Modifying a folding camera to turn it into a 6x3 "half-frame" medium format camera

Donald Qualls · Jul 19, 2024

fabulousrice said:
the more options you have should you want to crop later on!

Cropping generally wasn't done on slide film -- the were mounted, full-frame, in projection mounts. Even to get 3x4 slides for 2x2 inch mounts out of 120 would have required a special cutter. Asking the processing lab to crop your slide film would have gotten you encouraged to buy a box of mounts and cut your own film -- that way, you couldn't blame the humans who mounted the frames for getting it wrong.

There were, of course, "Super Slide" mounts for 6x6 and 6x4.5 frame -- but those wouldn't get 24 exposures from a roll of expensive (compared to the usually B&W or color print) Ektachrome etc.

Dan Fromm · Jul 19, 2024

Donald Qualls said:
There were, of course, "Super Slide" mounts for 6x6 and 6x4.5 frame -- but those wouldn't get 24 exposures from a roll of expensive (compared to the usually B&W or color print) Ektachrome etc.

Funny, I always thought that "super slides" were shot with 127 film and mounted in square mounts the same size as mounts for 35 mm slides.

MattKing · Jul 19, 2024

Dan Fromm said:
Funny, I always thought that "super slides" were shot with 127 film and mounted in square mounts the same size as mounts for 35 mm slides.

There was also a specialized cutter - from Hasselblad? - that complemented a Hasselblad back and finder mask which put the same 4cm x 4cm size image on the centre of 120 film.

Donald Qualls · Jul 22, 2024

MattKing said:
4cm x 4cm size image on the centre of 120 film.

Of possible note, this was the original image format of the Holga (hence the 60 mm lens). When the camera was resurrected after first going out of production, the 6x4.5 and 6x6 masks replaced this format.

BrianShaw · Jul 22, 2024

This is the cutter that I used to make 2x2 superslide from 120 and a Rolleicord with “16” mask kit.

https://ianbfoto.com/downloads/Mamiya%20645/Mamiya%20645%20Super%20Slide%20Cutter.pdf

It was an interesting concept but fine scissors actually worked better.

We also “cropped” slides a bit with metal tape or the myriad specialty mounts once offered by Gepe. That was back in the days is synchronized slide-tape presentations. So archaic…

choiliefan · Jul 22, 2024

I've shot this format in a Rolleicord Vb using the 24-exp kit via the 24 counter and internal mask which has been modified by widening the opening using a Dremel cutting wheel. Very easy adaptation and being a TLR, a simple drop-in viewfinder mask makes composition a breeze.

A genuine Rollei Mutar would be nice, but my Sun-brand aux wideangle lens set is fun when I want something a little wider. Perhaps a Yashica set would be a step up?

BrianShaw · Jul 22, 2024

Hasselbald also has a 6x3 mask, but no frame count adaptation so 50% of the film gets "wasted".

fabulousrice · Jul 24, 2024

xya said:
I second the Isolette L. It's all there, the masks, the finder mask and with Ilford film you even have the stops on the backing paper https://www.120folder.com/agfa_isolette_l.htm

But what if you want to shoot other film than ilford? I don't love that companies make tools that "only work" if you use their products or stay within their ecosystems.

fabulousrice · Jul 24, 2024

Donald Qualls said:
Cropping generally wasn't done on slide film -- the were mounted, full-frame, in projection mounts. Even to get 3x4 slides for 2x2 inch mounts out of 120 would have required a special cutter. Asking the processing lab to crop your slide film would have gotten you encouraged to buy a box of mounts and cut your own film -- that way, you couldn't blame the humans who mounted the frames for getting it wrong.

There were, of course, "Super Slide" mounts for 6x6 and 6x4.5 frame -- but those wouldn't get 24 exposures from a roll of expensive (compared to the usually B&W or color print) Ektachrome etc.

Well the good news is that is you modify your medium format camera in 2024 to shoot 6x3 images, the 6x3 portrait oriented photos you will take will be way more compatible with the size and shape of a modern smartphone than a 35mm portrait photo. The 6x3 photos I took recently fit the size of my iPhone 13 perfectly well whereas 35mm portrait orientation photos have black bars on top and bottom

MattKing · Jul 24, 2024

fabulousrice said:
But what if you want to shoot other film than ilford? I don't love that companies make tools that "only work" if you use their products or stay within their ecosystems.

It was the other way around. Agfa had an idea for a special type of film that there were no cameras available to use it with, and the Isolette L was designed with an accessory that would allow its use.
That linked article merely explains how that accessory - which otherwise would be entirely useless due to the long ago demise of that very special purpose Agfa film - can be used with a particular type of current film, because through sheer happenstance the numbering on the Ilford backing paper allows for a kludge that makes it somewhat functional.

fabulousrice · Jul 24, 2024

MattKing said:
It was the other way around. Agfa had an idea for a special type of film that there were no cameras available to use it with, and the Isolette L was designed with an accessory that would allow its use.
That linked article merely explains how that accessory - which otherwise would be entirely useless due to the long ago demise of that very special purpose Agfa film - can be used with a particular type of current film, because through sheer happenstance the numbering on the Ilford backing paper allows for a kludge that makes it somewhat functional.

Well thankfully you can put any 120 or 35mm film in a modified camera and expose just the surface that you decide based on the modification.
This is frequently done in filmmaking with negative pulldown but most 120 cameras can be modified to shoot "half-frame" 6x3

MattKing · Jul 24, 2024

fabulousrice said:
Well thankfully you can put any 120 or 35mm film in a modified camera and expose just the surface that you decide based on the modification.
This is frequently done in filmmaking with negative pulldown but most 120 cameras can be modified to shoot "half-frame" 6x3

Yes - but do you have any practical way of ensuring you advance the film the correct amount and keep track of how many shots are left on the 120 roll? That is what the extra dots on the backing paper help with.

fabulousrice · Jul 26, 2024

MattKing said:
Yes - but do you have any practical way of ensuring you advance the film the correct amount and keep track of how many shots are left on the 120 roll? That is what the extra dots on the backing paper help with.

Yes there are many ways, besides from the one explained at the top you can also use a tape counter. More on this topic to follow soon!

xya · Jul 27, 2024

fabulousrice said:
But what if you want to shoot other film than ilford? I don't love that companies make tools that "only work" if you use their products or stay within their ecosystems.

Obviously there is a deep misunderstanding. Iford did not make anything for the 6x3 format, let alone forcing people to "stay within their ecosystem". It just happened that I became aware that their backing paper has a marking that marks the middle between two 6x6 pictures. And I wanted to share this information for free. I enjoyed this finding and I used my camera to make nice 3x6 pictures, no tinkering, just the camera as is and an Ilford film. Your reaction nearly makes me regret to tell you about it...

fabulousrice · Jul 28, 2024

xya said:
Obviously there is a deep misunderstanding. Iford did not make anything for the 6x3 format, let alone forcing people to "stay within their ecosystem". It just happened that I became aware that their backing paper has a marking that marks the middle between two 6x6 pictures. And I wanted to share this information for free. I enjoyed this finding and I used my camera to make nice 3x6 pictures, no tinkering, just the camera as is and an Ilford film. Your reaction nearly makes me regret to tell you about it...

Sorry for misunderstanding what you meant!

Modifying a folding camera to turn it into a 6x3 "half-frame" medium format camera

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Modifying a folding camera to turn it into a 6x3 "half-frame" medium format camera

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