The Bender View Camera

I took the plunge, and with the help of a highly skilled neighbor, built the 4X5 Bender View Camera pictured above. This project required approximately 120 hours of work spread over 2 1/2 months. Portions of the projects were very tedious, but the outcome is that I ended up with a functioning view camera. I am currently shooting type 52 Polaroid film to test the camera. The pictures are coming out extremely well. I must say that if you take on such a project you need the right tools, preferably a shop and good model building skills. My neighbor is an expert model builder and this was a fairly easy project for him to assist me with. If you don't have the skills or access to someone who does (including the right tools), then this is not the right project for you. I am excited to have a 4X5 camera. The Bender Kit includes the camera body. Just like any other view camera you must purchase a lense, lenseboard, filmpacks, and film. This project was educational and worth it to me; The camera has all of the View Camera movements, and is far better than settling for a Speed or Crown Graphic (which I have)... I am sure that after awhile, I will probably go for a nice camera like a Zone VI, but I will have all of the reusable accessories. At that point, this camera will become a decorative implement in my study. Until then, I will be learning to use this camera in the field. In the short run, I have to obtain a 4X5 enlarger as my current one only goes to 6X7.
Location
Hertford NC
Equipment Used
The dreaded digital to take this image
Exposure
N/A
Film & Developer
N/A
Paper & Developer
N/A
Lens Filter
N/A
Fit and finish both look to be of the highest order, very nicely done! I see you're already using front tilt for this shot, so it really is a view camera. With the 3047 tripod head, I hope you have a serious set of legs under there supporting everything. Next thing is a good 5 mile hike to a tall mountain for a nice vista shot. tim
 
That Bogen is sitting on a great Zone VI wooden tripod that could easily hold Lester Bogen!!!!
 
Wow!
That looks great!
 

Media information

Category
Technical Gallery
Added by
esanford
Date added
View count
1,334
Comment count
4
Rating
0.00 star(s) 0 ratings

Image metadata

Device
Canon Canon PowerShot G3
Aperture
ƒ/2.2
Focal length
11.2 mm
Exposure time
1/50 second(s)
Flash
Off, did not fire
Filename
bender_view_camera.jpg
File size
80.3 KB
Date taken
Fri, 03 June 2005 9:46 AM
Dimensions
450px x 600px

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