dorff 8/10 best way to get big bellows draw??

[roger michel]

hi -- have been using dorff 8/10 with 4/5 reducing back for a number of years, primarily in order to get good bellows extension for long lenses (love using the 450 nikkor at relatively close distances, etc). however, the camera is heavy to say the least. have a technika but really feel limited with the bellows amd so don't use it as much. also find superwides easier to deal with on the deardorff used with the 8/10 back than the technika at 4/5. it is great how stable and easy to use the camera is at both extremes. but, again, the weight is an issue, and i just can't take the camera everywhere i'd like to go.

my question is this, is there a 4/5 or 5/7 alternative that would be much lighter, but that would still give me big bellows extension (over 22 inches), be stable at the long extensions, and be easy to use in the superwide range (say 65mm, not 47mm)??

thanks for your input.

[Ralph Barker]

If you're using it strictly for 4x5, take a look at the metal K.B.Canhams, Roger. His 4x5 has 20" of bellows, and the 5x7 extends to 24". A little over 4½ and 5½ pounds, respectively.

[David A. Goldfarb]

You can get out to 22" on the Technika with the Wista extension lensboard (and maybe an extra tube in addition to the three that come with the board) and use a 65mm with the Wideangle focusing device. For a one-piece Technika extension tube option, there's also S. K. Grimes--


http://skgrimes.com/thisweek/9-9-04/index.htm (http://skgrimes.com/thisweek/9-9-04/index.htm)

[Gem Singer]

Hi Roger,

You have just described the original 4x5 Canham Woodfield. It's a 5x7 camera with a 4x5 back. It weighs 6 lbs. and has 28 inches of bellows extension. It will take a 65 wide angle (you may need the wide angle bellows). Great camera. Look at www.badgergraphic.com. Click on large format. Click on cameras-Canham.

I recently received a new 5x7 Tachihara, with a 4x5 reducing back. It's a heavier camera. Nicely built. However, it doesn't have the interchangeable bellows capability and will not take superwide lenses.

[Danny Burk]

Several Ebony models will take lenses from 35mm to 800mm (tele), all with the same "Universal" bellows. Personally I use 47mm to 720mm (tele) on my SV45U2, and couldn't be more pleased with it. It's extremely rigid, even at full extension. It weighs about 7 pounds; several other models that have the same (or nearly as much) bellows extension are available and weigh about a pound less.

Regards,
Danny www.dannyburk.com