Wood Vs Metal cameras for working near ocean?

[ryanmills]

Anyone who shoots near water have any thoughts on wood vs metal cameras? I shoot a lot in and near water. Most of its not salt water but it happens. I have a metal sinar that holds up pretty well. few cheap screws I noticed have started to show some rust. I'm moving up to to 8x10 and while I have my eye on a Master View mainly because of its speed of use (or maybe a toyo 810m) and it seems it would hold up better in travel. I'm starting to wonder if a deardorff might be a better choice. Or does it really even matter?

[Drew Wiley]

I'm into it all nearly every summer weekend, salty beach fog, rain, often splashy beach conditions, freshwater lagoons. Makes no difference. I shoot wooden folders as well as metal Sinar monorails, sometimes medium format too. All the fittings whether camera or tripod should be nonferrous. I don't know why anyone would want a Dorff when there are so many more modern options out there. But that's starting a food fight. I'd rather have titanium or stainless hardware than brass, which is suscepetible to salt air and needs constant attention, just like on a boat. The Sinar main rails are steel; but they're so well plated
they've never tarnished. My Ries tripods have bronze and stainless hardware, and even my carbon fiber tripods contain nothing capable of rust. I simply hose off the tripods at the end of each day. The cameras get wiped down with a microfiber cloth, slightly dampened if necessary. Lenses are a different subject, but we should all know about those by now.

[ryanmills]

I'm into it all nearly every summer weekend, salty beach fog, rain, often splashy beach conditions, freshwater lagoons. Makes no difference. I shoot wooden folders as well as metal Sinar monorails, sometimes medium format too. All the fittings whether camera or tripod should be nonferrous. I don't know why anyone would want a Dorff when there are so many more modern options out there. But that's starting a food fight. I'd rather have titanium or stainless hardware than brass, which is suscepetible to salt air and needs constant attention, just like on a boat. The Sinar main rails are steel; but they're so well plated
they've never tarnished. My Ries tripods have bronze and stainless hardware, and even my carbon fiber tripods contain nothing capable of rust. I simply hose off the tripods at the end of each day. The cameras get wiped down with a microfiber cloth, slightly dampened if necessary. Lenses are a different subject, but we should all know about those by now.

Thanks, I really need a folding camera. I travel with a rail camera right now and its not work the extra drama. I really would prefer a KMV but finding one thats not priced silly has been a challenge lately. I never seem to have the money when a decent one pops up. The deardorff is really a last resort but wondered if wood mattered. Sounds like it really does not. Thanks for the insight!

[jp]

I use 4x5 gear near the ocean quite a bit. I live in a fog bank most of the summer which is hard on most steel and leather (gets moldy).

At the beach, tripod choice is the biggest thing for me. I really like Tiltalls for 4x5 and smaller but mine got sand up the legs and corrosion and that did it in. I have a Ries tripod now which handles the salt and grit much better.

If you have a few little pieces of hardware getting rusty it's probably dissimilar metals mixing with the salt air to accelerate the corrosion. Clean it up and wax it to prevent recurrence.

[Drew Wiley]

Storage is a problem on the coast. You want your gear either on shelves with good air circulation, or stored in a tight container with active dessicant, some of which are very bad for leather if in DIRECT contact with it; so such products must be correctly used. And yes, mold does love not only leather but leatherette too. Gear that get used routinely is less a problem, cause it gets aired out anyway. But anything that actually gets damp is dried out immediately, at the end of the same day. Around here everything rusts just from the climate. And various alloys start squabbling with one another in the presence of salt in a manner they wouldn't inland. No big deal if you understand this. But with wooden cameras per se, I'd be a bit concerned about any cheapo ones. Humidity changes = warpage, lack of consistent film plane, loosening joints, etc. The better brands understood how to properly cure, join, and finish wood for long-term reliability. But just because a camera looks pretty on a fireplace mantle doesn't mean it's equally functional. There have even been a few expensive ones that made me
suspect of their durability. In wooden folders I work with an Ebony 4x5 and Phillips 8x10, and they've been reliable year-in, year-out, all kinds of weather. My
only complaint with the Ebony is that their fresnel/GG sandwich easily fogs up; but I instantly replaced it with a Satin Snow GG, since I hate fresnels in general.

[jp]

Storage is a problem on the coast. You want your gear either on shelves with good air circulation, or stored in a tight container with active dessicant, some of which are very bad for leather if in DIRECT contact with it; so such products must be correctly used. And yes, mold does love not only leather but leatherette too. Gear that get used routinely is less a problem, cause it gets aired out anyway.

Yep. While my house varies in high humidity and salt air such that bathroom doors won't shut, I do keep the garage sealed tight and dehumidified.
What's good for the old car is good for camera gear, negative and print storage, etc.. I electronically monitor and get an email if humidity or temperature become a problem.
If I were five miles inland, none of this would be a concern.

[Kirk Gittings]

interesting question that I have not had to face living in the high desert.

[Peter De Smidt]

How about a Walker Titan?

[Tin Can]

Black Rock Desert can't be good for any camera for very long.

Alkaline sand storms.

aka Burning Man. My lungs took several months to clear. The fresh Honda Civic never did.

[Liquid Artist]

I don't think it really matters what you use.
If you don't wipe the camera down with a clean damp cloth your going to have issues in the future.
If you do your camera may last your lifetime.
But then again you know what they say " there's no guarantee except death and taxes"