The name gives it away. The Fotoman 810PS is indeed an 8x10" point-and-shoot
(PS) camera. Well, sort of. It brings you that huge, beautiful 8x10" (203x254mm)
image in a camera that is more basic than you may readily imagine.
Unlike smaller point-and-shoots, there's no autofocus or autoexposure,
and even with a wide angle lens (150mm, pretty much the equivalent of 21mm on
35mm) you can't rely on hyperfocal distance or depth of field. You really
do have to focus the thing, though for distant subjects (over about 10 meters/30
ft) and with modest apertures (f/16 and below) you needn't be too finicky.
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The Fotoman 810PS. There is a bubble level in the viewfinder, which
is visible as you use the finder; here, it is also set up with a
two-way bubble level on the left and a rangefinder on the right,
which suits me because I am right-eyed. My wife Frances Schultz,
who is left-eyed, transposes the bubble level and the rangefinder.
The cable release can also be interchanged for right-hand and left-hand
use. |
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Why, then, is it called a point-and-shoot at all? Simply because it has none
of the camera "movements" that are expected on an 8x10 camera. You
cannot move the lens parallel with the film (shift movements) and you cannot
destroy the parallelism of the lens panel and film (tilt or swing movements).
You point it at the subject; set focus and exposure; and shoot.
The next question, inevitably, is why anyone would want an 8x10 point-and-shoot.
I have already answered this question: the great big 8x10" negative or
even, if your finances allow it, transparency. There is something about an 8x10"
contact print that transcends enlargements. The detail goes on forever.
The lack of movements is obviously a disadvantage in one sense, in that it is
often useful to be able to raise the front in order to "correct"
converging verticals, or to use swings and tilts to hold a receding plane in
focus, but in another sense, it forces you to concentrate on the image, rather
than on the camera. At least a rising/falling front would be regarded by many
as essential for this kind of composition--but it isn't essential.
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The ground-glass protector is withdrawn and lies below the camera;
the ground glass itself is partially withdrawn to show the construction.
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The 810PS is also about as far as you can get from either digital photography
or automation. The former alone will commend it to those who avoid pixels, while
the latter will appeal to those who want to remain in full control of both focus
and exposure, instead of relying on a computerized algorithm to do it all for
them.
There is no point in saying too much more about the advantages of a basic, large
format, hand holdable camera, because you will either understand why it exists,
or you won't. If you don't, there's little point in reading
on, except out of curiosity. On the other hand, it is worth adding that before
the Fotoman 810PS became available, I had seen or heard of at least three custom
8x10" cameras with similar specifications--though they were bulkier,
less convenient, and had significantly inferior viewfinders to the neat, optical,
bubble level-equipped finder on the Fotoman. Nor were they as easy to hold steady;
the grips on the Fotoman really are very comfortable.
As with most Fotoman products, the body is an astonishingly good value: the
majority of the expense is in the lens, which is a wide angle for obvious reasons--it's
easier to focus, and allows longer handheld speeds. The review camera was supplied
with a 150mm f/5.6 Schneider Super Symmar in a Copal shutter offering 1 second
to 1/500 sec plus B and T; the minimum aperture is f/64, marked (but not click-stopped)
at 1¼3 stop intervals. Other lenses can be supplied to order, in different
cones. The widest that will cover 8x10" (and barely, at that, though it
is OK on 18x24cm) is the 110mm f/5.6 Super Symmar. This is roughly equivalent
to 16mm on 35mm, while the longest lens that makes sense is probably a 210mm,
roughly equivalent to 30mm on 35mm. It is even possible to have your own lens
custom-mounted: Fotoman reckoned they would be able to put my 168mm f/6.8 Goerz
Dagor into a focusing mount (roughly 24mm on 35mm), though they stopped short
of quoting a price for doing so.
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The Fotoman 810PS in use. Use a monopod and your own two legs to
form a "tripod" and you should be able to squeeze off
remarkably long exposures, 1¼8 sec and more, while retaining
sharpness. You can also use the monopod as a support when you swing
the camera to one side and set focus, shutter speed, and aperture,
but you really need a flexible head with a quick-release adapter.
All Photos © 2006, Roger W. Hicks, All Rights Reserved |
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Focusing is normally by scale, with easy-to-read depth of field markings on
the smooth, well-finished focusing mount: another advantage over the custom
cameras that went before. You can also use a separate, uncoupled rangefinder:
I already had an old one, from the 1950s, but Fotoman has just introduced one.
Alternatively there is a ground glass, with a useful protector outside it. It
is just about possible to slide the protector out; focus on the ground glass,
even handheld; replace the protector; remove the ground glass; and slip in a
film holder. It is not, however, quick and easy to do this.
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