Deardorff 8x10

[Gary Tarbert]

Hi , I know this comment might cause some debate ,seeing there are many who own or have owned this camera.
But so far in my short exsperience with it i can't say it is not on my shortlist of favourite L.F cameras .
It is heavier than most and very vague feeling it has no zero points as such so you estimate where neutral is .
All i can say is watch the F.S section you might see one come up soon.Cheers gary

[cobalt]

Interestingly, my experience has been just the opposite. I recently purchased an 11x14 camera, which was to be my LAST (yeah, right). A few weeks later, a Deardorff, with 8x10, 5x7, 4x5, 5x7 split, and 2x3 backs suddenly became available. I just had to have it, after handling it for a short while. I've decided that my other cameras are pretty much superfluous now. I am selling my 8x10 Orbit, both 4x5 press cameras, my 8x10 Seneca, my 8x10 B and J wooden camera, and my old 4x5 Calumet monorail. The status of the 11x14 is, well, shaky.

The Deardorff does everything I want a view camera to do, and is ridiculously well put together. It folds up nicely, and is very solid when locked down. Wish I'd bought one first; I would not have so many cameras now.

[John Kasaian]

LF Cameras are like spouses? :D

[Paul Hamann]

If you find one that 'folds up nicely' you keep it?

[Brian Ellis]

Actually I think the 12 lb weight is about average for 8x10 cameras. The Wehman is lighter, there's a Phillips that's lighter, one of the Canham models I think, maybe another couple that don't come immediately to mind. I've never done a survey but my impression is that most 8x10 cameras are in the 12 pound and up range - Tachihara, Ebony, Shen Hao, Sinar, Arca Swiss (I think), Lotus, Kodak 2D, Kodak Master View, et al. And detents are a mixed blessing as I've found in using cameras with and without them. They do make setting the neutral position a little quicker but they also can make it difficult to make very small adjustments because there's a tendency for the relevant movement to "jump" into the detent. I thought the two 8x10 Deardorffs I used to own were the most intuitive, efficient, easy to use, and well built wood cameras I've owned and I've owned a few. But if everyone agreed then nobody would buy any other 8x10 and Deardorffs would cost much more than they already do.

[Richard Kelham]

Hi , I know this comment might cause some debate ,seeing there are many who own or have owned this camera.
But so far in my short exsperience with it i can't say it is not on my shortlist of favourite L.F cameras .
It is heavier than most and very vague feeling it has no zero points as such so you estimate where neutral is .
All i can say is watch the F.S section you might see one come up soon.Cheers gary

Is it on your shortlist, is it not on your shortlist, or can't you say? Despite the double negative I'll take a guess that you don't like it much ;)

Why? It's about average weight for an older design wooden camera. It has no fancy scales or sprung detents, but then neither does any other camera of its type – if you want all that fancy stuff, you should have bought a Sinar P.

Richard

[Gary Tarbert]

Is it on your shortlist, is it not on your shortlist, or can't you say? Despite the double negative I'll take a guess that you don't like it much ;)

Why? It's about average weight for an older design wooden camera. It has no fancy scales or sprung detents, but then neither does any other camera of its type – if you want all that fancy stuff, you should have bought a Sinar P.

RichardLast night i had just proccessed some negs i was not overly chuffed with (taken about a month ago)point of focus was out , so i may have been hasty blaming the camera.
You see all my previous cameras have been 5x4 and i will be the first to admit the transition to 8x10 has been more diffilcult than i thought.
I may have bought one accessory i have never owned before that may make the path easier you see i aquired a dark cloth that can be made a lot more lightproof than my previous set up.
Had a dry run with it today it was a lot easier to examine the image stopped down than before ,hence less focusing errors!
The Sinar cameras are not my cup of tea at all ,but i can see from my comments how you would have drawn this conclusion ,all cameras i have used or owned have been woodys .Cheers Gary

[Brian Ellis]

Last night i had just proccessed some negs i was not overly chuffed with (taken about a month ago)point of focus was out , so i may have been hasty blaming the camera.
You see all my previous cameras have been 5x4 and i will be the first to admit the transition to 8x10 has been more diffilcult than i thought.
I may have bought one accessory i have never owned before that may make the path easier you see i aquired a dark cloth that can be made a lot more lightproof than my previous set up.
Had a dry run with it today it was a lot easier to examine the image stopped down than before ,hence less focusing errors!
The Sinar cameras are not my cup of tea at all ,but i can see from my comments how you would have drawn this conclusion ,all cameras i have used or owned have been woodys .Cheers Gary


Very good, very good. Blaming the equipment when something is out of focus is an excellent practice (I usually blame the tripod myself but blaming the camera works too). Either way, by blaming the equipment you don't have to spend any time figuring out what you did wrong. : - )

In a more serious vein, you should take a look at the "Focusing the View Camera" article contained in the articles section of this forum. It explains a much better way (IMHO) to focus a view camera than stopping down and trying to figure out what's in focus by looking at the (usually dark) viewing screen.

[cobalt]

Very good, very good. Blaming the equipment when something is out of focus is an excellent practice (I usually blame the tripod myself but blaming the camera works too). Either way, by blaming the equipment you don't have to spend any time figuring out what you did wrong. : - )

In a more serious vein, you should take a look at the "Focusing the View Camera" article contained in the articles section of this forum. It explains a much better way (IMHO) to focus a view camera than stopping down and trying to figure out what's in focus by looking at the (usually dark) viewing screen.

HA! That's funny.
I actually had my THIRD Hasselblad outfit before I realized it wasn't the equipment that was dull and ineffective; it was my lack of facility with the instrument.

[Ed K.]

The great thing about a DD is being able to afford an 8x10 that can bring home good images. The 'ol girl has to get a nudge here and there to set up, yet in the end, she's really consistent. The weight of the Deardorff 8x10 is not the big issue really. A few filmi holders, lenses and a nice travel case plus light meter and the rest of the kit will really weigh a person down.

The other great thing about having a Deardorff is that if it is not your cup of tea, it's probably a cup of tea somebody else would give a little money to have. Bought right and treated well, it's hard to go wrong trying it out.

My DD is no collector's item. She's a good trustworthy friend that always brings back an image. For me, the weight issue is the entire kit required for an extended trip. I used to joke about needing a carpenter's square and a pipe wrench to use the camera. After seeing what it brings back with very little effort, I don't feel the need for another 8x10 field. In the class department, a nice Ebony still makes me drool, however I don't think that my pictures would improve much (if at all) for having one.

I find that 8x10 is much easier to work with than 4x5 when it comes to the plane of focus and movements. Most of the time a good look at the GG is enough to spot problems.

Of course, if yours is in nice shape, I'll give you a hundred bucks for it to relieve you of your misery:) Good luck on your quest to find the camera you love.

[John Kasaian]

The great thing about a DD is being able to afford an 8x10 that can bring home good images. The 'ol girl has to get a nudge here and there to set up, yet in the end, she's really consistent. The weight of the Deardorff 8x10 is not the big issue really. A few filmi holders, lenses and a nice travel case plus light meter and the rest of the kit will really weigh a person down.

The other great thing about having a Deardorff is that if it is not your cup of tea, it's probably a cup of tea somebody else would give a little money to have. Bought right and treated well, it's hard to go wrong trying it out.

My DD is no collector's item. She's a good trustworthy friend that always brings back an image. For me, the weight issue is the entire kit required for an extended trip. I used to joke about needing a carpenter's square and a pipe wrench to use the camera. After seeing what it brings back with very little effort, I don't feel the need for another 8x10 field. In the class department, a nice Ebony still makes me drool, however I don't think that my pictures would improve much (if at all) for having one.

I find that 8x10 is much easier to work with than 4x5 when it comes to the plane of focus and movements. Most of the time a good look at the GG is enough to spot problems.

Of course, if yours is in nice shape, I'll give you a hundred bucks for it to relieve you of your misery:) Good luck on your quest to find the camera you love.

Well said! (I'll give you $110 for it!:D )

[G Benaim]

Gary,

I've also recently made the move from 45 to 810 and much prefer it, to the point that I'll be selling my 45 gear soon. I find composing on the larger glass much easier, and focusing is a cinch even without a loupe. I would also highly reccommend the article on choosing an f-stops here at LFF as a worthwhile alternative to stopping down, although I do use the latter method if I'm in a hurry.
To give you a quick idea of what you do, you focus on the nearest object, measure the bellows extension, focus on the far, measure again, substract the one from the other, and get a number in millimeters. Say you got 20mm, set your lens at f90, focus the camera halfway between the 2 points, i.e. 10mm in, and everything will be in focus. There's a chart relating the distance in mm and the f-stop required, but it only goes to f64, or 10mm approx. If you need more, and I usually do, look up an earlier post of mine on the subject. Roughly, f90 is 20mm and f128 is 30mm. Hope that helps.

GB

[Gary Tarbert]

Thanks GB, Will give that formula a try.
Have been on leave for a few days , so i have had a play around with the Deardorff.
This camera really is easy to set up & pull down, just as easy as any 5x4.
I even put a couple of sheets of film through it today and i must admit the lomger i own this camera the more familiar i am becoming with it.
And hence the photographs are improving.
I think i was spoilt as to the learning curve with a new format by the fact that when i switched to 5x4 a few years ago i was taking keepers from day one!!
with the occasional total stuff up.
With the 8x10 this has not been the case and today i took my first keeper on 8x10!!!
John & Ed thank you for your offers:) but i might just persevere a bit longer.cheers Gary