New to 8x10 - Calumet C questions (ground glass, case, etc.)

[joelio]

Hey all -

I’ve dabbled in 4x5 and now am taking the plunge into 8x10 - abandon all hope, right? It’s a big change from 4x5 on the Calumet CC-400 or Cambo Wide. Wish me luck.

A long forgotten Calumet C is now waiting to be put to use though I need to replace the ground glass. Any suggestions?

Also, any suggestions re a case for this heavy beast? It’s currently clad in cardboard though that certainly won’t do.

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

V/R,

[jose angel]

Hi... Yes, it is a big change, especially in the cost per shot! You have to be four times more convinced every time you release the shutter... I belong to "the bigger the better" group, although I'm not a fellow practitionist... my enlarger is 5x7"", so I scarcely shoot larger.

About the ground glass; my perfect source for plain glass are that cheap ordinary photo frames, the ones with four clips to hold prints. They are only a hair thicker than usual GG glass, so they work. I propose that grind it yourself. You can always buy a manufactured one any time.

Box; I have too many boxes, none is perfect. The one I like the most is an aluminum one, "Dürr Germany", which is also sold under other brand names. Actually, they are not fully made out of aluminum, but an aluminum/plastic sheet, it works. Something close to this one, mine has the "right" size (10x17x13in.).

The main issue is weight. The box is a pain to carry, so I'd love to have it with wheels, maybe like this one.
Trolley type aluminum boxes look to have pretty small wheels (bad for uneven terrain), so I'm decided to buy a basic, cheap shopping trolley adapting the wheels to my own box. I have used this system and find it to be a good solution. Some wheels are foldable, great to save space.

Pelicases and knockoffs are nice but too big and heavy, so unpractical to me. I don't like soft bags for this size. I love my Sinar wooden one too, but it's also heavier than my aluminum one.

[joelio]

Jose -

Thank you for the tips - I appreciate it. The cost of 8x10 sheet film is staggering and I am tempted to get repetitions in with a reducing back first.

Re weight, I think that this is going to be a dedicated studio portraiture camera. It is just too heavy and bulky to imagine getting this out into the field alongside lights and modifiers. That being said, it still needs to live in a case - I don't want my curious children to get their mitts on it. The case that you suggested looks pretty interesting!

V/R,

[Tin Can]

The C is a very good professional studio camera, heavy for the field, but some are strong

At least 3 versions, early production was magnesium, then aluminum

Yousuf Karsh used a white one for many portraits. https://karsh.org/

There was a very lightweight OE aluminum carrying case, hard to find, mine is not for sale, I lined it with Coroplast

There are some fiddly bits, when folding, be gentle until you learn them

A Majestic 6X7" platform head and tripod was made for C, use only the 3/8-20 tripod socket

I highly suggest you buy and learn with X-Ray film as it cheap, but will be gone soon, this price just went up 9%

I buy from this source, as it has in date films. Green or blue doesn't matter, buy the cheaper

https://www.zzmedical.com/analog-x-r...-ray-film.html

[joelio]

The C is a very good professional studio camera, heavy for the field, but some are strong

At least 3 versions, early production was magnesium, then aluminum

Yousuf Karsh used a white one for many portraits. https://karsh.org/

There was a very lightweight OE aluminum carrying case, hard to find, mine is not for sale, I lined it with Coroplast

There are some fiddly bits, when folding, be gentle until you learn them

A Majestic 6X7" platform head and tripod was made for C, use only the 3/8-20 tripod socket

I highly suggest you buy and learn with X-Ray film as it cheap, but will be gone soon, this price just went up 9%

I buy from this source, as it has in date films. Green or blue doesn't matter, buy the cheaper

https://www.zzmedical.com/analog-x-r...-ray-film.html

All fantastic info - thank you! I am particularly intrigued by the suggestion to practice with X-ray film. I have never shot on it though the price is right and the devotees here seem to love it.

I plan on using my Manfrotto 405 head for this venture. I wouldn't dare use a 410 head for something this heavy.

Re cases, I am on the hunt. I will update after purchasing though thank you for the suggestion.

[Len Middleton]

Do watch the tripod head to be certain it is robust enough.

When I got my Green Monster (the lighter magnesium C! version), I placed it upon my Linhof twin shank tripod with the standard 3D head. I was surprised at the vibration that transferred to the camera by just walking on the floor.

I no longer have the Green Monster nor the twin shank tripod, but for the big cameras I now use the Linhof Karden studio tilt head with the 90mm "hat", and nothing seems to move that.

[joelio]

Do watch the tripod head to be certain it is robust enough.

When I got my Green Monster (the lighter magnesium C! version), I placed it upon my Linhof twin shank tripod with the standard 3D head. I was surprised at the vibration that transferred to the camera by just walking on the floor.

I no longer have the Green Monster nor the twin shank tripod, but for the big cameras I now use the Linhof Karden studio tilt head with the 90mm "hat", and nothing seems to move that.

Thanks for the cautionary tip - I would hate to see any rocking and rolling with this camera (or any camera) mounted.