8 x 10 Tailboard Camera

A few years ago I came up with this cobbled together contraption that's served well, using a variety of improvised lenses. She ain't pretty, but she does the job!

http://pinholeobscura.blogspot.com/2015/12/improvised-camera-building-8-x-10.html

~Joe

Looking forward to a posting about the mechanical shutter.

Ohh yes, just like paul said, the mechanical shutter looks so interesting

thats great! i enjoyed your blog about it very much.... perhaps inspiring as well.

thanks

I always enjoy seeing your designs. Your description of how the sliding boxes keep the light from hitting the film answered a long-standing question. I'm now thinking of making one of my own.

Thank you all for your kind comments.

Part 1 about the experimental mechanical shutter.

And Part 2 about the mechanical shutter.

And a bit about my makeshift shutter speed tester.

~Joe

Joe, that's all very cute. FYI, one of Cambo's interpretations of the Graflok back for their 2x3 cameras has a focusing panel that slides in and out of the back. With it the focus-compose-shoot procedure includes focus on the GG, slide the GG out, slide the roll holder in, ...

Joe -- The Mercury and Mercury II half-frame cameras from the late 1930s until maybe 1950 used a two sector rotary focal plane shutter with speeds from 1/20 to 1/1000. Tests by one of the major university astronomy departments of the time compared the accuracy of this shutter to Leica and Contax, and found the simple Mercury shutter more accurate. I bought a second-hand Mercury II in 1951, but soon retired it in favor of a new and well regarded Japanese camera, and then a Leica. You might examine an old Mercury for ideas. The Mercury II used standard 35mm film; the earlier Mercury demanded a proprietary 35mm film and is nearly unusable now.