Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

**tgtaylor** · 16-Apr-2021, 21:24

Tired of the hassle of folding the Toyo 810 M, MII, and G bellows correctly? Try unhooking the bellows from both standards and then folding it; all the little creases seem to fall quickly into their proper place. I hit upon this last weekend when out shooting with the 760 Apo Nikkor which requires you to use the long bellows (1200mm) and to reverse the front standard. The idea struck me when packing-up and BINGO everything fell neatly and quickly into place. If only I would have discovered this a few years ago when I first got the MII. I reattach the bellows to the rear standard and push the front standard (now in the standard position) up flush with the bellows without reattaching it and with a piece of foam to keep the standard off the bed. The seemingly incongruous big locking bar becomes plausible when folding the camera with the long bellows attached. The bellows (standard or long) on Toyo's 4x5 cameras don't have the same issues as on the 8x10's.

Thomas

**Pasquet** · 11-Oct-2021, 10:13

Originally Posted by Ari

Re-posting this since the photos have since been moved from their initial place.

I've had a number of distractions lately, so I didn't get to this until recently. I finally found some time when Luka, friend and watchmaker, paid me a visit. I put him to work on switching out the plates on the front standard.
The problem I encountered back in February was a very tight screw in the front standard. The screw is underneath the silver cap, see photo:

What Luka quickly discovered was that the screw loosens by turning to the right, the opposite of the usual procedure; I could have easily ruined the screw, but luckily, I didn't force it back then.
We swapped out the old plate for the new plate; bottom of old plate shown here:

The two prongs are what prevent the front standard from rotating 180˚; the new plate is black and has no prongs.
That, in a nutshell, is the main difference between the 810M and 810MII: a $10 plate.

After installation, the new plate worked perfectly. The standard still has zero-detents and it doesn't require a worrisome amount of force to turn it around 180˚.

What's also nice is that swing movement is now limited only by bellows; everything locks down as tightly as before, so the camera has only been improved, not ruined or affected adversely in any way.

So when I want to use longer lenses, I have the needed bellows; the procedure is much simpler now: unlatch bellows at front standard, rotate standard 180˚, re-attach bellows.
Installation time was about 15 minutes.

One more thing to note: there is a pin that protrudes from the bottom of the standard; it can be removed with a small flat screwdriver. This pin is what gives zero clicks, so don't remove it; it is not what permits rotation of the standard.

**Pasquet** · 11-Oct-2021, 10:15

Dear ARI

While waiting for the TOYO 880 M that I just bought, I am trying to find answers to my 3 major questions:
-where to find a protective back?
-how to extend the bellows?
-how to get the front face rotation?
In short, how to make an 810 M II with an 810 M?
You answer perfectly to my questions and so I will follow your advice and your realizations.
Could you send me the link of the TOYO 810 M technical manual so that I can download it? Thanks again for all this information .
Best regards
Pasquet

**Ari** · 11-Oct-2021, 10:18

Hi Pasquet,
Glad that some of this information was helpful.
Please send me an email and I can send you the Toyo manual.
My email is at this page: https://www.flmcanada.com
Thank you

**peterle** · 12-Oct-2021, 12:45

Hi Ari,

" We swapped out the old plate for the new plate; bottom of old plate shown here:"v

Where do I get the new plate ?

Kindest Regards

Peter, Germany

P.S.: Your post is very helpful. THANK YOU !!

**Ari** · 12-Oct-2021, 13:08

Hi Peter,
I bought mine from MAC Group in NY. They are distributors for the Toyo brand in North America.
You can also look for a possible European distributor.
The part was about $30 plus shipping.
Good luck!

**Michael Kadillak** · 12-Oct-2021, 20:37

As per the question on the protective back, on my 810M I had a piece of acrylic cut to the back specifications that fits in the grooves and locks down on the side and it serves a dual purpose as a GG protective device that you can focus through.

**tgtaylor** · 13-Oct-2021, 11:17

I bought my replacement protective back from the MAC Group. At the time they had the particle board version which the M came with and the newer black acrylic which comes with the new MII. Both were priced at $40. I got the acrylic. Be careful removing and reinserting as the retaining clips are easy to break off. Replaceable, though.

Thomas