Another chinese 8x10 camera

[pjotr]

Unfortunately, the pictures do not reveal many details. It looks like a non-folding copy of - Chamonix camera. Gives an impression of being frail and with simplistic control knobs.

in the afore mentioned newsgroup you can see some pictures. It looks like a simple design but well made.

Sadly the posted pictures taken with it are rather dull and uninspired, like in so many western photography forums…

pjotr

[goamules]

...Chinese people can build the best and the price is cheaper than any western company . You can't find any western company build the same quality and cheaper than Chamonix company ...

Yep, you cannot. Because of what I said and Mark said above.

[Rod.F]

According to my Chinese-born wife, the website is similar to eBay, and uses some sort of escrow service. Her first comment when she walked into the room was "you've got to be careful about this kind of website". And yes, the name of the camera if "frica", which could be Chinglish for "flicker" for all I know.

Now back to the rants

Chinese don't really have a problem with their l's and r's, that tends to be the Japanese stereotype. "frica" actually seems to mean "friend and camera".

Personally, I think it seems like a nice camera and hope to see more companies in China (or anyway else) getting started in making large format cameras.

[GPS]

in the afore mentioned newsgroup you can see some pictures. It looks like a simple design but well made.

Sadly the posted pictures taken with it are rather dull and uninspired, like in so many western photography forums…

pjotr

Rather short bellows draw. Hard to guess if the standards are more rigid than those on Chamonix cameras or where is the innovation (if any) or the advantage of this metal construction. It seems that these Chinese firms are happy with their products even if not original or innovative. Let them have that.

[MDR]

Let's not forget the chinese gave us paper including Toilet paper, ceramics, noodles, they were the first to comprehend basic chemistry so all in all the chinese gave us more than we gave the chinese people. Up until the 1960s the US received pretty much every aeronautical invention made by the Europeans (England, France, Germany, Austria, etc...) as war reparation. The Bell X1 would never have broken the sound barrier without massive help from the UK, the "cooperation" ended around the time of the Concorde. No country has the monopoly on stealing ideas. Every country is doing it. Just ask Bill Clinton a fan of helping corporate America trough Industrial Espionage.
The camera looks well built and resembles pretty much every LF camera built since the 1980's. The more LF Camera manufacturers the better, and I personaly don't care wether the camera was made in the US, Germany or China as long as the quality is Okay and the workers are treated right (sweatshops exist in every country so does pollution). And instead of blaming the chinese blame corporate Americas/Europes greed after all accordin to ADIDAD the cost of manufacturing products in china is to high and they left for countries

[engl]

Seems like a rather interesting lineup, can't see why they'd be called copies any more than a lot of American/European/Japanese cameras. The metal non-folding 4x5 for wides looks nice, I've been looking for something like that, but I wish it had rear rise to compensate for the limited front fall.

[goamules]

Let's not forget the chinese gave us paper including Toilet paper, ceramics, noodles, they were the first to comprehend basic chemistry so all in all the chinese gave us more than we gave the chinese people. ...

There is a saying over here, "what have you done for me lately." I appreciate that TP and all, but we were talking about modern times, and current idea appropriation. I guess all those cheap GE refrigerators and other American cheap appliances in the 1940s-1970s didn't help anyone as much as TP did.

...Up until the 1960s the US received pretty much every aeronautical invention made by the Europeans (England, France, Germany, Austria, etc...) as war reparation. The Bell X1 would never have broken the sound barrier without massive help from the UK, the "cooperation" ended around the time of the Concorde.

Yeah, after 1945 we played with the V-2 and Me-262. But before 1945 America was building our airplanes just fine. From the Wright Brothers, to the P-51 Mustang, and all in between. And I know personally the SR-71 (fastest aircraft ever built) and the F-117 were the result of good American aeronautics.

Wait, are you saying the UK didn't want to cooperate with the US during and after the war? I think you are wrong, we cooperated very well with our allies. Before, during, and after an "austrian" started causing little problems in the 1930s.

... (sweatshops exist in every country so does pollution). And instead of blaming the chinese blame corporate Americas/Europes greed after all accordin to ADIDAD the cost of manufacturing products in china is to high and they left for countries

Sweatshops were outlawed in the US during the Labour period in the 1910s, and we ended the practice in your country in mid 1945. But I hear workers are still being exploited in other parts of the world. I know I saw some in India and China when I was there a while ago. No, I'd blame human greed. America and Europe don't have a patent on that!

[Frank Petronio]

Let's not forget the chinese gave us paper including Toilet paper, ceramics, noodles, they were the first to comprehend basic chemistry so all in all the chinese gave us more than we gave the chinese people. ...

Just like the Arabic people gave us math and astronomy until their religious leaders confined them to the perpetual dark ages. Any complaints I'm making aren't against individuals but more the region/country's leadership and attitudes towards innovation.

[Ken Lee]

Thread now closed. Religion, politics, etc.