Help. Need to be talked off the ledge...

[Pawlowski6132]

I believe I'm about to pull the trigger on an 8x10 camera this week.

I have no business buying it. I don't need it and can't rationalize it or justify it.

But, feel I must get it out of my system unless there's a voice of reason among you willing to bring experience and common sense to bear.

Please hurry.

:o

Joe

[Mark Woods]

Joe, if you keep this up you may end up like Jim Fitzgerald and aim at a 20x24, or me. I bought a V8 8x10 and recently bought a Chamnoix 11x14. I was lusting over an 8x20 that recently sold on eBay. The images are amazing! I spent the day in the darkroom today making enlargements from my vacation where I shot B&W film with a 1938 Leica IIIa. Very retro, but not even close to my big guns. GO FOR IT!! :-)

[John Jarosz]

Photography is a journey. Take the path that looks the most challenging and interesting. You have a lifetime to try all the options. When you are ready for it, you'll choose the right path.

John

[MIke Sherck]

Once you get it into your head there's only one way to get it out. Just be ready for a learning curve: it isn't exactly the same as 4x5 or 5x7.

And, yeah: now I want a 7x17. (Ok, to be honest, I was in a meeting not long ago where we all had a stack of 11x17 photocopies in front of us (the marketing folks are getting out of hand again!) Someone was droning on in the background while I held the paper up in front of me, turning it horizontal and vertical. Why hasn't this ever been a standard film size? It's perfect!)

Mike

[Pawlowski6132]

Once you get it into your head there's only one way to get it out. Just be ready for a learning curve: it isn't exactly the same as 4x5 or 5x7.


Mike

Hey, at $5/neg, no problem right?

:o

[Brian C. Miller]

Jump!

Jump!

Jump!

Jump!

[John Kasaian]

That's GREAT! You'll love 8x10! You will youwillyouwill! Especially the first time you look at one of those big beautiful negatives and pull that first contact print out of the soup! Enjoy, Pal! Enjoy! :D
What kind of 8x10? What lens ya' got for it?

[Pawlowski6132]

It's a Cambo in excellent condition. Checked it out today. Comes with 5 negative holders, 4x5 back and huge heavy case. $375. I assume that's at least fair market price?

For now, I'll have to use my Schneider 210 convertible. Will be just a few mm short of full coverage.

Not sure what to get. I shoot almost 100% portaits. Any suggestions on lenses?

thanx.

Still nervous about getting it though.

[Joseph O'Neil]

I took the jump last year to one of those big 8x10 rail cameras. Heavy as heck. Only thing I regret is not having the time to use it.
joe

[Frank Petronio]

Just have a tripod big enough to match. Since the thing weighs a ton already, there are great deals on Craigslist for old Majestics and other heavy metal brands (Quickset, Husky, etc.)

[mdm]

For that price you can't go too far wrong. Different if there was a zero after the 375. There are far worse ways of giving money away.

[Brian C. Miller]

Say, I have a Cambo 8x10! I love it. I bought it several years ago. Yes, buy that camera now! I bought mine with a reducing back, too. Fabulous machine, and of course you can tell how well I like mine. The price is good. Mine didn't come with a case, though. (I bought my Toyo 45AX from a fellow who decided that he'd had it with 4x5, and decided that 8x10 was the way to go. I always wondered what the guy who sold me the 8x10 moved up to...)

[jb7]

That's a free camera-
the reducing back and the holders might cost $375-

I don't know that lens, but it might cover at portrait distance-





It's a Cambo in excellent condition. Checked it out today. Comes with 5 negative holders, 4x5 back and huge heavy case. $375. I assume that's at least fair market price?

For now, I'll have to use my Schneider 210 convertible. Will be just a few mm short of full coverage.

Not sure what to get. I shoot almost 100% portaits. Any suggestions on lenses?

thanx.

Still nervous about getting it though.

[MIke Sherck]

Hey, at $5/neg, no problem right?

:o

$5 per neg is a severe problem for me, mom having not married the rich guy. :) Arista.edu from Freestyle is a workhorse at $2 per sheet (although nothing faster than ASA 100.) You need to exercise care in processing as the emulsion is old-fashioned and rather soft when wet (it's made by Foma, in the Czech Republic,) but it's a lovely film in D-76 or PMK Pyro. When I'm feeling extravagant I buy Ilford, at $4 per sheet from Freestyle, closer to $3 per sheet at BH Photo & Video in New Yawk. You tend to forget the cost when you hold the processed sheet up to the light when it comes out of the fix. ;)

Mike

[MIke Sherck]

It's a Cambo in excellent condition. Checked it out today. Comes with 5 negative holders, 4x5 back and huge heavy case. $375. I assume that's at least fair market price?

For now, I'll have to use my Schneider 210 convertible. Will be just a few mm short of full coverage.

Not sure what to get. I shoot almost 100% portaits. Any suggestions on lenses?

thanx.

Still nervous about getting it though.

Oh, hey: you're buying that one from the fellow in Niles, aren't you? I saw the add. I know the guy: he used to be active in a short-lived B&W photography group in South Bend a number of years ago. I bought his Nikon 300mm M lens last year. Got a good deal on it, too.

That should be a good camera, particularly for portraits as you say you do. My 8x10 is an old B&J monorail: I've grown attached to it over time and now realize that it's clunky appearance is simply an appropriate complement to my own. :)

It is likely that your 210mm will in fact cover the corners, although you might not have any movements. I used a Fuji 210mm as a wide lens for my 8x10 for years, until this past spring when I was fortunate to have found the older Fuji 210mm, with a 352mm image circle which easily covers the format. It's probably my most-used 8x10 lens (I photograph mostly landscapes.) Corners may be a bit softer than the center, but for portraits you may not even notice. Take care in composing to make sure a couple of corners aren't cut off and you should be good to go.

For natural light portraits, you might consider looking for an inexpensive 360mm process lens in barrel. I used one for some time for landscapes, sometimes loading it up with filters and cranking the aperture down to f/90 or beyond, to get an exposure of 1 sec. or longer (easy to time those, by hand.) I just sold mine to a fellow in Australia the week before last or I'd have let you borrow it to try it out. Modern ones might be too sharp for your purposes, and only go down to f/9 or so, but older ones ought to be at least a bit softer.

Mike

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I'm the last guy to ask about going bigger! Yes, go for it! You will be glad you did. 8x10 is a great contact print size. Then again so is 11x14 and 8x20! But then again so is 14x17. That is why the 14x17 is being built! Like they say " release the hounds!" You can still find great cheap portrait lenses on e-bay. You just have to look. I picked up a what looks to be a knock off of a B&L projector lens that is 22" focal length for $2.25. Wide open it covers my 11x14.
For film try x-ray film at .23 a sheet.

Jim

[Pawlowski6132]

Oh, hey: you're buying that one from the fellow in Niles, aren't you? I saw the add. I know the guy: he used to be active in a short-lived B&W photography group in South Bend a number of years ago. I bought his Nikon 300mm M lens last year. Got a good deal on it, too.

That should be a good camera, particularly for portraits as you say you do. My 8x10 is an old B&J monorail: I've grown attached to it over time and now realize that it's clunky appearance is simply an appropriate complement to my own. :)

It is likely that your 210mm will in fact cover the corners, although you might not have any movements. I used a Fuji 210mm as a wide lens for my 8x10 for years, until this past spring when I was fortunate to have found the older Fuji 210mm, with a 352mm image circle which easily covers the format. It's probably my most-used 8x10 lens (I photograph mostly landscapes.) Corners may be a bit softer than the center, but for portraits you may not even notice. Take care in composing to make sure a couple of corners aren't cut off and you should be good to go.

For natural light portraits, you might consider looking for an inexpensive 360mm process lens in barrel. I used one for some time for landscapes, sometimes loading it up with filters and cranking the aperture down to f/90 or beyond, to get an exposure of 1 sec. or longer (easy to time those, by hand.) I just sold mine to a fellow in Australia the week before last or I'd have let you borrow it to try it out. Modern ones might be too sharp for your purposes, and only go down to f/9 or so, but older ones ought to be at least a bit softer.

Mike


Hi Mike, yeah, that's the one - in Niles. How'd you piece that together?

Thanx for the advice on the natural light portaits lenses.

[Darren H]

I'll be the voice of reason. Don't do it. Step away from the edge. You do not need an 8x10. 4x5 is good enough. 8x10 is heavier and more expensive than 4x5. Do you really want to carry that big of a camera and spend that much on film and processing?

Do it cause you want to and have the time, money, and arms to support it. Otherwise forget it.

Ok, there is the one person telling you not to spend your money. :-)

[Jim Galli]

Heck ya! I have one of everything but the 810 gets used at least 80% of the time. The Cambo is a poor solution though. The only time I suffered a Cambo is the one I bought on :eek:bay for a 100 more than yours that had the funny Schneider f8 Dargon lens included :D:D Sold the Cambo. Far too much bulk for what it does. Kept the "Dargon" which of course turned out to be a Kern Dagor. A good light flatbed 8X10 is the most versatile machine out there (imho).

[David Aimone]

i agree with Darren. Make pictures with your 4x5 if you "don't need it..."
Or heck, go for it if you can't help restrain yourself (I know it's hard, I know).

[MIke Sherck]

Hi Mike, yeah, that's the one - in Niles. How'd you piece that together?

Thanx for the advice on the natural light portaits lenses.

Just a lucky guess. It seemed logical: you're buying an 8x10 Cambo for almost what one was advertised for recently. How many 8x10 Cambos are there for sale around here? :cool:

I've been very fortunate this year in that all of my 8x10 projects have been within 50 feet of my car. May you always be so lucky!

Mike

[Brian C. Miller]

I've been very fortunate this year in that all of my 8x10 projects have been within 50 feet of my car.

A while back, somebody asked me about how I pack my 8x10. I replied that it was no problem, I opened the tailgate, set up the camera, made my photograph, and then put it back in the truck. The further I get from my truck, the smaller the camera that I carry with me.

[paulr]

Liar! You didn't come here to be talked out of it, you came to be talked into it!
Perhaps you can't rationalize buying it, but you know that collectively, a group like this can rationalize anything ... ;)


I believe I'm about to pull the trigger on an 8x10 camera this week.

I have no business buying it. I don't need it and can't rationalize it or justify it.

[mdm]

Excelent. Made me laugh.

David


Liar! You didn't come here to be talked out of it, you came to be talked into it!
Perhaps you can't rationalize buying it, but you know that collectively, a group like this can rationalize anything ... ;)

[SAShruby]

IMO, economic recession impacts negatively people's minds. One possible project is to shoot recession. Plenty of around these days. It also happens once per 10-15 years...

Personally, I can't get myself from state of defining my own style to a production phase. Two years and counting. And I'm tired to take pictures of objects they have been created and they're there (like landscapes, streets, etc.). Not my taste, I'm looking after having my own "art work", sort of unique. I really like what Gandolfi does, he makes something others can't copy. That's what I call "my work".

[Fotoguy20d]

I'm new to 8x10 (first real shoot, last weekend) with an Eastman 2D. Completely different from 4x5, and I don't know if I'll want to go back (I no longer shoot 35mm, and rarely touch 120, after going 4x5). As for the $2-4 per shot, I used Ilford MG IV at 60 cents a shot - its a different look/feel from film, but I was shooting civil war era living history so the red-insensitivity worked well with the subject matter.

Dan

[Bill_1856]

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[engl]

If you really want to be talked out of 8x10, you should go somewhere else. Stick around here and you will soon realize just how much sense formats like 11x14 and 7x17 make :)

If you are unsure about your decision, consider what it will cost with camera, lenses, accessories, tripod, film, development, printing method of choice etc. Then consider what other things you could do with that money, like a vacation (photographic one maybe?), gear for your current camera, home improvement, ultralight flying lessons, romantic dining with wife/girlfriend/prospect/mistress, a jackhammer or maybe a large number of big prints of current photographs.

If your mind is still on the 8x10, go for it :)

[brianam]

sounds to me like you got a great deal on a kit that let's you try out a format that has been the backbone of finer photography for many decades.

be thankful you don't have an addiction to owning the latest DSLR, megaCCD, auto-sensing, auto-composing, auto-exposing, "so advanced you don't even need it" camera. (credit Steven Wright for the last bit).

all new-from-the-manufacturer gear has that "drove the car off the lot and it lost half its value" problem.
If you decide that 8x10 isn't for you, you can re-sell it here for probably all of your investment. sans film, and time of course.

-brian

[Rui Morais de Sousa]

I like to use a multitude of fine cameras in a variety of formats: 35mm, 120 and sheet film (digital doesn't make my heart throb...).
I believe that the biggest pleasure I can experience, is when I am photographing in 8x10 (or 13x18 with reducing back).
If I could, I still would go bigger...
Try it to believe.
Cheers,
Rui
AL-MOST-LY PHOTOGRAPHY (http://ruimoraisdesousa.blogspot.com/)

[Pawlowski6132]

It's done. In my office. Still in the case...

[Mark Woods]

Welcome to the asylum! It's fun here. ;-)

[Rui Morais de Sousa]

Congratulations!
Pack it out and enjoy yourself!
Cheers,
Rui

[Pawlowski6132]

Holy Crap!! It's like watching T.V.

[mdm]

Next up, super high res 20X24 widescreen.

[Tim k]

Holy Crap!! It's like watching T.V.

Is it color tv?

[SAShruby]

IMO, economic recession impacts negatively people's minds. One possible project is to shoot recession. Plenty of around these days. It also happens once per 10-15 years...

Personally, I can't get myself from state of defining my own style to a production phase. Two years and counting. And I'm tired to take pictures of objects they have been created and they're there (like landscapes, streets, etc.). Not my taste, I'm looking after having my own "art work", sort of unique. I really like what Gandolfi does, he makes something others can't copy. That's what I call "my work".

Wow, this supposed to go to another thread! How did it ended up here? :confused:

[Mark Woods]

Although you may've posted this to another thread, this is the foundation of all artist's journey. It's particularly difficult for photographers who don't use photo-shop or other image bending software. The photo-chemical photographer has to deal with the aspect that the image actually existed for a moment in time. Couple that with an artistic POV and through line, and you can understand why most photography is looked down on. It's a very difficult medium to express oneself in a unique artistic manner.

[Brian C. Miller]

The photo-chemical photographer has to deal with the aspect that the image actually existed for a moment in time. Couple that with an artistic POV and through line, and you can understand why most photography is looked down on. It's a very difficult medium to express oneself in a unique artistic manner.

Unless you are Jerry Uelsmann, and then it is quite easy. Now, doing this with an 8x10, that takes a bit more effort. Really, now, half a dozen 8x10 enlargers? I think that we may be asking too much of Pawlowski. After all, he just got the wee beastie.