Sadly and embarrassingly... surely that's true. My country is full of arrogant control freaks.Originally Posted by richardman
Sadly and embarrassingly... surely that's true. My country is full of arrogant control freaks.
you folks got it all wrong. first of all I'm no troll. I've been here longer than most of you. go send your camera over to poland for repairs. it will end up at Richard's house anyway because he's one of the few people in the world that does repair work on large format cameras.
it is always the motto that you pay for what you get in this life. Richard's 8x10 on a tripod is under 10 lbs...
If you want heavy weight then there are many used 8x10 on the market that will suffice...sinar; linhof etc
I do wish the gentleman the best on his camera making venture. I find it extremely immature for people to go off on me when I am a neutral person here on L.F.
I'm also entitled to my opinion..
have a nice day everyone...go take pictures
peter
Ritter 8x10 is a great hike-able camera (I own one) but there is a good argument to be made for a heavier more stable in the wind Chamonix/Shen Hao/Polish option. The quality of the finish, design and woodwork on my Chamonix in 4x5 and 14x17 is very high. While the Ritter is the master of minimalism and economy - precisely designed for what it is intended to do. I guess I do go in for the "there is no perfect camera" philisophy. Perhaps that's why I have too many of them!
Peter... FWIW my comment was not directed at you. It was just a generalization.
Just an FYI. They got back to me on the 14x17 and the cost is $4500. The turnaround is about 3 months. Looks like they make nice cases also................
What I find really great about this camera is not the features it has or its price really, it's the fact that someone in 2014 has decided that it makes good business sense (due to demand) to start producing new cameras. To knock someone for taking the financial risk to start a business that supports our niche hobby is pretty crappy. With digital photography so prevalent that it's essentially pushed film photography off a cliff where support by large companies is becoming less viable, we have to band together and bolster anyone that's investing in what we do.
And to make it a nationalistic thing is just tacky in this day in age. We are truly a global society. China only makes cheap crap because WE want cheap crap. As we've seen from Chamonix, there are people in China that can also produce top quality, precision products.
I don't really get the synical attitude. The more large format cameras the merrier! This one looks pretty nice! Once I decide that the almost 20lb Calumet is too heavy to lug around, I may look into one of these, or a Chamonix, or Ritter, or any other that might come along from any country
agree but I saw it as more of a 'the LF crowd is small enough, can it support *ANOTHER* manufacturer' kind of thing and I think this is a legitimate question in the big picture sense. Are there enough photographers out there to keep 6-8 (or more) companies flush ?
notch codes ? I only use one film...
+1
Tin Can
Some of the makers are more artisanal in nature, like Richard Ritter, who build relative few cameras and take on other repair and custom work. Since they are such low volume I don't think they have much impact on the sales of larger brands. There does seem to be a divide between wooden field camera companies (cheaper to make, and relatively low tooling costs) and more technical monorail camera companies where most of the buyers are pros, some with digital backs, doing product shots etc. I don't think the technical companies are affected at all by more wooden field camera offerings. Also, as key people in essentially one man operations retire, a spot opens up for someone new. Used camera prices and their lack of availability in certain markets like Europe and Asia are probably a bigger issue / opportunity for new low priced entrants.
I wish we knew how film, paper and chem sales are really doing. Is it still rapidly degrading or have we established a new market set point. A market that can sustain or even grow.
l notice Forum members dumping complete sets of equipment, meaning everything analog. Whole darkrooms, cameras and lenses.
Yet, I also notice less big enlargers for sale and less ULF cameras on the gambling site. Miniature cameras are plentiful, but 8x10 and up are not.
Demand drives a market. But where are we going?
Tin Can
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