8x10 Camera + Accessories: Advice

[Dylan Mulvaney]

Hello All,

Long time lurker, first-time poster. I'm just getting into 8x10 photography. I'm going to start by shooting Polaroid film. I may branch out further down the road.

I'll be shooting mostly in the field, only occasionally in a studio. Subjects will be landscapes, architecture, and portraits.

I will be carrying the gear in a backpack or on my bicycle so a lighter/more compact setup is preferable.

I've put together a list of gear that seems appropriate for my uses. For some gear, I've narrowed to a choice. For other gear, I've got options to pick from.

I'd love to hear what you think before I make any purchases.

Thank you.




Camera:
Chamonix 810V

Lens:
Nikon Nikkor W 300mm f5.6 Large Format Lens

Lens Filter:
Nikon 95mm Neutral Color NC Filter

Lens Board:
Chamonix CF Sinar Lens Board #3

Tripod Base:
Gitzo GT3533LS Systematic Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod

Tripod Head:
Gitzo 1570M
Manfrotto 405
Bogen 3057
Manfrotto 229
Arca Swiss B2 AKA Z2

Quick Release:
If applicable.
4x4 Quick Release Plate
Kessler Kiwk Stand XL

Meter:
Sekonic L-758D

Focusing Loupe:
Something at or near 4x.
Schneider
Rodenstock
Fuji
Toyo 3.6X

Dark Cloth:
BTZS Focus Hood

Cable Release:
Gepe Cable Release 40"

Film Processor + Holder:
Polaroid 8X10 processor 81-12 or 81-22
81-09 tray
81-06 Dialogue Holders

Other accessories I wonder if I should add:
A lens hood?
A ground glass protector?
Anything else?

[Greg]

Let me touch on 3 things

Exposure meter: Personally use a Pentax Digital Spotmeter. For taking incident readings a Gossen Luna Pro F. An (eclectic to be sure) S.E.I. Photometer every now and then.

GG Protector: Made my own. Held on with velcro on the sides of the back. Two corrugated plastic sheets at a 90 degree to each other. Thin sheet of foam attached to the front in contact with the GG. Many like U shaped plexiglass protectors. A friend had one and it did not protect his GG.

Lens hood: Frame from an older Sinar Norma auxiliary frame (400) mounted on the bed in front of the lens. Attached is a Sinar Bellows Hood Mask 2 (533.21). Much prefer it to a bellows lens hood. Just a lot easier to use in the field, and it is very effective.

[Mark Sampson]

I haven't shot 8x10 in a long time, but I will say that any of the lenses you mention will provide superb results. Buy on condition, then price.
A tripod quick-release will be very helpful, although I will let others inform you about those, as well as about tripods & heads.
You'll want a backpack or case for your outfit, again I'll let those with experience speak.
Best of luck- and post results here when you have some!

[John Kasaian]

This sounds expensive!
Have you shot Large Format before?
The focusing loupe and light meter in your 4x5 kit will serve you just as well with an 8x10 camera
Polaroid is nice, but conventional sheet film will probably be less costly to learn on---less tears if you waste a sheet of Arista,eduUltra than a sheet of Polaroid.
If weight is a driving issue, leave the tripod head at home and consider selection a smaller, lighter lens (300 mm Nikon M, 305 mm Schneider G Claron, etc...)

[jeanba3000]

Some thoughts :

Carbon series 5 Gitzo tripod or equivalent is necessary for stability, with a sturdy tripod head.
The head should have a upper panoramic movement (like you can find on top of Arca Cube, P1…), so when you have leveled your head, you still can pan your camera horizontaly without loosing the level.

Fujinon C 300 is a nice lens to consider too but with less movement than the heavy f/5.6 lenses
Rodenstock Apo Ronar's are well appreciated for landscape and proxy to macro photography, and not expensive. Prefer those with shutter than without if you don't want use a hat as shutter…
For architecture, you will need expensive and heavy super wide SW lenses like Super Angulon (XL or not), Grandagon, Nikkor SW, Fujinon SW, maybe Super Symmar XL, with focal length around 150mm.

A simple large square dark cloth with velcro or a clamp to close it under the bellows can also serve as an easily adjustable lens hood, I believe the BTZS hood can't.

In my backpack, I stack my film holders behind my camera so they protect the ground glass, no problem.

Any 1° spotmeter should be ok

Polaroid is very expensive compared to regular negative + print, if you want to start cheap, you may consider paper negative and contact print

[Two23]

Looks good except I'd go for the Gitzo 1570 head (I use the Ries J250-2 as it's easier), and I just use a black nylon jacket for a dark cloth. It doubles as a light jacket when needed. The 1325 tripod will hold it.



Kent in SD

[Dylan Mulvaney]

Thank you all for the advice.

I've edited my original post to reflect some of the choices/purchases I've made. Below are a few outstanding things I'd love to hear opinions on.

Focusing Loupe:
I'm having a hard time finding these for sale – either new or used. Any leads there? Is there something I'm missing?

Lens Hood:
Is this something that's necessary for general shooting or is it used in specific conditions? Is it an essential part of your kit?

Dialogue Film Holders:
Does anybody have experience using these new 81-06 Polaroid film holders? They seem like a good alternative to the used Polaroid holders.
https://cameza.shoplineapp.com/products/dialogue-new-8x10-instant-film-holder

Tripod Head/Quick Release:
I've held off on making a decision on this. I'm considering trying to shoot without one, though I could see getting one eventually. Any other advice here would be welcome.

[Alan9940]

Regarding shooting 8x10 Polaroid in the field, it's basically a one-shot deal. You load the holder, expose, but I believe it now has to be processed. I've thought about 8x10 Polaroid for years, but since I'm not a studio shooter I couldn't envision a plan to deal with unprocessed film in the field. Keep in mind that I've never even seen a Polaroid film holder, other than in pictures. I wonder if it would be possible to unload an exposed sheet, into a film box, in a dark bag? Anyway, just a thought...

[John Kasaian]

Thank you all for the advice.

I've edited my original post to reflect some of the choices/purchases I've made. Below are a few outstanding things I'd love to hear opinions on.

Focusing Loupe:
I'm having a hard time finding these for sale – either new or used. Any leads there? Is there something I'm missing?

Lens Hood:
Is this something that's necessary for general shooting or is it used in specific conditions? Is it an essential part of your kit?

Tripod Head/Quick Release:
I've held off on making a decision on this. I'm considering trying to shoot without one, though I could see getting one eventually. Any other advice here would be welcome.

Just about anything will work, but some work much better than others. Any low power magnifier could be pressed into service---more critical is how that gizmo suits your way of working.
I started with a (cheap) ubiquitous Agfa plastic 9x and currently use a Silvestri tilting 6x. The camera builder Ron Wisner recommended linen testers over a loupe, a few guys use generic reading glasses you can find at drug stores or 35mm SLR lens held reversed against the gg, and many use more costly high end optics from Rodenstock, Schneider and Peak.

A hobby shop specializing in stamp collecting should have some loupes in stock for you to examine

[Robert Opheim]

Lighter 8x10 equipment equals a lot more expense. For that matter 8x10 equals a lot more expense. A 300mm Nikor W is a big lens - I have a 240mm Nikor W - it gets left behind in the car a lot. A 95mm filter is big and expensive I have tried to stay to 67mm filters. (and some series 9 filters) You may need more than a series 3 carbon fiber tripod more like a series 5 - ideally without a head (for longer exposures) I have a Gitzo PL5 head on series 5 aluminum legs - with my Heavy 8x10 (Calumet C-1) the camera can easily move on longer exposures. I use a 1 degree pentax analog meter. Loupes need to be checked out - I started with a linen tester, went to a Toyo 3.6X, and recently purchased a Horseman 6X loupe. I have 10 or 12 cable releases - for different shutters. I do have a couple of quick releases - but I don't like them in general - I broke a Toyo camera years ago when it didn't clamp right. I haven't used Polaroid for a long time - I shoot film and it is processed. A great pack sack is very important. I wrap all of my lenses separately. a Zone VI sighting filter and a variable length viewfinder (like a Linhof or other finder) are very useful in finding exact locations for images in the field before setting up the tripod. You will need the various small tools: tape measure for measuring bellows length, stopwatch, method for calculation of bellows factor (I made cards), information for exposure resiprosity correction for the film you are using, filters, filter adapters, wire, tape etc.

[Drew Bedo]

Reading the OP, it seems that you are looking to put together the "best" kit for your expected activity.

If Large Format photography becomes something you do regularly for an extended portion of your life, what ever you stat out with will not be what you are shooting with two, five or eight years out.

As you shoot, your workflow and technique will evolve as will your creative vision. What you think you want to shoot with just now may not (will not) suit your photographic style along the way. Over time you may want to work with a different camera, lens, tripod, backpack, focusing hood and so on.

In the early 1990s, I started with a shoe-string assemblage based around a beaten Speed Graphic with an uncoated bargain lens on a Star tripod : all of it packed into a Jansport book bag filled with layers of hand cut sleeping pad foam. Took this kit to the Grand Canyon on our 20th anniversary. Still have the camera. A number of outfits later, I use a Kodak 2D and a Zone VI. Everything else is different too. But . . .

This opinion is separate from the cost of or investment in gear. It is not about the money.

The single most important thing in my mind, is to put together a workable kit and shoot. your "ideal" outfit will evolve over time. Do not over plan your gear selection. Let your kit grow and evolve as you do.

[mdarnton]

The Bogen 3057 head is great, but it's much too large and heavy for your application. Pix don't do justice to the size.

[Jody_S]

Lens:
Nikon Nikkor W 300mm f5.6 Large Format Lens


That's a fine lens but completely unsuited to backpacking. I would start with one of the f9 lenses in a Copal 1 shutter. I'm partial to the G-Clarons but that's me.

[Jim Jones]

I'm with Drew {Post #11). Great photographs have been made with modest equpiment. Pulitzer prize photos have even been captured with box cameras. Compare Timothy O'Sullivan's Ancient Ruins in the Canyon de Chelle, New Mexico, 1873 with Ansel Adams' similar photograph made in 1942. I prefer the earlier masterpiece to the later one, despite the vast improvements in equipment and materials made in 69 years.

I may rarely use a polarizing filter, but usually carry one. Tripod heads and quick releases are conveniences, not necessities. A sturdy tripod with fully adjustable legs usually suffices and sometimes works better.

[36cm2]

You can make great art with a box and a hole, but if you’re trying to gear up based on what you spec’d I would agree with the prior recommendation of a gitzo 5 series for support. I have the Z2 and like it. For loupes, I like a Toyo 8x or 5x (I prefer lower magnification) on ebay.