8x10 Field Camera: Deardorff, Wisener, Tachihara or ???

[tundra]

I am thinking of dipping my toe in the 8x10 waters as I already have a couple of lenses on my Wisner 4x5 Technical that should cover the larger format - a 19" f/11 APO Artar and a 14" f/9 Red Dot Artar, both reshuttered into modern Copals.

But ... I don't want to spend a fortune doing this. The only real requirement I have is front tilt and either front or back swing, with other movement desirable but not urgent. F

or portability, I really want a field camera, not a monorail.

Unfortunately, every sub-$1000 camera I look at has no front tilt. Any suggestions here?

If I do have to go up market, what are the tradeoffs between Deardorff, Wisner, Tachihara and their ilk. Only the Wisner seems to clearly have to bellow draw to handle that 19". I cannot tell about the Deardorff and Tachihara.

Thoughts?

[Lachlan 717]

Intrepid.

[Oren Grad]

The more common double-extension 8x10 Tachihara has a maximum bellows draw of around 23", the triple-extension is about 34".

[Mark Sawyer]

Kodak KMV.

[Chauncey Walden]

I've been very happy with mine for many years: https://www.largeformatphotography.info/century/century_universal_8x10.html

[Mark Sampson]

The Deardorff and the Wisner will handle the 19" lens easily, as will the Kodak Master View mentioned above. I've never seen or used an 8x10 Tachihara (although I happily used one of their 4x5s for many years).
Just today I saw a Zone VI 8x10 for sale, the big brother of my 4x5. Beautiful shape, very capable camera, but the asking price may be more than you want to pay.
It's at Monument Camera in Tucson if you're interested.

[Greg]

Burke & James Commercial view... very solid, all movements, and can be really easily refinished if one chooses to do so. Used one for 10 years and it never let me down.

[Len Middleton]

I am thinking of dipping my toe in the 8x10 waters as I already have a couple of lenses on my Wisner 4x5 Technical that should cover the larger format - a 19" f/11 APO Artar and a 14" f/9 Red Dot Artar, both reshuttered into modern Copals.

If I do have to go up market, what are the tradeoffs between Deardorff, Wisner, Tachihara and their ilk. Only the Wisner seems to clearly have to bellow draw to handle that 19". I cannot tell about the Deardorff and Tachihara.

Thoughts?

Correct me if I am wrong, but a camera that is considered to have a double extension should have a bellows draw of twice the focal length of the standard lens (300mm / 12" on 8x10).

I seem to remember measuring my Deardorff V8 and found it about 24" from lens mount to film plane, so it depends upon the lens focal length and how close do you want to focus it...

Edit: Actually it was more like 32”, as I have both a 600mm Apo-Ronar and 760mm Apo-Nikkor that will focus at infinity and closer, and is actually a triple extension.

[Mark Sampson]

I see that our forum member Richard Ritter has put a Burke & James 8x10 up for sale. I have the greatest respect for him and his work; he built my Zone VI 4x5 in 1992 and has repaired it several times. (My faults, not the cameras'!)
His own designs for LF and ULF cameras are thoughtful, innovative, and well made. If I wanted an 8x10 and couldn't afford one of his new ones, I'd jump on tis B&J- just because of the seller.

[MartyJoelFrank]

Another thumbs up for Richard Ritter. If you're going to use your 19" lens, I don't think the Tachihara will work for you unless it's one of the less common + heavier triple extension versions. I'm very happy with my double extension version but my longest lens is 16 1/2".

[Len Middleton]

If I do have to go up market, what are the tradeoffs between Deardorff, Wisner, Tachihara and their ilk. Only the Wisner seems to clearly have to bellow draw to handle that 19". I cannot tell about the Deardorff and Tachihara.

Thoughts?

Set up my Deardorff V8 showing both extremes in bellow draw.

In full extension, it measures about 31" from the front of the lens board to the back of the ground glass.

My 760mm f11 Apo-Nikkor will focus down to about 30 feet with that amount of bellows, so your 19" lens should be no problem.

Also at the other end, with some contortions, it will focus a 150mm lens at infinity, although have attached an image of a 165mm Angulon at infinity focus.

Hope that is helpful,

Len

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