xbow Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 <p>After years of working medium format, digital, etc. I finally succumbed to the lure of large format....<br>I just got my hands on a Kodak Master 8X10- in great shape. The question is, how guilty should I feel about the price I paid......<br>The body is in great shape; bellows look new. It came with a Voigtlander Dynar 12 inch lens, mounted with a B&L compound shutter. Glass is remarkably clear! I also got 4 or 5 lens boards, 7 Fideltiy film holders, the case and a Bogen head on a zone VI tripod...I paid 1K...painful but it struck me as worth the price.<br>It will be a while before I get it cleaned up and start shooting, but for right now I find myself dumb-struck by the image on the ground glass....its absolutely beautiful.<br>Just wanted to say hello to the forum, and thanks for all the great information and reading over the years......</p><p>John</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_menesdorfer Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 <p>The best way to avoid the feeling of guilt is not to think about it. :-) And welcome to the upside down world. :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 <p>John, you jumped in really big time with an 8x10. It's like a whole series of issues over 4x5. I think your price is probably okay. It doesn't really matter what you paid, so long as the tool gets you what you want, artistically.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronald_moravec1 Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 <p>When you see the prints, you will forget the price.</p> <p>In five years your wife will not even remember.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucecahn Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 <p>Why would you feel guilty about spending $1000. on a complete 8x10 outfit? I don't understand. That is inexpensive compared to what that kind of equipment costs new. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinny_walsh Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 <p>Ron, how did you get your wife to forget it? Mine remembers every purchase.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbow Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 <p>Thanks for the encouragement....the grass is green, the sun rises in the east, and my wife wont forget either. Just some of the certainties in life! That having been said, she is as enthusiastic about a beautiful contact print as I am- I think I will be OK!<br> I am really anxious to get started!<br> Bruce- I dont feel guilty at all...just wanted an excuse to tell everyone my good news!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_503771 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 <p>If it's the Kodak Master View 8x10 that folds up like a field camera, made of metal, etc., you got a sweet deal. Especially if the bellows doesn't leak light and it's fairly clean, everything tightens down well.</p> <p>As for the Dynar, you'll just have to try it out. According to the Lens Vademecum, optically it is a good design, rivaling the Heliar but not as popular. I can say from personal experience that a clean Compound shutter is a good catch. And if they get gunked up they're really easy to work on and get working again because the design and layout is very simple. They just work.</p> <p>As regards the wife, you're really lucky. You should tell her. And, does she have a sister?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urs_bernhard1 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 <p>John, the joy you will have with it is unpayable. And it will be the enjoyment what your wife will never forget...<br> Good luck!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbow Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 <p>Michael, Urs- Thanks for the encouragement. Unfortunately, no sister though...<br> BTW- As I was clearing the film holders I got with the camera, I discovered 4 sheets of film still in the holders. I fortunately put the holders in my changing tent to check for film, so no damage done. I wrote to Gene M. to see if he can take a shot at them. Likely they are just unexposed film left in the holders, but its worth it to find out I think.<br> I will let you know....<br> BTW the Dynar appears to be from the 1933-34 timeframe, and is uncoated.</p> <p>Thanks again</p> <p>John</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
profhlynnjones Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 <p>As I recall it John, Kodak stopped making the 8x10 Master View at bout the sime time the sold the 4x5 Master View to Calumet (possibly earlier), that would be around 1955. I remember it as an aluminum flat bed camera with tapered bellows beautiful, but pretty heavy, tell us if I'm right. When we bought the 4x5 from Kodak, we did agree to continue to make the die cast aluminum lens boards for the 8x10 so you are lucky to have extra boards, at Calumet we stopped making them because they stopped buying them in about 1966. Yes, I'm old enough.</p> <p>Lynn</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbow Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 <p>Lynn,<br> Thanks for the history. As for age, I am not so far behind you. The unit seems built like a tank, and yes it is a bit heavy. The extra lens boards I immediately recognized as a "deal enhancer" as I had been reading about the Kodak Master View for quite awhile and had seen discussion regarding the rarity of the boards. So is there a model of view camera at Calumet now that is a direct decendant of the Master View?<br> Thanks<br> John</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_meyer3 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 <p>I think you got a pretty good deal. I've been watching for a Kodak Master View to go cheap on Ebay for several years. I only see 3-4 a year, and they typically go for $700 and up. I'm not familiar with the Voigtlander Dynar, but figure it's worth at least $100, maybe much more. 7 8x10 fidelity film holders are worth at least $100, maybe as much as $200+. I figure you got the lensboards and the tripod for free, probably worth $300-$400.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbow Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 <p>Robert,<br> Thanks, those numbers were what I had sort of pre-calculated myself, or at least very close. Here is a picture of the Dynar in its lens board. The lens is much clearer that the photo would suggest.....</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_galli4 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Wow what a sweet outfit. Those Kodaks go for $1500 - $1800 without any of the extras. The lens is worth about $350 and it's excellent by the way. The lensboards are a shocking $80 apiece these days. Good used film holders fetch $30 - $45 each. You did just fine! Have fun. BTW the Dynar is just a lighter smaller version of the more famous Heliar lens. It's f6 instead of f4.5 but otherwise the same. That should be an excellent lens for head and shoulder portraits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razzledog Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 <p>John, just think about it this way...what basic DSLR and lenses outfit would you have bought for only a grand? I would say you did rather well and please upload the first shot you take this gem.....<br> I am also old enough to just remember 1955.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wentbackward Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 <p>Feel guilty about getting that lot for a grand, jeez, you feel guilty about stealing it?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbow Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 <p>Thanks to all for their comments. Paul G- too late, the window for feeling any guilt has closed! I have the camera all cleaned up. Next up will be some film density and speed testing, then some development characterization. Once all that is done I will start shooting with it. I will certainly post the results of that.....Thanks again to all!</p> <p>John </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p.d._foote Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 <p>Hi John, just saw this forum. I had a Kodak 8x10 Master view field camera in the 70's & remember it weighing about the same as the wood Deardorff, I think about 10-11 lbs. by itself. It was like a metal version of the Deardorff with the triple extension bed & the the way it folded into itself. It was superbly made( Kodak produced very high quality photo equipment in the 50's). Look for the Kodak Commercial Ektars of that period, really great lenses but be aware because they were coated with a quite soft coating that could get abraded easily by carelessness. Calumet discontinued it & produced a massive 8x10 with a bed that folded outside up against the ground glass, massive in size & weight, I think about 15 lbs. Yes, I had one of those also. Contact prints have special qualities. Some people have a hard time with the upside down, reversed image. Regards & great shooting, P.d. Foote.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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