Looking for recommendations on a beater 8x10 field camera - robust but cheap ;)

[nick mulder]

My Sinar P 8x10 just aint going to cut it traveling ...

Using two or so standard Fidelity Holders and a Manfrotto/Bogen tripod I'd like an 8x10 that is low in weight and can fold up well for traveling places I may want to do portraiture - taking the mountain (of a camera setup) to mohammed so to speak.

Rise I can do without, but a little never hurt - tilt and to a slightly greater extent swing I'd like - nothing extreme required ...

As the places I will be taking it are bordering on 'third world' (if you'll excuse the quaint generalization) and I dont want to held down from experiencing it to the fullest (or at least %85 of it :rolleyes I am quite prepared for the camera to get thrown around a bit so I'm not going to be too precious - hence, cheap is ok but only if the design is one that can be readily repaired if need be, preferably robust enough to avoid damage without excess weight (opposite ends of a graph huh)...

The lens and shutter will be my current copal3 and caltar 360mm which at this stage I have to take a punt on dragging along with me - these two items will have slightly more care taken into account and I'm guessing/hoping the size makes it easier to do this compared to the actual camera itself...

For the 1:1 mag I'd like on occasion the standards need to be about 500mm apart.

I have built cameras previously (incl. GG and bellows) but thought if there is a doer-upper around here or on ebay I could start with that ...

A quick look on ebay gave me this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Century-8x10-Fi...ryZ15248QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

potential ?

aside from that any ideas ? links ? info ? offers ?

any help appreciated !
thanks,
nick

 

[John Kasaian]

Gowland is about the lightest 8x10 I know of. Made from mostly stock hardware. You can probably make most repairs with a pair of pliers and gaffer's tape. Not very expensive either but it is NOT a Sinar or Linhof. Check out Peter's site www.petergowland.com

 

[John Kasaian]

If you want a woody there are some Agfa models that might float your boat!

 

[nick mulder]

Gowland is about the lightest 8x10 I know of. Made from mostly stock hardware. You can probably make most repairs with a pair of pliers and gaffer's tape. Not very expensive either but it is NOT a Sinar or Linhof. Check out Peter's site www.petergowland.com

thanks, but I dont see any folders at that site though - there is a 4 ½ lb 8x10 monorail - but its cost new is more than what I paid for my Sinar (with lens, shutter and 8 holders)

interesting site though!

 

[epatsellis]

Nick,
how's your woodworking skills?

erie

 

[nick mulder]

Nick,
how's your woodworking skills?

erie

Pretty good, I've sniffed an average to fair amount of sawdust in my time

I dont have all the gear at architecture school I used to have on hand - but I have access to a good drop saw, dodgy table saw, mill, router and a heap of hand tools, takes time to get it together tis all...

I was going to design my own but thought fixing up an ol' beater might be a better plan...

Do you have something that could do with a restore or maybe some drawings ?

you've got me interested in hearing back to say the least

 

[jimgalli]

I've tried most of them and the one I keep is the old Kodak 2D tailboard. Here's why. There is just enough room inside the camera body between the front bulkhead and 1st bellows fold for a 6 1/2" Packard shutter. That one feature has made it the most versatile of any camera I own. I can put ancient barrel portrait lenses up to about 14-15 inch with big f4 apertures on it and the hole in the packard will accomodate them. I also like the sliding block that balances the weight front to back above the tripod. It weighs in about 9 1/2 pounds iirc.

Don't plan on impressing anybody at gear gatherings and workshops. People seem to sniff at the tailboard cameras. You'll have to wait until the photos come out. Probably 85% of the work on my web pages has been done with the trusty Kodak. I paid $285 for it. Now lenses.........that's entirely a different matter.

 

[Mark Sawyer]

Like Jim, I love my old Kodak 2D. It was my first 8x10 30 years ago, and it still does everything I neeed. I confess though, for travelling I have a Kodak Master, just because I don't want to risk the wood finish on the 2D.

The Seneca Improved is another good candidate, though. Fairly common, and it's a little lighter than the 2D, though with a similar design and a smaller lens board.

The lensboard might be the deciding factor. It would be nice to have the same lensboards fitting your traveller and your Sinar. Perhaps think in terms of what camera has a large enough lensboard to make a Sinar adapter to fit...

 

[SchwinnParamount]

My Sinar P 8x10 just aint going to cut it traveling ...

I am Using two or so standard Fidelity Holders and a Manfrotto/Bogen tripod. I'd like an 8x10 that is low in weight and can fold up well for traveling places I may want to do portraiture - taking the mountain (of a camera setup) to mohammed so to speak.


A quick look on ebay gave me this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Century-8x10-Fi...ryZ15248QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

potential ?

aside from that any ideas ? links ? info ? offers ?

any help appreciated !
thanks,
nick

I just picked up a Burke & James 8x10 on ebay for $200. Sure, it isn't a beauty queen but has all the movements. I bought a heavy B&J 305mm lens in shutter to go with it. the camera has no problem supporting the lens. You get all the movements and the camera folds up to a semi-compact shape. No, it doesn't fold up nicely like a Deardorff but compact enough to put in a 14"x14"x14" box. It weighs about 13 pounds without a lens.

I used it last night to make a few exposures and sure enough, the camera did its job... for only 200 bones. It is truly the "poor man's Deardorff".