8x10 or 5x7

[Dave Moeller]

Percy-

It would be helpful if you would give us your definition of "ransoming the queen". Are you willing to pay $400? $500? $1000?

Having said that, I can tell you that I picked up a Calumet C1 (the lighter magnesium model), my first 8x10 lens (a Nikkor 480mm process lens), a Packard shutter, and about a dozen 8x10 film holders, all for less then $600. The trick is to pick the pieces up separately, and to use as many resources as are available for finding the equipment.

The C1 I got on eBay. I got it dirt cheap because the person who was selling it took lousy pictures of it. The pictures made it look like the black (and therefore heavier aluminum) model. The pictures were so dark that I loaded them into an image editor and played around with them to see what the camera actually looked like. Surprise...the camera was green (not a guarantee that it's the lighter model...but the odds are good) and was in excellent condition. I placed the only bid on the item. The seller's lack of photographic ability saved me a few hundred dollars.

The Nikkor lens I picked up from a member who posted it on a forum. It was listed along with another lens, both being shipped from Europe, for the princely sum of $150. The Nikkor was in excellent shape, but the other lens was disparaged in the seller's description, so nobody took the bait before I found the ad. The Nikkor was in pristine shape. The other lens was so pitted that I haven't yet decided if I'll throw it away or play with it to see what sort of artistic effects it might produce.

The Packard shutter is from KEH. The listing was confusing, and it was going for $19. It turns out that part of an old (probably pre-20th century) lens was attached to the shutter. I removed the old lens and had a perfectly functioning shutter.

The film holders were mostly from eBay, listed as "needing work". Not much can go wrong with a film holder that can't be fixed with a roll of bellows tape and a little patience.

Patience is the key here. If you need something now, you'll pay for it. You might as well order a new camera and lens, and pay the ransom for them. But if you can spend a few months trolling eBay and the various photo forums, you'll find the deals. In the end, it can pay off handsomely.

Be well.
Dave

[Don Wallace]

The procedure is the same as it ever was. Do some research on what you need/want and then start checking out the usual sources. Let dealers know what you are after and eventually some decent deals will come your way. In three different sales, I got an old Ansco (with 8x10 and 5x7 backs) in very nice shape, a 14 inch Commercial Ektar with a recent CLA, and three holders, all for a total of $1200. I had to get a new tripod but I COULD have continued with my old one as long as there was no breeze.