bob_krantz

Allen:

Within one hour, you can get to the Great Salt Lake (south shore near

I-80) or Antelope Island via the causeway. The far west or southern

areas of the Salt Lake valley may still preserve some pre-tract

housing landscapes (or do what Baltz did and embrace the visual

contrasts). If you want to drive a bit further, you can be in Price

in 2 hours, and then head south into the canyon country.

Bob

So far, I have been able to handle temps down to about -20F without

too much trouble. I have never had problems icing up the GG (maybe I

don't breath hard enough?), so I can't help with that. The carbon

fiber Gitzo legs are definitely more finger freindly, but the metal

parts still hurt. I have tried a number of gloves: for moderately

cold weather, I like fleece gloves that have rubber traction surfaces

on all fingers and palm. For colder temps, I have big overmitts or

gloves that I can manage tripod set-up with, before stripping down to

the fleece gloves. I have noticed that my ball-head loses grip when

it gets really cold.

Jeremy:

I have been using a Komura 210 for about 20 years, mostly for 4x5 and

occasionally for 8x10 (which it will barely cover at small apertures).

Its a great, compact lens that delivers good, sharp images. Contrast

is comparable to other lenses I own (Fuji, Calumet). Enjoy it.

I also own a Komura 210, and have used it for 4x5 for years with happy

results. I have tried it recently for 8x10, and it seems to cover out

to the corners, so it should be just fine for 5x7.

Tony:

Another vote for the Wehman 8x10. At 12 pounds it does weigh more,

but it will survive the day (week?) in your back pack. As for the

ground glass, the front base extension swings up and completely covers

the back of the camera when folded.

Let me second the endorsement of the Wehman 8x10, and expand a bit

here. I have been using one for about 3 months and flat love it. In

some ways the design is non-traditional, and it will never win any

beauty contests (unless, perhaps in the context of efficient

industrial design). The Wehman contains only aluminum (base plate,

top cover that flips over to become part of the base for long

extensions, body of the rear section, front standards), steel (misc.

hardware and braces), and composite resin board (everything else). It

folds very compactly, sets up easily and quickly, and is at least as

rigid as other field cameras I have used (B&J, Calumet metal). The

movements are pretty complete and easy to use (front tilt on and off

axis, rear tilt at base, simply front swing, and a very clever design

that integrates rear swing with the gear-driven focus). Most

movements have clear detents for zeroing things out. Another clever

touch is a lever that partially lifts the back for film hoder

insertion--kind of a partial bail. Altogether it weighs 12 pounds.

Not as light as it could be but as Bruce says, it is pretty

indestructable, especially with the optional plexiglas screen included

with the camera. Check out the camera at Bruce's web site

http://members.home.net/brucewehman/camera.htm

but be warned that I don't think his photos or descriptions do the

camera justice. I also think the $1400 price is a relative bargain.

Let me suggest a variation on tray processing that I came up with

years ago when I started down the large format path. I took some

cheap 8x10 plastic trays that have subtle ribs on the bottom. I glued

a few strips of plastic about 1/2 inch tall and 2 inches long ,

standing up in the center of the tray as dividers (one "north-south",

the other "east-west"). Each tray holds 4 sheets of 4x5, a reasonable

number and is essentially scratch proof. The solutions are free to

spill around the divider. Now if only I can think of a way to handle

8x10...