Toyo 810G

[gliderbee]

I might buy a Toyo 810G in very good condition. What would be a reasonable price ?

I already have a 810M and it seems a good idea to me to buy this one, as I can use e.g. my 4x5 reducing back, lensboards, etc .. on both.

Thanks,
Stefan.

[Cor]

No idea about price (were are you?), but carefully check the bellows, they are frequently in bad shape if they are the original ones (mine were on my 810M and I heard from quite a few other Toyo owners)

Best,

Cor

[Tobias Key]

I second the bellows comment. Check the corners for pin holes by putting a torch inside them. My bellows looked cosmetically very good but were functionally awful!

[Michael Graves]

What Cor says is true. I own an 810M, which uses precisely the same bellows. I had to have them replaced fairly early on. At the time I went with the company in England that was doing such a good job and those have served me well since. I used the 810G at a studio I where I worked several years ago and have nothing but good things to say about the camera. It is solid, ergonomically easy to use. If I wanted an 8x10 monorail, it would be my first choice. But I would examine the bellows VERY carefully. If they have pinholes, a good price would be in the $500 to $600 range, depending entirely on the condition of the rest of the camera. With recently replaced bellows, add $100. If you get one that needs replacements, hang on the the bellows frames and buy a set from that China outfit that sells them for $169.00. I had a set of their for a Toyo 4x5. They were easy to replace and nicely made.

[Tobias Key]

I second the bellows comment. Check the corners for pin holes by putting a torch inside them. My bellows looked cosmetically very good but were functionally awful!

[gliderbee]

Thanks all for your help; I'll certainly ask about the bellows. It can indeed be a problem: the bellows of my Toyo 810M had a small pinhole at every corner; I fixed them with Plastidip. I only became aware of the problem when I used long lenses, because of the stretching of the bellows; with short lenses, it passed unnoticed.

Stefan.