The Shen Hao FCL 810 A is nice for movements and weight...price isn't too bad either. Badger Graphic carries them. Wehman's are very nice as well for field work.
The Shen Hao FCL 810 A is nice for movements and weight...price isn't too bad either. Badger Graphic carries them. Wehman's are very nice as well for field work.
Yes steve,
I prefer to have direct rise and fall and shift as I prefer that for the way I work but understand how some cameras do not have shift but utilise front and rear swing to get the same result.
I do not need tilt and swing in themselves but am basically open to any camera that get me the results I need!
Marc
While not exactly inexpensive, I really like my Gandolfi Traditional 10x8". Mine takes Sinar-type boards which are easy to find, and are also large enough for everything - including the 360mm f:5.6 Schneider Symmar behemoth. It has front tilt and rise/drop, and rear swing and tilt.
For portability I mostly use a 355mm f:9 G-Claron instead, and 165mm and 210mm Angulons, and whatever other lenses I feel I might need and would like to carry - such as 240mm Germinar, or a 300mm f:5.6 Symmar (big, but very small compared to the 360mm!).
Hello Marc,
Nice to see you looking at 8x10" too. We seemed to have common tastes in the past so you might be interested to know that I am happy with my Wehman. I walk with it, am not afraid to put in down in the snow/mud, etc.. and it works great with lens from 210 to 420mm.
Cheers,
JJ
My 'dorff will handle a 19" very nicely as well as a 159mm WA. I would expect all the cameras on your list would do the same but the Tachiharas are available both as triple extension and double extension. Someone more knowlegable than I can tell you what the limits of a double extension tachi is. Another camera I think you ought to consider is the Kodak Master View. Heck of a camera---metal not wood. Just make sure you get enough lensboards in the size you need...sometimes they show up at attractive prices. Not as 'intuitive" for me as the 'dorff, but it just might punch your 8x10 ticket!Originally Posted by marcwilson
Hiking with 8x10 stuff is fun, really. You'll soon get the hang of it when you develop an appreciation for the effort it takes and learn to pair down your gear according to the mission at hand---this ain't 4x5, pardnuh!
But it is part of the fun!
And a good indoctrination into the madness which awaits you in ULF-land!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
I would consider getting a hold of Hugo Zhang and inquire about one of the Chamonix 8x10's....... they look super sweet!
As far as lenses go I have a fujinon c 300mm and a Schneider Apo 240mm. I used one of the G-Clarons for a little while, but found the contrast a little harsh, however that lens was wicked sharp!
Hi JJ.
Yes the project I am embarking on really requires 10x8 both for its detail and look and also the format and style empathise with the subject matter. The wehman camea you use looks really good.
Marc
Marc -
I have a Wehman (lightweight model). I waited for it for about 9 months, and nowafter 3 months I´m looking for something other, because it just does not suit my needs as an architecture photographer (I could have known this from the start - anyway ---). As soon as I have my next camera, it´ll want a new owner.
M
Marc, you have always had nice equipment (Ebonies, right?) and an older wooden or roughhouse camera probably won't satisfy you like something tight and precise. I'd be patient and wait for a nice used 8x10 Arca Swiss to come along and start out right. Except they are in the $2000 USD range if you are lucky...
If you're more frugal nowadays, you could always use an inexpensive Sinar F which isn't that much heavier or bulky -- a few inches and maybe 5 lbs -- than most of the other cameras, provided you use a short rail to carry both standards and mounting block. They sell for under $1000 USD, which makes them less than half the price of most of the mid-level cameras you've listed. Definitely the highest quality and precision for the cost, and the $1000 you save will buy a lot of other stuff.
Frankly, unless you are backpacking, I think it is a wash. A heavier, more robust camera and tripod will be more stable and easier to use quickly in the field, which translates into more reliable and consistent shooting. So it may offset the additional weight and bulk penalty.
Hi Michael,
Let me know when you're looking to sell..if I'm still looking then it may be right.
Frank, yes I agree with you I've always liked the 'smooth' working field cameras as they have quite simply allowed me to get on with the picture making.
This project is going to be a mix of fairly close to the car, etc to a few miles off track so I need to find that balance of enough portability whilst of course not losing function (bearing in mind my needs are simply some rise, fall, shift but not huge architectural amounts, and tilts, swings are not needed) and stability.
I always did like the sinar F as far as 5x4 monorails were concerned so it would be a good choice of 10x8 monorail, mixing function with a good used price.
I'm not even contemplating ebonies or similar for this as there is no need for that kind of outlay.
It would be great to hear from anyone that has shot with both say the sinar type, weight monorail and something like the deardorrfs, wehmans, ect to see just how much difference there is in the field conditions...speed of set up is of course not an issue with this project!
I know the weights of most of the field cameras except the deardorffs, anyone know that and those of the sinar F's and say the older arca c series?
Marc
Last edited by Former Member 8144; 14-Apr-2008 at 11:33.
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