Fitting an 8x10 and 4x5 for air travel...

[IHS]

Ok, so going to be doing some extensive airline travel in the next few years and I am looking for a solution for bringing an 8x10 and 4x5 camera on board with me. I am not going to check equipment as that scares the living hell out of me.

Is there a backpack out there that can fit a Deardorff 8x10 & and an Arca Swiss F Line with folding rail? I would only need the cameras to fit, and then I would just carry a smaller bag with the film holders and lenses separately.

Is there a place to have custom made quality camera bags produced?

The other option, and I am just wondering if people would think this would be better, would be to just bring the 8x10 Dorff, and then use a 4x5 reducing back, therefore eliminating the Arca Swiss.

Thanks in advance.

[Drew Bedo]

Here is my Kit and how it is packed for carry-on. I like this arrangement because I can hold it on my lap if need be. It will go either overhead or under the seat.

Items:
Six 4x5 holders
Grafmatic Magazine
Filter wallet-1
Loupe
Minolta Autometer IV F
9 Deg sopt attachment
Filter walletr-2
380mm wollensal Tele Raptar
210mm Caltar II N
150mm Fujinon W
90mm Nikkor SW
Wista made Zone-VI camera

This all goes into an older model LoewPro "Magnum 35" bag. It was designed to hold large amounts of 35mm gear in the 1980s. a light weight CF tripod with a magnesium ball head straps to the top of the bag.


Attachment 74445

[Phil]

<< Is there a place to have custom made quality camera bags produced? >>

Contact Bill Ostrom:
http://www.ostromoutdoors.com/

[jp]

I'd only bring one camera. An 8x10 with two backs would be much nicer than lugging two camera, a big tripod, and two lens systems, etc...

The deardorff 8x10 is relatively compact for an 8x10, but you'll waste a lot of space with film holders and tripod compared to 4x5 where those things are much smaller. The accessories are bigger and heavier than the actual camera.

[IHS]

I should also add that I am a landscape/nature photographer so while on these trips I will be hiking to reach places...this leads me to thinking that I should do what a friend of mine has done and just gone with the arca swiss 4x5, and carries an 8x10 rear standard, and bellows, allowing him to keep his load light and it is easy for him to carry all his gear on the plane.

I would do that but I absolutely love the way the Deardorff looks, and do not particularly care for the way the arca looks. So this is an aesthetics issue.

Also is it doable, to do the same thing with a deardorff. Am I able to purchase a 4x5 and then make a conversion to 8x10 back? therefore reducing the weight, and only keeping one camera?

[36cm2]

I'm confused. You're bringing the Deardorff because you like how it looks? Does the way it looks inspire you to create better work? If not, i wouldn't care if i shot with a pig's rear so long as it got the job done when and how i wanted it done. Don't mean to offend, just seems like an odd reason to go to such lengths. Let me know what i'm missing.

Thanks,
Leo

[cowanw]

I hope you are flying first class. I was just on a trip to Cuba last week and the allowed cabin baggage weight was 6 KG, which was what the Airport Express wheely case weighed empty. Going to Europe on KLM last year with a 4x5 was a nightmare. Don't even get me going on the purses/ duffel bags that women can get away with.

[kurtdriver]

Rather than carry two rear standards and two bellows, take an 8x10 with a 4x5 reducing back. That way you use the same bellows and rear standard.

[Frank Petronio]

I'd learn how to use and fly with any 4x5 first.

[IHS]

Leo, I am selecting the Dorff because of the beauty, it functions just the same (for my needs) as an arca, so then it comes down to aesthetic beauty, and the fact I perfer to use wooden fields over monorails.

Frank, I have flown with 4x5s many times, I am wondering on how people fly with 4x5 and 8x10 if I am going to primarily shoot 4x5.

I am leaning at this point to using a 4x5 reducing back on the 8x10 dorff, and not bringing a separate camera.