21st Century Deardorff Cameras

[Jarin Blaschke]

Forgive me if this has been asked before, but I wasn't able to find it by a search:

Does anyone have any experience with the new Deardorff cameras produced since the new ownership in 2011? Any notes? Are they truly produced as they were prior to the company's closure in the 80s? I'm a medium format photographer who later this year may finally be able to afford the 8x10 format I've coveted for 20 years. As an aestheticist I can't help be drawn to the sheer beauty of these cameras, even though I know very well that it doesn't reflect in the consequent images!

Jarin

 

[Ian Grant]

You should read the threads on the Topic on the Large Format Forum

There were a lot of unhappy people who hadn't received their cameras and so you need to go read the comments.

Ian

 

[ChuckP]

On the Large Format Forum you will need to register to see the comments on sellers. Make sure you read these comments before buying anything.

 

[Ari]

I'll save you the trouble; the LFPF thread is mostly (justified) ranting from people who paid in full, in advance, for a Deardorff they never got.
I say mostly because a few did receive their cameras after a lengthy wait, while others have been fuming on the sidelines for months, or years, and still haven't received their new 'Dorffs.
Apparently buying Deardorff parts from the same company off their eBay store is a different story; those orders get filled.
Safest thing to do, if you must have a Deardorff, is to buy a used copy on eBay or from a private sale here or on LFPF.

 

[Jarin Blaschke]

That's a shame. Can anyone here speak to the quality of the new cameras - or is it too hard to find someone who actually received their camera?

Jarin

 

[palewin]

Jarin: you really should register with LFPF and read the thread yourself, only because I'm not sure it is really appropriate for those of us who belong to both forums to take from other's experiences and re-post here. But following Ari's lead, there were two customers who posted about their newly-received Deardorffs, one was very happy with the quality, and the other said he had to make repairs on a brand new camera to make it work correctly.

 

[Ian Grant]

Let me add something, while orders that had been paid for in full weren't being shipped new Deardorff cameras were available 2 years ago in the UK from an LF stockist. Ilford had one 14x11 (I think) on loan at a trade show on their stand.

That's fraudulent trading. Steer well away, Ari knows what I mean.

On the Large Format Forum you will need to register to see the comments on sellers. Make sure you read these comments before buying anything.

It's a regular thread so accessible by anyone even non members, but it's still worth the OP joining, while quite a few of us are members of both Forums they have different biases and the LF forum is a dedicated to that sector of photography.

Ian