Deardorff V8 (Late 1970s–1980s)
The Deardorff V8 is an 8x10 large format field camera. It is built from mahogany and lacquered to a fine finish. It is widely regarded as one of the most sought after large format field cameras ever made, on the strength of its craftsmanship and its place at the end of a legendary American line.
L.F. Deardorff & Sons Inc. made wooden, large-format bellows view cameras from 1923 through 1988, and the V8 comes from the company's final era. One dealer notes that the V8 was "one of the last Deardorff bodies to be made in Chicago," dating to the late 1970s or early 1980s. Another listing describes a 2014-built example as one of the last produced under the Deardorff name, made in Tennessee. That suggests the line carried on in some form after the Chicago factory era.
Surviving documentation on the V8 is thin. No original price, production quantities or detailed specs (weight, bellows extension, lens board size) are recorded. What is known comes largely from dealer listings. One unit listed by CatLABS included a Nikon Nikkor W 300mm f/5.6 lens in a Copal #3 shutter, a modern plastic 8x10 film holder, and front swings. Another, listed by Igor Camera, had a new 27-inch bellows and a Deardorff ground glass. A Cardinal Camera listing described a unit in overall good condition, with fair wear on the wood but a light-tight bellows.
Current market prices vary widely. A fully restored 2024 example was listed at $4,095, while a defective unit appeared at $1,364.94.
Known Specs
- Format: 8x10
- Construction: Mahogany wood, lacquered finish
- Movements: Front swings
- Production era: Late 1970s–early 1980s (Chicago); later examples into 2014 (Tennessee)
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