does any one have experience with the burk&james 810? what are they like compared to the Kodak and Korona? thanks

-- david clark (doc@ellensburg.com), November 13, 1998

Answers

Well, here it is, the 17th & no answers. Hmmm. The Bukr & James & Kodak thread on Touan's page probably has all you need. Heerz my $.02. The Burke & James was a rather crude but effective camera valued primarily for its low price $250.00 vs. $650 for a Deardorff in 1975. Patrick Alt really likes 'em and refinishes 'em professionally. The Kodaks were better made, higher quality overall. They are not as old as the Koronas, so odds are better for finding one in good shape. Steve Shuart in PA has one for sale now. He's in shutterbug and I think he's on the net. Give him a call and discuss it with him. They have front rise & fall, axis tilt & swing, shift and around 30" of draw. On the rear the movements are the same. Have you ever seen a Calumet C-1? The Burke & James is kind of a wooden version of that. Good Luck. Call Alt or Shuart.

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), November 17, 1998.

David,

I have a B & J "Grover" 8x10 which I bought to see if I liked the format enough to keep shooting it and maybe later buy something nicer. I got it for 250$ and am now selling it for same - I decided I do in fact like the format. There really is nothing like an 8x10 contact print in my opinion.

It is a monorail camera with a giant octagonal steel monorail. I bought this model because the flatbeds I saw seemed really flimsy and hard to use, and the monorail has more movements. It is a little hard to use but has all movements; the Eastmans usually have only rise/fall on the front and I wanted some tilt. I'm getting another camera but I'm not sure my skills really deserve one yet. When I'm honest with myself the only thing about this camera that is limiting is the size and weight. Because it is a monorail you need to haul the monorail around separate from the camera, which I keep in a suitcase, and it is clumsy to put together in the field. Clumsy, not difficult. There are a bunch of cheap cameras around if you keep your eyes open and I would recommend the B & J monorails or any of the Eastmans if you don't care about movements too much, at least to get started. Erik Ryberg

-- Erik Ryberg (ryberg@seanet.com), November 22, 1998.