Tachihara Cameras

[Stanley Kubrick]

Im looking to start shooting 10x8 and am searching for a suitable camera. I have been shooting 5x4 for many years, on a Shen Hao, which is a spectacular camera. I prefer field cameras so would be looking for something along the same lines, I am currently thinking about buying a tachihara as they look like quite good value. Does anybody have any experience with them? Or could they recommend a similar styled camera? Deardorff and Ebony are also very nice but quite a bit more expensive, I dont have any 10x8 gear so dont want to spend too much on the camera itself.

[Mark J]

It's tough to remember back 30 years, but I owned a Tachihara 5x4" in the early 90's and it was very good. I don't remember any obvious shortcomings, but I sold it because I concluded that 6x9cm with a Horseman VH was a bit quicker to use, and more cost effective.

[Alan9940]

I've used a Tachihara 4x5 for over 40 years and it has been a great camera! I'm sure an 8x10 version would serve the purpose, but I'd be a bit concerned about how solid it would or not be under more adverse outdoor conditions. I toss the 8x10 Wista into this same category, too. Great camera, but... IMO, what you generally tradeoff with 8x10 is weight vs sturdiness and portability. Cameras like a Deardorff, Wisner, Ebony, Kodak Master View, etc, will hold their own in just about any outdoor situation, but they ain't lightweights. ;) So, you need to decide how much you're willing to invest in both monetary terms and effort.

Good luck and let us know what you settle on.

[Oren Grad]

An 8x10 Tachihara is plenty rigid/robust enough if it's in good condition. But...


I dont have any 10x8 gear so dont want to spend too much on the camera itself.

...what is your budget? 8x10 Tachiharas in good condition are not cheap these days.

[Maris Rusis]

I have and use a Tachihara 810GF triple extension camera and a Tachihara 810GF double extension camera. Both cameras have been well used since the 1990s and have had hundreds of sheets of film through them without any mechanical failures.
The corners of the bellows in both cameras have been taped over with 3M type 850 black polyester tape so there are no pinholes and none are likely to develop.
Masao Tachihara rated his 8x10 cameras for 50 years of regular use with the bellows good for at least 30 years.
Oren Grad is right about high prices for Tachihara. Tachihara finished in 2013 but the demand for their cameras continues.

[xkaes]

All good advise. Much depends on how & where you plan on using it. The other item is that all the other 8x10 gear -- lenses, film, etc. -- do not have "4x5" prices either. Not even the tripod!!!

[Stanley Kubrick]

Hi thanks for the info ! I found a couple on ebay for that looked good, link below. I plan on using it for studio work mostly, I recently bought 10 film holders for the 5x4 camera so will probably stick with that for outdoor work. I actualy use a video tripod with it as it is so large !

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176329043252?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20231107084023%26meid%3D2b5ea2376fa24d318900bc0a9d779f3d%26pid%3D101875%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D375382606744%26itm%3D176329043252%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2332490%26algv%3DSimplAMLv11WebTrimmedV3MskuWithLambda85KnnRecallV1V2V4ItemNrtInQueryAndCassiniVisualRankerAndBertRecallWithVMEV3CPCAutoWithCassiniEmbRecallManual%26brand%3DTachihara&_trksid=p2332490.c101875.m1851&itmprp=cksum%3A1763290432522b5ea2376fa24d318900bc0a9d779f3d%7Cenc%3AAQAJAAABcLSVkHmTL63bebovD9RfpraPWbY9f4anjbziTIaEIOVXg2DWhVLks3Lfqff9vxxfjIh4XEXusIehlT2iEH8%252BCxXNySMxlDIQJ3g86%252Bx3AAIAq9gznqdGSR72ksP41kjzPN1reUbVsJuld0S4i4qXlQfTmkMeIJTCXTM8mLpr7ju2fMvruDu87ZX%252B4bShOvD%252B4gq6PdNDcKhxdDbf94wjghZqCF9FsxLb0%252BXIS%252FkC8X9XNU4fMplO7%252BuFkaGQsOgR3Bt2wpc8Jh1wT%252Fbnd%252B6y7ojXrgVCfTyu0sTTs%252Bpbuq7wvzlOSkFE%252B1KGgFlrmN1bnhwrumeTCJH%252BnGqOCw0tDGp2T%252B8WVUbUQUllaRgCmVYrZcyB8CVKax90gsmin44AetVafsUYgYXHGF1QfV8CA3PlASgVGvjmX69KP%252B94jcJNIZ%252FP7pxUYAtjqVnJ5Vk64dTRdjT3ObYeEcYCPGId40tamjjtqILhA3Agvd4tV1Q9%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2332490&itmmeta=01HWND2W6WVBRGVKREPK0D2QZK

[xkaes]

That looks like a very good deal. Make sure you ask the seller about maximum bellows. Tachihara made lots of different versions with some differences -- like amount of bellows extension -- typically a big deal with 8x10.

Let us know how it goes.

[Stanley Kubrick]

That looks like a very good deal. Make sure you ask the seller about maximum bellows. Tachihara made lots of different versions with some differences -- like amount of bellows extension -- typically a big deal with 8x10.

Let us know how it goes.

Ahh I did notice there was some talk about different bellows sizes for 10x8.. I would be looking for a mid to long focal length lens, so more bellows are needed. I also read that a true telephoto lens requires less bellows, as the lens is constructed in a different way? I guess this is a similar thing to true wide angle lenses that were used with range finder styled camers that didnt have SLR mechanisms in the way? I read that a telephoto lens actually refers to the lens construction rather than its focal lengh so to speak ... But it seems that most photographers dont use that long of a lens for 10x8? I would mostly be doing still lifes mixed with portraiture, I quite like the 50mm-85mm length when talking about 35mm film, I believe this would be in the 300-600mm range if it were 10x8? I also read that the focal length of a lens changes depending on how much bellows are used.. I would be curious to put a 90mm 5x4 lens onto the 10x8 and see what bizarre effect that would give... 10x8 fish eye or distorted mess??

[Alan9940]

Lens construction is generally about the number of elements, element pairs, and air spacing between them, and doesn't really define any particular focal length. I'm sure there are photographers who use quite long lenses on 8x10, but 600mm is the typical upper-end for most of us. Personally, the longest I use is 480mm. The focal length of a lens NEVER changes. Image magnification will change with bellows extension and it's important to remember to give more exposure when using extended bellows. You could certainly put a 90mm lens on 8x10, but it won't cover the entire film area. Depending on bellows extension, what you'll get is a circular rendition on the film revealing the entire coverage area of the lens. I've never tried it, but I doubt it would look "fish eye" and certainly wouldn't be a distorted mess.

[Mark Sampson]

Emmett Gowin made an interesting body of work in the 1960s using a 90mm lens on 8x10. Suffice it to say that they are undistorted circular images that don't cover the whole frame- and are quite beautiful.
It seems to me that the larger the film format, the less need there is for lenses of extreme focal length. The longest I have used with 8x10 is a 19"/480mm lens and that was pretty long. I'd start with a 300 or 360mm lens; those are considered 'normal' for the format, and using one for a while will tell you which (if any) other lenses you might want.

[Oren Grad]

That looks like a very good deal.

Maybe, maybe not:

◆Appearance
Body is clean. It has a few scars. There is tiny signs of use.
Note: There are thin fungus marks on the surface of the wood. There are rust on the metal parts.

◆Optical system
Screen: Clear. (It has a few scars & very thin fungus mark)
Screen note: The grid is missing in places.
Bellows: Bellows is clean, but it has a few tiny pin holes.

[Oren Grad]

TMake sure you ask the seller about maximum bellows. Tachihara made lots of different versions with some differences -- like amount of bellows extension -- typically a big deal with 8x10.

The vast majority of 8x10 Tachiharas are double-extension, which means maximum bellows of about 23".

[Oren Grad]

It seems to me that the larger the film format, the less need there is for lenses of extreme focal length. The longest I have used with 8x10 is a 19"/480mm lens and that was pretty long. I'd start with a 300 or 360mm lens; those are considered 'normal' for the format, and using one for a while will tell you which (if any) other lenses you might want.

+1

[Maris Rusis]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17632904325...RGVKREPK0D2QZK
This camera is a Tachihara 810GF double extension with bellows max/min 550mm/90mm. The one I use has worked for most of its career with a 360mm lens; a nice combination I'll stick with.

[George Losse]

I had a Tachihara double extension when I first started shooting 8x10 around 1990. It was a good camera. I paid about that price for it new back then. I used it for five years and then sold it for that price when I purchased an 8x10/8x20 Wisner.

I mostly worked with 300mm lens back then. The largest I used was a 450mm.

If I had stayed in just 8x10, I would have continued to use the camera, as it was able to do everything I needed at the time. They are well built, light weight and easy to learn with.

I used a bunch of older Eastman wooden 8x10 holders back then that were shorter from the light trap up. They worked great on the Tachihara but were hard to use on the Wisner which has a larger spring back area where you insert the holder into the back.

[Stanley Kubrick]

Hey thanks for all of the information, seems like this is a pretty good camera to start 10x8 on. I will come back with results once I have everything set up !
Thanks

[Luis-F-S]

Do yourself a favor and get a Deardorff with 32" of bellows, you can't beat it. :