I sure wish I had the know-how and ingenuity that they have. They produced a fantastic camera, but just a few tweaks here and there will make it even better.
That should be fun working with it to shoot polaroids. I've always been fascinated by that process, but I haven't yet taken the plunge. Thanks for watching and commenting Eric!
No detents on the front is a show-stopper for me and not excited about the film holder loading, not excited about knobs, etc. One of my biggest gripes about V1 (more like beta .1 from my point of view) was the front standard didn't line up exactly along the edges (due to poor build tolerances) and was difficult to use with tweaky knobs. My experience with V1 taught me that it is critical in 8x10 to control movements and I found it trickier than 4x5 which I've been shooting for over a decade. Also, rigidity with wind, etc, becomes a bigger deal. I would say that if you're an experienced 8x10 shooter with a feel for those elements, than this might work as a second camera for certain situations. But after working with an Arca 8x10 and an old Kodak Master View, I have come to the conclusion that if I were going to buy an 8x10 camera, I would go ahead and spent the money on a Canham lightweight or whatever. The savings of time, angst and frustration over out of focus or missed shots would more than pay for the extra expense. Considering the cost of 8x10 film I would want something better. I do agree that this is a far superior camera to V1, it's actually what that one should have been and I was a Kickstarter supporter on that and sold my camera after some disastrous outings and poor tests. But who knows, perhaps there will be a version 3 that will dial it in. The one part that you really should take more into consideration is the value of travel, film and futzing with the still present deficiencies. When you factor that in, the cheap cost takes a huge hit. Recommend with reservations would make more sense to me.
I am struggling to adapt a Fujinon W 180mm f5.6 (single coated inside the filter ring lettering, 305 image circle) to my Intrepid the first gen. So far I get a bit of vignetting in the sky corners, so I need to drop the lens half an inch and see what happens. I think that lens is the most lightweight (438 g) wide if you don't mind cropping a bit and, of course, not much movement, just a bit of rear tilt.
The slider sure is fun to work with. It's a model made by Rhino that I use in the field for my video work. They have since come out with some smaller and lighter ones that would be better suited for what I do, but I do like the ability to both slide and pan.
Thank you, for the review, I love my Intrepid 8X10 Camera. I agree about the base plate it does need to be a little larger. And one nice thing is you do not need to get a large tripod.
I have no intention to buy this thing, but it’s very interesting to know how this work. And about all the minor flaws you’ve talking about, if I had this camera, I think I could easyly fix them all, as I’m a handyman. Thank you for this nice video.
Man being an old school photographer I'd really love to start shooting Film again and invest in this camera but damn I can already see myself going broke from the customs and taxes levied on items imported to Jamaica. That being said quite an informative and useful video for anyone considering buying one of these cameras. Thanks for sharing mate.
I got an 8x10 from Intrepid in March, after 13 weeks of waiting. It came with light leaks around the rear standard, in the front standard, and the bellows weren't attached properly. It was very frustrating, I had to send it back to england and wait a couple of more weeks for them to fix the issues. When it came back it had things on the camera which I think should have just been on the camera in the first place (felt on the front standard, felt and black material on the inside of the camera). I'm happy with it now, but it shouldn't have had to been sent back. I've also heard people with almost the exact same issues recently. I understand Intrepid is a small company but these issues with build quality are consistently happening lately.
Hi Jesse. That's really unfortunate to hear about the experience you had. I'm glad they made it up to you in the end, but it really would be great if the cameras were all tested for that stuff before leaving the factory. On my recent backpacking trip, one of my photos suffered a light leak, but I suspect it's because I had to remove then insert the darkslide way too many times because I was trying to get a break in the wind. One one of those times, I probably didn't squeeze the back of the camera as much as I should have. It wasn't a great shot anyway, but any light leak is always a bad thing.
@@BenHorne You never know. Unfortunately, these last few weeks I've learned that such is the reality with shooting Large Format (I'm having a ton of fun, though and have actually been using the 4x5 reducing back on the camera more than 8x10 so far). They did make the issues right, and I'm grateful that they did. I believe more QC is definitely needed - I believe the owner of the company has said things to the same effect on podcasts/videos. I hope their enlarger rollout goes smoothly.
I am headed to the Palouse Friday to capture the Harvest moon near sunset. It is supposed to be a big moon this year. Going to try my best to get my Moonrise Hernandez shot. :) I will be shooting 4x5 black and white film.
Thanks for this Ben. What about max bellows extension? On the website it says 560mm when the MK1 was 600mm. I was thinking of using with a 480mm process lens but at 560mm that would give a closest focus of only about 3.3 metres. But I think I'll order one next week anyhow 😀. 8x10 is on bucket list. I came across some cheap holders and I have a couple of lenses that should cover OK. Al I need is the camera!
Currently waiting for mine to arrive in a few months. Was thinking about changing out the birch plywood with 3D printed carbon fiber plastic, making it even lighter and more rigid. I wonder if the design files are available anywhere. Anyone know of a fresnel lens that will fit this camera?
If you want Carbon Fibre, check out Chroma Camera, also made in the UK. They even sell a fresnel lens for the camera. At the moment though I believe it is only 4x5 format
I haven't tried it on there yet. On the previous generation of this camera, the front standard wasn't very well suited for a heavy lens. It could hold the weight of the lens fine, but any sort of front/back motion such as tapping the front standard would cause the lens to almost rhythmically shake back and forth. It would take a while to settle back down again. On this second generation camera, the front standard is much stronger, so I would suspect that it will handle a heavy lens far better than the first gen, but I haven't tried it. The other variable is how easy is it to adjust the rise/fall as well as the front tilt with a heavy lens. Sometimes that weight makes it quite awkward.
@@BenHorne Thanks Ben, I decided to back off from my Intrepid purchase. It was not suiting my needs, I did not want to compromise on my lens choices. I have been shooting a Shen Hao 4x5 for 7 years now and am happy with it. I find it acceptably solid. After doing lots af research I found that 8x10 must have consierably tighter tolerances. I have have been doing lots of research. I like the Chamonix 810V and Argentum Explorator. I have also been looking at an Alvandi Panoral 810. I need to save my penies a little longer.
It is a really nice review, and I am very tempted to buy this camera. One particular possible issue makes my decision uncertain. As it is quite normal with light field cameras, the photographer needs to solve the tilt and the shift on the front standard. If the lens is not perfectly aligned so that the nodal point is crossing the tilt axis, then the field of view changes slightly when the tilt is being applied. Obviously this could be fixed by shifting a bit. On the other hand you demonstrated that by shifting the front standard there is a slight wobbliness regarding to the tilt angle. What was your experience regarding to this? Will the original tilt angle be restored when the nobs are locked again, or does the tilt change a bit?
In the real world, I didn't find this to be much of an issue. To be honest, if I need to barely fine tune a composition after the tilt has been set, I will just use my tripod head. Subtle changes don't seem to have an impact on the accuracy of the tilt. It might be different if you're shooting architecture, but it doesn't seem to make a difference when shooting landscapes.
Good timing! When I saw your comment the other day, my wife was working on a project and had some black India Ink sitting on the kitchen counter. I'll definitely have to use some of it to darken those internal parts.
Poor communication after purchase. I received an 8x10 MK II camera whose finish is very rough, the 4x5 adapter that does not fit, deplorable after-sales service. In short, the price cannot be a justification. Really disappointed.
![Intrepid Camera 8x10 MKII - The Affordable Large Format Film Monster [Instant Review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qt8LkFTkHCs/mqdefault.jpg)
Intrepid, next model just have Ben come in for a day and pay him a consultants fee, it would be worth the price for his suggestions.
I sure wish I had the know-how and ingenuity that they have. They produced a fantastic camera, but just a few tweaks here and there will make it even better.
@@BenHorne Be careful with the hyperbole. I would hardly call this "fantastic". The Phillips is a fantastic camera.
Great review. I’m looking forward to picking one up soon and shooting some polaroid 8x10. Seems like a fun way to go broke.
That should be fun working with it to shoot polaroids. I've always been fascinated by that process, but I haven't yet taken the plunge. Thanks for watching and commenting Eric!
No detents on the front is a show-stopper for me and not excited about the film holder loading, not excited about knobs, etc. One of my biggest gripes about V1 (more like beta .1 from my point of view) was the front standard didn't line up exactly along the edges (due to poor build tolerances) and was difficult to use with tweaky knobs. My experience with V1 taught me that it is critical in 8x10 to control movements and I found it trickier than 4x5 which I've been shooting for over a decade. Also, rigidity with wind, etc, becomes a bigger deal. I would say that if you're an experienced 8x10 shooter with a feel for those elements, than this might work as a second camera for certain situations. But after working with an Arca 8x10 and an old Kodak Master View, I have come to the conclusion that if I were going to buy an 8x10 camera, I would go ahead and spent the money on a Canham lightweight or whatever. The savings of time, angst and frustration over out of focus or missed shots would more than pay for the extra expense. Considering the cost of 8x10 film I would want something better. I do agree that this is a far superior camera to V1, it's actually what that one should have been and I was a Kickstarter supporter on that and sold my camera after some disastrous outings and poor tests. But who knows, perhaps there will be a version 3 that will dial it in.
The one part that you really should take more into consideration is the value of travel, film and futzing with the still present deficiencies. When you factor that in, the cheap cost takes a huge hit. Recommend with reservations would make more sense to me.
I am struggling to adapt a Fujinon W 180mm f5.6 (single coated inside the filter ring lettering, 305 image circle) to my Intrepid the first gen. So far I get a bit of vignetting in the sky corners, so I need to drop the lens half an inch and see what happens. I think that lens is the most lightweight (438 g) wide if you don't mind cropping a bit and, of course, not much movement, just a bit of rear tilt.
I miss 8x10 ... I need to make this my next goal.
Everybody: nice camera review!
Me: that Edelkrone slider though 😎
It’s always interesting to see how massive 8x10 cameras look. Gets me every time
The slider sure is fun to work with. It's a model made by Rhino that I use in the field for my video work. They have since come out with some smaller and lighter ones that would be better suited for what I do, but I do like the ability to both slide and pan.
Thank you, for the review, I love my Intrepid 8X10 Camera. I agree about the base plate it does need to be a little larger. And one nice thing is you do not need to get a large tripod.
Yup! I used mine with a Gitzo 1 Series Mountaineer tripod on my backpacking trip. It was a great match.
I have no intention to buy this thing, but it’s very interesting to know how this work. And about all the minor flaws you’ve talking about, if I had this camera, I think I could easyly fix them all, as I’m a handyman. Thank you for this nice video.
It really is quite fascinating how simple these cameras are. That is one of the joys of working with large format. Thanks for watching Dominic!
Man being an old school photographer I'd really love to start shooting Film again and invest in this camera but damn I can already see myself going broke from the customs and taxes levied on items imported to Jamaica. That being said quite an informative and useful video for anyone considering buying one of these cameras. Thanks for sharing mate.
Excellent review. Very thorough. One day I may try the 4x5.
I got an 8x10 from Intrepid in March, after 13 weeks of waiting. It came with light leaks around the rear standard, in the front standard, and the bellows weren't attached properly. It was very frustrating, I had to send it back to england and wait a couple of more weeks for them to fix the issues. When it came back it had things on the camera which I think should have just been on the camera in the first place (felt on the front standard, felt and black material on the inside of the camera). I'm happy with it now, but it shouldn't have had to been sent back. I've also heard people with almost the exact same issues recently. I understand Intrepid is a small company but these issues with build quality are consistently happening lately.
Hi Jesse. That's really unfortunate to hear about the experience you had. I'm glad they made it up to you in the end, but it really would be great if the cameras were all tested for that stuff before leaving the factory. On my recent backpacking trip, one of my photos suffered a light leak, but I suspect it's because I had to remove then insert the darkslide way too many times because I was trying to get a break in the wind. One one of those times, I probably didn't squeeze the back of the camera as much as I should have. It wasn't a great shot anyway, but any light leak is always a bad thing.
@@BenHorne You never know. Unfortunately, these last few weeks I've learned that such is the reality with shooting Large Format (I'm having a ton of fun, though and have actually been using the 4x5 reducing back on the camera more than 8x10 so far). They did make the issues right, and I'm grateful that they did. I believe more QC is definitely needed - I believe the owner of the company has said things to the same effect on podcasts/videos. I hope their enlarger rollout goes smoothly.
I am headed to the Palouse Friday to capture the Harvest moon near sunset. It is supposed to be a big moon this year. Going to try my best to get my Moonrise Hernandez shot. :) I will be shooting 4x5 black and white film.
I hope the shot worked out well for you!
Thanks for this Ben. What about max bellows extension? On the website it says 560mm when the MK1 was 600mm. I was thinking of using with a 480mm process lens but at 560mm that would give a closest focus of only about 3.3 metres.
But I think I'll order one next week anyhow 😀. 8x10 is on bucket list. I came across some cheap holders and I have a couple of lenses that should cover OK. Al I need is the camera!
I haven't measured the bellows, but I will say that I had no problem using my 450mm lens focused on a subject that was perhaps 15 or 20 feet away.
Currently waiting for mine to arrive in a few months. Was thinking about changing out the birch plywood with 3D printed carbon fiber plastic, making it even lighter and more rigid. I wonder if the design files are available anywhere.
Anyone know of a fresnel lens that will fit this camera?
I think you'll really enjoy the camera when it arrives. I'm looking forward to taking mine on my annual backpacking trip in a couple months.
If you want Carbon Fibre, check out Chroma Camera, also made in the UK. They even sell a fresnel lens for the camera. At the moment though I believe it is only 4x5 format
Thank you Ben!
Awesome review!
Thanks JohnBee!
I interated your full review and ordered. :) What is use camera plate in this review?
The plate used on the camera in this video is a Kessler Kwik Stand XL.
@@BenHorne Thank you. :)
Have you tried your 300mm f5.6 Nikon lens on it? Do you think the standard can handle it?
I haven't tried it on there yet. On the previous generation of this camera, the front standard wasn't very well suited for a heavy lens. It could hold the weight of the lens fine, but any sort of front/back motion such as tapping the front standard would cause the lens to almost rhythmically shake back and forth. It would take a while to settle back down again. On this second generation camera, the front standard is much stronger, so I would suspect that it will handle a heavy lens far better than the first gen, but I haven't tried it. The other variable is how easy is it to adjust the rise/fall as well as the front tilt with a heavy lens. Sometimes that weight makes it quite awkward.
@@BenHorne Thanks Ben, I decided to back off from my Intrepid purchase. It was not suiting my needs, I did not want to compromise on my lens choices. I have been shooting a Shen Hao 4x5 for 7 years now and am happy with it. I find it acceptably solid. After doing lots af research I found that 8x10 must have consierably tighter tolerances. I have have been doing lots of research. I like the Chamonix 810V and Argentum Explorator. I have also been looking at an Alvandi Panoral 810. I need to save my penies a little longer.
It is a really nice review, and I am very tempted to buy this camera. One particular possible issue makes my decision uncertain. As it is quite normal with light field cameras, the photographer needs to solve the tilt and the shift on the front standard. If the lens is not perfectly aligned so that the nodal point is crossing the tilt axis, then the field of view changes slightly when the tilt is being applied. Obviously this could be fixed by shifting a bit. On the other hand you demonstrated that by shifting the front standard there is a slight wobbliness regarding to the tilt angle. What was your experience regarding to this? Will the original tilt angle be restored when the nobs are locked again, or does the tilt change a bit?
In the real world, I didn't find this to be much of an issue. To be honest, if I need to barely fine tune a composition after the tilt has been set, I will just use my tripod head. Subtle changes don't seem to have an impact on the accuracy of the tilt. It might be different if you're shooting architecture, but it doesn't seem to make a difference when shooting landscapes.
@@BenHorne Thank you for the answer. I am happy to hear, that it is not an issue with this camera on landscape, as that's my main subject anyway.
Great looking camera, refinements just improve it further 👍
Ben's use will aid future refinements i am sure 🙂
I'd get some water proof india ink for inside the lens board holder. Make it nice and black.
@tyvek05 We can all just do what is right in our own eyes.
Good timing! When I saw your comment the other day, my wife was working on a project and had some black India Ink sitting on the kitchen counter. I'll definitely have to use some of it to darken those internal parts.
Wow! I would have thought the camera was more expensive than that.
Yup, it's an extremely reasonably priced camera - especially since you can scan the film at over 300 megapixels. Tough to do that with digital. :-)
Very good review.
Thanks Mikko! Glad you enjoyed it!
Poor communication after purchase. I received an 8x10 MK II camera whose finish is very rough, the 4x5 adapter that does not fit, deplorable after-sales service. In short, the price cannot be a justification. Really disappointed.
That's a bummer to hear, but in my experience, they have gone above and beyond to take care of any issues that come up.