8x10 camera and color film

I am itching to shoot some color film in my 8x10, for the same reason Everest was climbed. Now for technical questions

Given the expense of this endeavor I am going to need eliminate some of my most common issues with the 8x10.

1) Bellows factor. I have read here and else where that with an 8x10 you have to accomodate for bellows extension. Why is that necessary when you are shooting at the focal length of the lens? Maybe a stupid question but I cannot get my head around it.

2)Scratching film. I don't know where or if it happens loading or unloading but when I load tranparency film in my 4x5 I scratch it. I solved this by buying quick loads. There are no 8x10 quick loads.

3) AM I wasting my time trying to do this? Is 8x10 color as cool as people say?

Bellows factor is an issue with any format when you are shooting at a magnification factor of 1:10 or greater. With 35mm that is usually the macro range, and if you're not using TTL metering you need to calculate it. With 8x10" you're at closer than 1:10 in most portrait and still life situations, so it comes up more often as you move up in format.

Load carefully and don't scratch the film. There are no magic solutions to that one.

8x10" color is really cool. Give it a try. I've got a few in my APUG gallery, but the screen doesn't show what a transparency looks like on the light table.

I shoot 8x10 color all the time.

What scratching issues? Simply don't let you cat load and unload your film, grin.

Bellows factor, so? Simply calculate it. Not hard. My taxes are hard. Bellows factors isn't.

Try color negative film, too. Compare your results. I shoot Fuji 160S and Kodak 400. Both nice in their own way.

This page on my web site is all 10-8. Enjoy: Dead Link Removed

Get out there and make 'pitchers'.

I have not found modern pre-hardened emulsion color film from both vendors (Fuji and Kodak) to be any more scratch prone than b/w. If you worry about bellows factor, get a 4x5 reducing back for your 8x10 and test with 4x5 Fuji FP100C45 instant film. Due to its size (4x5) it will only show you the center of your whole 8x10 image, but that is enough to judge exposure. Test with instant 4x5, replace back with 8x10 back and shoot. If you focus with the 8x10 back in place, when you replace with 4x5 back, the image will probably not be in focus, but that doesn't matter, you are testing for exposure, not focus.

Hint: You have to allow for bellows factor for ALL films, not just for color.

Colour 8x10 film looks stunning on a light box. My advice would be to shoot it while you can: emulsions seem to be disappearing at regular rate, most recently Kodak's discontinuation of E100VS in 8x10.

8x10 slides, mmmmmm... just do it while you can!

(1) no big deal, but you can get a smaller reducing back and proof via fuji instant film if you are really nervous.

(2) nah, not a big deal. I have shot many boxes of 5x7 velvia, swapping it out in the field because I don't have many film holders and ... nary a scratch. On the other hand, I scratch b&w film all the time, somehow...

(3) oh yeah!

N.b. for ultrawide stuff you may find yourself wanting a center filter.

David A. Goldfarb said:

8x10" color is really cool. Give it a try. I've got a few in my APUG gallery, but the screen doesn't show what a transparency looks like on the light table.

Click to expand...

I can only imagine. A nice shot on 4x5 velvia still puts my jaw through the floor.