Making Agfa Box dof wider.

marciofs · Sep 2, 2015

I often find Agfa boxes in street markets and I think they are great cameras.
But I wish I could use them for portraits if the minimum distance from the sitter wasn't about 3m, wich is quite far for a wide angle lens it has. Anything closer than 3m is out of focus.

Now I came with two solution.

First one:
Transforming it into a pinhole camera by removing the lens and adding a smaller aperture pin for the optimal sharpness. Less wider angle image and a DOF super wide to make possible to take close up portraits.

Second one:
Leave the lens and just narrow the aperture to something like f32 or f45, hoping the minimal distance of the DOF will be reduced allowing me to take portraits closer to sitters without risk leave them out of focus.

Which one sounds a better idea?

ps: No need to worry or talk about photographing sitters with long exposures pinholes. I am used to it. My concern is only about the suitable technical adaptation of the camera.

RobC · Sep 2, 2015

you could do either or try both. You won't know untill you try.

marciofs · Sep 2, 2015

RobC said:
you could do either or try both. You won't know untill you try.

You are right...
I will see if I can just adjust the aperture to about f45 or something. Seems to be easier. I am just not sure if f 45 is enough, of if f32 would be enough or if smaller would be better. But I can keep trying and see the results...

RobC · Sep 2, 2015

If its not in focus at less than 3m then I think you can assume that its focussed at infinity or more probably hyperfocal distance.

If you know its focal length then you can plug it into following website with film format and try different f no's to see what is smallest you think will be practical.

If you don't know its focal length then you can play with focal length and fno until you get a near distance of 10ft and far of infinity and that will be approx current focal length.

FL / aperture = aperture diameter. So knowing diameter and using aperture to film distance as approx focal length, then:
approx current aperture = FL / diameter

So you should be able to work out approx aperture and approx focal length and using following plug in an aperture until you get the near sharp and far sharp you require.

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

marciofs · Sep 2, 2015

RobC said:
If its not in focus at less than 3m then I think you can assume that its focussed at infinity or more probably hyperfocal distance.

If you know its focal length then you can plug it into following website with film format and try different f no's to see what is smallest you think will be practical.

If you don't know its focal length then you can play with focal length and fno until you get a near distance of 10ft and far of infinity and that will be approx current focal length.

FL / aperture = aperture diameter. So knowing diameter and using aperture to film distance as approx focal length, then:
approx current aperture = FL / diameter

So you should be able to work out approx aperture and approx focal length and using following plug in an aperture until you get the near sharp and far sharp you require.

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

Yes, it is a hyperfocal and the focal length is 100mm.

I didn't know this website. Thank you very much.

wiltw · Sep 2, 2015

A pinhole lens will give lots of abberations not seen in a reasonable quality optic designed by a camera manufacturer! Color fringing will result simply because different color light has different wavelengths and they all do not come to focus well at the same point.

With an f/32 or f/45 aperture on any format smaller than 4x5 sheetfilm, you will succeed in exhibiting diffraction in all lenses.

If you get close with a WA to shoot a portrait, you will capture 'perspective distortion' of the subject...their face will be captured at a distance not usually seen in photos, and their face will be somewhat strange looking. Examples of shooting a headshot with a variety of FL on 135 format camera... http://www.stepheneastwood.com/tutorials/lensdistortion/index.htm

My suggestion is, "None of the above" (kind of like our presidential race candidates)

marciofs · Sep 2, 2015

wiltw said:
A pinhole lens will give lots of abberations not seen in a reasonable quality optic designed by a camera manufacturer! Color fringing will result simply because different color light has different wavelengths and they all do not come to focus well at the same point.

With an f/32 or f/45 aperture on any format smaller than 4x5 sheetfilm, you will succeed in exhibiting diffraction in all lenses.

If you get close with a WA to shoot a portrait, you will capture 'perspective distortion' of the subject...their face will be captured at a distance not usually seen in photos, and their face will be somewhat strange looking. Examples of shooting a headshot with a variety of FL on 135 format camera... http://www.stepheneastwood.com/tutorials/lensdistortion/index.htm

My suggestion is, "None of the above" (kind of like our presidential race candidates)

I don't mind some distortion, I don't do head shots and I shoot mostly in black and white.

What I am trying to do is simply fulfill the negative frame with the sitter image, because with the wide angle lens and minimum distance of 3m I have to leave a lot of room arround the sitter even in full body standing.

Joe VanCleave · Sep 2, 2015

How about attaching some kind of close up lens to the front?

~Joe

jeffreythree · Sep 2, 2015

Joe VanCleave said:
How about attaching some kind of close up lens to the front?

~Joe

I was thinking the same thing. I believe some of them even came with a switchable close up lens built in.

Found an example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AGFA-ANSCO-...RAGM-183026-/381368823284?hash=item58cb5a6df4

marciofs · Sep 2, 2015

Joe VanCleave said:
How about attaching some kind of close up lens to the front?

~Joe

Could be but then I would have to spend an extra money wich I think would be worth buying or built a pinhole camera.

But I guess if I just introduce a aperture f64 it will be good for me.
If not. I just try to get the lens out and I make a pinhole camera out of it.

Making Agfa Box dof wider.

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