer lenses so the 6x6 lens boards of the 810 are better for this. sometimes i shoot 57 with the camera just to use the bigger faster lenses. many 57 cameras have smaller boards.

    i prefer 810 for portraits over the 45.

    similarly i have not used my 1114 cameras in a loooooong time. the 1114 field camera is going to get the ax this week as a matter of fact.

    eddie
    My YouTube Channel has many interesting videos on Soft Focus Lenses and Wood Cameras. Check it out.

    My YouTube videos
    oldstyleportraits.com
    photo.net gallery

  10. #20

    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Portland, OR USA
    Posts
    747

    Re: dumping 8x10 and sticking with 4x5. anyone regret?

    I ditched my 8x10 several years ago. It was overkill for anything I wanted to do, and I just didn't take to the format. I now own a whole plate-size film camera and love both the aspect ratio and the fact that it weighs about half what my 8x10 did. I also own a 4x5. I find both of the smaller camera formats much more to my liking.

    Peter Gomena

Similar Threads

  1. Develop E6 8x10 using ATL 1500 and how to avoid slide sticking to the wall?
    By dng88 in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 21-Mar-2011, 01:49
  2. 8x10 color negatives.....and big prints.
    By BradS in forum Resources
    Replies: 19
    Last Post: 9-Oct-2009, 17:17

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •