I finally convinced myself that there were limits to the lenses my 8x10 Kodak 2D and Deardorff could handle, so I've been looking for a studio camera and stand. It's not easy finding ones in nice condition with decent bellows, but I located one in the Detroit area and came to an agreement with the owner. He wouldn't ship, but agreed to meet me in Toledo with the camera. That's a solid 7+ hour drive for me, so my plan was to drive down yesterday with the girlfriend, stay overnight in Toledo and head back today. Well, the big snow storm threw a wrench in my plans.
I left yesterday at 6:00 am and arrived in Toledo at 2:00 pm. The camera and stand looked great and I filled up my car with all the pieces. While we were deciding on what to see in Toledo, the girlfriend calls to check on the weather and it sounds like the forecast keeps getting worse. We decide to head straight back to Maryland. Traffic is heavy around Pittsburgh and by the time we hit I-270 to drop down into Maryland, it's been snowing for a couple of hours and the road is complete chaos. The plows haven't touched the southbound lanes and cars are skidding and crashing everywhere.
In Washington snow storms, some drivers go 55, and some go 5 mph--causing the chaos. We finally made it home around midnight after 18 straight hours of driving--probably a record for me. We unload the camera and stand, and I pass out.
Today, I've been happily snowed in and got to assemble and clean up the 8A and Master Studio stand. What a great camera--very simple and well made. It takes a 10" lens board, so I figure that easily covers any lens I can afford. I have an 18" Petzval portrait lens on the way (thanks Frank!). I need to make a few simple repairs including patching some bellows holes, and a couple of wood repairs--but otherwise it's in very nice condition. It came with an ILEXPO shutter box, which isn't working at the moment, but looks like it can be fixed. If anyone has experience troubleshooting these shutters, I have a few questions.
It's a big camera, but I'm renting some new studio space--so it has a place to live. It's good to be a little crazy now and then.
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