C41
Kodak Portra 160
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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The Deardorff V8 (1923 onward) is the iconic American 8×10 view camera. **Mahogany wood body** with brass hardware, hand-built in Chicago by L.F. Deardorff & Sons (and later by various successors). Folds for transport (~30 cm closed depth). Front and rear movements (rise, fall, shift, tilt, swing on both standards) — geared and friction. Used by generations of American landscape and commercial photographers from 1923 through the 1990s.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 8x10 format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
Develop 8x10 film
Labs in our directory that process 8x10 film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The American 8×10. Mahogany and brass, hand-built in Chicago, the camera Ansel Adams carried to Yosemite.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 8×10 (also available in 5×7 and 4×5) |
| Mount | Deardorff lensboard (proprietary) |
| Years | 1923–1988 (production runs varied) |
| Bellows | ~750 mm extension |
| Movements | Front: rise/fall, shift, tilt, swing. Rear: tilt, swing, shift. |
| Build | Mahogany + brass |
| Weight | 5,500 g |
| Battery | None |
L.F. Deardorff & Sons started camera production in Chicago, 1923. Production continued (with various ownership changes and revivals) until 1988. The Deardorff V8 — "V" for Special — became synonymous with American landscape photography. Multiple revival attempts have brought small batches of new Deardorffs to market periodically; the camera is in the public domain in some senses, with a few small workshops still producing Deardorff-style 8×10 cameras as of 2026.
The Deardorff is the camera Ansel Adams used for many of his Yosemite and Sierra Nevada images. Edward Weston, Wynn Bullock, and the entire f/64 generation of American photographers shot Deardorff. It's the visual reference for "wood field LF camera" — every modern wood field design (Wista, Ebony, Chamonix, Intrepid) descends conceptually from the Deardorff.
For 2026 buyers, used Deardorff V8 at $3,500–8,000 represents serious large-format collector tier. The mahogany wood ages beautifully; brass develops patina; some examples are 90+ years old and still working.
Deardorff lensboards (proprietary; adapters exist for Linhof Technika boards). Common lenses: Schneider Symmar 240/5.6, Schneider Super-Angulon 210/8.4, Fujinon C 300/8.5, Nikkor M 300/9, Nikkor T 720/16. 8×10 sheet film holders required (current production from Toyo, Lotus, Chamonix).
BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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