Show off your Large Format camera!

[Ari]

I just want this camera so so much! Sadly they are super hard to find and even harder to find in Europe.

If I had bought it 3 years ago, or 10 years ago, I wouldn't have kept it. I would have considered it crude in operation and lacking precision.
I still had to go through a few other cameras and some "dream" cameras that I thought would be fantastic, but eventually were not right (Arca) or got too heavy (Toyo).
Having now sampled from many fruits of the tree, I'm at ease with this camera and enjoy it far more than other 8x10 cameras I've owned.
It's light, it's tough, it can hold heavy lenses, it's very cleverly designed and it's easily modified by the user.

[BLATT LAB]

Thats exactly why I also want one! I really hope I can find one soon!

If I had bought it 3 years ago, or 10 years ago, I wouldn't have kept it. I would have considered it crude in operation and lacking precision.
I still had to go through a few other cameras and some "dream" cameras that I thought would be fantastic, but eventually were not right (Arca) or got too heavy (Toyo).
Having now sampled from many fruits of the tree, I'm at ease with this camera and enjoy it far more than other 8x10 cameras I've owned.
It's light, it's tough, it can hold heavy lenses, it's very cleverly designed and it's easily modified by the user.

[Tin Can]

Might be cheaper to have a copy made

Thats exactly why I also want one! I really hope I can find one soon!

[BLATT LAB]

Anyone who makes copy of them with equal quality?

Might be cheaper to have a copy made

[Ari]

It wouldn/t be hard to make a copy, but you'd need an original to use as a template.
Most of the parts are hardware store staples, the rest is from McMaster-Carr.
The design is what makes it strong, so that would be more important to follow.
You'll also need a table saw, router and drill press.

[BLATT LAB]

When I had access to one copying would be easy, that's right. But since I dont have that access, it's sadly not that easy.

It wouldn/t be hard to make a copy, but you'd need an original to use as a template.
Most of the parts are hardware store staples, the rest is from McMaster-Carr.
The design is what makes it strong, so that would be more important to follow.
You'll also need a table saw, router and drill press.

[Tin Can]

Almost anything can be copied

I saw something this weekend that intimated 1/3 of high end paintings are fakes in all museums

Crime pays

[Collin Orthner]

Ari, I have thought about drilling holes in mine in the past. Did you disassemble it to do the work or simply move the assembly to accommodate the drill? I spoke with Bruce Wehman a few years back about possibly taking over his operation. He was open to talking, but I never did pursue it. I have often thought a scaled down 4x5 and/or 5x7 would be fantastic! Hmmm

[Ari]

Hi Collin, I removed everything, leaving only the focus track inside. This was no problem, as I could easily drill around those parts.
I've also heard from another member here who would have gladly taken over the spare parts for the Wehman, but nothing came of it.
I would think it's an easy camera to reverse-engineer, or scale down for smaller formats, but it's probably a little harder than it looks.

[Tin Can]

Is it patented?