gregory t. davis

most people who are interested in buying a kodak master 8x10 want to know what it is capable of doing. this page will not only tell you, but I have provided pictures of the full range of movements and extensions this camera is capable of, as well as the accesories that were originally available.

the minimum extension for this camera is two inches. this is achieved by racking the rear standard as far forward as possible and pushing the rear standard back. two inches is 50.8 mm, and as far as I know, there is no lens available that can cover 8x10 at that focal length, or even 5x7.

the basic extension set-up for this camera is a nested rail system controlled by friction. fine focus is by the geared rear standard. by sliding the front standard forward, you get an extension of roughly 10 1/2 inches.

by loosening the brass knob on the side of the bed, you can slide out the first rail and get an extension of 19 inches.

on the side of this first rail is a small metal tab. pushing this down allows you to slide the second rail forward. unlike the first rail, this cannot be locked into any position, but rather, it has two settings. any intermediate lengths are achieved by adjusting the first rail. the extension with this first tab is 14 3/4 inches alone, and 23 1/4 inches in combination with the first rail.

by using the second tab of this inner rail, you can get an extension of 19 inches, and 27 1/2 inches combined with the outer rail. the original bellows are 28 inches long, but several other users have replaced these with a longer version, anywhere from 32 to 36 inches long. with this, the camera can be cantilevered to use a 30 inch or 35 inch lens, but care must be taken to prevent the bellows from being too thick or the camera won't close. the first rail has a 1/4 inch tripod screw to help support the weight of heavy lenses at long extensions.

it has front swing of 20 degrees either direction. the swing is controlled by one knob which also controls front shift and movement of the entire front standard as it slides within the first extension rail. there are two small brass studs that prevent further swing, but these simply screw on, so you can remove them and get more movement if desired.

front shift, as seen here, is 2 1/4 inches in each direction. you can see the two brass studs in this shot. notice the red mark in the center of the front standard's base. this is to help align the lens with the center of the ground glass.

front rise is 4 inches, fall is 2 1/4 inches. an extra inch is posibble with the use of the adjusment screw on top of the front standard.

the rear has swing of 12 degrees, left or right. unlike the front, however, the swing is based from either side. two levers are loosened and you pivot the rear from one side or the other, not from the center like a deardorff.

rear tilt is 90 degrees forward, and 30 degrees back. front tilt is limited only by the bellows.

when folded the camera is 12 1/2 inches high, 13 1/4 inches wide, and 4 1/2 inches thick. it weighs 12 pounds. the literature for this camera states that is could hold a 14 inch commercial ektar in a shutter while closed.

there was an original 5x7 reducing back produced by kodak for this camera, but unlike other cameras, there was no factory made 4x5 back.

kodak also produced a case. it held the camera, a lens, and either the 5x7 back or two film holders.