Can anyone recommend shops in the Bay Area where I can take a look at used LF gear? I'm particularly interested in field cameras of 8x10 or 11x14 size. I live in Japan, where there are shops that sell used LF gear, but I've never seen an 11x14 camera here.

-- Tom DiCorcia (dicorciat@asme.org), February 13, 2000

Answers

Check with Adolph Gasser and Calumet in S.F. and Seawood Photo in San Anselmo (Marin County). The last frequently has a lot of used large format stuff. But, I've never seen a used 11x14 either. You will have better luck looking at the fine print in Shutterbug Magazine. Good Luck, njb

-- Nacio Brown (njb@limn.net), February 13, 2000.

Tom, I also live in Japan, and I saw an 11x14 Deardorff for sale last week in Tokyo (Ginza). Rather expensive, at Yen1.2million, though. I do not know where you would find 11x14 film here, however.

-- fw (finneganswake@altavista.net), February 13, 2000.

Response to fw: 1.2 million Yen for a Deardorf!?! That's almost $12,000. In other words, a collectors item. I can buy a new Lotus, or Canham, or Wisner, or Gandolfi(?) 11x14 for 30% to 50% of that. But it will be interesting to take a look. Is it at Lemon Camera in Ginza?

As for film. I know Yodobashi only sells film up to 8x10 in size. I go to the US fairly regularly, and am hoping that I can bring film back with me. I'm hoping I can get a flat box through US security without visual or x-ray inspection.

-- Tom DiCorcia (dicorciat@asme.org), February 14, 2000.

Tom, I saw it at Gin-Ichi, which is near Ginza 1-chome. I would certainly agree that that is one expensive camera! I think that Deardorff's are fairly scarce on the ground in Japan - you just do not come across used 4x5's or 8x10's Deardorffs like you do in USA.

-- fw (finneganswake@altavista.net), February 14, 2000.

Try Bear Cameras in Berkeley, but Gasser's in SF will be bigger. Also in California but much further south is The F-Stops Here in Santa Barbara

-- Ellis Vener (evphoto@insync.net), February 14, 2000.

"Try Bear Cameras in Berkeley,"

Do you mean Bear Images in Palo Alto?

-- Bob Salomon (bobsalomon@mindspring.com), February 14, 2000.

Of the places mentioned above, Seawood in San Anselmo is likely to have by far the greatest selection of used LF gear. (However, I'm not familiar w/ "Bear Camera" and don't see it listed in my Oakland/Berkeley Yellow Pages.) Last time I was at Seawood, they had several 8x10s (I've never noticed an 11x14, however), a number of 4x5 fields and monorails, and some smaller view cameras. They have a web site, but it is usually not very up to date. The 8x10 I bought there continued to be listed for months (may still be there).

-- Chris Patti (cmpatti@aol.com), February 15, 2000.

Check out Keeble and Schuchat 261 California St., in Palo Alto. 650 327 8511

-- Kenneth Grunzweig (grun@pacbell.net), February 27, 2000.