Tachihara 8"x10"x10

[andrea milano]

Hallo everybody,I'd like to know something about Tachihara 8x10. How does the pa nel,in general value the camera? Yes I know of some pretty violent opinions on t his sort of "entry-level cameras" but in Holland there isn't the wide choice tha t most of the American menbers of the panel enjoy. In particular, I'd like to kn ow, whether the lens panel of the Tachi 8x10 is the same size of Sinar's(couldn' t find this information anywhere). So don't bash me just because I'd like to buy a Tachihara! In this price range, in holland, there isn't anything else! Thanks!

[Old Gray Beard]

Uhoh, I sure hope Triblett doesn't see your post Andrea. He's got many Tachi tales. I better retreat to my closet before he starts lobbing grenades again.

[tribby]

Yes it's me Doc, now you need to go take your medicine cause it's nappy-time and you don't want Nurse Diesel to call the boys in to put you down, do you? Andrea, Let me ask a couple of questions first. Is there any wind in Holland? I seem to remember photos of beatiful old windmills surrounded by lovely flowers in a old postcard at my grammy's house. And the second question is, do you plan to use a loupe? Answer with extreme caution as these are loaded questions. Ok Doc there's the jab, should i finish her?

[Old Gray Beard]

Yep, Triblett, she needs to know what she's getting into. But, Andrea, before Triblett gives you the gory details, have you checked out New York Camera, I think it's in Germany. They may be able to find you something besides a Tachi though I don't see any view cameras on their site. Send them an e-mail and check out http://www.ny-camera.com OK, Triblett, I've locked the bunker door, lob those grenades, yeeehaaa!!!

[andrea milano]

O.K. Folks! I knew I was going to be bashed about the tachihara business so let me have the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth! Let's clear up a misunderstanding here! In Italian (Which is the language of the country where I come from, Italy) the name Andrea is a male name(!) for everybody's information the name comes from the ancient Greek Aner-Andros which means manly, male, masculine so I keep being surpised of all those foregn folks whom address me as mrs.-her-she and so forth! Anyway! Back to more important business! In Holland the market of large format is what it is and there is very little choice when you combine budget problem to availability of these goods. Anyway I might mistake but I'll see. American folks have the fortune of living in the photographic Eldorado of the world, we don't! Here, guys (and dolls!) 8"x10" ain't growing on trees! Tell me about your Kodak cameras and Burke & James , allright! All I have for about $ 1.500 is a Tachiara! Regards! Andrea

[Old Gray Beard]

Oops. Sorry Andrea for misgendering you. Triblett and Old Gray Beard sometimes forget we're foreigners (hee hee hee) when we aren't in the U.S. I'm crawling back to my bunker so Triblett can lob some Tachi tale grenades. but check out that German site above.

[tribby]

Andrea, you sound like a badass, i mean, you'd have to be, growin' up with a girl's name and all. Besides last time i checked holland was never property of the DDR. Do you not have the same freedoms to bomb or shop any place you please? I'm not wastin hand grenades here, just dial the overseas operator and give them the phone number to your favorite American hedonistic supply-hoarding photo store and order away. Of course the shipping will cost more than the camera but we'll still make fun of you underprivelidged Italian hollanders if you try to pay us with that new funny-money. Besides I think you have to have a new camera. Otherwise you'd just call England and get yourself a used walker or phillips.

[Brian Ellis]

Andrea - I don't know what experience, if any, the other people who responded to your inquiry have had with Tachiharas but mine has been an excellent camera and a terrific value for the money. Its well made, sufficiently sturdy for any weather in which I'm likely to be able to photograph, very attractive finish, decent movements and, best of all, very light for an 8x10. The only drawback for some people is that with the double extension model the bellows is on the short side. Tachihara makes a triple extension model but I've never seen it and I assume it is somewhat bulkier and heavier than the double extension version. FWIW, each year a magazine here in the U.S. called "Photo Techniques" publishes a list of what they consider to be the 25 best cameras presently made. The Tachihara was included in this year's list. I mention this, not to suggest that you should buy the camera because it was inlcuded in somebody's list, but because somebody who is supposed to know something about cameras thinks it is a pretty good camera and you certainly don't need to apologize for being interested in it. I became intersted in it after taking a John Sexton workshop and seeing the one used by a terrific photographer who at the time was John's principal assistant. I would take the previous responses with several large grains of salt - one of the responders posts to this group fairly often and seems to be more interested in trying to be clever than in providing objective and accurate information. I don't know the size of Sinar's lens boards so I can't answer that question.

[tribby]

Andrea, I guess i owe you an apology, or rather offer one in hopes that you'll take me seriously. I borrowed a as-new tachi from a friend who wanted to sell it to me. I'll save you from having to read a long story. It felt cheap, light and none of the controls would lock positively. I realize that this could be an isolated incidence but after reading at least a dozen posts on various forums about the same problems with tachi, i hardly think it's coincidence. I live in the central plains of the U.S. and am forced to photograph in extremely windy conditions. There was enough play in the front standard of the tachi to prevent(and I mean outright) focusing in high winds. The front standard fluttered and did not stop even when sheilded and even fluttered in mild winds. I've read other posts on this forum where an individual claimed that everytime he touched his loupe to the ground glass the tachi lost focus. I do not wish to suggest these are true with all Tachiharas. But it was certainly true of the one tachi i ran across. Just make sure you are satisfied with your purchase. As for Brain's comments in the above post...well, i'll be as subjective as i want and i can't help my clever nature. While we're at it... Brain, why don't you tell Andrea why you are trying to sell your magnificent tachi over on the f-stops forum? Why would you want to sell something that Photo Techniques called a top 25 camera?

[tribby]

p.s. If you do get that tachi, do me a favor name her the Andrea Doria. I'll scrimp and buy a $850 Deardorff and name mine the Stockholm and we'll meet...say next july 25, off the Nantucket shoales. Pronti!