Any guide for converting a Polaroid Pathfinder to 4x5

OeT · Apr 21, 2016

I was wondering if there is any guide out there on the web for coverting any of the Polaroid Pathfinder models to 4x5.
Googling gives some results but mostly to dead pages.
I've got myself a Polaroid Pathfinder 120 model that I plan to covert.

What is a good price on a already coverted Polaroid 110B?
I can get hold of one for about 450$, should I go for this one?

If I buy it or not I would still be interested in trying to convert my own camera.

John Koehrer · Apr 21, 2016

There's a 110 on Chicago CL converted to pack film for $385.
The 120 was made by Yashica and has a Yashinon lens. I don't know if it's also a metal body or not.
Once upon a time I converted one of those to pack film, really just took time: wasn't all that
much precision involved just getting film plane set up. Wasn't as pretty as the pro conversions.
Why? Why not? Just something I wanted to do for the self satisfaction.

paul_c5x4 · Apr 21, 2016

http://salihonbashome.blogspot.co.uk/p/byron-conversion-service.html has some pretty useful bits of information about converting a Polaroid to 5x4. Some of the machining work he does is sweet.

Chan Tran · Apr 21, 2016

If I were to use one of them Pathfinder for 4x5 I wouldn't bother to convert it. I used to use a model 150 for 4x5 as it. I simply use a changing bag and slip a sheet of 4x5 in there and shoot. It's cumbersome but I think it's more fun.

OeT · Apr 23, 2016

Still looking around for ideas.
If I remove all the stuff marked in red can I then simplify mount a film holder flush to the camara body?
Will the film plane be correct for focusing?

pagonzales · Jun 23, 2016

Hope you haven't lost interest in your project. I just finished converting a polaroid 110 to an Instax wide back. I originally wanted to convert it to 4x5 but changed my mind when I saw that the image on 4x5 film won't cover the whole film area, it's gonna be like 3.25x4.25. Anyway, here are a few tips.
1) Research on all the other conversions already done. Instantoptions.com has conversion details on some of the cameras. Bear in mind that most of the time, you have to cut off the back and part of the chassis. For a 4x5 conversion, you may also have to add some material to the bottom for the back.
2) Try to find ready made parts to make your conversion easier. Find an spare Graflock back or 4x5 adapter to make the conversion easier. For ground glass and focusing screen, you can convert an old film holder to one; there's also a 3d printable design available at Thingiverse.com.
3) As for the film plane, as long as your film holder sits flush with the film ate, it's going to be the same or at least close. If not, infinity is adjustable to a certain extent on the front standard.

Hope this helps.

OeT · Jun 24, 2016

pagonzales said:
Hope you haven't lost interest in your project. I just finished converting a polaroid 110 to an Instax wide back. I originally wanted to convert it to 4x5 but changed my mind when I saw that the image on 4x5 film won't cover the whole film area, it's gonna be like 3.25x4.25. Anyway, here are a few tips.
1) Research on all the other conversions already done. Instantoptions.com has conversion details on some of the cameras. Bear in mind that most of the time, you have to cut off the back and part of the chassis. For a 4x5 conversion, you may also have to add some material to the bottom for the back.
2) Try to find ready made parts to make your conversion easier. Find an spare Graflock back or 4x5 adapter to make the conversion easier. For ground glass and focusing screen, you can convert an old film holder to one; there's also a 3d printable design available at Thingiverse.com.
3) As for the film plane, as long as your film holder sits flush with the film ate, it's going to be the same or at least close. If not, infinity is adjustable to a certain extent on the front standard.

Hope this helps.

Haven't lost interest yet, still searching around.
Converting to an Instax wide back sounds interesting I might go for that to as I don't like to waste film space.
Did you use the Belair Instant Back or something else?
I have a 3d printer so designing and printing stuff is also doable, I even uploaded a ground glass focusing screen on Thingiverse a while ago so maybe that's the one you've seen.
Do you have any pictures of your camera?

pagonzales · Jun 25, 2016

just finished shooting the camera today and it was a blast. I'll try to post a picture soon. I used a Bel Air back. I would also use a 3D printed adapter if I had access to a printer-that would make the whole job easier. The main problems with any instax conversion are (1) all available cameras or backs have plastic stubs that have to be ground down before you mount them to a camera, (2) the back has to be attached securely to the body without sacrificing the light tightness of the film chamber and (3)the film plane has to be moved back a few milimeters because of the way the film is located inside the instax cartridges.

After grinding the stubs, I made a spacer between the camera film gate and the back, attached the back with a combination of screws, magnets and adhesive. I also moved back the infinity stops to account for the change in the film plane.

With a 3d printer, you just have to make a sort of adapter that mates the flat face of the film gate with the flat part of the Bel Air back. Probably would need just a strong adhesive to attach both.

pagonzales · Jun 25, 2016

The finish is still rough but at least it's in perfect shooting condition.

Drew Bedo · Jul 18, 2016

There used to be a DVD available with conversion directions.

Check YouTube too.

Any guide for converting a Polaroid Pathfinder to 4x5

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