Electric motors for Cirkut cameras?

hirudin · Jan 18, 2022

Hi Folks!

I've been trying to research electric motors for Cirkut cameras; I see there was one thread from 2015 (https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/cirkut-10-with-electric-motor.122730) but the pics are long lost and discusses a conversion that was done years before. I'm wondering if there's been any new info in the past seven years on motorizing Cirkut #10 cameras... any recommendations... even any thoughts on motors to start. I imagine you could do some nifty stuff with a Raspberry Pi and a decent motor.

Thanks again in advance!

-Jesse-

nosmok · Jan 18, 2022

It must be *possible*-- I have a remounted Biogon that came from one of Jim Lipari's "Lipari-Rama" cameras (believe he passed away in the early 2000s)-- but only the lens, board and mount, not the electric motor drive that moved the 120 film.

jamie young · Feb 11, 2022

Various people did put motors in them, including Jim Lipari, and David Pascan. I don't know what kind they used though. Mine are all original spring motors.

hirudin · Feb 16, 2022

jamie young said:
Various people did put motors in them, including Jim Lipari, and David Pascan. I don't know what kind they used though. Mine are all original spring motors.

Hi Jamie!

Thanks for your reply; I'm interested in the capability of Cirkuts in low-light interiors, and with a max exposure time of 1/2 second, it seems like a motor would be necessary to get slower exposures. Have you had any difficulty with interiors and speed? Thinking in real time, I guess the other option is a camera mounted light to add illumination as the camera rotates.

Thanks!

-Jesse-

jimgalli · Feb 16, 2022

Richard Malogorski has done some things inside industrial settings similar to what you're thinking about. I recall reading that he motorized the camera for ultra stable low speeds. What would really be awesome would be to computerize the pan speed with film travel somehow gearlessly. Computerized table drive synced with film transport. Let me know when you get it figured out. I'll be first in line. ;~')) Oh and while we're at it, a laser that measures effective focal length. Have to have that to syncronize film transport with camera travel on the axis.

This page talks about electric drive. It says some of his exposures take up to 2 hours! Awesome images! I'm re-inspired.

Euphus · Nov 12, 2023

Hello hirudin,
I use an electrified No. 10 Cirkut Camera that was converted by David Paskin. With a variable power supply, I can regulate the DC motor for the following exposures, for example: 1/2 second at 3.6VDC ,1 second at 4 VDC, and 3 seconds 4.5 VDC. I have photographed interiors with a light mounted on top but thanks to Richard Malogorski's advice, I plan to retrofit another with the ability to change electric motors for slower exposures to photograph interiors and low-light situations with ambient light or to find a variable speed motor/controller. To echo what Jim stated, Richard has made great strides with his interior work. He shared with me, by using three different motors that operate at three different voltages, he has nine speeds with the slowest at a 30 second exposure. Richard uses the premium planetary motor sold here: https://www.servocity.com . They sell gears, motors and mounting brackets although they no longer well 32 pitch gears. I plan to order motors from them. I will add photos in my next post.
Since this is any older post, hopefully by now you are exposing with your Cirkut Camera.

Best regards,
Euphus

frobozz · Dec 20, 2023

hirudin said:
Hi Folks!

I've been trying to research electric motors for Cirkut cameras; I see there was one thread from 2015 (https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/cirkut-10-with-electric-motor.122730) but the pics are long lost and discusses a conversion that was done years before. I'm wondering if there's been any new info in the past seven years on motorizing Cirkut #10 cameras... any recommendations... even any thoughts on motors to start. I imagine you could do some nifty stuff with a Raspberry Pi and a decent motor.

Thanks again in advance!

-Jesse-

Someone just recently let me those files had disappeared from my server. Not sure how that happened, but I put them back!

Duncan

Chuck1 · Dec 20, 2023

nosmok said:
It must be *possible*-- I have a remounted Biogon that came from one of Jim Lipari's "Lipari-Rama" cameras (believe he passed away in the early 2000s)-- but only the lens, board and mount, not the electric motor drive that moved the 120 film.

There has been a Lipari-Rama listed on ebay recently, the title of this thread got my attention, as I'm just wondering how they work is it a slit moving across the film while the film moves?
Or the camera rotates with a moving slit?
The listing I'm referring to has a goerz 3 5/8" lens. And a graflex 70mm rh50 back.
It's pricey.
But it has a power regulator.
Anyway it's not the most common thing in the world, and this seems like the right place.

frobozz · Dec 29, 2023

Dang, knowing nothing about Lipari-rama cameras, that seems like a quite reasonable price to me! Sure would be a lot easier to use than a century-old Cirkut camera. Assuming that takes 120 film, so that would also be easier to source these days.

It looks like the identical concept to a Cirkut camera, just way more compact and modern. The camera rotates, which moves its slit-shutter through space, in an arc. The film moves, to put fresh film under the slit-shutter as it moves. Imagine a design where this big lens takes a picture on a big wide piece of film. Now curve the film into an arc, and curve the lens into arc out at its larger diameter. (That last part is impossible of course.) Your subject would then also be an arc, at an even larger diameter. These cameras just effectively make that happen, using normal lenses and film, by exposing a very narrow slice of that scene at a time, across time, while the camera moves from one side of the arc to the other.

The whole trick is synchronizing the motion of the camera and the film to match the distance of the eventual subject. And understanding how long the slit is open for any given spot on the film, to calculate the effective shutter speed for your exposure calculations.

Duncan

frobozz · Dec 29, 2023

I figured I'd copy in those auction pictures here, for posterity. Wish I weren't so broke from buying building materials, I'd be all over this!

Duncan

gfs · Aug 14, 2024

frobozz said:
Dang, knowing nothing about Lipari-rama cameras, that seems like a quite reasonable price to me! Sure would be a lot easier to use than a century-old Cirkut camera. Assuming that takes 120 film, so that would also be easier to source these days.

It looks like the identical concept to a Cirkut camera, just way more compact and modern. The camera rotates, which moves its slit-shutter through space, in an arc. The film moves, to put fresh film under the slit-shutter as it moves. Imagine a design where this big lens takes a picture on a big wide piece of film. Now curve the film into an arc, and curve the lens into arc out at its larger diameter. (That last part is impossible of course.) Your subject would then also be an arc, at an even larger diameter. These cameras just effectively make that happen, using normal lenses and film, by exposing a very narrow slice of that scene at a time, across time, while the camera moves from one side of the arc to the other.

The whole trick is synchronizing the motion of the camera and the film to match the distance of the eventual subject. And understanding how long the slit is open for any given spot on the film, to calculate the effective shutter speed for your exposure calculations.

Duncan

Hello Duncan, My name is Jerry and new to posting. On the site I use GFS name. I just read your post about Lipari camera in photos and I purchased from ebay. I knew Mr Lapari from International, association panorama photographers and he repaired and helped me with my 10"cirkut camera. Drop me a post

Electric motors for Cirkut cameras?

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