What, if any, are the drawbacks to owning a Kodak Master View 8x10?

[John Kasaian]

Hi Mark,

I can not find the Wehman 8x10 at all on the web. It looks really interesting though. I will keep an eye out for it.

I did get lucky and recently found two old film holders in an acquaintance basement. One was an 8x10 fidelity but it is missing the two dark slides and it was dusty as all hell. The other was wooden. It was wrapped in plastic and it was really clean. The wooden one was called a sterling cut film holder and it was made by Kodak. They both need to be fixed however. They Sterling needs some sort of dark tape at the hinge because the tape that is there is all dried out.

Are all dark slides the same? Are fidelity elite, fidelity deluxe and graphflex the same size? If I buy them off the web will they fit?

--Andrew

8x10 dark slides aren't all the same---some are aluminum, but they should all be interchangeable.
At least the ones I've come across are interchangeable.
The ideal tape to use for a replacement on your Sterling film holder is bookbinders tape.
I have used gaffer's tape---'cause that's what I had. Gaffer's tape is useable but it's a bit too stiff when it comes to loading film, but it will work. Bookbinder's tape is preferred though.

[Mark Sawyer]

I'm partial to Fuji lenses and I think their 300mm C is, essentially, a modern version of the older Kodak Tessars. The 305mm G-Claron is a great normal lens as well and Kerry Thalmann lists the 300mm Nikon M as one of his Future Classics.

It should be noted that all these lenses are f/9 maximum aperture, (well, f/8.5 for the Fuji).

[munz6869]

I would love a Kodak Master View - I think they are so very well designed - I love the notion of the clamshell body.

However, what I do have is a Mark I Intrepid 8x10". I would concur with everything people have said about design and build quality (my most used camera is a Wista 4x5, so that's what I'm very used to). The front standard is frustratingly flimsy and the knobs just fly off when you look at them wrong. But I didn't buy it for that - I bought it because I was fascinated by the idea of a light 8x10" I could actually go hiking with (I'm not a big fellow), and reasoned I could put up with or modify anything I hated about the camera (which I have mostly done) without crying too much because it's only plywood and aluminium. To that end, I have made and continue to make self-satisfying pictures with it and from time to time entertain the idea of upgrading to a newer one (one day).

If I did have a Kodak Master View, I'm not convinced I'd take it as many places as I do the Intrepid. With two lenses and three film holders + tiny Reveni Spot Meter it is sooooo portable.

Marc!

[Tin Can]

Agree

I sold a few $$$ rare camera

No regrets


I like my very affordable and latest 8x10 Intrepid some barter

[Serge S]

I do the same. I tried finding those adapter bought one online and did not fit! Prob will eventually go the SK Grimes route.

One issue with these Ektars is with attaching a filter. Press on threaded adapters have become hard to find in larger sizes, so for quite a while I used Lee Polyesters with my Commercial Ektar, that were held on with a Lee gizmo and rubber bands from grocery store asparagus.
Hey, it worked for me!

[russyoung]

I also own and use a KMV. When I was learning photography in the 60s, it was the workhorse camera for the professional who employed me (in the darkroom). When time and inclination allowed, he taught me how to use it. About ten years ago, I finally located one in good shape at a decent price and snapped it up - and no buyer's regrets, ever.
As others note, the sole problem is the lens board availability. When you can find one, it will be $70-100. I only have three and am considering getting the S K Grimes conversion, which would pay for itself rather quickly vs buying more boards.
I have had two Intrepid 4x5s, an earlier and a later. Sorry but they're junque. You get what you pay for in a camera.
Even when I was in shape to make three fourteeners in a Colorado summer day, I could not have backpacked, even in the flatlands, with an 8x10 camera. A 5x7, however, was often carried, a Korona. With an 8x10, the problem is not just the camera's weight but the weight of each film holder and the beefier tripod to hold it (as compared to 5x7). If you intend to pack a camera, I'd take the 8x10 out of consideration.
As to lenses, weight matters - again, not just the lens but the weight and volume of the accessories needed (hood, filters). When I cross-country skied with the Korona 5x7, a Nikkor 300M was mounted on it (yes, when camera folded up, it fit). The lens weighed next to nothing, was incredibly sharp and important for snow scenes, no flare, and 52mm filters (cheap). They are not inexpensive lenses but consider that you will be burning $4/sheet for 5x7, or $7.50/sheet for 8x10, its film and chemicals and sleeves that mount up in the long run...
To a great extent, your decision tree will be determined by whether you're in this for the long run or just the short run. YMMV
Russ
who now backpacks a Horseman VH-R in his dottage