Here is my predicament. I need a very light, easy to carry and setup, 8x10 camera.
I love my Crown Graphic. It is relatively light and portable yet takes very good 4x5 photographs. It has limited movements, but I rarely need anything more than it already has. So my visualized 8x10 needs no more movement than a Crown and should pack up as neatly for carrying as the Crown does.
I have a very nice Cambo 8x10 monorail. It works great in the studio and I absolutely love it for portraits. It has all the movements and, at one time or another, I have probably used most of them. But it most definitely is not suitable for the field. I have taken it in the field but no further than my van can take it.
I am a relatively competent woodworker and am not afraid of machining and assembling wood parts. So if there are no pre-built alternatives, then a set of plans are a good alternative.
I know that this all sounds a little odd but I love being able to contact print. I do it with 4x5 but not all photographs are best at this size. So I want to be able to carry a light, compact 8x10 that fits easily in a day pack with one or two film holders and my wooden tripod. As for movements front tilt and rise, or even back tilt and rise, are perfectly usable. If it turns out I need something better than I guess I'll have to return with a more capable camera later on. I would like to keep my total daypack weight to less than 25 pounds, which of course would include water, a lunch and some wet/cold weather gear.
I don't even know if this is possible yet. My Deardorff is a monster to pack into the hills but I'm sure that lighter weight is possible with good stiffness if movements are minimized.
Anyway, any ideas are appreciated. If you think I'm nuts you can throw that out as well but a lot of people have said that to me over the years without a lot of effect.
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