Yet Another Newbie, sort of (returning to LF)

[Carl J]

Hi, I'm returning to LF after having tried 4x5 a couple of decades ago as a student and in the process of putting together my first 8x10 kit. I have a borrowed Calumet C400 and have been re-familiarizing myself with LF using that but then recently got to briefly try a couple of 8x10's, was smitten, and wanted to make the jump to 8x10 (hopefully not too impulsively!). I'm located in the Massachusetts suburbs not far from Boston/Cambridge. In fact, the university where I work has an 8x10 enlarger available for use, which is an added incentive.

I managed to pick up a lightly used Cambo 810N monorail for not too much $$$ through keh and a cheap 4x5 back from ebay, also managed to borrow 4 8x10 film holders from a colleague. Still in need of a lens, tripod, various odds-and-ends. Bulky, but less weight than the Cambo SCX or Legend geared 8x10's. Biggest drawback is no extension rails so that I could more easily use a shorter rail for transport. Yes, I'd eventually like a more easily transportable form-factor, I don't intend to hike with the camera so I think I'll manage for now.

Subject matter-wise, I'm particularly interested in portraiture (environmental portraits to waist-up), but also urban cityscapes, landscape, still-life, etc. My interests are fairly broad but I also have a few potential projects in mind. Even though I'd like to keep things as simple as possible, it seems essential to know more about lighting and have begun following some of the discussions about lighting options for 8x10 portraiture with great interest.

Planning to try some x-ray film to keep the costs down. I have some film hangers on the way and also on the look-out for developing tanks.

I've already learned quite a lot from the forum, I also feel fortunate to have a couple of local mentors whom I can turn to for some advice. I look forward to learning a lot more.

Carl

[ImSoNegative]

welcome to the wonderful world of 8x10, i used to have the beastly cambo legend 8x10, i think it weighed in at about 27 pounds without a lens; now i use a calumet c1, the black beast it has been called. its still heavy but not near as bulky as the legend, i dont think the legend was meant to be taken out of the studio. there are some informative threads here on xray film, im yet to try it but seriously thinking about it after seeing some of the images on here, and for around 30 cents a sheet you can do all the practicing you want. as far as lenses go, something in the 300mm range would be a great starter, good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Carl, xray is a film that I use quite a bit in 8x10 and recently in 14x17. I used to develop the film in hangers, but now use a flat-bottomed tray. The tanks required a ton of developer and the hangers always left agitation marks where the film sits in the grooves. I've never had any scratching in the trays. I use xray film that has emulsion on both sides. If you have ribbed trays, you can slip the film inside large ziplock bags containing your developer and place that in the tray. One of these days I'm going to try single sided xray film.

[Carl J]

welcome to the wonderful world of 8x10, i used to have the beastly cambo legend 8x10, i think it weighed in at about 27 pounds without a lens; now i use a calumet c1, the black beast it has been called. its still heavy but not near as bulky as the legend, i dont think the legend was meant to be taken out of the studio. there are some informative threads here on xray film, im yet to try it but seriously thinking about it after seeing some of the images on here, and for around 30 cents a sheet you can do all the practicing you want. as far as lenses go, something in the 300mm range would be a great starter, good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Ha! Fortunately (or unfortunately), I don't have the Legend, which does indeed weigh much more (actually, there are even 2 versions of the Legend reading the Cambo brochure, a Legend+, or something like that). The 810N supposedly weighs 'only' 18lbs. It feels lighter to me but I haven't verified the numbers. The 810N is very basic, has has no geared movements but seems smooth enough. Much smoother than the Calumet 400 I've been using these past few weeks and locks down nicely. I'm in the process of looking for a lens right now, which is proving to be an interesting adventure!

I also have a 4x5 back (bought cheaply on eBay) on its way and may go for a slightly shorter lens, perhaps in the 240mm range, which could also be used for portraits with the 4x5 back. It's all still very much in flux right now but I have to be patient (which isn't easy). A 300mm Caltar just got away on eBay for $200+, but that was my own fault for missing the auction ending time.

Thanks for all the good advice and, yes, I look forward to sharing the results.

Carl

[Carl J]

Carl, xray is a film that I use quite a bit in 8x10 and recently in 14x17. I used to develop the film in hangers, but now use a flat-bottomed tray. The tanks required a ton of developer and the hangers always left agitation marks where the film sits in the grooves. I've never had any scratching in the trays. I use xray film that has emulsion on both sides. If you have ribbed trays, you can slip the film inside large ziplock bags containing your developer and place that in the tray. One of these days I'm going to try single sided xray film.

Hi Andrew,

I may have come across a set of three SS tanks today, there are 2 smaller (narrow) tanks and 1 larger one. I see your point about tank development using a lot of developer and, of course, it may turn out not to be that practical in the end but I'll experiment and find out.

In any case, think I'll be able to buy the tanks relatively cheaply. I have 5 hangers on the way. How many sheets could you develop at-a-time using the tank/hanger method?

I've seen mention of using ziplock bags but haven't read up on the details yet, so this is a good reminder. I think I'll begin by looking for single-sided film.

Thanks!

Carl

[Andrew O'Neill]

Carl, I made my tanks with plexi to hold 6 hangers. I'm not sure how many hangers the SS tanks can hold. The single-sided film sounds interesting. I've got piles of double-sided xray, so I'll stick with them for now.

[Carl J]

Carl, I made my tanks with plexi to hold 6 hangers. I'm not sure how many hangers the SS tanks can hold. The single-sided film sounds interesting. I've got piles of double-sided xray, so I'll stick with them for now.

I think the name of the old stainless steel developing tanks I've found is 'Arkay'. Tthey aren't actually in my possession just yet but they look more or less like this: http://www.adorama.com/AY814.html?ut...m_source=gbase.

Two of the tanks are very narrow and the other is about 3-4x as large. I'll have to track down the source for single-sided x-ray film (I know I've came across at least a couple of people referring to it).

What have you guys done for lenses? Has anyone tried using barrel lenses just yet?