I swear--it was much easier going from medium format to a light 4 x 5 field camera than going from 4 x 5 to 8 x 10. When I'm shooting 4 X 5 I feel like an artist, but with the 8 x 10--it's more like being in a wrestling match. It was in the 30's today and I felt so clumsy with the 'dorff--it felt like being on the brink of catastrophe. It probably didn't help that I was trying to shoot landscapes with a #4 Vitax on bridges over rushing rapids. Incidentally, I think I've discovered the largest lens you'd ever want to consider using on a V8. I had the V8, Vitax, 6 holders , tripod, meter, and darkcloth (no loupe--doh!) loaded in my backpack and it was beating me into the ground as I walked. The 8x10 negs are great and I want to do some alt-process contact printing, but 4 x 5 seems so much easier. I must be nuts because I *was* thinking about 8 x 10 wet plate in the field. Just wondering if this this going to get any easier--or blow out my joints!
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