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View Full Version : Ball-park weight of 8x10 setup?



Benito
12-Feb-2007, 03:28
I'm looking around for a ball head for my 4x5 monorail, and am going to make sure I get something big enough 'should I' (ie. when I) eventually get into 8x10.

So my question is: What is the ball-park weight of an 8x10 set-up on a monorail with std. lens ?

Cheers!

Doug Howk
12-Feb-2007, 05:39
Including a Turner-Reich convertible lens, my Korona 8X10 weighs 13 lbs.

j.e.simmons
12-Feb-2007, 05:45
Including my Rapid Rectillinear triple convertible lens, my Orbit C-1 weighs 23 pounds.
juan

David A. Goldfarb
12-Feb-2007, 06:17
As far as the weight of the 8x10" goes, are you planning to use it for landscapes in the field or for portraits and still life? If you are going to use it for still life with a lot of extension, pointed down, that puts a lot of strain on the head, so you want something rated for several times more weight than the weight of the camera. For landscape with wide to normal lenses, you can get away with a smaller head.

Walter Calahan
12-Feb-2007, 06:20
Personally I don't care for ballheads on an 8x10. I prefer a double tilt head. The size and weight of an 8x10 makes a ballhead extreme frustrating to level.

John O'Connell
12-Feb-2007, 06:54
8x10 cameras vary: David and I use Gowland monorails, and even with a filmholder inserted and using my heaviest lens, I doubt the Gowland weighs more than 12 pounds/5.5 kg.

If you're talking about using a modern base-tilt or L-standard studio monorail, I'd plan on the camera itself weighing at least 15 pounds/7 kg by itself just to be safe. "Standard lenses" for 8x10 weigh anywhere from 250 to 1600 grams, if you limit yourself to 300mm to 360mm modernish lenses.

I wouldn't opt for a head that's rated for less than 25 pounds if you're planning for a camera you don't have yet.

Nick_3536
12-Feb-2007, 07:00
My monorail is almost 15lbs. My heaviest lens is in a #3 shutter so not light.

David A. Goldfarb
12-Feb-2007, 08:16
8x10 cameras vary: David and I use Gowland monorails, and even with a filmholder inserted and using my heaviest lens, I doubt the Gowland weighs more than 12 pounds/5.5 kg.

With the Gowland 8x10" and a lightweight wide to normal lens (i.e., not the 10" WF Ektar), I can get away with a Tiltall.

I also have an 8x10" Sinar P, and that lives on a Linhof pedestal-style studio stand with a Majestic head, and should really have something heavier. If I need a lot of extension, sometimes I'll use a second tripod for extra stability.

Rory_5244
12-Feb-2007, 09:01
Arca Swiss 8x10/ Fujinon A 240 lens - 10.5lbs

Capocheny
12-Feb-2007, 15:55
Personally I don't care for ballheads on an 8x10. I prefer a double tilt head. The size and weight of an 8x10 makes a ballhead extreme frustrating to level.

Benito,

I'll second Walter's comments about using a ballhead with an 8x10. I used a ballhead initially and cursed every minute of it... especially when I had everything all set up but had to make one small, minor change on one axis. I always found it was just too hard to control for movement on one axis without disturbing the setting on the other axis. But, this is just my personal opinion.

You might want to take a look at the Manfrotto 405 geared head. It's sooooooo much nicer to use than a ballhead.

[I use a Dorff 8x10 with 355 G-Claron, 19" RDA etc... not the lightest camera in the world!]


David,

Have you looked at the Manfrotto 400 Geared Head? I have a Sinar X mounted on a studio stand with this head. It's quite stable even with a 360 Symmar f6.8 on it. For additional stability, when a second bellows is added, I've employed a second tripod, which helps immensely. :)

Cheers

David A. Goldfarb
12-Feb-2007, 18:18
Yes. The Majestic head is quite strong, it's the studio stand that could be heavier, I think for the 8x10" P. The big ones are like 300 lbs, and mine is much lighter.

Capocheny
12-Feb-2007, 18:25
Yes. The Majestic head is quite strong, it's the studio stand that could be heavier, I think for the 8x10" P. The big ones are like 300 lbs, and mine is much lighter.

Hi David,

It would be nice to have one of those older Linhof stands... but you seldom see them over here these days. I understand people still have them over in Germany (and are selling them as the owners retire) but shipping one of those beasts over to our neck of the world would probably cost an arm and leg!

I had a chance to buy one from a studio years ago but, regretfully, I passed since I wasn't shooting large format in those days. :(

Can't win them all but, if I had the chance again... :)

Cheers