8 by 10 camera

[gregfriedler]

Hi everyone. I take portaits and have been using a Linhof 4by 5. If I wanted to jump to 8 by 10, what would you folks recommend? I DO NOT need tilts, shifts, etc. IS the Toyo 810 m good? And the Dearforf? I probably will get a 300 mm Fujinon F:5.6 lens

I just shot with a Sinar F but do not think that is the best for location work. What do you folks think>>??

Thanks much

GREG FRIEDLER

[Steve Hamley]

A good Calumet C-1 black or green monster would be about perfect and resonably cheap although the magnesium green models bring a little more. Yousuf Karsh used one.

If weight/portability is an issue, try an Agfa/Ansco (especially older ones with the big 7-1/2" board) or a Kodak 2-D (be sure it has the accessory rail). A Deardorff would be fine of course, and for portraits probably no more capable than the others. But you'd look great taking those portraits with one!

Steve

[Michael Kadillak]

Hi everyone. I take portaits and have been using a Linhof 4by 5. If I wanted to jump to 8 by 10, what would you folks recommend? I DO NOT need tilts, shifts, etc. IS the Toyo 810 m good? And the Dearforf? I probably will get a 300 mm Fujinon F:5.6 lens

I just shot with a Sinar F but do not think that is the best for location work. What do you folks think>>??

Thanks much

GREG FRIEDLER

Yes, the Toyo 810M and the Deardorf are excellent cameras as are the Phillips, Wehman, Canham, Gandolfi, Wisner (used) and many others. Several critical components usually come to bear with a decision like yours. The first is the financial resources you have to apply to this purchase. The second is if your preference is toward wood or a metal camera or if it is not that big a deal. The third is usually camera weight as this variable can range from 8# to over 13#.

I am more into functionality as I acquired a used Toyo 810M and a used Canham wood. Some folks are passionate for Deardorf and others are not. You will find as many recommendations as people providing you their comments. What else is new?

All modern camera makers will provide you with a compliment of movements that you do not have to use if you do not want or need them.

I recommend that you keep your eyes open in the used market for a well maintained camera and keep your options open and you will find many choices to consider. When you get fixated on one specific brand or model, you end up spending much more than necessary and waiting for a very long time. Although many get fixated on aspousing the superiority of one over another for various reasons, view cameras particularly are rather dimensionless entities that are all capable of marvelous results. The experience and skill of the operator is the only critical variable.

Good Luck!

[CXC]

Just about any 8x10 should be just fine with a 300mm lens and no movements, so you can afford to base your selection on other factors than performance, such as cost, cosmetics, weight, etc. If weight is not a major concern, I would agree with Steve that a C-1 would do fine, and would be durable, rigid, and relatively cheap.

Bear in mind that depth of field becomes a gigantic concern when shooting portraits with an 8x10. Do you want the eyes in focus but not the tip of the nose?

The "F" in Sinar F/2 supposedly stands for Field, meaning that it is intended to be taken outdoors. There are those who do so and swear by it, but most folks who insist on a monorail in the field are happier with something lighter and less bulky, like a Toho, Gowland, or Swiss-Arca. Personally I find flatbeds so much easier to haul around, set up, and tear down, that my 4x5 Gowland has gone into semi-retirement.

[Rob Vinnedge]

I am very happy with the Toyo 810M. It is metal, weighing in at 14+lbs., but so functional, rugged, and well supported by an abundance of accessories and interchangeable parts, that I do not find the weight objectionable. Used models occasionally appear on Ebay with decent prices. New models run in the mid $4000 range - still well worth it for what you get.

[Hugo Zhang]

Hi Greg,

I use a Kodak 2D 8x10 as my dedicated portrait camera. A box with a Packard shutter that can take all kind of barrel lenses. Got that idea from Galli. I have lots of fun with Dallmeyer 12" Portrait lens and 36cm, 42cm Heliars.

Hugo

[John Powers]

If I wanted to jump to 8 by 10, what would you folks recommend? I DO NOT need tilts, shifts, etc. GREG FRIEDLER

Greg,
To take another approach, perhaps if you tell us why you might want to jump to 8x10, we might be able to connect those reasons to specific camera and len combinations.

John
Phillips 8x10 and 7x17

[Donald Brewster]

Many of the older cameras would do well if you are looking for relative simplicity. Seneca, Gundlach, Rochester, Kodak, Anscos, and Folmer & Schwing. Relatively simple 8x10 cameras with minimal movements. Early Deardorffs with NFS are also a possibility. The previously mentioned C-1, the metal Eastman's are also relatively simple cameras and would work well. The Kodak Master Views and the Toyo M are fabulous cameras, though one is getting heavy at that point (if that is an issue)

Not germane to the discussion, but I was always under the impression Karsh used a Toyo in his studio, at least later in his career.

[John Kasaian]

You've got lots of great suggestions here. However, if your interest is making contact prints, you might consider 11x14 or 5x7 instead---sure 11x14 is more $$$ but proportionately its like these formats were "made" for portraiture.

If I were cut I'd propably bleed 8x10, but if I were going to have a "dedicated" portrait camera, I think I'd go with 11x14/5x7. YMMV of course.

[steve simmons]

If I wanted to do portraits with an 8x10 I would try for a longer lens, at least 360mm/14" or something in the 420mm-450mm range.

steve simmons
www.viewcamera.com

[Jim Rice]

While we're here, how nosey will 8x10 portraits (head and shoulder) be with a 360?