Deardorff..why so revered?

PHOTOTONE

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Why is the Deardorff wood field camera so revered over the years? Is it truly "better" than the other wood field camera options? Or, is it just that it is American made? Several American made craftsman Wood Field Cameras made now. What makes a Deardorff so "special"?
 

wilsonneal

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I'll just give my own personal reasons for revering the Deardorff, in no particular order:

They're solid. The wood used on the Deardorff feels heavy and strong, and not at all delicate like some imported field cameras.

They strike an excellent balance between precision and practicality, and between weight and ruggedness. There are other cameras that focus on one end of those extremes or the other, but the Deardorff is a nice compromise.

The movements are nicely geared.

The parts are readily available and very interchangeable, from lensboards to backs and everything in between.

They're relatively easy to work on.

The first studio I worked in was a Deardorff and Sinar studio, and I always gravitated towards the warmth of the Deardorff.

I shoot with a Kodak Master 8x10, but if I had it to do all over again, I think I might go with a Deardorff (and I'd be willing to discuss trades).
NW
 

Roger Hicks

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Quite well finished. American.

Not a lot else. Given the choice against a Gandolfi -- well, no choice. Or, if you want an American camera, a Canham. Again, no choice. The Deardorff is not outstandingly rigid; lacks unusually comprehensive movements; and is not even outstandingly pretty.

cf BSA motorcycles, BMW cars, just about any French fashion house. Nostalgia and ignorance coupled with excessive spending power.

Cheers,

R.
 

Terence

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While I'm not as enamored of my V8, my 5x7 is one of the best cameras I own (Out of 56+. Yes, I have a problem.). Compared to its American contemporaries, it is far and away the cream of the crop. It's light, rugged, solid, beautiful, etc. It's just a pleasure to use. My only non-American LF of similar age is a German reisskamera, which although truly a gem with it's beauftiful wood, almost incredibly fine joints, etc. , is not nearly as versatile.

My 8x10 is in better shape than the 5x7, but doesn't seem nearly as rigid as the 5x7, and weighs as much as my 8x10 Korona.

I got both my Deardorffs for less than the price of a single, used Canham. If I had the cash, I'd have a Canham 5x7 and a Phillips 8x10.

I've never had the pleasure of seeing a Gandolfi up close. Or one of those beautiful Japanese cameras from the 1920's-1950's.
 

jimgalli

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Typically, if you price the other options, the Deardorff's are some of the best bargains to be had. In a word, they are elegant in their simplicity. If I become blind, I can still set up my Deardorff (and according to some, my photography may improve). On the price scale, once you leave the Deardorff's behind, the next step down in $$ are all of the antique tailboard types. I've made hundreds of successful pictures with those also, but they are in an entirely different class than the Deardorff field camera. While they may seem revered price wise compared to a Kodak 2D, in terms of bang for your buck, they are un-approachable. Show up at a get together with a bunch of doctors lawyers and indian chiefs with all their new high $$ stuff and the old 'dorff will always at least be respectable.

I would add that the 8X10 John is selling in the classifieds right now is probably underpriced at least $400.
 

John Kasaian

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Deardorff made great cameras, very intuitive to use, very solid, built tough and quite compact & light for wooden field cameras. They also built quite a few of them so they are available, and they go up in value. I'd say that makes them among the more desireable wood field cameras out there---of course that actually has little to do with taking good photographs, but a camera that is sympatico with how I work is, for me, more fun.
 

Roger Hicks

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Andy K said:
I have to disagree...
Click to expand...

Dear Andy,

Beezas are fun, and not bad bikes; but when they were actually in production, most people I knew (including myself) would rather have had a Norton or a Triumph or indeed a Triton (or of course a Vincent if you had the money). All I meant was that they have acquired a substantially undeserved mystique since their demise.

Much the same is true of Harley-Davidson and Indian. When Indian ceased production, they were pretty primitive, and H-Ds were even more primitive. Indian acquired a lot of mystique by ceasing production: H-D garnered theirs mainly by being 'Murrican and staying in production.

For me, Deardorffs are the Harley-Davidsons of the camera world: they look like a camera (bike) should look, and are wonderfully traditional, but as usable machines they are unremarkable. Actually I'd rather have the Deardorff: the (Indian) Enfield Bullet is a better bike than a Tour-Glide, though I have to admit that I've done only about 1500-2000 miles on a Tour-Glide and 3000+ miles on Bullets.

Cheers,

R.
 

jstraw

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I get the impression (though I know I'm influenced by all Fred Picker's propoganda about why and how the Zone VI was born) that the Deardorff is the basis and jumping off point for the modern (Wista, Wisner, Zone VI...right on through to the likes of Ebony) wood field camera. That until the 1980's, it was the gold standard but after that, boutique makers and new notions about ergonomics come into play, taking field camera design much farther than Deardorff. If my Zone VI ever was state of the art (dubious) it sure pales next to an Ebony SV45U2.
 

Roger Hicks

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Propaganda is about all it is. I'd back Sanderson in the 1920s as one of the most influential of all woodies, with Gandolfi (the original Precision which essentially succeeded the Universal tailboard, itself still available to special order) pretty high on the list too.

Outside the USA, the majority of those who rate Deardorffs at all highly are those whose opinions were formed by American writers. Those who actually got their hands on a wide variety of cameras in the 60s and 70s, before the great woodie revival, generally dismiss Deardorffs as competent-to-good middle-of-the-road cameras.

Cheers,

R.
 
OP
OP

PHOTOTONE

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I kinda thought there was nothing "special" about Deardorffs. I will say this though. I think there was a period in history when the ONLY wooden field camera easily available in the USA was Deardorff. Their persistance probably led to the modern revival of the wooden field camera concept.
 

dphphoto

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I have an NFS from the '30's, and quite honestly I wouldn't buy another Deardorff. Not even a newer one. There are just too many other good options out there.
If I could afford an Ebony...
On the other hand, a new Shen Hao would do just fine. Maybe about the same price as a good front-swings 'dorf, it is lighter and has tons more movements.
Sad to say that I'm getting out of 8X10. Arthritis in the back. Now, if I could just afford one of those Ebony 45SV whatevers...

Dean
 

jmcd

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Deardorff positives

Deardorffs fold down quite thin compared to a tailboard for easy carry in a pack, and of course they are priced lower than new or lightly used modern cameras. They unfold and set up so easily, even compared to a Wisner. It is very reassuring to work with a 50 year old camera that has been used much and is still solid—makes you feel like it will be around for awhile, maybe longer than you.

The knobs feel really good and solid, and work well, easy to grab.

However much bellows draw you are using, the Deardorff is easy to balance on the tripod head.
 

jamie young

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Deardorffs were used in many commercial studios for years and were great workhorses. They were durable, reliable, and easy to work with. I would guess more commercial photography was done on a deardorff than any other large format camera.
They were in every commercial studio I worked in, as well as my college (RIT). I think they got the reputation because they were so popular in the professional market at the time. There are lot's of other excellent cameras out there though. I got my deardorff used 30 years ago, when I was 17, and shot many thousands of sheets with it over the years, with little more than a new bellows a few years ago. It's a great camera, though there are lots of other great manufacturers as well.
 

mcd

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Deardorff Dislike...

The early cameras were made from Chicago bartops that were closed during prohibition. While they look beautiful, and I would love to have a 5x7 (I have an 8x10) I really hate using them. After a couple of years shooting with well used Deardorffs in a catalog studio, I have developed a dislike of their imprecision and their tendency to get sloppy, or the focusing knobs over tighten and become a problem. Today, I shoot with a Toyo M and a Horseman HD, vastly superior cameras. The Deardorff sits on the shelf and looks beautiful.
 

John Koehrer

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Andy,
Say it ain't so Andy. There's a digital display on your BSA. Speedometer perhaps?
 

Sparky

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I believe the only reason they've ever actually achieved 'cult' or 'occult' status is by getting plugged in the Adams books -and, being quite expensive at the time of publishing of said books. Those books, being the first of their specific kind, seem to be the center of a mythology which has had a powerful effect on especially the current generation of LFers...

(note: Sorry, Roger - to keep agreeing with you on things lately...! I'm sure we'll find some point of contention soon..!)


 

RoBBo

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I've been shooting with an 11x14 studio Deardorff recently (One of the old Chicago bartop ones) and I have to say it's probably the most calming shooting I've ever done.
Everything about it is just a great joy to use, and there's something very magical about standing back and looking at my model through that 30" Artar.
And climbing all around it, pulling this and cranking that for my movements is so much better than just looking around a little box and tweaking a few knobs. It's a real machine of a camera, I don't think anything 'modern' could really give you the wonderful feeling this beast does...
But then again, I also don't have any experience with anything else in that format, and my only other experiences with Viewcameras in general are limited to low end Toyos and Cambos, with a couple Shen Haos and Technicas thrown in the mix.
 

John Kasaian

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Alex Hawley

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I agree pretty much with what Jaimie said. The design was the one that all other folding field cameras have been based on ever since. Similar 8x10 cameras on the market these days are just refinements of the Deardorff design plus maybe and additional bell or whistle.

Another point is that they stayed in production for a good 50 years. Kodak produced the excellent Masterview but it wasn't made for very long, so there just aren't very many of them to be had.

My Dorff is a 1940s vintage with front swing added. I'm not a professional making my living with it but I have yet to get a desire for something different. Its just a flat comfort to work with.
 

Ole

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I don't think I've ever seen, handled or used a Deardorff...

However I've seen, held, handled or used quite a wide range of other wooden cameras, including Zone VI and Ebony.

For stability, I'd say it's about even between the Gandolfi Traditional and the 1910's German tailboard cameras (I have two - one 13x18cm and one 24x30cm). The Ebonies are nowhere near!
For compactness and ease of setting up, the tailboard wins hands down.

Both of these also stayed in production for a good 70 years or more, even if the later (Soviet) tailboards are merely poor copies of the originals.
 

k_jupiter

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A Deardorff might be the finest LF camera you have ever seen. Yet, I will take my 125.00 dollar B&J 5x7 and produce images as good as any made on a Deardorff with the same lens, same dark cloth, same meter. It might take me 30 more seconds to set up the shot with my 'tailboard' special, but if I waited till I had the money to buy a 'dorff, think of all the shots I wouldn't have taken. I always operate on the Atget mode of creativity. The crap he shot with in Paris is blown away technically by most of the equipment I haul around... yet I knew Atget... and I, Mr. Jupiter, am no Atget. I suspect.. neither are you.

tim in san jose
 
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