Munewca Cameras

**JacksonTB** · 4-Jan-2023, 18:55

Happy new year Bernard (it 2023 now, though, I am doing a really late reply)! I had a chaotic 2022 but I did manage to get more experience with my Munewca 8x10.

In general I would say that I am quite satisfied with this camera.
Portability-wise I am quite happy with the camera -- the camera does fit in my backpack so I can carry it around while biking. Still tiring due to the total weight of the camera + 3~5 holders but do-able.
Switching between portrait and landscape composition on this camera is quite easy and intuitive. Looking at how the back is attached to camera, I was afraid that light might leak in at first sight. Good news is that I never experienced any light leak while I was using it.
Usability wise it fits my need, there is not too much to complain about. There is a little bit of wiggle while adjusting the camera, (not the sturdiest camera in the world) but letting it sit for several seconds before firing the shutter solves the issue.
Another thing that is noticable is that after I do a shift of the front standard, when I tighten the screws that hold the front standard in place, sometimes I get a little bit of "tilt" of the front standard if I do not tight both screws at the same time. By "tilt" I am saying that the front is easily overtightened to one side. With a little bit of care this is not a problem, though.

Hope this reply is not toooooooooooooo late. Overall I am quite happy with the camera and would not hesitate to buy from them if I want to buy another large format camera considering the price of the camera and what they can deliver at this price. I have to say that I did not get a lot of chance to use the camera last year, but since there will be no more lockdown I am looking forward to more extensively using my Munewca 8x10.

**Bernard Kelly** · 6-Jan-2023, 08:54

And a happy 2023 to you, Jackson. Thanks for once again giving such a detailed reply. The stability of field cameras seems to be a general concern. I recently watched a YT video review of one of Stenopeika's 4 x 5's and the front standard was especially prone to wiggle. And no wonder: it has the greatest amount of play.

Glad to hear you're enjoying your 8 x 10. I hope you have plenty of opportunities to use it this year.

**JacksonTB** · 21-Feb-2023, 20:05

I managed to put the Munewca 810 camera (4.5 kg) in my backpack with a Marsace XT-15 tripod (weight: ~1 kg, rmax load 6 kg, recommended weight <= 2 kg) and a Manfrotto 410 head (Safety payload weight 5 kg), went out and shoot several sheets of film recently, and I discovered a significant amount of wiggling caused by the tripod! This made me re-evaluate my previous comment on the wiggling, and, after switching to my Gitzo GT2542 tripod with the same head, I found that actually the Manfrotto head is giving me a ton of the wiggling. So I guess now it's time for me to mount the camera on another head to test for stability / rigidity... Surprisingly the XT-15 tripod did not collapse during my ~3 hour shooting with the camera, although I did waste one or two sheets of film due to the tripod being used over its limits...

Another issue I met, though, was that upon using wide angle lenses with front shift, the bellow starts to block light from coming in. Extra care need to be taken when a wide angle (even 210 mm) is used with ~2 cm of shift. The camera does focus my super symmar XL 110 easily, which I appreciate a lot.

Now that I sold several of my lenses and cameras and was able to fund myself a good bike. Maybe I can start shooting 810 in the suburban areas soon...

**huangjie** · 14-Mar-2023, 06:22

Originally Posted by JacksonTB

Happy new year Bernard (it 2023 now, though, I am doing a really late reply)! I had a chaotic 2022 but I did manage to get more experience with my Munewca 8x10.

In general I would say that I am quite satisfied with this camera.
Portability-wise I am quite happy with the camera -- the camera does fit in my backpack so I can carry it around while biking. Still tiring due to the total weight of the camera + 3~5 holders but do-able.
Switching between portrait and landscape composition on this camera is quite easy and intuitive. Looking at how the back is attached to camera, I was afraid that light might leak in at first sight. Good news is that I never experienced any light leak while I was using it.
Usability wise it fits my need, there is not too much to complain about. There is a little bit of wiggle while adjusting the camera, (not the sturdiest camera in the world) but letting it sit for several seconds before firing the shutter solves the issue.
Another thing that is noticable is that after I do a shift of the front standard, when I tighten the screws that hold the front standard in place, sometimes I get a little bit of "tilt" of the front standard if I do not tight both screws at the same time. By "tilt" I am saying that the front is easily overtightened to one side. With a little bit of care this is not a problem, though.

Hope this reply is not toooooooooooooo late. Overall I am quite happy with the camera and would not hesitate to buy from them if I want to buy another large format camera considering the price of the camera and what they can deliver at this price. I have to say that I did not get a lot of chance to use the camera last year, but since there will be no more lockdown I am looking forward to more extensively using my Munewca 8x10.