Pix of your home-built cams here please

ragc · May 23, 2009

New bellows on my 8x10

(the previous two posts were failed attempts to link the photo from Flickr)

Colin Graham · Jul 2, 2009

New 5x12, WA style. A svelte 6.5 lbs, down from the 11lbs of my first homebuilt 5x12 (13lbs including the vertical mounting bracket).The back switches to vertical, and the front standard telescopes enough to get well past center of the vertical orientation.

There's a shorthand log about the build here, including some ravings on bellows. (I haven't had a chance to write up building filmholders yet, sorry.)

Erik L · Jul 2, 2009

Colin Graham said:
New 5x12, WA style. A svelte 6.5 lbs, down from the 11lbs of my first homebuilt 5x12 (13lbs including the vertical mounting bracket).The back switches to vertical, and the front standard telescopes enough to get well past center of the vertical orientation.

There's a shorthand log about the build here, including some ravings on bellows. (I haven't had a chance to write up building filmholders yet, sorry.)

Colin, that has got to be the most beautifully done "home made camera" I've seen. Truly well thought out and your workmanship is fantastic. Really enjoyed your log about it. Well done!
erik

Steve Smith · Jul 2, 2009

Colin Graham said:
New 5x12, WA style. A svelte 6.5 lbs, down from the 11lbs of my first homebuilt 5x12

Fantastic looking camera and a great write up. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Steve.

dlin · Jul 2, 2009

Colin,

That looks like a fine piece of craftsmanship. Looking forward to many more beautiful photographs taken with it.

Daniel

Andrew Moxom · Jul 2, 2009

Stunning carpentry Colin!! Wow!

archphoto · Jul 2, 2009

Great camera, Colin, realy a beauty !

I will have to do a lot of practising before I reach your quality of work......
Will be starting on my field in August or so..... from Brazil Wood and yellow copper.

Peter

R Shaffer · Jul 2, 2009

Colin Graham said:
New 5x12, WA style. A svelte 6.5 lbs, down from the 11lbs of my first homebuilt 5x12 (13lbs including the vertical mounting bracket).The back switches to vertical, and the front standard telescopes enough to get well past center of the vertical orientation.

There's a shorthand log about the build here, including some ravings on bellows. (I haven't had a chance to write up building filmholders yet, sorry.)

Beautiful camera Colin. I'm way impressed and enjoyed your blog on building it.

Colin Graham · Jul 2, 2009

Thanks guys, appreciate the comments. I'm glad the blog came across ok. Spending that much time on one thing, well, I was afraid my lunacy might have started showing through. I really enjoy starting such projects but wow am I glad when they're done!

Steve Smith · Jul 3, 2009

Colin Graham said:
Spending that much time on one thing, well, I was afraid my lunacy might have started showing through

We would probably see that as totally normal!

Steve.

Curt · Jul 17, 2009

Thanks guys, appreciate the comments. I'm glad the blog came across ok. Spending that much time on one thing, well, I was afraid my lunacy might have started showing through. I really enjoy starting such projects but wow am I glad when they're done!

I know exactly what you mean about walking in and out of a hardware store and not getting the part needed for a project. Your back spring mechanism is a great design, I found the left and right hand wound springs but haven't figured out the sizing yet, I wonder if the old camera manufactures measured in inch pounds with tools or just developed them in time by trial and error.

Colin Graham · Jul 17, 2009

Yes, sizing is tricky for the springs. I used trial and error myself when I first came up with it several cameras ago. It's hard to get a significant amount of torque without getting really large springs (like those 4 inch coils on graflock backs) so I had to compromise a little. My holders are very flat so I don't really need the mousetrap-like tension (and no need for a bail back either). If it's any help, the part number of the springs I used from McMaster Carr is 9271K42. If you need really strong tension, the traditional flat leaf spring is probably most efficient design.

nana sousa dias · Oct 5, 2009

My 4x5 point-&-shoot

I've build this camera from parts of a 4 lenses Cambo portrait old model camera. The lens is a Schneider Super Angulon 47mm XL. Drawer handles for lens protection. For the viewfinder, I used a lens of those used on apartment's doors, attached to a piece of PVC used to join PVC pipes. The GG cover is made from black K-line. I changed the position of the handle to horizontal, originally on vertical position of the camera. The 3 plywood plates will be substituted by a piece of exotic wood, I used these 3 plates just to test the hiperfocal distance, wich is about 3 meters (9 feet). The camera weights 1.6 kgs (3.5 pounds). This is the first photo I made with this camera, I used f22 to confirm that I would have everything on focus from 3 feet to infinity. I've already enlarged this photo on 12x16" fiberbase paper, everything is as I expected (something that doesn't happen too often!)

domaz · Oct 5, 2009

nana sousa dias said:
I've build this camera from parts of a 4 lenses Cambo portrait old model camera. The lens is a Schneider Super Angulon 47mm XL. Drawer handles for lens protection. For the viewfinder, I used a lens of those used on apartment's doors, attached to a piece of PVC used to join PVC pipes. The GG cover is made from black K-line. I changed the position of the handle to horizontal, originally on vertical position of the camera. The 3 plywood plates will be substituted by a piece of exotic wood, I used these 3 plates just to test the hiperfocal distance, wich is about 3 meters (9 feet). The camera weights 1.6 kgs (3.5 pounds). This is the first photo I made with this camera, I used f22 to confirm that I would have everything on focus from 3 feet to infinity. I've already enlarged this photo on 12x16" fiberbase paper, everything is as I expected (something that doesn't happen too often!)

Amazing job! Using cheap materials and still making it look this good is quite an accomplishment.

nana sousa dias · Oct 5, 2009

domaz said:
Amazing job! Using cheap materials and still making it look this good is quite an accomplishment.

Thank you! I've been almost a year planning this camera. When I change the 3 plywood plates by a nice and well treated exotic wood plate, I think this camera will look good.

Now, I have plans to build a 5x7" wooden camera, equiped with a 90mm lens, probably with lens rise and fall, tilt/swing on the back.

Andy38 · Nov 24, 2009

Hello ,
Sorry , it's in french , but here is a homemade SLR camera .
Looking only at the pictures gives an idea of work ; every part is built .
The guy thinks he finishes at the end of this year . Now he says the most difficult is making the mirror system...

steven_e007 · Nov 24, 2009

WOW!

I would love to have the engineering skill and the access to decent equipment that this guy has.

A few years ago a friend said I could have a lathe. A decent full size model, it belonged to his uncle, but was in his way so he said I could have it on indefinate loan for as long as I wanted. I took delivery and found it was a mess. I repaired it, serviced it, cleaned it, set it all up... and then his uncle asked for it back

Thus ended my engineering hopes...

Mike1234 · Nov 24, 2009

Truly impressive but... if I was going to put that much time/effort into making a roll film camera I would have built it to take 5" aerial film.

Steve Smith · Nov 24, 2009

I have made a bit more progress on my wide angle 6x12 camera. The link is below.

nana sousa dias said:
I've build this camera from parts of a 4 lenses Cambo portrait old model camera. The lens is a Schneider Super Angulon 47mm XL.

That's nice. I have plans to make a 5x4 using the same 65mm Super Angulon as I am using for my 6x12. I put it on a removable lens board to make it easy to swap between the two.

I can't begin to imagine how wide the view from a 47mm lens will appear on 5x4 film. I think it may be wide enough to capture the photographers arms!

Steve.

Steve.

nick mulder · Jan 20, 2010

Alrighty,

I made these leather bellows for the Houghton restoration you see pictured - not too shabby for a 105 year old camera huh ...

Learning lots about bellows every time I make them, can see a potential to get pretty tricksy if you wanted

A lot less swearing involved nowadays

Just need to fix up the lens board (notice the tape there?), build a new back that will fit the plate holders I have, make a handle and figure out an elegant way to connect to modern tripods (or build an appropriate one). The temporary Sinar 4x5 back adaptor was too ugly to be included in the pics.

nick mulder · Jan 20, 2010

I was thinking the other day I am proficient enough with wood but not so much metal so that I might buy myself a whole-plate/8x10 sized field camera completely/strip it and pull it apart as I did the Houghton above then remake the wooden parts in ULF sizes but use the brass parts from the original camera simply spaced further apart ...

There are obviously some restrictions like the racks length for the extensions and the slider thingy-lings. But my meagre metal working skills could at least order appropriate parts online huh ?

So its a kind of a ULF 'conversion' of sorts.

Your thoughts ?

Mike1234 · Jan 20, 2010

OT: Hey Nick... interested in building a bellows or two for me?

Steve Smith · Jan 20, 2010

Mike1234 said:
OT: Hey Nick... interested in building a bellows or two for me?

That's what I was thinking too!

Steve.

nick mulder · Jan 20, 2010

Mike1234 said:
OT: Hey Nick... interested in building a bellows or two for me?

Ha ha - yeh!

When I was putting these together I realized I had done pretty well - at the seam of the leather there is no overlap, which I'm pretty chuffed with - I'll report back on the method (which was surprisingly simple) if it stays true over time.

The leather is cut from a half of a cow around 0.6mm average section, the stiffeners I experimented with much thinner plastic this time and its working fine, inside just a plain ol' flat black cotton.

I think this would work fine with larger bellows, especially square ones - for tapers and smaller bellows (smaller ribs) I think thinner leather and marginally thicker stiffeners would be better if fitting into a folding field camera is essential (my Houghton barely closes, and it aint pretty). The way around this is to reduce the amount of ribs, but this in turn either reduces extension or the size of the viewable area inside. I have been told that a book bindery has a machine that can work leather down to any thickness, (but expect a hole sooner or later) but I think the better method is to leave the required bellows pattern at the local leather merchants and ask them to hold it up to the kid, lamb and kangaroo skins that come through which are around 0.4mm naturally but often not sized and/or shaped properly - if they find a fit then charge my card and give me a call

I can tell you I am confident enough to make a pretty nice 8x10 or larger sized bellows to any dimension and extension or dimension and compression (they can work against each other) - any smaller (such as this half plate) expect a pucker or odd bit here and there - that being said, completely light tight is a given

Steve Smith · Jan 20, 2010

nick mulder said:
I'll report back on the method (which was surprisingly simple) if it stays true over time.

That would be useful. Do you have any pictures of the bellows under construction?

I have made bellows before but I am always interested in other people's methods as I'm sure mine was not the best method.

I have access to sheets of various thicknesses of polyester and polycarbonate with and without adhesive applied and the use of a nice laser cutter to cut out things like stiffeners and I am just about to have a go at making a set of bellows for a Speed Graphic and perhaps another set for something else.

Steve.

Pix of your home-built cams here please

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