Homemade 35mm ground glass camera

I have by chance acquired some old lenses for 8mm film. I want to shoot with them onto 35mm film and print the entire image circle. I want to be able to compose and focus the shots on a glass, however. Anybody have any info that might help me find or make a 35mm back for a 2x3 camera? Perhaps a Speed Graphic. If there was a 35mm back for 4x5, I could make that work very easily, although kind of a shame to carry a whole 4x5 around.

Perhaps it could be built around a Diana 35mm back if I design a darkslide for it.

TwoF/TwoF,

A couple ways to do this. One is to use the 35mm innards of a Yashica 635 in a 120 camera back. Second is to make the reels of a 120 spool and take up spool match the film dimensions of 135 film. I did it using fiberglass tape on old 120 spools and cutting them with a knife on my wood lathe. I put them in a 220 back on my rb67. Works great. I have a second roll to develop (as I get the chance).

So. make a lens board for your 2x3 speed or crown, get the 6x6 or 6x9 roll film back, focus on the ground glass and then replace GG with the roll film holder. pull the dark slide (don't ask!) and shoot your image. Advance and do it again. Load the film and print your 24mmx88mm images.

tim in san jose

2f/2f

look for a kodachrome 35 back for a recommar camera.
it is a 35mm back, with a little pop-up ground glass
so you can view.
i had one that i got mounted on a sheet of wood and used it
on various 4x5 cameras for a while. they are not very expensive,
and most people have no idea how cool they are

good luck!

john

the adapter is like this

That back that jnanian posted looks nice. You may have to build a special camera for it, as the flange-focal-distance of your lens will probably not allow it to be used on a conventional view camera.

I don't know which focal length lens you have, but most of the Bolex 8mm lenses were retrofocus design, to give room for the prism and shutter. The flange-focal-distance is something like 3/4 of an inch.

What I would do would be to do a 'first generation' camera where you can use zone or fixed focusing and a viewfinder. You may discover that the complexity and problems associated with a ground-glass viewing system and a light-tight 35mm film magazine are not justified.

I would try to find a cheap focal plane shuttered rangefinder (like a Zorki or other Leica copy) for $20 or $30 and fashion a recessed adapter for the 8mm lens from a Leica-threaded body cap. This will get you up and going more quickly. If you get board with that then you can make the more complex camera with a light-tight film magazine and ground-glass viewing.

(Hmm... I have a Zorki and a bunch of 8mm lenses lying around, maybe I'll try it also)

You could also build something very much like this out of a Leitz Eldia 35mm contact printer.

Of course, all these are limited to 24x36mm instead of a more interesting, say, 24x120 mm (24mm x ~5")

ic-racer said:

the flange-focal-distance of your lens will probably not allow it to be used on a conventional view camera

Click to expand...

The Eldia has the film wound emulsion side out so the film is facing out through what would otherwise be the back of the camera.

It looks like the Kodak recesses the film. Another alternative is a Lietz Focaslide. Both of these limit the movements and lens-to-film distance.

Seeing as you're going to all this effort, why not try making a lens mount adaptor and using the lenses on a conventional 35mm body? what mount are the 8mm lenses?

I just checked a few 8mm lens out and the image circle is quite small. Around 3/8 of an inch. Flange-focal-distance is a little less than 3/4 of an inch. Bolex literature states around 0.6 inches.

Another possibility would be to mount the 8mm lens on a 16mm camera (like a Steky) and you would still get the circular image, as it will all fit on a 16mm frame.
http://www.subclub.org/shop/steky.htm

Thanks for all the replies.

Tim's and John's ideas are really in line with what I want to do. These options are true camera backs.

It looks like the Recomar backs are cheaper than RB backs, and also would not require as much modification. Then again, an RB back can go on an RB as well. Tough choice.

The most limiting factor here is the distance from the lens to the film. Not enough room for a mirror that will show the whole image circle, which is why I want the glass.

If adapting the lenses to any existing still camera, I am obviously going to need a deeply recessed adapter. I had counted on that for sure.

What I am thinking of doing now is to adapt a Recomar back to a single Sinar Multipurpose Standard mounted on a six-inch rail. Put the lenses on a custom lensboard that sets them at the proper distance. Since the camera uses the same connection device on the front and the back of a standard, lensboards can be mounted where you would normally attach the bellows. The camera would look like a pancake. I would also eventually want to design a way to extend teh lens to focus on very close objects.

I could either use a front-mounted shutter, or ND filters and a black film box for a timed exposure.

Sounds fun. Thanks for the help!

UPDATE

I screwed up...HA! I got a Recomar back, and it is a beauty, but it is for Bantam 828 film. I had never heard of Bantam film before this.

Does anyone want to purchase this back? It is pretty cool, and I could use the money to invest into the proper 35mm version. I don't feel like winding 35mm film with a custom backing paper onto 828 reels, especially when these backs are so cheap.