DIY Sinar Norma Handy Photos

Nokton48 · Jan 28, 2023

I'm about ready to start really using this thing. I have six Graphmatics, just ordered another hundred sheets of HP5+. Also plenty of 4x5 Graphic type Holders. EI 1600 is not a stretch at all, being 4x5 the amazing detail is there. The 65mm F8 does NOT completely cover the 4x5 edges, you can see the edges of the circle. Similar in "look" to the F3.4 Leica Super Angulon on an M Leica, just scaled up (Swiss) 9x12 style. EI 1600 opens up the use of the camera, at lower EI's it really severely limits the use of the camera, hence my hesitancy getting started with it. At 1600 I can handhold it in most ambient situations. Using the MiniMe Inflated Softbox with the 283 gives me 100 joules of flash which with 1600 should be plenty enough? The box improves the light used close-up.

This makes a good knockabout lightweight Press Camera. People approach and want to talk about it. Especially Photographers

Nokton48 · Jan 29, 2023

It hasn't occured to me until now to consider pushing two stops, Fomapan 200. Yet I have an unopened box of 9x12cm (that covers the lens circle perfectly) which I bought from FotoImpex in Germany a few years ago. I have a pile of 9x12 boxes from them, five or six flavors to try out. But 800 Speed 9x12cm Foma200 would definitely "look" different from pushed two stops TMX400 and HP5+. I've been shooting a hundred foot roll of HP5+ fresh, exposing at 1600 and developing to 3200, per the box instructions. Looks damn good and so much better in large format

I have a lot of Sinar Norma 9x12 Graphic Holders, and some Kewl vintage Arca Swiss 9x12cm sheet film holders. Even some 9x12cm Linhof Glass Plate Holders, which I haven't used yet.

I need to put new batteries in my Dyson V7's, to clean everything out, and get these six holders loaded. I bought sized plastic bags on Amazon to hold the loaded Graphmatics. So starting to get there. Six holders fit in the Swedish Medical Bag very incognito

Nokton48 · Feb 27, 2023

I've been dusting and loading holders, and I'm about ready to start going out. I've loaded outdated TMAX400, outdated HP5+, fresh TMAX400, and fresh HP5+. And some outdated 9x12cm FOMA 200 (will push two stops). Everything loaded into 4x5 Graflex Graphmatics, perfect for Sinar Norma Handy camera. They should have offered this camera back in the day, but they didn't. But they did offer -some- of the pieces. Twenty years ago I snagged the Norma 65mm F8 Helical on rare original Norma cone board, Forty Bucks at MPEX. Helical is scaled in feet, not meters. I have pasted a hyperfocus chart for the 65 f8 SA, on the back of each Graphmatic. This would make a good Paparazzi camera, using it would raise attention everywhere. Fun ahead. Went to World of Used Photography, they have MOVED into a new warehouse sized facility, like 10X bigger than their old place. Bought another outdated box 50 sheets 4x5 TMAX400, I just paid $200 for a new box from B&H. Good to have both. Cost me Thirty Bucks Yay!

Nokton48 · Mar 1, 2023

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

Sinar Norma Handy ready to go. On the back is the rare Sinar Norma Monocular Rubber Bellows, with the Norma Monocular Viewer. With a short locking cable release, I can view through the lens if I need to. I can also insert Sinar Norma 4x5 Meter Cassette, with Sinarsix, deadly accurate TTL metering eliminates a lot of exposure variables, some of which can compound. So uber versatile. The strap is a 1.5" Domke Black Gripper, the strap lugs are Pentax 6x7, I drilled and taped the Norma Auxiliary Frame. Devil Cal on RFF kindly supplied the stainless steel bolts holding the strap lugs. I bought the Graflex XL Grip (Norma used this) from Glenn Evans, I'm not using the Grip for now. I can nicely handhold this all day long

Nokton48 · Feb 11, 2024

4x5 Sinar Norma Handy 65mm f8 SA Viv365 C Cell Pack by Nokton48, on Flickr

This is my Sinar Norma Handy, built by me from Parts Box Vintage original Norma Helical Mount for 65mm F8 Chrome Super Angulon Compur. Vivitar 365 with C Cell Pack fully operating. The camera is complete ready to shoot, I have three left in this 4x5 Graphmatic. The 365 has the power I need for handheld 4x5 Wide Angle Tripod. I will embellish with XTC Mini Inflatable Softbox soon. I have six loaded 4x5 Graphmatics with HP5+ and TMax400, as a side by side test.

andremunro · Feb 14, 2024

@Nokton48 I am truly in awe at this project! Could you please help me find out where to start for a similar build? Besides the Norma, can I use any Sinar 4x5 back standard as a base?
What about something like this: https://www.keh.com/shop/large-format-4x5-std-bk-blk-sinar-719183.html
Or do I need to make sure it belongs to some series like the 'P' or 'Norma' series?

Just want to start collecting the parts, but I have yet to find some online info on the parts needed or instructions.

Appreciate the help, and congrats again! Andre

Nokton48 · Feb 14, 2024

Can't advise anything but Norma parts, that's what I have. Go back and look at the pix at the beginning of the thread; I show how I tried different Norma parts to get what works for me. You can assemble a list from that if you want.

Maybe you should try creating a thread and others can help you too? Modern Sinar Handy's are sometimes advertised fully assembled.

andremunro · Feb 14, 2024

Nokton48 said:
Can't advise anything but Norma parts, that's what I have. Go back and look at the pix at the beginning of the thread; I show how I tried different Norma parts to get what works for me. You can assemble a list from that if you want.

Maybe you should try creating a thread and others can help you too? Modern Sinar Handy's are sometimes advertised fully assembled.

Thank you!

Nokton48 · Feb 15, 2024

andremurno,

If you want Norma, buy a cheap AUXILIARY STANDARD. That will hold a helical lensboard, and a Norma 4x5 Film Back. Add a Viewfinder, I used a MAMIYA 7 Viewfinder. The STRAP LUGS are from the Pentax 6x7. Remove the metal pins on the Standard Bearer, and attach a Shoe on the top and bottom. There are so many ways to do this, I wanted Real Original Norma Parts. Good Luck. Mine is a work in process as I use it.

andremunro · Feb 15, 2024

Nokton48 said:
andremurno,

If you want Norma, buy a cheap AUXILIARY STANDARD. That will hold a helical lensboard, and a Norma 4x5 Film Back. Add a Viewfinder, I used a MAMIYA 7 Viewfinder. The STRAP LUGS are from the Pentax 6x7. Remove the metal pins on the Standard Bearer, and attach a Shoe on the top and bottom. There are so many ways to do this, I wanted Real Original Norma Parts. Good Luck. Mine is a work in process as I use it.

Will do, thanks again for sharing your example!

Nokton48 · Mar 9, 2024

Sinar Norma 4x5 Handy Super BubbaPack HV Battery Handy Bubble Level by Nokton48, on Flickr

A Friend built me this "Super BubbaPack" high voltage rechargeable Battery, for my Vivitar 365 Flash Units. Recycles LIKE NOW, no delay. This fires automatic exposure thyristor out to SEVENTY FEET, good for any situation, really. Shown on my homemade Sinar Norma Handy. My latest embellishment on the Handy, is a modern Sinar Handy Bubble Level/Mirror Unit, attached atop the Mamiya 7 43mm Viewfinder. Useful for "Hail Mary" shots, not looking through the viewfinder. Initial test shooting coming up soon.

pdccamerqs · Jun 24, 2024

Sorry to resurrect this old post, but does anyone know how tall/deep the Sinar lens cone is for the 65mm Super Angulon? I am trying to make one of the cameras and I am missing the cone. I have the 65mm f/8 SA with the original helical, but no cone! Any help would be much appreciated!

All the best,

Paul

Nokton48 · Jul 13, 2024

Sinar Norma Handy 65mm F8 HP5+ Graphmatic D23 Replenished Kingwood by Nokton48, on Flickr

Second run of 4x5 HP5+ processed in Combiplan D23 Replenished One Liter. 12 minutes at 72F Inversion 10 secs/minute. Sinar Handy $x5 HP%= EI 250 65mm F8 Schneider 65mm F8 Lens Helical. 4x5 Graphmatic makes for good hand holding. Mr. Peacock was very squacking posing moved in for a close-up also. Indeed Quite Handy, they named it right. Darned fun to shoot with too. Looking forward to making some 8x10's of these four. Sinar Handy passes the test A+++. BTW you can see the corners all four in these negs. This camera works better with 9x12cm film, it dosen't quite cover 4x5 IMO. Luckily I have a good amount of 9x12cm holders ready to go also. And I love using the Combiplan, I use daylight inversion, turn out the lights, pull the cover, then into rinse tank, then fix tanks. Lights on at that point. And it holds one Liter so I can try all sorts of developers besides D23. PMK+ was my olde go to with HP5 and HP5+. Easy to do with Combiplan.

Nokton48 · Jul 13, 2024

pdccamerqs said:
Sorry to resurrect this old post, but does anyone know how tall/deep the Sinar lens cone is for the 65mm Super Angulon? I am trying to make one of the cameras and I am missing the cone. I have the 65mm f/8 SA with the original helical, but no cone! Any help would be much appreciated!

All the best,

Paul

Hi Paul,

Just saw this. OK Using my cheap Harbor Freight Digital Caliper, I got what I think is pretty close as I can get it.

It's 24.3mm. My board is marked in feet for the 65mm F8. How is yours marked?

pdccamerqs · Jul 17, 2024

HI!

Just seeing this myself! Thanks so much for the reply. I am having a cone made up for me by Ebay seller CustomCameraBuilding who is based in Canada. (He's only charging $30 for a custom build, btw.) With my cheap General digital calipers I measured the focus helical and the thickness of the Sinar F camera standard which serves as the camera body. I asked him to make the cone 29mm tall with a 62mm hole.

I have attached for you here a photo of my helical which is marked in feet for the 65mm f/8. I have also attached my calculations which show the cone should be 29.7mm tall ( or 25.7mm if you don't include the flange at the bottom of the cone. I also included part of the Schneider tech sheet for the super angulons. Tell me if you'd like the whole pdf.

If you measured the depth of your lens cone from the front face of the camera standard the dimension would be off by about 4-5mm compared to mine due to my including the height of the flange around the bottom of lens cone. Yours sits on top of a standard Sinar lens board. Mine fits in to the camera body as if was an extended lens board. I measured from the mating surface of the back of this lens board. I think this would account for the discrepancy in our numbers.

I am currently using the camera with a 90mm f/8 Angulon (as shown in the last pic), but I want something wider!

By the way, do you happen to know if this helical can be used with the 65mm f/5.6 as well as the f/8? And if so, would the distance information be correct?

Nice photos of the Peacock! I am surprised to see what appears to be some vignetting on the right hand side of you negatives. The 65 f/8 should be able to just cover 4x5.

Best,

Paul

Chuck1 · Jul 17, 2024

The 65/f8 is usually in a 00 shutter, they did come in 0 but those are really rare...
I don't think the distance scale would be interchangeable (but I don't know for sure)

_T_ · Jul 17, 2024

The distance scale is only for the specific model of lens it’s made for. It won’t even match up with other lens models of the same spec. It might not even match for the same model but different years of production depending on what changes were made from version to version.

pdccamerqs · Jul 18, 2024

Thanks Chuck and T! These units must all be shimmed and individually calibrated. Precision engineered, certainly, but what a manufacturing nightmare!

P.

Nokton48 · Jul 18, 2024

OK,

You are building off of a modern Sinar, not Norma. Easier to mount stuff on it! They made cool parts for the Handy cameras, when they were introduced. The Norma predates the Handy. They made the conical helical mount, that's it in the olde Norma catalog. Different camera really, more option with the modern Handy design. My camera is something they -should- have manufactured, and sold, but they didn't. I'm a Norma collector so it fits right into my uses around here.

My olde Schneider literature indicates that it covers 9x12cm. This is what I am finding in actual use. 4x5 will require a bit of cropping all around, you can see all four corners really. I plan to shoot with mine with 9x12cm film holders, of which I have plenty. The Norma has a slightly smaller footprint than the modern Handys, which I also prefer. Finally I would suggest the 47mm Optical Finder for the Mamiya 7, that it what I have, and I love it. Has a really cool bubble level which you can see as you are framing. Recommended! Find a copy of the original Handy Sinar literature, it will give you some good ideas.

pdccamerqs · Jul 18, 2024

Thanks, Nokton. Great advice. I have the literature on the modern Handy - it's available at PacificRim Camera in their literature download section. It is a really nice piece of gear. Thanks also for the tip on the finder - I have an inexpensive 21mm finder from TT artisans that isn't bad, but it lacks frame lines and of course the bubble level. I'll keep my eyes open for the 47mm finder.

P.

pdccamerqs · Jul 19, 2024

By the way, Nokton, did you mean the Mamiya 43mm finder? I think the field of view of a 43mm viewer on 6cm x 7cm is roughly equivalent to that of a 20mm on 35mm and 65mm on 4in x 5in (9cm x 12cm). The field of view on a 6cm x 12cm would be the same as a 9 x 12 with the top and bottom of the frame masked off.

Nokton48 · Jul 19, 2024

Yep My BAD it's the 43mm Mamiya 7. Love it! Recommended. Matches the 65 SA FOV pretty well, the Bubble Level is awesome.

If you haven't already, check out the cool stuff Glenn Evans has done with Handys:

sinar.htm

pdccamerqs · Jul 19, 2024

What a fantastic website. I'll be there for days! Thank you!

Nokton48 · Jul 20, 2024

I have figured out that the Silver Schneider Lenshood (thought it was for the 65 F8 it's not) marked LINHOF is now back in my parts box. Oh Well.

I have now switched to my Schneider Center Filter For 65mm F8, I have to use it two stops down according to Schneider, and it has a filter factor as well. Schneider used to mark their Center Filters for their specific lenses. I also have the 75mm F8, 90mm F8, 90mm F5.6, 75mm F5.6 all marked specifically for each lens. These filters do even out the corners a bit, but some like the darked edges. And of course, they DO NOT improve the sharpness in the corners

Which is Ok with me.

To shoot handheld, the more film speed, the better. I'm trying 4x5 HP5+ fresh, some expired, and Kodak 4x5 TMax400. Also other 9x12 and 4x5 cut film (cut by me). Also FOMA200 push processed to gamma infinity might be usuable, I have found some good examples on the Internet.

Nokton48 · Jul 27, 2024

Sinar Norma Handy Test 65mm F8 No 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Sinar Norma Handy Test 65mm F8 No 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Sinar Norma Handy Test 65mm F8 No 3 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Sinar Norma Handy Test 65mm F8 No 4 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Sinar Norma Handy 4x5 Test Ilford HP5+ 65mm F8 Super Angulon at Fll. Kingwood Gardens Mansfield Ohio, waiting for the Solar Eclipse to occur. HANDHELD camera focused hyperfocally. The cosine effect causes corners to be darker, could be improved with my 65mm F8 Schneider Center Filter. Silver image 8x10 print Omega DII 180mm Rodagon laser aligned, Arista #2 RC paper processed in Dektol 1:2. Print copied with Sony Nex 7 30mm Nex Macro Lens.

DIY Sinar Norma Handy Photos

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