My 8x10 has finally arrived!

I picked it up from the post office yesterday, and it is indeed a thing of beauty! Unfortunately, my wallet is a lot lighter. But because all I have is the camera, I now have to see about getting all the peripherals so that I can go out and play. So...this is what I'm thinking I'll need. Please let me know if I'm missing something or am buying something I don't need, TIA! I'm nervous as this is my first foray into LF (8x10, btw).

1. Lens and lensboard - I'm leaning towards the 305 G-Claron, though I was told that this lens tends to flare if I shoot in colour. I am planning on doing only B&W and contact printing in the beginning, so this may not be an issue? I was also looking at the Nikkor 300 f/5.6 or the Fuji 240 f/9 A.
2. 8x10 Film holders - I'm eyeing a couple of these at the auction site
3. Cable release
4. Dark cloth
5. Tripod - I'm thinking of getting the 4032 Berlebach
6. Film - Ilford
7. Azo and Amidol
8. Contact printing frame - Pelland

Would I need a loupe for 8x10? How about a lens wrench? Or a ground glass protector? I'd rather not spend more money than I have to at this point, but if you guys think these are crucial, I will rethink.

Thanks so much!

nikor m 300 f/9 still in production, coated and extremely sharp with lots of movement, a very small compact lens, also good for 4 x 5 color transparencies....

How much bellows do you have? I like the fugi 450 C very small and an excellent performer lots of movement on 8 x 10 coated

the 19 inch artar (480 mm) pops up now and again in barrel covers 11 x 14 very sharp, i fo not have a shutter for mine, but reportedly they will screw into the front of an ilex number 4 shutter....

on the wide side the wollensak 159 covers and is on ebay....

the angulon 165 covers barely

I use a rodenstock 210 sironar it just barely covers and it doubles on my 4 x 5 great color and b and w lens.....

JML lens 209 mm popping up on e bay without shutter covers with movement and is very sharp, got one for less that 50 bucks new in the box on e bay..am looking forward to testing it out on 8 x 10 Galli mentions it covers nicely...

and of course the clarons....240 and 305 if you see one grab it i wouldnt worry to much about your "flare" concerns...

a cheapie is the paragon 8 1/4 " (215 mmm) pops up now and again and not many bid on them....covers 8 x 10 and comes in the Ilex 4 shutter into which you can screw the 19 inch artar....for some real winners to ad to your want list check the past posts and info given by Sandy King on lenses to cover 7 x 17......

just some early morning random thoughts...now to the coffee

good luck

Dave in Vegas

Instead of a loupe, I prefer to use the highest magnification reading glasses that I can find at the drug store. I prefer using both eyes to focus.

For a ground glass protector, I use a couple of sheets of masonite held in place with a bungee cord.

You don't say what camera you have, but if the lens boards are no more than 6-inches wide, you can make your own from model airplane plywood sold at hobby stores.

For B&W contact printing, you can get away with a wide variety of lenses, single coated and uncoated, that may save you some money. I do agree that you should probably start with something in the 300mm range - after you've used it for awhile you can decide if you want something wider or longer.

Good luck. 8x10 is great.
juan

Thanks! I think I will get that 305-G Claron before it disappears (at Midwest Photo, that is). The min/max bellows extension is 125mm to 850mm, assuming that I don't use tilts and rise.

The camera is an Ebony.

luvmydogs said:

The camera is an Ebony.

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Oh wow! An Ebony. Congratulations. That camera is heavily on our wish list. Please tell us what it's like to work with. How are the movements, how fast can you set it up, and all that stuff people here need to know. You know what I mean? Which model did you get?

Norm, who's not a bit jealous, oh no, not me

Norm,

Will do! I got a hold of the camera last night around 9pm, so all I have been able to do is to take it out of the box. I will report asap once I get more time to play with it!

I have the older Fuji 210mm W. It's single coated with allegedly a touch more coverage then the 210mm G-claron. Also faster. Both #1 shutters but bigger glass on the Fuji. I think the Ebony just uses Linhoff boards. Just get one from Mpex.

I don't know that hobby plywood would work on an Ebony! they would work in function, but would really look out of place...

Dave

PS, they are accessories, not peripherals LOL

Satinsnow said:

PS, they are accessories, not peripherals LOL

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Dave, you're right!

I think a 305 G Claron is an excellent choice. For B&W contacts you could also used older, cheaper lenses like the 14" Commercial Ektar or 375mm Ilex should one present itself in a good working shutter(the G Claron will be lighter and smaller which is a consideration if you're packing) The 240mm and 270mm G Clarons work nicely on an 8x10 as well.

For a cable release, I like Gepes with the disc lock because it has a long trow and my lenses are in a variety of old shutters. The double action types like the Ilex Universal tend to require cable releases with a long throw.

For a loupe you can do just fine with an "agfa" type--about $5 I notice that using a loupe to fine focus improves my photos.

Film Holders--if you can find a reputable dealer who sells the old black wooden ones cheap, you can send back any 'leakers' for exchange or refund---something thats unlikely on eBAy. OTOH, while eBays a gamble, I've often won big. For say $20/holder or less it can be an attractive bet.

Ground Glass protector---I think it depends on where you're taking your camera. I haven't used one and I've covered some rough terrain in the past with no problems, but now that I'm thinking of taking the ol' gal skiing I think t might be a good investment.

Good luck & welcome to 8x10!

Macy, you should anticipate being teased a bit about getting an Ebony 8x10 as your first LF camera. Many will equate this to buying a Rolls Royce as your first car.

I agree - the 305mm G-Claron is a good choice. You may find that how you "see" with the 8x10 is somewhat different than your focal-length preference for other formats. For example, my preference leans toward "slightly wide" on 8x10, while it's "slightly long" with other formats. Thus, my favorite lens on the 8x10 is a 240mm G-Claron.

As to accessories, don't forget a good changing bag. Even if you load your holders in a darkroom, having a changing bag in the field will be very useful. I like the Harrison "pup-tent" style. Get the big one for 8x10.

Thanks John, for your tidbits!

Ralph - good call on the changing bag!! I forgot about that. Will have to add that to my list. Well, it looks like I'll be going for the G-Claron then.

And you're right, Ralph...I am anticipating being teased a bit, which is why in my initial post I didn't post which camera I got! But I didn't want to seem evasive when someone asked...

rbarker said:

Macy, you should anticipate being teased a bit about getting an Ebony 8x10 as your first LF camera. Many will equate this to buying a Rolls Royce as your first car.

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I agree, putting a plywood lens board on and Ebony 8x10 would be like putting a fake Rolls Royce hood on a VolksWagon beatle, just don't work!



Dave

Satinsnow said:

I agree, putting a plywood lens board on and Ebony 8x10 would be like putting a fake Rolls Royce hood on a VolksWagon beatle, just don't work!



Dave

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Dave you are absolutely right,

that would so destroy the ergonomics of the VW beetle.....some things are just not meant to be.

Congratulations Macy!

I just started in 8x10 a few months ago, so here are my experiences so far:

I started with the JandC Pro 100, it`s a great film and $31.99 for 25 sheets, makes the mistakes easier to cope with

Now I`m using Tri-X and some JandC Classic 400, will try som Efke PL 100 next.

I first bought a regular changing bag, BIG mistake! Almost impossible to load film in it, so I went down to B&H(was in NYC at the time) and got a Harrison changing tent instead. Great stuff. I can load five filmholders in it.

I have no problem not using a loupe, it`s easy to focus on a 8x10 groundglass! I bring one with me, but rarely use it...

I started contact printing with cheap RC paper, have now bought some Azo, but the RC are great for proofs and for "instant gratification"

Get the Pelland frame, I bought the Photographer`s Formulary frame. It sucks.

My first lens was a $100 12" Ilex Paragon(thanks Jeremy) wich I still use, and I also bought a Fujinon 250mm f/6.7 and a 16 1/2" R.D Artar.

I bought a couple of developing tubes from JandC, they are great, nice even development each time. Later I found a Jobo CEP-2 cheap, also great for C-41 and E-6.
I develop in Pyrocat HD and sometimes HC-110.

Best of luck with your new camera.

Amund,
Thanks for the developing tube idea! For now though, I think I'll just use my trays, and then look into buying the processor if I find the trays very cumbersome. It's just that I have the trays already so I might as well use them.

As for film, I'll look into JandC, though I know nothing about them. I was going to start out with Ilford b/c I already use HP5+ for my other formats, and b/c Ilford has been so supportive of us film shooters.

Satinsnow said:

I agree, putting a plywood lens board on and Ebony 8x10 would be like putting a fake Rolls Royce hood on a VolksWagon beatle, just don't work!



Dave

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Dave- more like putting a VW insignia on the hood of a Rolls in place of the Spirit of Ecstasy. Or Costco house-label bias-plys on a Ferrari.

If you go the homemade route, at least have the decency to paint it black on all sides! Then it can be a stealth cheapie lensboard.

Starting off with an Ebony, Damn, just dive into the deep end of the pool. (insert jealousy claus here) You didn't say what your flavor of shooting was going to be. If it's landscapes I would recommend a little on the wide side. I have a 240 G-Claron and find it quite nice. Commercial ektars are not a second tier lens. I second the recommendation on the 14".They are quite nice. What I wouldn't give to have my 10" wide field ektar back.

there is a wolly 159 on ebay now...

"The camera is an Ebony. "


Very jealous here Macy! Good luck with it and hope to see some prints here.

Congratulations Macy. I'm sure you'll love 8x10.

As to whether or not you need a loupe on 8x10, that really depends on two things: how good is your eyesight, and what will you do with your negatives. If you have excellent eyesight and you are only planning to contact print, then you might get away without a loupe. I do not have excellent eyesight, and I've found repeatedly that I can focus the camera, then pull out a loupe and find out just how far out of focus I was. So for me, it's a loupe every time. (By the way, a 50mm lens from a 35mm camera makes an excellent loupe when you start out...if you have one then you don't need to buy a loupe until you're sure you actually need one. I personally use a linen tester as my loupe...cheap, easy to carry, and it works fine. YMMV.)

I'm a big fan of J and C in general (in my experience their customer service is so far over the top that it's astounding), and buy as much of my film from them as I possibly can. In 8x10 I shoot exclusively Efke 100 and J and C Pro 100. Both are soft emulsion films, and caution must be exercised when handling the film while it's wet.

If you don't mind long exposures, there are lots of good deals to be had on old barrel-mounted process lenses on eBay these days. I've picked up lenses of 240mm, 305mm, and 375mm, all of which will cover 8x10 with movements, and the total bill was well under $100. Since most of my exposures are in the 2-15 second range, using a Packard shutter (or even a lens cap) works fine for me. I've been very happy with the results I've gotten in process lenses from Eskafot, JML, and Nikkor.

For a dark cloth, I use two large t-shirts sewn together. A white one on the outside reflects light and keeps the temperature down a bit inside, and a black one on the inside stops reflections from showing up on the ground glass. There are lots of good products available, but I'm a big fan of cheap stuff that I can make by hand. My t-shirts have worked well for me for a while.

I own and use the Berlebach 4032. I simply could not be happier. Sturdy as can be with my Calumet C1 fully extended, with a heavy process lens at one end and a heavy wooden film holder at the other end...I don't think I could move the camera without actually moving the tripod itself. It's served me well, and I'll never buy anything other than another Berlebach in the future. (yes, it's bulky and heavier than the latest high-tech tripods, but it does its job and does it well...for a very reasonable price. I love things that just work.

For cable releases, don't skimp. Buy at least 2, and make them good ones. (This is, of course, if you're using lenses in shutters.) Compared to everything else involved in 8x10, even expensive cable releases are pretty cheap. And having a backup with cost you virtually no room and no weight...and you'll be happy that you have it if you ever lose or damage one. Bad luck happens to all of us from time to time.

Best of luck with the Ebony. I'm sure that you'll fall in love the first time you look at the ground glass. 8x10 is a whole new world!

Be well.
Dave

Dave,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write. Your suggestions are much appreciated! I am glad you have had good success with the Berlebach 4032. That further confirms my decision to go for that one.

I am looking forward to getting out and trying out the camera!

I've placed an order for a 305 G-Claron to start with, so as soon as that gets here, along with the film and holders, I'll be on my way!

Thanks again for everyone's help!

"Thanks! I think I will get that 305-G Claron before it disappears (at Midwest Photo, that is). The min/max bellows extension is 125mm to 850mm, assuming that I don't use tilts and rise."

Macy, may be too late since I see you have already ordered your lens, but about a month ago I bought a used 90 nikon for 4x5 from Midwest, and when I asked Jim at Midwest if he had a board for my Horseman FA, he threw it in for free, mounted and all. Second order from them, satisfied every time. Tom in Seattle

Go for a RIES Tripod. You will be much more happy. If you cannot afford one new, please contact me as I might have a used/restored vintage one you can buy.

Also, dont take that guys suggestion about printing on RC paper. That would clearly just waste time and money. Especially if your going to be printing on AZO! The look of a RC print, and an AZO would look like two separate photographs!