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Turner Reich
28-Dec-2006, 11:56
Does anyone know if the Calumet C1 camera listed on eBay is a good camera to get? I only have a short time to put in a bid.

The item has this link I found

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=008&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=180066630822&rd=1&rd=1

Dave Parker
28-Dec-2006, 12:02
Looks just fine to me, they are big, they are heavy and they are a great way to get into 8x10, I shot one for years, and even hiked a few times with it. But again, the C1 is a beast and will last forever.

Dave

cyrus
28-Dec-2006, 13:21
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/calumet/calumetc8x10.html

Terence McDonagh
28-Dec-2006, 13:26
Great camera. Also a great boat anchor.

Aaron van de Sande
28-Dec-2006, 13:43
too heavy.
I had one and I wouldn't recommend it for anything but studio. It's the camera that made Brett Weston switch to medium format.

Dave Parker
28-Dec-2006, 14:43
Aaron,

I didn't say it was FUN hiking with it:eek:

But it worked okay!

It is a great camera to start into 8x10 with and they are cheap now a days!

Dave

cobalt
28-Dec-2006, 15:38
I have one. Yep, it weighs about 20 pounds, but it is a GREAT camera. It does just about whatever you want a large format camera to do, and the lensboards are IRON...made to last. Bellows draw is great; it laughs at 450mm lenses. It cradles my 300mm Symmar 5.6 with ease. My 14 inch Ektar in it's MONDO SUPER UBER ACME shutter looks...well...at home on it. I don't think there is a lens in existence that one would have trouble mounting on it...

I call mine the Beast...looks just like the one on ebay. I take it into the field at times, but generally don't stray too far from the car with it.

Two unique features: 1) you can put it on a tripod and walk around for quite a distance without worrying about it being stolen (you DON'T want to tangle with the guy who can casually pick it up and run away with it), and 2) It doubles as an anti-personnel (or anti-deer, anti-pit bull, anti-nitwit-asking-if-it-is-digital) device if so needed. Buy it. Smaller kameras are for girlie men!

Oh, and it is black, so people know you are a pro!

cobalt
28-Dec-2006, 15:41
Oh...by the by...you MUST get a sturdy tripod if you plan to buy this camera...mine at my Bogen like an appetizer shortly after I purchased it. It is quite comfortable on a Majestic, and works pretty well in the field on a Samson.

Ben Calwell
28-Dec-2006, 19:12
I owned an Orbit 8x10, which I think is the same thing. Honestly, it was just too heavy for me to use in the field. I got tired of wrestling with it.
In addition to the weight, I found it to be a bit fiddly to work with.
I'm now using a Kodak 2D, which is feather light compared to the Orbit. My advice is to really think about the weight of this camera and whether or not that weight would end up dampening your desire to go out and make photos.
If you're in good shape, though, the weight might not be that much of a concern to you.

Turner Reich
28-Dec-2006, 19:22
I bought one like the one on eBay for $225.00 shipped. I'll let my son lug it around and/or use it by the car. I too have a 2D in 8X and 5X and Seneca in 8X and 5X. I could sell it if it's not for me at that price. It should be here in a day or two.

Jim Rice
28-Dec-2006, 19:31
I am currently re-entering large format with this camera. Mine is the ~5 lb lighter magnesium version which demands a slight premium (and the green is pretty cool, too). It's a pretty intuitive camera and could hold up during a hurricane. The Yeats piece at lfphoto.info (Cyrus' link) is pretty much on target. I have found that with an adapter plate to match the round cap with the rectangular tripod adapter on the camera a Ries J-100 holds it up fine. Let me know if you have any more questions. My New Years resolution: 8x10" contacts.

Turner Reich
28-Dec-2006, 20:10
Jim, I too am getting a Green magnesium version and not the black or brown. I have a Berlbach wood tripod and Gitzo that was built to hold cars on. I think the Gitzo is at least twice the weight of the camera. I have never used it. I will use the wood tripod which I bought to use with 8X10.

I bought the camera before this post, glad I didn't see the Cyrus' link although I made my decision knowing most of that information. I want a Canham, I got a Calumet. Some where I read that the rail can be reversed so the rail doesn't stick out in back. I'll have to figure that one out. If someone did it I'll be able to do it.

cyrus
29-Dec-2006, 07:57
I too own the Green Monster, which lives on a Sanford & Davis Airlift tripod. I've been looking for lensboards . . .

Aaron van de Sande
29-Dec-2006, 08:38
It is a great camera but I am not sure why people would recommend it to a beginner.

Dave Parker
29-Dec-2006, 09:05
It is a great camera but I am not sure why people would recommend it to a beginner.

Why not Aaron? I am curious why you think it is not a good beginners camera? When I started shooting 8x10 many years ago, I worked in a studio with one and found it to be an easy camera to work with. At that time I was familiar with movements and such due to working with the 4x5 format...

Dave

David Karp
29-Dec-2006, 09:52
I learned LF on a 4x5. Years later I borrowed my friend's C-1 for a few months. The first thing I thought when I started playing with it and its movements was that it was far easier to see the impact of a tilt or swing on that big glass than on the 4x5. It was like watching a big TV. The downside of that particular camera is its weight, which might drive someone away from 8x10 if they have to carry it.

Greg Dejanovic
29-Dec-2006, 10:06
I bought one almost two years ago it is magnesium one my first 8X10 I have a little cart to cart it around with lenses and accessories ,no big deal. If you find one at the good price get it. I am having a ball. I use Manfrotto #075 tripod (heavy) but just made for C1

Cheers Greg

Aaron van de Sande
29-Dec-2006, 11:08
There are other cameras that are cheaper, lighter, and easier to repair. What in particular makes it a good beginners camera?


Why not Aaron? I am curious why you think it is not a good beginners camera? When I started shooting 8x10 many years ago, I worked in a studio with one and found it to be an easy camera to work with. At that time I was familiar with movements and such due to working with the 4x5 format...

Dave

Jon Shiu
29-Dec-2006, 12:00
Just to note, due to the construction of the camera base, the tripod head should be at least 4x5 inches to be stable. (Camera base has small center area, then open framework and then support at outer corners.)

Jon Shiu
Elk, California

Dave Parker
29-Dec-2006, 14:03
There are other cameras that are cheaper, lighter, and easier to repair. What in particular makes it a good beginners camera?

Hmmm $200-$225, I never found any of the Calumet cameras difficult to repair, Lighter I will agree with, but with the movements they have, I think that is a push..

What in particular makes them a bad beginners camera, of course, I am of the opinion that any camera can be a good beginners camera, I think anytime someone can get into 8x10 work for a couple of hundred bucks to be a good thing, I just found the ones I have owned and used, to be pretty easy to work with, I agree that the weight could be a factor for some, but it never really bothered me that much, but of course, I go on backcountry trips with a 90 pound pack on my back for a couple of weeks at a time..

This conversation reminds me of why there are so many different camera models, because there are so many opinions on what makes a good camera.

When it comes down to it, it is up to the individual who has to use it..

Dave

John Hannon
29-Dec-2006, 18:11
Just to note, due to the construction of the camera base, the tripod head should be at least 4x5 inches to be stable. (Camera base has small center area, then open framework and then support at outer corners.)

Jon Shiu
Elk, California

I mounted an aluminum plate to the bottom of mine. Some C-1's have tapped holes on the bottom, I had to drill and tap my own. It is now very stable on a Berlebach tripod.

When I first got my C-1, someone online told me about it making Brett Weston give up on 8X10. I saw a photo from the Freestyle catalog of Kim Weston with a C-1 in the background. I guess they didn't get rid of the old C-1.

Jon Shiu
29-Dec-2006, 18:46
Cole also used a C1. I think Kim is using Arca Swiss now.

Jon

Turner Reich
29-Dec-2006, 18:51
John, When I read the threads I immediately thought of an aluminum plate for the bottom of the camera to mount on my Berlebach as you described. I don't think it will be a problem. I read that Brett Weston had an operation on one of his arms for an infection or something that severely weakened that arm. He found the heavier cameras too much and when Rollei offered him the Rollei SL 66, promotion, he went to medium format and Agfapan 25. I don't think it was the camera as much as age and infirmity. I also have a reducing back, 8X10 to 5X7, my favorite format. Makes a double duty out of it. This is the lowest price I have ever paid for a camera, and an 8x10 to boot. When it gets here I will look at changing the standards so focusing is at the front and the extension is not protruding from the back into the chest or face of the user. Great replies,
Thank you

D. Bryant
29-Dec-2006, 20:10
I mounted an aluminum plate to the bottom of mine. Some C-1's have tapped holes on the bottom, I had to drill and tap my own. It is now very stable on a Berlebach tripod.

When I first got my C-1, someone online told me about it making Brett Weston give up on 8X10. I saw a photo from the Freestyle catalog of Kim Weston with a C-1 in the background. I guess they didn't get rid of the old C-1.

I put an aluminum plate on my green monster. The mount holes on mine were already pre-taped 1/4 - 20. The operation took about 30 minutes. It's well work the trouble as it really increases the stability of the tripod mount.

Don Bryant

Jim Rice
29-Dec-2006, 21:21
Why folks might consider a C-1 as a fine beginner's camera for 8x10":

It's pretty cheap.......yes, a 2-D may be cheaper and lighter, but with no real front movements everything would be backwards at best.

It has LOTS of bellows........LOTS

Every movement known to human kind (except rear rise, which I never once used on my Wisner Tech) and in spades.

Non-losable rear extension, a pretty big deal.

Tough as nails.....stays put where you set it, in a hurricane

Tough as nails.......you aren't going to hurt it (it may hurt you).

The rear rail issue is taken care of with the recessed adapter for up to Copal#1.

Jim Rice
29-Dec-2006, 21:39
And the green ones are kind of pretty.

Turner Reich
30-Dec-2006, 01:16
The 8X to 5X conversion back I'm getting is black in color. Maybe Calumet can give me the Green color paint number. I even thought of repainting the whole camera with the Duplicolor color shifting paint. I would use the silver to green paint set. That would look pretty wild.

Anyone have any experiences with a reducing back? I have everything for 5x7 and thought that it might be good sometimes. It looks like two thumb screws are all that holds the backs on.

John Hannon
30-Dec-2006, 03:26
The 8X to 5X conversion back I'm getting is black in color. Maybe Calumet can give me the Green color paint number. I even thought of repainting the whole camera with the Duplicolor color shifting paint. I would use the silver to green paint set. That would look pretty wild.

Anyone have any experiences with a reducing back? I have everything for 5x7 and thought that it might be good sometimes. It looks like two thumb screws are all that holds the backs on.

I have the 5X7 and 4X5 backs for my C-1. They all fit very well and are easy to change. There is a grooved channel around the edges of the camera back for a good light seal. I usually stick with the 8X10 but sometimes use the 4X5 back for polaroid work.

Aaron van de Sande
30-Dec-2006, 07:34
Everything a beginner needs! As soon as I got mine I ran out into a noreaster and did architecture shots!


Why folks might consider a C-1 as a fine beginner's camera for 8x10":

It's pretty cheap.......yes, a 2-D may be cheaper and lighter, but with no real front movements everything would be backwards at best.

It has LOTS of bellows........LOTS

Every movement known to human kind (except rear rise, which I never once used on my Wisner Tech) and in spades.

Non-losable rear extension, a pretty big deal.

Tough as nails.....stays put where you set it, in a hurricane

Tough as nails.......you aren't going to hurt it (it may hurt you).

The rear rail issue is taken care of with the recessed adapter for up to Copal#1.

Merg Ross
30-Dec-2006, 13:10
For the record, Brett Weston continued to use his 8x10 long after acquiring the Rollei SL66 system in 1969. However, he found that the small camera changed his way of seeing, made him more prolific and, most importantly, made certain things possible that could not be done with a big camera.

His weakened arm from an infection occured in 1979.

Dave Parker
30-Dec-2006, 13:45
Everything a beginner needs! As soon as I got mine I ran out into a noreaster and did architecture shots!

I don't know of to many 8x10 cameras that do good in a Norester, kind of out of its element in that type of wind!

:eek:

j.e.simmons
30-Dec-2006, 18:33
I love my Black Beast - it's the cast iron one, or whatever they made the heavier one out of. I use it on a Zone VI heavy duty tripod that weighs at least as much as the camera and lens. I carry them in a jogging stroller. The weight and bulk make me find lots of shots very close to where I originally set up - shots I don't find when using my smaller camera.
j

Turner Reich
1-Jan-2007, 14:03
Merg I should have picked up on that after seeing the video by Art showing him shooting with the Rollei and the C1.

In the Daybooks EW refers to an A., does anyone know who "A" was/is?

D. Bryant
1-Jan-2007, 14:43
I love my Black Beast - it's the cast iron one, or whatever they made the heavier one out of.
j

The black beast is constructed primarily of aluminum.

Don Bryant

Merg Ross
1-Jan-2007, 16:05
I neglected to mention in my earlier reply that I am also an owner of the C1. I have it outfitted with a Sinar shutter, hence all of my lenses are in barrel.

I believe Art Wright did a good job of capturing Brett. I was there for the Carmel segments and am the fellow with Brett at Point Lobos, struggling with that rediculous Calumet monorail (4x5).

As to who was A. in the EW Daybooks, that would be Anita Brenner. She was the model for the 1925 pear-like nude which is reproduced in Vol. 1.

Turner Reich
1-Jan-2007, 16:53
Berg I haven't read the Daybooks since I was in college 30 years ago and didn't remember even 1% so I bought the book by Aperture last week and I am about a third of the way through. A. came up on page 147 and I was wondering if I had missed it. I was also looking for any reference to Frida Kahlo, I think she came later into the scene. When I lived in SB I went all over the southern coast, it's my favorite. I have one of those 4x5 Calumets too and it gets no use. I have seen that video many, many time since I got it a couple of months ago. I thought, there is a guy not afraid to use a Calumet monorail at Point Lobos. Given the bellows extension you would need a camera like that. When I first went there I had a Toyo G monorail. That's big and large too. I have Kodak 2D and Seneca both in 8x and 5x. In the Edward Weston video they called his camera an old tool from earlier times. I am still using them 100 years later.

Turner Reich
5-Jan-2007, 10:58
I'm cleaning the camera, having stripped it down, I have to decide on the paint color soon. Everything works fine and is complete, it's not as heavy as I thought it would be. It looks like an engine block, I hope it will be a fine relationship. I was thinking of using Duplicolor mirage in a silver black but green or black will probably be the color. Some pin stripes and gold or silver leaf would be keen too. I should find an auto custom painter to do a show car finish on it but then I wouldn't want to take it out in the rain. As is I have a pretty good all weather camera. Who could ask for anything more?

John Hannon
5-Jan-2007, 12:38
I'm cleaning the camera, having stripped it down, I have to decide on the paint color soon. Everything works fine and is complete, it's not as heavy as I thought it would be. It looks like an engine block, I hope it will be a fine relationship. I was thinking of using Duplicolor mirage in a silver black but green or black will probably be the color. Some pin stripes and gold or silver leaf would be keen too. I should find an auto custom painter to do a show car finish on it but then I wouldn't want to take it out in the rain. As is I have a pretty good all weather camera. Who could ask for anything more?

If you make it too pretty, people will be bugging you with questions :) Good luck and I hope you enjoy the camera!

--John

Turner Reich
18-Jan-2007, 19:33
Just an update on the paint of the C1. I selected from Krylon a color called Semi Flat black. It has just the low sheen that I was looking for. It is dry to the touch in 12 minutes but I left it overnight and it is tough. It's ID/OD and very durable paint from a great manufacturer. I buffed the chrome up to a clean great surface. It looks new. All complete and fresh. I have both the 8X10 and 8X to 5X reducing back. I do like the 5X7 format. It's heavy sure but then I found that in disassembly and reassembly that it is like an old engine, completely fixable. The bellows is in perfect and new condition. Not bad for a dirty piece of equipment under $50.00. And two cans of spray paint and some buffing materials.:) :cool: :cool: :cool:

erie patsellis
19-Jan-2007, 01:28
T-R, Check the rear to make sure the movements lock tight (swing & shift) On mine, I ended up surfacing the two aluminum pieces, as many years of tightening really tight warped them slightly, just enough to rock slightly when held together.


Cyrus, easiest source for lensboards is anybody you know with a tablesaw, 10 mins max, add amin or two for additional ones, I also made a few out of 1/8" aluminum, as I'm hanging a 360 Componon with a front mounted packard shutter.


erie

Jim Rice
19-Jan-2007, 05:52
And, of course, lensboards are available new from Calumet. I realize it might be difficult to pay more for a board than you did for the camera. If anyone knows of a color match for the green paint I might do some touch-ups on mine.

al olson
19-Jan-2007, 09:29
I have an 8x10 Orbit model that was manufactured by Arkay Company in 1978. From the responses to my thread "Determining the parentage of my 8x10" it has been pretty well confirmed that this camera is identical to the Calumet C-1.

While weight is a disadvantage, all of the movements are easy to use. Most of the movements are friction. You must take care to make certain that all of the movements are locked down. [I was not aware that I could lock in the rise the first time I tried it and thought the friction was good enough to hold it. I was doing a 2 hour star trail photo and got a very interesting effect as the front standard slid slowly down.]

I have mine on a 26# Bogen 3068 tripod. My one gripe about the tripod is that the only way to level it laterally is to adjust the legs...not easy with a tripod this heavy ... the head does not have a lateral tilt. I don't take it into the field very much, not far from the car anyway. But it makes for a good studio camera and I am doing a lot more table top photography with it.

Weight should not be any more of a deterent to a beginner than an experienced LF photographer. In fact, you won't become more experienced without also becoming older. That means that we probably don't have the same stamina that we did when we were starting out.

In response to Jim's comment about the lensboards, he is so right. I paid less than $250 for the camera on ebay and then spent $150 to get a lensboard drilled by Calumet. Currently, I have a Wollensak 15" Telephoto on it now and I have been hoping to find a good G Claron 300mm at a reasonable price on ebay

This is a durable, low-cost, easy-to-use machine that any beginner can master in a short time. It does not have a lot of fancy engineering and goo-gahs that are used to justify the higher prices on other cameras. It is a simple camera ... very, very basic!

Although I shoot a lot more 4x5, I have no intention of replacing it.

Chris Strobel
19-Jan-2007, 11:16
I've got two black C-1's.Bought both on ebay advertised in excellent condition.It was very easy to strip them down to the bare parts, detail them, and re-assemble.They were both very dirty and mucked up, but now look factory new with allot of elbow grease and wadding polish.I decided on the C-1 after seeing that Chris Burkett still uses one (black), thought hey if its good enough for a master artist like him it out to do for an 8x10 newbie like me.I have enjoyed working with it every minute so far, and the weight hasnt been a problem due to using a rolleeze all terrain hand cart.For a tripod I settled on a Ries A100-2 after using a regular A100 for a while.The A100 seemed kinda borderline for the heavier black version, the A100-2 is perfect and only 2lbs heavier.This was my first 8x10 and still is.I see no reason to change, except if I could find a magnesium version in mint condition.

Turner Reich
29-Jan-2007, 01:50
This is a picture of the newly repainted C1. The digital image is just a quick shot and the black is really a very fine semi flat. It appears to be quite durable, thanks to Krylon, a paint that drys without dust or bumps. The stainless steel and machined surfaces buffed up nicely. It was a fun project and I have another back, an 8x10 to 5x7 reducing back that is black but I might give it the same paint job. I think I will stop with the 5x7 conversion back and not get one down to 4x5. Anyone use a 4x5 on a C1 of this size? I think 5x7 makes some sense. The 4x5 and 5x7 backs have bearings in the bales but the 8x10 went cheap and only is friction and squeaks. I might change the flat bent bale and make one like the 4x 5x.

Many thanks to all of those who replied and shared their experiences with me.

Turner Reich
30-Jan-2007, 13:19
Did I mention that I weighted the Camera and it was 15 pounds exactly? Sherpa cart here I come.