How to "Make" a 5x7 Deardorff

**ashlee52** · 28-Sep-2011, 07:41

As most deardorff fans would know, 99% of all Deardorff 4x5's are actually built on a 5x7 frame. But judging from what I see offered most of these 5x7 cameras were sold with just the 4x5 backs. The 5x7 backs are hard to find and expensive. Here's a trick... buy a 5x7 reducer back for an 8x10 Deardorff. The 5x7 insert in this back is actually a perfect fit for the 5x7 bodies... you just need to unscrew it from the 8x10 frame, and switch the pins from the 8x10 from to the 5x7 one. It takes a little careful drilling but I've done this twice now without any problems.

**TheDeardorffGuy** · 28-Sep-2011, 13:44

As the historian of the old Deardorff Chicago factory, 100 percent of the
4x5 Deardorff View, Deardorff 4x5 Special were built on the 5x7 frame. At some point
they decided to call it a Deardorff 4x5 Special to signify it had a "special order back"
either a wood reversable or revolving of Grafloc versions. When you drill the holes be very carefull of not touching the metal of the corners. Otherwise you will have a sloppy fitting back. By the way from 1951 to 88 the production of 4x5s was about 2000 and 5x7s was about 1500.

**ashlee52** · 29-Sep-2011, 07:07

I have just taken delivery of a new Chamonix 45n2 (the second 4x5 model they have made).

Hugo Zhang tells me that they have already sold 700 in the first year.

So large format seems to be doing OK. It is very cool that it is taking off in China.

**Mark Sampson** · 29-Sep-2011, 09:27

So, Ken, that works out to about two 4x5/5x7 Deardorffs a week over 37 years. They had the time to build them right... I wonder how many survive?

**ashlee52** · 29-Sep-2011, 20:54

Boy I would find it amazing that anyone could wear out a Deardorff. However there must be a few in antique shops etc.

I suspect that a huge percentage of Deardorffs were the big studio cameras. My uncle had several of the 11x14's in his Chicago commercial studio.

**TheDeardorffGuy** · 30-Sep-2011, 14:04

Originally Posted by ashlee52

Boy I would find it amazing that anyone could wear out a Deardorff. However there must be a few in antique shops etc.

I suspect that a huge percentage of Deardorffs were the big studio cameras. My uncle had several of the 11x14's in his Chicago commercial studio.

In Chicago during 1989 there was what I call the "The Great Sell Off". Studios went out of business. We will discuss the Kranzten Auction first. They had about 65 of the Bipost S11s.
Next was Grignon. They had about 90 Bipost S11s.
Vougue-Wright had around 50 or so I heard.
Spread around the country there were another 150-200 more. Brings a total of roughly 500 Biposts. After the 1989 sell off everyone who wanted a bipost got one. Prices at these auctions ran from 5500.00 for a mint 1970s vintage bipost to 200.00 for a complete setup. I know I bought 3. I ended up giving them away and converting one into a nice coffee table.

This number 500 tallies what Merle Deardorff told me. Their weekly bread and butter were the folding View cameras from 1929 on to 88. According to the serial books there were months on end of very few cameras made. Then there were months of huge production numbers. How they lasted as long as they did in Chicago who knows.
I get reports of View series in antique shops all the time. Some are nice but others are pure abused cameras that were never greased. Of course the dealers see my site and think they are mint cameras and ask a couple thou when they are parts cameras worth only a couple hundred. My best antique mall buy was a 1971 V8 someone washed all the lacquer off of. no idea why but it was a 100.00 with a Artar in a Ilex.