Ansel Adams

[logan]

What 8x10 view cameras did Ansel Adams use in his work? In all his essays, I never read where he referred to his 8x10 by a particular name or brand.

[JW Dewdney]

I seem to recall a Korona being mentioned a whole heck of a lot. I think there were others, possibly. I think it was in several of his books, you might want to read those. But then again - I probably read those 20 years ago or so.

[Bill_1856]

It's hardly ever mentioned, but St.Ansel was a camerahollic (and the more common kind of hollic, as well). Whereas Weston probably had only two cameras for the last 30 years of his life (Deardorf and Graflex), AA always had to have the very latest "stuff" (cameras, lenses, darkroom, Cadillac, etc) that his wife could afford. The only camera he seemed to eventually stick with was his Hasselblad.

[David Karp]

I believe that he also used a magnesium Eastman Commercial View. He mentions it in his Examples book, but calls it aluminum.

[MIke Sherck]

I recall a comment (somewhere, somewhen,) that at one point both he and Edward Weston were using Anscos. I have no idea whether its true or not. It wasn't 8x10 but I recall seeing a photograph of him using what appeared to be a Calumet CC-400 4x5 monorail camera.

Mike

[Walter Calahan]

Don't worry what camera he used. It's just a frame and bellows to keep the light off the film until the shutter was opened. Pay more attention to the choice of lens he used to solve his photographic problem.

[Greg Lockrey]

In his Basic Photo Series books he was using Calumets. I suppose that was to show the reader that basic equipment was all that was needed to do the job.

[John Kasaian]

Much of his 8x10 work was shot with an Ansco in addition to the metal Kodak already mentioned. IIRC he wrote about not being fond of the Deardorf.

[Jim Jones]

Don't worry what camera he used. It's just a frame and bellow to keep the light off the film until the shutter was opened. Pay more attention to the choice of lens he used to solve his photographic problem.

Very true. The short 1957 movie, Ansel Adams, Photographer, showed him loading this gear into an old 8 passenger Cadillac limousine with the famous 5x7 foot metal platvorm on top and a ZONE V license plate. I believe the 8x10 was an Ansco, but would have to watch the movie again to be sure.

1 8x10 view camera with 20 holders and 4 lenses: Cooke convertable, 10" Wide Field Ektar, 9" Dagor, 6.75 wide angle Wollansak

7x17 special panoramic camera with five holders & 13.5" Protar lens

4x5 view camera with six lenses: 12" Voigtlander Collinear in Compound shutter, 8.5" Apo-Lanthar, 9.5" C. P. Goertz Apo-Artar in Ilex Synchro shutter, 9.25" Apo Tessar, 4" Wide Field Ektar, Dallmeyer 8-on telephoto

Hassleblad camera with 38, 60, 80, 135, and 200mm lenses

Contaflex 35mm camera outfit

two Polaroid cameras

SEI exposure meter and two Weston meters

Filters for each camera: K1, K2, Minus Blue, G, X1, A, C5, B, F, 85B, 85C and light balancing series 81 & series 82

Two tripods; one light, one heavy

lens brush, Stop watch, level, thermometer, focusing magnifier, & focusing cloth

Heicolight strobe portrait outfit with 200' cable

special storage box for film

[John Cahill]

Before 8x10, IIRC, he used a Zeiss Juwel.

[Ash]

So he was a gearhead?

Heh, I have a Calumet, and Cooke and Dagor lenses :D

St. Ash... sounds good lol

[Brian Ellis]

It's hardly ever mentioned, but St.Ansel was a camerahollic (and the more common kind of hollic, as well). Whereas Weston probably had only two cameras for the last 30 years of his life (Deardorf and Graflex), AA always had to have the very latest "stuff" (cameras, lenses, darkroom, Cadillac, etc) that his wife could afford. The only camera he seemed to eventually stick with was his Hasselblad.

You sure have managed to cram a lot of misinformation into a three sentence message.

"It's hardly ever mentioned, but St.Ansel was a camerahollic . . . "

Adams' use of numerous cameras and lenses is often mentioned by him and by others. Far from being "hardly ever mentioned," his extensive use of different equipment is well known.

"and the more common kind of hollic as well." Hogwash. Adams enjoyed his cocktails and certainly drank but I've never read anywhere that he was an alcoholic or anything close to it. The only major photographer I can think of offhand who probably was an alchoholic (recognizing that the term "alcoholic" doesn't have a precise definition) was Eugene Smith. I'm sure there have been others but Adams wasn't among them.

"Whereas Weston probably had only two cameras for the last 30 years of his life, Deardorf and Graflex) . . . "

Weston stopped photographing in early 1948 and died on January 1, 1958. So he didn't use any camera for the last ten years of his life. Before that he used a couple Graflexes and a Century Universal. He never used a Deardorff.

"AA always had to have the very latest "stuff" (cameras, lenses, darkroom, Cadillac, etc) that his wife could afford."

Adams was a successful working commercial photograher for most of his life. I've never read that his wife bought his photography equipment or even contributed in any major way to the family finances. Best's Studio wasn't exactly the Bryn Alan of its time and Mary Alinder's biography of Adams talks at various places about its financial struggles and Adams' (not Virginia's) efforts to make it profitable. And of course in the latter stages of Adams' career he became very successful financially and didn't need anyone else to pay for his equipment. But one photographer whose wife did contribute in a major way financially was Edward Weston. At various stages of his life Flora sent money to keep him afloat.

"The only camera he seemed to eventually stick with was his Hasselblad"

Adams didn't begin using a Hasselblad until 1950 when he served as a consultant for Hasselblad. After that Hasselblad showered him with every new model of camera and lens that they brought to market, at no charge. I don't know how much he actually used all that stuff until late in his life, when his major work was behind him and when he could no longer carry LF gear.

With the exception of your statement that Weston used a Graflex, I don't think there's a factually accurate statement in the entire message.

[Brian C. Miller]

I remember in one of his books Adams said he liked the square MF format. He also said he wanted the lightest camera he could carry. He did a bit with 35mm, but I have no idea what he used.

Anyways, its more important to buy something and use it well than recreate someone else's equipment list.

[Turner Reich]

Very true. The short 1957 movie, Ansel Adams, Photographer, showed him loading this gear into an old 8 passenger Cadillac limousine with the famous 5x7 foot metal platvorm on top and a ZONE V license plate. I believe the 8x10 was an Ansco, but would have to watch the movie again to be sure.

Did he have a Zone V license plate in 1957?
He used a Linhof in the PBS Series film on Ansel Adams Photographer. His book "The portfolios of Ansel Adams" list some of his cameras. He also used a Box Browny.

[Turner Reich]

I couldn't find the '57 movie listed anywhere. Are you sure?

[JW Dewdney]

damn. I gotta stop coming to this place. It's eating my brain (or what's left).

[neil poulsen]

It seems to me that he was pretty consistent in his 8x10 lenses. For example, a lot of his later 8x10's, where lens info was published, were taken with his 12" Dagor and the 10" Wide Field Ektar.

[Mark Sampson]

If you bother to read his book "Examples", or the early editions of his 'Basic Photo' series , you will learn quite a bit. One thing you will find is that Adams used a wide variety of formats, cameras, lenses, lighting gear, films, chemicals, and papers over a 60-year career. Based on that, I'd bet he chose his gear to help him make the photographs he wanted; that is, he chose the tool to fit the job. Kinda destroys the myth of the "magic bullet"...

[Brian Ellis]

"He did a bit with 35mm, but I have no idea what he used"

He probably used more than one but in "Examples" he said he made the well-known informal portrait of Georgia O'Keefe and Orville Cox with a Contax.

[Ernest Purdum]

He used a Graflex Century Universal View at least briefly.

[Bill_1856]

Weston probably had only two cameras for the last 30 years of his life (Deardorf and Graflex).

Weston used an 8x10 Kodak Century or Master View and 4x5 Graflex. I was thinking of Paul Strand. Sorry.

[Jim Jones]

I couldn't find the '57 movie listed anywhere. Are you sure?

The title is Ansel Adams Photographer and my copy was copyrighted in 2006 (the year I bought it on ebay) by www.pdtvfilms.com. The link doesn't work, though. My copy of the DVD may have been the only copy on ebay when I bought it. It was written by Nancy Newhall and narrated by Beaumont Newhall. The 8x10 in the movie appeared to be a Calumet. I also found the earlier film on Edward Weston interesting, although perhaps less informative.

Turner Reich -- You're right to question the license number. I must have been thinking of a later still photo. In 1957 it was EVJ068 on the two tone Caddie.

edit -- It was the 4x5 that looked like a Calumet. I don't recognize the 8x10.