Calumet C1 question.

[Shawn Dougherty]

I recently switched from a black aluminum beast to a green magnesium monster. There appears to be 1 difference other than about 4 pounds. The black alum. C1 had a fairly large center column within the base that mounted to the tripod. The green mag. C1 has a very thin, maybe half an inch, center column on the base making it wobbly on a tripod unless the corners of the base also touch the tripod head. Was this a change made when they switched to alum. or was my magnesium base modified?

For the time being I've made a base plate out of alum(it only weighs an extra 0.3pounds) that works fine. However, if I find this was a modification I would like to find an original base from a parts camera.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jon Shiu]

Hi, the center on the magnesium model I had was about 1/2 inch by 1 inch, so I guess yours is original equipment.

Jon

 

[epatsellis]

FWIW, a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum securely screwed to the entire base solves the problem.....


erie

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I'll second the notation that the base you have is original. Mine was the same way. That's one of the reasons I got rid of it - I could never keep it stable enough on any tripod head I owned, and I wasn't about to get a Majestic to take into the field.

 

[wilsonneal]

I second the added piece of aluminum on the base of the camera that epatsellis recommends. Mine had a 1/4" thick piece of aluminum added and it never gave me the least bit of trouble. I upgraded mine only because the KMV was easier to take on location.
Neal

 

[Shawn Dougherty]

FWIW, a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum securely screwed to the entire base solves the problem.....


erie

It's nice to know that it is original. I already have a 1/8" piece of aluminum cut and should be mounting it to the base tonight It only adds a whooping 0.3 pounds to the camera so it looks like I have my solution. Now I just need to find some of that lovely green paint to match! Thanks fellows. Best. Shawn

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

For the paint- try split-pea soup! That green is a truly hideous color. Although not as ugly as the gloss olive-drab Mercedes used to have in their paint catalog. Or carrot orange.

 

[Shawn Dougherty]

For the paint- try split-pea soup! That green is a truly hideous color. Although not as ugly as the gloss olive-drab Mercedes used to have in their paint catalog. Or carrot orange.

Split pea soup! hehehe. I am planning on repainting the camera though I'm not sure what color. First I'm going to drill it full of holes to reduce a little weight. My buddy works making steel buildings and has an appropriate drill press to use. I hope to shed another pound off the thing. I was pleasantly shocked at how light it was compared to my old aluminum beast. Best. Shawn

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Shawn- careful with that drilling. The camera is made of magnesium, which can serve as an incendiary device when in fine powder form (often a byproduct of drilling and/or shaving the metal in its cast form). That's one reason they stopped making it in magnesium - the fire marshalls came to visit the Calumet factory and saw piles of magnesium shavings sitting around on the floor, and shut them down for operating a fire hazard.

 

[Shawn Dougherty]

I've read those stories, too. There is no real danger of a big fire when drilling some holes in one camera. The danger stemmed from the shavings supposedly covering the floor of the plant that produced them. Thanks for the concern though! Best. Shawn

 

[Captain_joe6]

I'm just putting the finishing touches on a green C-1 that I'm refinishing. The best paint that I found for it is Rustoleum hammer finish. They have 2 greens available, a deep one and a fairly muted one. The muted one dries slightly more vivid than the cap would imply, and is eerily close to the original shade but with added texture! Just sand, prime, and let the green fly.

 

[Curt]

I bought or caught a C1 cheap on the bay and stripped, cleaned, and preened it out in the shop. It's a green mag. one and the longer I worked with the green the more and more I grew sick of it. I can see why Mr. #%$%$# painted his white. E. Karsh?

The base was thin and wobbly, why Calumet would make one like that is beyond me but in the end I painted it black. Krylon Semi-Black, a satin like finish that's very professional looking.

I beefed up the bottom plate by adding an 1/8" plate that completely covers the bottom. I drilled, tapped and screwed the aircraft grade plate onto the original. It's firm, solid, and light. The camera came with a new bellows and is in mint shape now. I buffed the metal pieces on a stationary buffer, lubed and adjusted every thing to perfection. The levels are and other small pieces are time consuming to mask off but in the end it's worth it.

Now that it's complete, including a factory lens board, metal, for my 14" Kodak Commercial Ektar and other lens boards and lenses fitted for it and a nice collection of holders, I find that it's going to be too heavy to really use out doors. If it was in a saddle mounted to the side of my truck I might consider using it next to the vehicle but really they are an indoors camera or one that gets wheeled to the location.

I could just put it on the Gitzo tripod that I bought for $50.00 from a guy who didn't know what he had, I didn't know either, it extends up about eight feet. Huge tripod, studex plus plus plus and display it.

I have what was a lot of money originally for a couple of hundred, 2, and restored to new but is too heavy except for studio work, which I don't do. Maybe I will do some still lifes just to use the camera.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Curt-

that's why in the end I offloaded my C-1 and got a Zone VI Ultralight instead. I went from 16 lbs with lens to 11 lbs with lens. And I can use the Z VI on a smaller, lighter tripod.

 

[Shawn Dougherty]

Thanks for the heads up on the paint, Joe.

I ended up getting a Ries A100 with photoplane head. The original bottom now works perfectly on the head without my alum plate. Obviously that's the kind of head it was designed for...

I have no trouble with mine in the field. It's heavy but not that bad. I'm 6' and over 200 pounds, I could see where it would be a problem if you're smaller or certainly become a problem when I'm older. For now though, it's tough to beat the rigidity, bellows draw, movements and the bitchin' green color.

Shawn

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

The green color reminds me of my old 1980 Honda Accord coupe- it was affectionately nicknamed "The Flying Pickle" by my high school classmates. We got rid of it when the head gasket started leaking, and then the carb melted shut.

 

[Shawn Dougherty]

...The Flying Pickle...

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Shawn- strap some fake wings on your C1 and you could have a flying pickle too!

 

[epatsellis]

By any chance, I"m still searching for an 8x10 C1 back, My wooden field camera really is missing it's back terribly (though the C1 is a few #'s lighter, I'm sure)

And still searching for a thumbscrew (used to lock the rear standards and also for the rise/fall lock) a 5-48 or 5-40 thread if I'm not mistaken. Before I go and drill and tap the hole for a 6-32, does anybody have one kicking around?


erie

 

[Shawn Dougherty]

Did you try Calumet? You have to ask for the parts department. They still have quite a few parts for the C1 from what I understand. Best. Shawn

 

[Curt]

that's why in the end I offloaded my C-1 and got a Zone VI Ultralight instead. I went from 16 lbs with lens to 11 lbs with lens. And I can use the Z VI on a smaller, lighter tripod.
__________________

Mine is in a suitcase for moving around, what's worse is I bought a C1 5x7 reducing back for it also; I was on a roll at the time. Which tripod are you using with your Zone VI?

If you see a man in the desert pulling a black cloth suitcase though the sand think of me. He must be dragging a big metal tripod behind too.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

While I was looking for adequate support for the C-1, I came upon an open-box special on a Gitzo 1412 (I think) tripod, and I mated it up with a 1525 pan-tilt head. the 1412 or whatever model number it is is an aluminum leg set, but the lowest segment of the legs seems to not be aluminum but some kind of plastic. It has no center column, just a flat plate. Fully extended, the 1412 legset gets over 6' high. With the 1525 head, it comes out to about 12 lbs for the whole tripod. Before that, I was trying to use a Bogen either 3046 or 3051 (I forget which- I traded it off to a friend). That was another 15 lb monster by itself, not including a head. If the legs weren't so short, I could probably get away with using my Bogen 3444 carbon-fiber sticks with it. In a perfect world where I had a budget, either a 12-series or 13-series Gitzo carbon-fiber would be the ideal mate to that camera, along with something like an Arca B-1 ball head.

 

[epatsellis]

I've had the best luck so far with a Davis and Sanfor Prolift with a Majestic head. Prior to that, I used a 5 series Gitzo with a 1570M head, but had it go down recently, popping the small screw that holds the front standard in when it hit the ground, other than that one time, It's bee 100% workable. The tripod was another ebay find, $67.00 plus $15 shipping.


erie

 

[Curt]

In case the World get totally destroyed the only thing that is expected to survive are Ants and Calumet C1 cameras.

 

[JHannon]

In case the World get totally destroyed the only thing that is expected to survive are Ants and Calumet C1 cameras.

They are tanks and I tried to carry one in the field once. I used a Berlebach 3032 and modified the bottom with a plate (drilled and tapped holes). Ask Papagene, he was there. My shoulder was sore for a week.

The one nice thing about the uglyness of it is nobody will stop and ask questions about it. They just keep going......

 

[epatsellis]

John,
I carry one alot, I got a backpack (at the dreaded wally world, no less) and with some padding, it fits just fine, that just leaves me carrying the Gitzo and a small cooler with filmholders, lenses, filters and meter in it. Quite manageable, depending on terrain. I've been looking at frame type backpacks, but they're a little expensive.


erie