> Jay Dusard built a "point and shoot" 4x10 some years ago -- he used wood
> (plus ground glass) and a 90mm lens with a helical focusing mount (available
> from the manufacturer -- not sure whether he used a Schneider or a Rodenstock).
I'm reasonably certain that the lens is a Schneider. He gives some details
about the camera and lens in the back of his book, "Open Country". I also
recall him saying the original camera didn't have the helical mount but
that it has been more recently added (he had 2-3 fixed focusing positions
originally).
> While Jay also has a 4x10 Canham, he reports that his "brick" is a whole
> lot easier to use in the field.
I've been thinking about building one as well. The brick form doesn't
present such a large sail surface to the wind, it's much less fragile and
it's reasonably compact.
[Ob-alt-photo-process] While 4x5 negatives are a bit small for contact
prints, 4x10 is a little more appealing.
Pete
P.S. Another message asks about where to find these helical mounts. Dusard
got his from a dealer in Phoenix. I don't want to clutter the list with
advertisements so send me mail offline if you want contact
information.