I’ve always loved the look and feel of a 65mm point and shoot 4x5. This is the fourth or fifth similar wide camera that I have made. I wanted to try building one with the official Schneider focusing helical. This camera uses a Cambo standard, GG w/ Fresnel, Graflok back and the super hard to find Cambo folding focusing hood.
There is a permanently mounted accessory shoe to hold a (slightly modified) Mamiya 50mm finder w/ the (obnoxiously large) parallax correction base removed. The camera has two Arca plates, one mounted perpendicular to the body so it properly sits upright when you aren’t using it and a second plate mounted on the side of the camera that serves as both a vertical tripod mount and a hand grip mounted with an aluminum grip on the front side.
The modern multicoated 65mm f/5.6 Super Angulon is in a Compur 0 shutter that I prefer in a camera that that will get as much use as a point and shoot camera as it will as a proper tripod mounted large format camera. The flush mounted lever to open and close the lens on the Compur leads to less ‘accidents’ than the larger lever on the Copal shutter.
The Cambo folding focusing hood (C-929) is getting super hard to find. Luckly a forum member came through and was able to source one for me. It works perfectly; there are some small white marks on the back that look like it’s from the adhesive. The camera will also accept the (David Burnett) Cambo T-20 reflex finder or any other Cambo accessories.
With the finder the camera weighs in right at 4 pounds which is lighter than both the Sinar Handy at 4 ½ pounds and the Linhof Technar which is over 5 pounds with finder and grip.
The camera is ready to shoot 4x5 or with a roll film back.
The camera is $1599 with the finder and focusing hood, net plus $24.35 for shipping in the US.
If you don’t need the finder (any 21mm finder will get you close, the ideal finder would be the 43mm finder from the Mamiya 7) the camera would be $1459 w/focusing hood net plus $24.35 for shipping in the US.
(PS) the test shots were made on some expired Velvia that turned out to be really contrasty and underexposed, I was hoping the tests would be punchier!
There is a permanently mounted accessory shoe to hold a (slightly modified) Mamiya 50mm finder w/ the (obnoxiously large) parallax correction base removed. The camera has two Arca plates, one mounted perpendicular to the body so it properly sits upright when you aren’t using it and a second plate mounted on the side of the camera that serves as both a vertical tripod mount and a hand grip mounted with an aluminum grip on the front side.
The modern multicoated 65mm f/5.6 Super Angulon is in a Compur 0 shutter that I prefer in a camera that that will get as much use as a point and shoot camera as it will as a proper tripod mounted large format camera. The flush mounted lever to open and close the lens on the Compur leads to less ‘accidents’ than the larger lever on the Copal shutter.
The Cambo folding focusing hood (C-929) is getting super hard to find. Luckly a forum member came through and was able to source one for me. It works perfectly; there are some small white marks on the back that look like it’s from the adhesive. The camera will also accept the (David Burnett) Cambo T-20 reflex finder or any other Cambo accessories.
With the finder the camera weighs in right at 4 pounds which is lighter than both the Sinar Handy at 4 ½ pounds and the Linhof Technar which is over 5 pounds with finder and grip.
The camera is ready to shoot 4x5 or with a roll film back.
The camera is $1599 with the finder and focusing hood, net plus $24.35 for shipping in the US.
If you don’t need the finder (any 21mm finder will get you close, the ideal finder would be the 43mm finder from the Mamiya 7) the camera would be $1459 w/focusing hood net plus $24.35 for shipping in the US.
(PS) the test shots were made on some expired Velvia that turned out to be really contrasty and underexposed, I was hoping the tests would be punchier!
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