8x10 Cameras

Merry Christmas to all,

 

I have been shooting 4x5 since 2001 and I am thinking of moving into 8x10 in

the new year. I shoot now with an Ebony 4x5 and it is wonderful but I don't

think I can afford an Ebony 8x10, I would like something fairly compact and

light 10 to 12 pounds, I am looking at the bottom end being A Tach. or a Shen.

and would go as high as the metal KB Canham if the quality really justified it.

 

Any input on these would be great, are the two wooden cameras I mentioned

really flimsy or not bad, does anyone have experience with Kbs jmc 810.

 

I am strictly landscape and have two lenses so far with my 4x5 outfit that I

believe will cover 8x10..A fuji 240 and A Goerz 355.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

www.ian-whitehead.com

 

Ian

I've considered the same thing. I saw a bunch at the View Camera Conference last year and the two that I liked the best were the Wehman and the Shen Hao (the one with the Philips-like rear focussing). They are both under $2000. They are very different cameras, though. Anyway, I'd add them to the list. A lot of folks rave about their Wehman. I don't think there are nearly as many Shen Hao's around.

Hey Mark,

 

Thanks...I'll check out Wehman

 

Ian

I've owned three 8x10s, two Deardorffs and a Kodak 2D. The Kodak 2D is a very under-rated camera if you can find one with the rear extension and sliding tripod block. Its one downside is the lack of front tilt. That's not fatal, it does have back tilt, but if you're used to using front rather than back it takes some adjusting. Or you can do as I did and have Richard Ritter add front tilt for about $250. Then you have a great 8x10 camera for about $600 total.

 

Deardorffs are wonderful cameras. The only thing I disliked was the fact that front rise and tilt were operated by the same knob but that's a quibble. The difficulty with Deardorffs is finding one in excellent condition. They were very popular cameras with pros and they're all now quite old so they've usually got a lot of mileage on them. But if you can find one for under $2000 that's in excellent (not necessarily mint or museum quality, just not all beat up) I'd grab it.

 

Wehmans were relatively new on the market when I bought my last 8x10 so there weren't a lot of users who could report on them. I did spend a lot of time investigating them and spoke at some length with Mr. Wehman. I ultimately bought my second Deardorff instead but it was a very close call. They weigh about 4 lbs less than a Deardorff and everyone who owns one seems to give them high marks. I don't care for their industrial-age look but I could get past that for an 8x10 camera that weighs 8 lbs or so and has all the features the Wehman has.

 

Those are the only 3 8x10s I'd seriously consider (just my opinion of course). The Tachihara is a nice 8x10 but the double extension bellows is too short for me and the triple extension is too heavy. Somebody would have to do a lot of explaining to me before I'd believe that the extra roughly $1500 to $3000 I'd spend for a Canham, Ebony, et al 8x10 would be worth that kind of additional cost compared with a Deardorff, Kodak 2D, or Wehman.

If you want an Ebony at a less than Ebony price, consider the RW 810. It is just as strong and well made with titanium metal parts. What it doesn't have is side to side shifts, an interchangeable bellows, or a very long bellows. But it easily handles lenses from 110-480,weighs only 10 lbs and has a high resale value.

If you prefer a budget camera check out the Osaka. It is a better looking more rigid version of the Tachihara available for just under $1400. There are none in the country new right now, but we will have some in 2-3 months.

I have 2 8x10s and my user is an Arca. Don't count out the Tachihara. The low price seems to scare people away but they are highly crafted and the single extension model is really compact and rigid. My neighbor bought the Tachihara and has really enjoyed it. It draws about 450-500 with a conventional lens. Talk to Jim at Midwest Photo...ec

Good things come to those who wait ....

 

I got my Phillips Compact-II after a two-year wait (there was confusion between an Explorer and a Compact-II - my fault), but boy-oh-boy it was so worth the wait !