Intrepid 8x10 experiences?

[Max Grew]

Hello Max,

Hope you're also reading this message - I was shooting landscape on the other day and realised that the cord-tension 8x10 back does have a little bit of play after inserting the film holder, i.e. after inserting the film holder registering the holder correctly to the slot, I could still push the holder forward still. That means if I let loose my hand, the lens-film plane distance is increasing. The net result is that the landscape at infinity I focused on the ground glass was blurred, and the foreground became the unintended sharp subject. I had a wasted E6 slide and I hope not to experience that again (granted, the focal length I used was 150mm so that's rather sensitive to film-plane distance changes)

Is mine an isolated case or is this a known issue that pushes the design of the intrepid 8x10 to be operated by spring tension? Would love to know what the other users think about this.

Now more than ever I am very inclined to know of the ways that I could switch my back to the spring tension back, be it a factory replacement or subsidised purchase (I could live with the other parts of the MK I).

Does anyone else on the forum experience the same issue as I do? I shoot using a factory new Toyo film holder so I suppose it's not the holder that was at issue.

Hello, sorry to hear about the issue with tension on the back, this is the first time I have heard of the tension not being enough when the film holder is inserted and as you point out it is not a problem at all on the new leaf spring design. More than happy to get the problem sorted out for you and we have a couple of options of how to do that.

1. Repair, if you are able to send the camera back into us we will be happy to get it fully working again and send it back out to you, as the fault is clearly nothing to do with you we will be more than happy to repair for free and refund you the postage cost of getting it to us (this is our standard warranty on all cameras)

2. Upgrade, Normally we would offer a 20% discount to owners of the current 8x10 but seeing as you haver had a fault with your camera we can up that to 30%

I would recommend sending us a quick email if you have any questions or if you wish to go ahead with any of the options, Sorry again that you lost a sheet of E6!

Best, Max

[Max Grew]

P.S. Here are some pictures of the new 8x10, whilst not officially out until April any orders placed now for the current 8x10 model will be automatically upgraded to the new one you see bellow





The main upgrades are:

- Aluminium Base, very rigid and stable whilst still lightweight.
- Massive increase to rigidity of front standard.
- Linear focusing rails, camera stays rigid even at full extension with a heavy lens.
- Leaf spring back.
- Independent Rise/Fall and Tilt controls on front standard.
- Rear focusing on a T8 Lead screw, this makes focusing very accurate with tiny adjustments being easy to make and lock down
- Still only £480/$520/€555

Let me know if you have any questions, Max

[Daniel Casper Lohenstein]

Congratulations. Rear focusing by a threaded rod, a completely detachable back and a solid aluminium base are very desirable features.

[Max Grew]

Congratulations. Rear focusing by a threaded rod, a completely detachable back and a solid aluminium base are very desirable features.

Thanks Daniel! We are really happy with how the camera came out

[CGoodier]

Looks good. Is there any way to use the new back on the old camera, with modifications? Also, can you make parts or packages of parts available to tinkerers and builders like me? Great work, thanks.

[pepeguitarra]

P.S. Here are some pictures of the new 8x10, whilst not officially out until April any orders placed now for the current 8x10 model will be automatically upgraded to the new one you see bellow





The main upgrades are:

- Aluminium Base, very rigid and stable whilst still lightweight.
- Massive increase to rigidity of front standard.
- Linear focusing rails, camera stays rigid even at full extension with a heavy lens.
- Leaf spring back.
- Independent Rise/Fall and Tilt controls on front standard.
- Rear focusing on a T8 Lead screw, this makes focusing very accurate with tiny adjustments being easy to make and lock down
- Still only £480/$520/€555

Let me know if you have any questions, Max

It looks good.

[Max Grew]

Looks good. Is there any way to use the new back on the old camera, with modifications? Also, can you make parts or packages of parts available to tinkerers and builders like me? Great work, thanks.

Hello, I think in the future this is something we would love to do, we are still swamped with demand and for now are concentrating on keeping the product line simple, consistent and high quality. Once we have got everything with the new Cameras and the enlarger ticking along nicely we will be looking into kits, upgrades etc etc. Its a real testament to the strength of the community that even with 10 of us working at Intrepid now and shipping 60 - 100 cameras a month we still cant keep up!

[Tin Can]

Max, I will be buying your new 8X10 after I see a review.

It looks really good to me.

Keep the faith!

Very impressive to startup and succeeded in a cottage industry!

Hello, I think in the future this is something we would love to do, we are still swamped with demand and for now are concentrating on keeping the product line simple, consistent and high quality. Once we have got everything with the new Cameras and the enlarger ticking along nicely we will be looking into kits, upgrades etc etc. Its a real testament to the strength of the community that even with 10 of us working at Intrepid now and shipping 60 - 100 cameras a month we still cant keep up!

[Daniel Casper Lohenstein]

concentrating on keeping the product line simple, consistent and high quality

This is the key.

Be radical.

The camera is only a focusing rail with a threaded rod, a slider, perhaps a slider extension.

It's not necessary to produce different sliders for different cameras.

It's better to produce only one type of focusing slider, like the Sinar bench.

On the upper plywood slider you clamp the aluminium/plywood front standard (Linhof lensboard size). Or an additional extension board with the front standard.

On the lower aluminium base of the focusing bed you mount the different aluminium/plywood rear standards with their backs. 2x3 (Mamiya G Adapter size), 4x5 (Sinar F groundglass holder size), 5x7 (Sinar), 8x10 (Sinar) ...

Different bellows, changeable, standardization of the back dimensions, adapter plates, an additional stabilizing detachable telescope clamp to connect the standards ...

Regards

[Corran]

P.S. Here are some pictures of the new 8x10, whilst not officially out until April any orders placed now for the current 8x10 model will be automatically upgraded to the new one you see bellow





The main upgrades are:

- Aluminium Base, very rigid and stable whilst still lightweight.
- Massive increase to rigidity of front standard.
- Linear focusing rails, camera stays rigid even at full extension with a heavy lens.
- Leaf spring back.
- Independent Rise/Fall and Tilt controls on front standard.
- Rear focusing on a T8 Lead screw, this makes focusing very accurate with tiny adjustments being easy to make and lock down
- Still only £480/$520/€555

Let me know if you have any questions, Max

And what is the weight. now?