Sinar F2 vs. Norma for 8x10 field use?

[Richard Wasserman]

You can also leave the camera on the tripod and strap it to the front of a Sherpa Cart, which is what I often do. All your other gear goes inside and it's really easy to transport and use.

[Drew Wiley]

The true f2 8X10 uses strong steel front risers, which are distinct from mounting an
f/2 front standard with aluminum risers from a 4x5 onto an 8X10 system, which will work, but not with as much strength. I've seen it done several ways, so if you're buying a used camera you need to be careful what you're actually getting. EBay
postings in particular are sometimes mislabeled.

[JamesFromSydney]

Thanks for all the responses (and I had some good feedback on flickr in the 8x10 group, too).

One stand-out is that nobody ever seems to have anything bad to say about the Norma.

[Frank Petronio]

I think they just became too expensive to manufacture back in the day, like a hand-fitted Leica M3 or Rollei. Their replacements used more modern manufacturing techniques and materials and are fine cameras, but compared to this era, when parts were more carefully crafted with a lot of hands on work, well, they simply don't compare.

That you can buy a nice Norma system for pennies on the dollar nowadays is quite remarkable.

Oh it shoots a hole in the sales pitch for the value of asymmetrical tilts and swings, as the later Sinar and Ebony camera proponents like to make. Their value just isn't that much.

[Drew Wiley]

Wasn't the Toyo G-series inspired by the Norma?

[Frank Petronio]

I think so, I'd be interested in the differences. It looks a little cruder but I've never handled one. I think of Toyos as being kind of like 1970s-era Datsuns to Sinar's 1970s-era Mercedes.

Cambos were Opels.