Magnesium view camera.

[David Lindquist]

And then consider that the SR-71, built to spy on the Soviet Union, was made of titanium sourced from the Soviet Union.

David

 

[DREW WILEY]

Wonderful, Axelwick. Have a wonderful trip! My nephew also did some climbing in Slovakia because the friable rock resembles that in the Himalayas, and that's where quite a few Himalayan climbers have trained. After the sandstone towers, I think those ice screws were next put to use on Cholatse in Nepal. Can't remember. He was living with me at the time and climbing gear was all over the place.

 

[bdial]

Richard Ritter’s 8x10 cameras are carbon fiber and wood, and weigh around 8 pounds without a lens.
I have a Calumet C-1 in magnesium, it’s anything but light.

 

[AnselMortensen]

If my Calumet C-1 "Green Monster" is the 'light' version of the C-1...then the standard version must be ridiculously heavy.

 

[Axelwik]

Wonderful, Axelwick. Have a wonderful trip! My nephew also did some climbing in Slovakia because the friable rock resembles that in the Himalayas, and that's where quite a few Himalayan climbers have trained. After the sandstone towers, I think those ice screws were next put to use on Cholatse in Nepal. Can't remember. He was living with me at the time and climbing gear was all over the place.

Thanks Drew. I don't climb anymore, but had many adventures in Europe and Asia. Now at 60 most of what I do is ride motorcycles and make photographs.

 

[JPD]

An aluminium-lithium alloy could work.

 

[MarkS]

The Eastman Commercial 8x10 is a fine camera (if you can find one). It's basically a metal 2-D. A colleague used one many years ago; I assisted him on a shoot or two with it. I don't recall it being particularly lightweight but there was a lot of gear involved, so it all seemed heavy.
Later I sometimes used a Calumet C-1 "Green Monster" on the job; it weighed about 14 pounds without a lens IIRC. Wasn't until much later that I knew of the later, black-painted aluminum C-1s.
My point? Just that the camera's weight (especially in 8x10) is a small factor in the total weight of your kit.

 

[Axelwik]

My point? Just that the camera's weight (especially in 8x10) is a small factor in the total weight of your kit.

Depends on the kit. If one puts together a lightweight field kit consisting of a light camera, two or three very light lenses, just a few film holders, a 5# tripod, and minimal accoutrements, then the weight of the camera makes a bigger difference.

Obviously if one takes every big and fast lens imaginable, two spare light meters plus a flash meter, 20 film holders, the largest dark cloth made, changing tent, a couple 20 pound tripods with heavy duty pan/tilt heads, four portable studio lights with battery packs, light stands, plus a bunch of different modifiers, sand bags, a spare camera, spare everything (just in case), portable awning, cooler full of cold drinks, etc. etc., then of course the camera weight won't matter much.

We're obviously not talking about the same thing here.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

If my Calumet C-1 "Green Monster" is the 'light' version of the C-1...then the standard version must be ridiculously heavy.

There's an interesting story about the Calumet C-1 - there's the magnesium bodied ones, and then aluminum bodied ones. All magnesium ones are Green Monsters, but not all Green Monsters are magnesium. All the Black Beast versions are aluminum. Apparently what happened is that for whatever reason, the fire marshal paid a visit to the shop where they were making Green Monsters and found magnesium shavings all over the place, and shut them down because it was an extreme fire hazard. Thus the transition. I suspect the few aluminum Green Monsters were made that way to finish off a batch of paint.

The magnesium made the camera lighter, but as otherwise noted, it's far from lightweight. A magnesium Green Monster is 14 lbs, no lens. The aluminum Black Beast is 18 lbs. My Canham 14x17 by comparison is in the 17 lb range, and my Canham 8x10 is 6 lbs.

 

[David Lindquist]

There's an interesting story about the Calumet C-1 - there's the magnesium bodied ones, and then aluminum bodied ones. All magnesium ones are Green Monsters, but not all Green Monsters are magnesium. All the Black Beast versions are aluminum. Apparently what happened is that for whatever reason, the fire marshal paid a visit to the shop where they were making Green Monsters and found magnesium shavings all over the place, and shut them down because it was an extreme fire hazard. Thus the transition. I suspect the few aluminum Green Monsters were made that way to finish off a batch of paint.

The magnesium made the camera lighter, but as otherwise noted, it's far from lightweight. A magnesium Green Monster is 14 lbs, no lens. The aluminum Black Beast is 18 lbs. My Canham 14x17 by comparison is in the 17 lb range, and my Canham 8x10 is 6 lbs.

I had a green aluminum C-1, bought new in Spring of 1974. Sold it in Spring of 2014 by which time I was finding it too heavy.

David

 

[MarkS]

Well, Calumet was selling that camera to professionals- most of them advertising photographers in studio spaces. Certainly the one I used spent its long, hard working life in the industrial complex where I was employed. And on location? That's what assistants were for.

 

[Xylo]

Funny because this got me thinking about the Peter Gowland Pocket View...
That thing was super lightweight and had a ton of movements.

 

[Vaughn]

Funny because this got me thinking about the Peter Gowland Pocket View...
That thing was super lightweight and had a ton of movements.

Mine is 2.5 pounds with the 150mm on it. But it is the Calumet version with limited features and movements (non-rotating back, for example). Great camera that drives the precision-folks nuts.

Tolaga Bay Wharf, 1986
New Zealand
4x5, 150mm lens, red filter
16x20 silver gelatin print

 

[doughowk]

I have a Kodak Master Camera 8X10 that I used to carry in the field. Its now only in studio. One problem is it takes special lensboard.

 

[eli griggs]

And then consider that the SR-71, built to spy on the Soviet Union, was made of titanium sourced from the Soviet Union.

David

Yeah, that's an interesting story in itself.

 

[nosmok]

I have a Kodak Master Camera 8X10 that I used to carry in the field. Its now only in studio. One problem is it takes special lensboard.

I had one of those! Such a beautifully designed machine, but 1) lensboard criticism is on point, 2) it just feels heavy somehow, 3) I worried about getting dirt in it or something. Replaced it with a Folmer Graflex Universal 8x10 in the field-- it's got the same wide variety of movements as the Master, certainly not the same rigidity, but it does save a pound and a half and lensboards are easy to make and find.

 

[Joe Kashi]

How light does it have to be? What size camera are we talking about? 4x5?..... lots of Nagaokas and Anba Ikedas, You want light & cheap? Intrepid. You want unobtanium?..... Carbon Infinity. 8x10? How about the Chamonix Alpinist at 2460grams. ULF? Richard Ritter cameras. In the end, how much does camera weight contribute to the overall kit weight? Just asking......

My Richard Ritter 11x14 uses CF rails, a bit of wood, and some light metal, likely aluminum, for the uprights and supports. It weighs 13 pounds, about half the weight of my older11x14 wooden field camera, and with a lot more movement as well.

 

[eli griggs]

The newest tech breakthrough I am excited about is "Sponge Metal", as recently mentioned in an article about the material, in the metal, Nickel.

This project holds promise at great strength, stability and much lighter "Sponge" metal materials.

It'll be fascinating to see a view camera with greatly reduced weight, but with more strength and rigidity, for more durable yet packable large format cameras, tripods, monopod as well as other camera kit.

Cheers

 

[awty]

If my Calumet C-1 "Green Monster" is the 'light' version of the C-1...then the standard version must be ridiculously heavy.

It is. Equal to the mass of a small asteroid. Actually I have the Orbit C-1 in black, needs two tripods to use.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Funny because this got me thinking about the Peter Gowland Pocket View...
That thing was super lightweight and had a ton of movements.

They're kind of fiddly, but very flexible as monorail cameras. For more precision, you can use a compass and a clinometer to line everything up (I use a Suunto Tandem, but there are smartphone apps for that). I still have my 8x10. I sold off the 4x5 some years ago. The 4x5 with a lightweight tripod and a folding medium format camera made for a nice travel setup. I also used to carry the 4x5 with my birding setup to shoot landscapes and macros in between bird photo ops.

 

[Xylo]

I still remember reading about them in the old Shutterbug. They had modified one to improve it by using binder clips to hold the lens board and replaced the aluminum screws with proper onesé

 

[Vaughn]

I have used the PocketView on travels with 4x5 B&W, and with 6x7 color with a 120 rollback. It made a nice combo.

Some gum trees on my in-laws' farm in NSW many years ago. RA4 print.

 

[btaylor]

It is. Equal to the mass of a small asteroid. Actually I have the Orbit C-1 in black, needs two tripods to use.

Aw, maybe that's exaggerating a little? Unless you have a very large lens hanging off the front standard. But then again a two tripod set up would be extremely steady I suppose. I have the Calumet Green Monster in aluminum- someone here mentioned 14 lbs, sounds about right. With a lens and holder it's probably up to 20 lbs. I usually use a Gitzo 1570 head which seems adequate.

 

[awty]

Aw, maybe that's exaggerating a little? Unless you have a very large lens hanging off the front standard. But then again a two tripod set up would be extremely steady I suppose. I have the Calumet Green Monster in aluminum- someone here mentioned 14 lbs, sounds about right. With a lens and holder it's probably up to 20 lbs. I usually use a Gitzo 1570 head which seems adequate.

I have some more heavy duty tripods now, but this is an earlier set up.

 

[Doc W]

I'm wondering what is the lightest metal material a view camera can be made from?

Until sponge metal becomes available at affordable prices, what current or past metals would work, IN YOUR OPINION?

I have an old Kodak Master camera (8x10) and I am pretty sure it is both magnesium and aluminum. If I recall correctly, it weighs only 12 lbs. That sounds like a lot until you put it beside a Calumet. Check it out at

Large format cameras: Kodak Master View 8x10