I started with an Arca Field 4x5 (with orbix) and have shot quite a bit with that before venturing to 810. Several years ago I picked up a used 810 conversion kit (non-metric) and concur that the larger Arca back and front standards of the 810 are not as solid as in the 45 setup--standards are a little wobbly. The 45 is a very solid camera. Here are some things I learned since picking up the Arca 810 conversion:
-For contact printing, 810 is great. In some ways, it's one of the most simple ways of printing images. A contact printing frame, light bulb and 3-4 8x10 or 11x14 trays and you're making images. It's a very small footprint to setup in a home and cheap. While many in the forum really enjoy the quality of the silver chloride graded papers, I found standard VC papers like Ilford Warm Tone make really excellent quality 810 contact prints.
-For enlarging, 810 requires a significant investment. 810 enlargers (many threads in the forum) are extremely large. Also, you need a much larger sink to make up to 20x24 enlargements. Much much larger investment. In terms of quality, I've put 45 and 810 20x24 enlargements side to side and yes, the 810 is a bit better. But I'd bet most viewers would never see the difference. You'll see the biggest difference with 810 enlargements once you get into the 30x40 range and above. How often do we make images that large? Not often. Setting up a 4x5 enlarger in a darkroom is MUCH easier (cost and footprint) than the 810 world and the results for prints up to 20x24 are really excellent.
-Working with 810 over 45 in the field is like an order of magnitude more difficult. 810 camera is heavier, bigger, more difficult to backpack (in the case of Arca with the rail adding extra vertical bulk) and film holders are very heavy. And of course film is much more expensive. If you like shooting with long lenses, you'll need a very long bellows draw with 810 which makes it much more difficult making movements as you often have to get out from under the darkcloth. The metric version of the 810 Arca with geared rise/fall/tilt would help but you'll still need to get out from under the darkcloth more than with 45.
-With respect to the Arca line of cameras, the 45 cameras allow you to shoot with roll film backs. So you can shoot 6x7, 6x9, 6x12 and 4x5. That's super flexible. And one interesting advantage not often mentioned in the forum is using the Arca leather Viewing Bellows (instead of a darkcloth). You can then ditch the darkcloth (great for city shooting) and the built in 2X magnifier in the viewing bellows allows you to see the ground glass more clearly when shooting roll film formats (you see the smaller part of the ground glass easier). The footprint of the 45 camera is much easier to backpack and travel with.
A bit long winded there but I would recommend if you want to enlarge negatives, go with a Arca 45 setup. It's really a super system. For 810, before dropping $8K for a new Arca I would test the waters with a cheaper 810 first. Pick up a used camera (Michael Smith liked the Kodak Master View ~$1200) or maybe an Intrepid. Shoot with it for a few years and see how you like it. If you love 810 shooting, then stepping up to an Arca makes a lot of sense. I just recently picked up an Arca 5x7 conversion and the footprint of that camera is not much bigger/heavier than the Arca 45. However, 5x7 has its own issues (film, enlarger availability, etc) that make it somewhat challenging as well. I frequently think I should just ditch all the other formats keep my 45 setup and just focus on shooting. Gear can be really distracting to making good images. I say that to myself of course.
Good luck.
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