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Last edited by TAG; 16-Jan-2017 at 15:10.
First thing to note is that these are heavy cameras. They are metal.
Couple of observations: they are very solid cameras. I've had a 3.5kg (8kg) lens on the front, mounted in a Universal Iris, so it can take the weight.
Beautifully smooth rack focus.
You need to be careful setting the camera up to make sure the standards are vertical as they can go past 90 degrees.
Replacement bellows (genuine) are very, very expensive.
Tripod balance is fine, as long as you move the front and back standards roughly equally when extending the base. This only applies to long lenses/close up work. This is a rear focusing camera (no focus rack onthe front on my 810m).
I didn't try any short lenses, so can't comment on these.
If you can stand the weight, these are brilliant cameras.
Lachlan.
You miss 100% of the shots you never take. -- Wayne Gretzky
I had one but sold it. I went with a Wehman instead.
The Toyo is a rock. You won't find a sturdier 8x10 field camera. The focus is very smooth.
The Toyo has a fixed bellows, so no interchangeable or bag bellows are available. I don't know about a 120mm lens. That would be a little tight. A 210 no problem. You would need to doublecheck the clearance of the front standard if you have an enormous rear element.
You should check out a Wehman. I can use mine with a 90mm lens and 4x5 back but that is the absolute limit of the bellows and minimal movements are possible. So 120 should be fine and you would not have much coverage for movements on 8x10 anyway. 150 and up would be easy movements. It is not as rigid as the Toyo but half the weight. If you used it in the lightest configuration for wide angle, it is very light for an 8x10 but rigid. The largest lens that I use is a Toyo 600C (Copal 3) and that is no problem. I have a Rodenstock Apo-Sironar W 210 (large, Copal 3) that I have not had a chance to use yet, but I think the camera will manage that lens well.
The Wehman is very solid on a tripod. Like the Toyo, it is a flatbed. I use a large Gitzo pan-tilt head which has a huge platform so it is rock solid (much more so than with an Arca Z1 ball head). Also, you can have a second hole tapped to screw it down in two places if you wish.
I think that the Toyo is heavy enough that calling it a "field camera" is almost misleading. But maybe I am weak.
Arca-Swiss F -classic C: 3.9 kg
Canham JMC810: 4.1 kg
Canham Light-Weight MQC810: 3.8 kg
Canham Standard T6810: 4.3 kg
Gandolfi Traditional G810 (with or without front swing): 4.0 kg
Gandolfi Variant GV810/L2 (LW or SW): 4.0 kg
Gowland All Movement: 3.6 kg
Osaka/Tachihara/Wista: 4.5 kg
Phillips Compact II: 3.9 kg
Shen Hao FCL810-A: 4.4 kg
Toho FC-810: 3.9 kg
Wehman Field Camera: 4.0 kg
Toyo 810MII 8x10 8.9kg (according to the Calumet site).
So, the Toyo is nearly twice the mass of most other field cameras.
Mine has removable bellows.Originally Posted by jeroldharter
It seems that you can get bag bellows for this (see here)
No idea whether you can still get new bag bellows (I don't know if the Toyo 810 G-series bellows fit). Adorama has the latter.
Lachlan.
You miss 100% of the shots you never take. -- Wayne Gretzky
I have a Toyo 810M. I've had it since 1990, after trying a number of other cameras. The bellows certainly are interchangeable, but I have not found it necessary to fit a bag bellows. The 120mm lens which does not permit shifts or tilts of the front in any case, is quite easy to use on a flat board with the camera bed dropped. The 150mm f8 Nikkor SW lens is used in a recessed board and can make use of just about all the shift the camera is capable of with the standard bellows and with the bed flat.
I replaced the Toyo bellows due to pinholes in 1996 with one made from "lifetime" material from Western Bellows for about $300. Functions and folds up with no problems and still looks pristine.
When I bought it used, LN- from KEH, it was all out of adjustment. Alignment is fixed with set screws which should be carefully torqued and painted with Locktite Blue. Once you have reset or verified alignment, take the following precautions to keep it that way. When you fold up the camera, do leave the back and front standard lock knobs loose. Leave the front rise and fall knobs loose as well. This will prevent any strain being put on the alignment if the camera is compressed in a case, or picked up by the closing clasp. Leaving the front loose keeps strain off the bellows when you fold up. I fitted my camera with a Deardorff-like handle, but don't pick up or carry the camera this way without leaving the lock knobs loose as above.
Oops. Maybe I did not look close enough. Thanks for clarifying. The Toyo 8x10 in that listing though is an old model. Do you know if the newer, all black, Toyo 8x10MII has interchangeable bellows? Either way, I am sure they are very expensive.
I have used my tan Toyo 810M for about five years now. Yes, it is a bit heavier than some alternatives but to answer your question directly it fits over a tripod nicely because unlike the Kodak Master that only goes forward from the camera, the Toyo has a front rail that is not geared but locks in position going forward and the rear standard focuses smoothly on twin geared tubes one on either side of the camera. The camera has a small bail arm that opens up the back of the camera that makes it easy to get holders in. The spring on the back is nice and firm the way I like them. There is a safety push out before you can push up clip to change the orientation of the ground glass from vertical to horizontal. I inserted a piece of acrylic in the machined slots in the back of the camera so I have a built in ground glass protector that I focus right on top of. It also keeps the fog off of the glass in cold weather. The lock positions for both standards are rock solid. It better lock down hard because the rear standard only has a lock screw at the camera base. I use three 8x10 cameras and the Toyo fits the billing of the quick set up and shoot/short lens and up to a 24" lens camera. I can set up my Toyo and be ready to shoot in under 30 seconds with a quick release plate that goes into my Bogen tripod head. My Canham 8x10 wood is my light packer camera and short lens camera (I have the bag bellows) and the Calumet C1 is the long lens shooter. I shot with the Wehman and it was just not me but different photographers have different opinions of what they like. What I like about the Toyo is that its controls are very limited (like the Kodak Master) and you do not have to think about what you have not completed to make a photograph. The other side of this is the Canham which has more controls but fits its market niche well. I also like the ability to get customer service and parts in New Jersey.
If you can find someone with one give it a run through. That is what I did with the Wehman and a number of other 8x10 cameras.
It's the cream/the beige/the off-white/the ivory 810M (I have the black).
810M II has interchangeable bellows, including an extended length one (the 810M II has a greater draw than the 810M).
Lachlan.
You miss 100% of the shots you never take. -- Wayne Gretzky
<< Will the Toyo 810M or MII camera work well with a bag bellows and short ~120mm lens? >>
Yes, see the remark about the bed at the end.
<<Is it fiddly to adjust? By this I mean, does it easily and smoothly adjust to where you want it and does it stay pretty much adjusted without moving when the locking knobs are tightened.>>
Yes, yes, yes - a remark about heavy lenses under
<<Does it focus smoothly>> Yes <<and is there much play in the focus mechanism?>>No - You feel like using an high grade monorail.
<<Can the front standard handle heavy lenses such as a 210mm Super Angulon without excessive starin and flexture? Is it rigid overall?>>
Yes, but you will want to screw firmly the front standard when titlted down to avoid unexpected movement. This is to have specially in mind when mounting heavy long process lenses unbalanced on their lens boards.
Bag bellows is needed with lenses 210 mm and shorter if you want to shift more than 20/30 mm.
With 150/155 mm lenses shifted down, the bed may cross the field, but this is manageable with rear tilt on both standards.
Great camera, but a weight.
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