8x10 field camera recommendations?

David H. Bebbington said:

...I did buy an Ansco (gray paint) camera for this purpose with the all-singing all-dancing rise/fall swing/tilt front, but this is a bit long in the tooth and I can't see this being rigid enough, particularly as I would like to use some lenses that I have been collecting such as a 12" f4.5 Serrac in a #5 Compound which almost fills up a Sinar panel....

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I'm interested that you feel the Ansco would not be rigid enough, esp at most extensions you're likely to encounter with a 12" lens. It would have been one of my first suggestions for an inexpensive yet robust camera. They did come in some different variations. Some had tilting fronts; others did not. Some take 6" lens boards; others take 7 1/2" lens boards. I have one of the latter and like it as it's one of the few field cameras with a front standard large enough to accommodate old portrait lenses.

Cheers,

My particular example may be a little tired, and I felt the design of the front was rather crude - for example, just one locking knob for the front shift AND swing, the same two for rise/fall and on-axis tilt. I'd rather struggle with the extra weight of the Sinar Norma and really have confidence that everything is going to stay locked up. I have another model of Ansco in a dark wood varnish finish in 5x7" size which is much more rigid (mentioned earlier in the thread) - I'd be more than satisified with this in 8x10", but example are rare and I think not be had for less than $700.

I too recommend the wehman. VERY stable, yet lightweight and very portable...plenty of movement for the field. lengthy bellows.

David H. Bebbington said:

My particular example may be a little tired, and I felt the design of the front was rather crude - for example, just one locking knob for the front shift AND swing, the same two for rise/fall and on-axis tilt. I'd rather struggle with the extra weight of the Sinar Norma and really have confidence that everything is going to stay locked up. I have another model of Ansco in a dark wood varnish finish in 5x7" size which is much more rigid (mentioned earlier in the thread) - I'd be more than satisified with this in 8x10", but example are rare and I think not be had for less than $700.

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I looked at the Wehman and noted the bellows sag, and thats images on their own site.

Going back to Agfa-Ansco's there does appear to be a very marked drop in quality of their field cameras once the company (Agfa America) was sequestrated by the US Government in 1941, after Pearl Harbour. In fact the later LF products are quite inferior, metal work - brass etc and woodwork is totally different

Ian

If you can find one without a bunch of extras, look for a Zone VI Ultralight (like the one I got onEbay recently). It takes a Sinar-sized lensboard, so if you have a Sinar already, you can use your lenses without changing. It provides front and rear movements, and without changing bellows can provide from 3" to 38" of extension, so you can use lenses with it from approximately 75mm to 800mm. The camera weighs approximately 10 lbs, which is quite good for an 8x10, and is very well-crafted Honduran mahogany. The big downsides are two- they aren't common, and they're pricey.

I have one of the Agfa/Ansco 4x5/5x7 models and while it lacks some movements, they're built like a brick. They're also quite reasonable in price. Look for one of the 8x10s with the larger lensboard, like Will Whitaker suggested. Look for them on American Ebay - they show up periodically, and like many cameras, they seem to come and go in waves. You won't see them online for a while, then all of a sudden, a half-dozen will show up within a two week span.

Its always nice to have a good excuse to buy another camera, but I wonder what is making your Ansco do the jitterbug? Have you attempted to take some of the loosey-goosey parts off and see whats worn and what could be done to remedy the situation? I think there are 8x10 Agfa Ansco repair manuals for sale on---where else?