4x5 film backs for a 5x7?

Stephanie Brim · Mar 12, 2006

Someone mentioned to me that it may be possible to make a film back for 4x5 to use with the 5x7 camera Ole is sending me. Would this be a good idea? It would definitely save me money when I start buying film (I mean, I can get a 50 pack of EDU Ultra 100 (Fomapan 100) for $20). Or does anyone have any?

I plan to buy at least a little 5x7 film to get me started...but the price of the 4x5 is much more doable for me at the moment.

nick mulder · Mar 12, 2006

yip,

I've heard them been called 'reducing' backs before which confused me at the time.

The first camera I built I made large enough for 5x7 but only constructed a 4x5 back for it for the same reasons ... I am yet to make a 5x7 back (;

Stephanie Brim · Mar 12, 2006

Looking at the prices for NEW reducing backs, it seems that my best bet would be a Graflok back...looking into that now. If anyone has any info on making your own I'm all ears...I'm pretty good with my hands.

eddie gunks · Mar 12, 2006

check out this thread. http://www.f295.org/Pinholeforum/forum/Blah.pl?b-cm/m-1141168138/s-new/
it is talking about an 8x10 spring back. you may be able to do someting similar. good luck.
eddie

noseoil · Mar 12, 2006

Stephanie, a graflok back is easiest to use as you have said. Just find or make a back which is the correct size, then cut the opening for the graflok back. It isn't rocket science. This is how I did the back on my 8x10, works fine and does save a bit on film. Also lets me use the 480mm nikor process lens with 4x5. tim

Nick Zentena · Mar 12, 2006

Which camera is this? You need to find a back that fits the camera.

4x5 reducing backs are used for more then just 4x5 film. It's a lot easier to find a rollfilm holder to fit a 4x5 then a 5x7. You also get what are normally longer bellows from the 5x7.

OTOH if you're a wide person you might find that it limits how wide a lens you can mount. It's more common for a 4x5 camera to take really short focal lenses then a 5x7.

Ole · Mar 12, 2006

It's an old plate camera - there are no standard sizes for anything on those. Not even the Germans were standardised, which can be a bit of a problem when trying to find more holders or something.

One thing I do is use a sheet of glass in the plate holder, and stick the film to that. That also means that the film can be any size. I'm thinking about making a 6x40cm panorama with 2/3 of a 120 roll in a big camera...

Nick Zentena · Mar 12, 2006

Does the current back come off? It's not that hard to remove the hardware from a standard back and mount it to a new one. I made a replacement back for my old Ansco that way. But the back is removable on the Ansco.

cdholden · Mar 12, 2006

Stephanie Brim said:
It would definitely save me money when I start buying film
<snip>
...but the price of the 4x5 is much more doable for me at the moment.

Not just price benefits, but availability as well. You have a lot more emulsions to choose from in 4x5 than you do in 5x7.
-Chris

JHannon · Mar 12, 2006

I made a 4X5 back for my Korona view 5X7 the way Tim (Noseoil) mentioned. My original back has clips that allow you to remove it from the camera. I duplicated the thickness and dimensions of the 5X7 back and made another out of wood. Then I cut out a square opening and fitted the metal back of an old crown graphic. I used hardwood to keep it stable. It seems to be holding up well.

I think someone is selling a graphic back in the APUG classifieds.

--John

Ole · Mar 12, 2006

Nick Zentena said:
Does the current back come off? It's not that hard to remove the hardware from a standard back and mount it to a new one. I made a replacement back for my old Ansco that way. But the back is removable on the Ansco.

In a way you could say that the back doesn't come off - it is the camera. The best way would be to make an adapter which fits the way the plate holders do - a slide-in 4x5" adapter. The the adapter could slide out again for closing the camera.

Here's the camera - lens set not included (but replaced with a Rodenstock Recti-Aplanat No. 2). If nothing else, it is at least decorative.

Campbell · Mar 12, 2006

One of the main reasons for using a 4x5 back is so that you can use Polaroid film for proofs.

You don't say what 5x7 camera you're getting but if it's one of the older popular brands (e.g. Burke and James, Korona, Kodak, et al) it shouldn't take a lot of time to find a used one on ebay or from a large format dealer like MidWest for a lot less than new, especially if it's a beater that you could fix up. Personally I wouldn't try to make a reducing back from scratch, I'm o.k. with my hands but I've only done a little woodworking so I don't have much in the way of tools. Plus there's a lot of things that could go wrong - improperly aligned ground glass and slight mismatch with the camera body causing light leaks come immediately to mind. But you may be better at that kind of thing than I am.

Campbell · Mar 12, 2006

Duh. If you're getting one of the older popular 5x7s you obviously aren't looking for a new reducing back. Sorry for my brain lapse.

Ole · Mar 12, 2006

Surprise - there's another one on ebay - same maker, slightly older, not quite as shiny: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7598550479

But the BIN price is more than I paid for mine, and I bought it only to get the lens set

Jim Jones · Mar 12, 2006

I've done like Tim and John, and made backs for my 5x7 B&J that go down to 35mm T-mount. You could replace the present ground glass and its frame with a panel on which a Graflok (most versatile) or Graphic (cheapest) back is mounted. With a little more work you could trim down an old Speed Graphic to fit neatly on the panel, and get both shutter and spring back.

removed account4 · Mar 12, 2006

toho makes a reducing holder that might work for you, it is kind of pricy,
but at the same time you could look at the design and just make one of your own. it is pretty simple ... rigid metal and a spring back that holds the film holder in place.

Dead Link Removed

Stephanie Brim · Mar 13, 2006

Thanks for ALL the ideas. I think I'm going to look for a shutter first (since the camera has none) and then start looking into film backs. The $14.99 for a 25 pack of 5x7 Arista EDU Ultra film is steep (compared to the $30 for a 100 pack of 4x5), but not really something that I couldn't do.

4x5 film backs for a 5x7?

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