Is this a good deal? Toyo 810M

[TAG]

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[Neal Chaves]

Many people will think a Toyo bellows is good if they have not been using the camera. The pinholes in the corners are hard to see without a light. This light colored 810M has been around long enough to have required a new bellows at one time.

[Brian Ellis]

It sold for $1,200 so someone thought it was a fair price.

[Douglas Henderson]

I bought the Toyo 810M on Ebay a few days ago and indeed, you take your chances buying pricey items this way. Most of the large-format gear acquired over the last 12 years has come from Ebay--and has turn out quite functional and able to be put to good work. Interesting to note, prices of late seem to be going back up for large-format.

The Toyo has arrived and proved to be in something better than excellent + condition. There's hardly a mark on it, the gearing is unworn, the focus is smooth and everything works--and the front and back standards are true through the whole focus travel range. Unfolded, it locks up solid for a field camera. Wish it had a handle.

The above said, the camera had some minor issues--one back standard locking knob (in contrast to the rest of the whole camera) was pretty much destroyed--perhaps partially during shipping, though it looked less than perfect in the auction photos. The bellows had one hole big enough to actually see and another pinhole visible with a very bright light run up and down the interior of the bellows in a black room. The leaks are nothing that can't be repaired. I'm hoping Toyo has replacements for the knob.

The engineering is quite lovely--it looks nearly new. Perhaps it was overpriced--but I've seen very few of these for sale. It folds more compact than a Calumet C-1 I have. Mean to get it to Yellowstone sometime this summer. Too cold this winter to do much with gear requiring the use of fingers over a day trip.

[Andrew Plume]

Doug

I've been following prices for this camera for sometime

here's a link to one which was sold over on the UK LF forum (albeit in great shape) - http://www.lf-photo.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2137&p=13251&hilit=toyo#p13251

sounds as though you have a decent deal, they're from memory irregular visitors to ebay


andrew

[Andrew Plume]

looking again, the one sold in the UK seems to be a more recent model


andrew