Tachihara Cameras

[Oren Grad]

TMake sure you ask the seller about maximum bellows. Tachihara made lots of different versions with some differences -- like amount of bellows extension -- typically a big deal with 8x10.

The vast majority of 8x10 Tachiharas are double-extension, which means maximum bellows of about 23".

[Alan9940]

Lens construction is generally about the number of elements, element pairs, and air spacing between them, and doesn't really define any particular focal length. I'm sure there are photographers who use quite long lenses on 8x10, but 600mm is the typical upper-end for most of us. Personally, the longest I use is 480mm. The focal length of a lens NEVER changes. Image magnification will change with bellows extension and it's important to remember to give more exposure when using extended bellows. You could certainly put a 90mm lens on 8x10, but it won't cover the entire film area. Depending on bellows extension, what you'll get is a circular rendition on the film revealing the entire coverage area of the lens. I've never tried it, but I doubt it would look "fish eye" and certainly wouldn't be a distorted mess.

[Maris Rusis]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17632904325...RGVKREPK0D2QZK
This camera is a Tachihara 810GF double extension with bellows max/min 550mm/90mm. The one I use has worked for most of its career with a 360mm lens; a nice combination I'll stick with.

[Mark Sampson]

Emmett Gowin made an interesting body of work in the 1960s using a 90mm lens on 8x10. Suffice it to say that they are undistorted circular images that don't cover the whole frame- and are quite beautiful.
It seems to me that the larger the film format, the less need there is for lenses of extreme focal length. The longest I have used with 8x10 is a 19"/480mm lens and that was pretty long. I'd start with a 300 or 360mm lens; those are considered 'normal' for the format, and using one for a while will tell you which (if any) other lenses you might want.

[Oren Grad]

It seems to me that the larger the film format, the less need there is for lenses of extreme focal length. The longest I have used with 8x10 is a 19"/480mm lens and that was pretty long. I'd start with a 300 or 360mm lens; those are considered 'normal' for the format, and using one for a while will tell you which (if any) other lenses you might want.

+1

[George Losse]

I had a Tachihara double extension when I first started shooting 8x10 around 1990. It was a good camera. I paid about that price for it new back then. I used it for five years and then sold it for that price when I purchased an 8x10/8x20 Wisner.

I mostly worked with 300mm lens back then. The largest I used was a 450mm.

If I had stayed in just 8x10, I would have continued to use the camera, as it was able to do everything I needed at the time. They are well built, light weight and easy to learn with.

I used a bunch of older Eastman wooden 8x10 holders back then that were shorter from the light trap up. They worked great on the Tachihara but were hard to use on the Wisner which has a larger spring back area where you insert the holder into the back.

[Stanley Kubrick]

Hey thanks for all of the information, seems like this is a pretty good camera to start 10x8 on. I will come back with results once I have everything set up !
Thanks

[Luis-F-S]

Do yourself a favor and get a Deardorff with 32" of bellows, you can't beat it. :