Pix of your home-built cams here please

Erik L · Sep 12, 2008

John Jarosz said:
Here's my 8x20 made from (2) Kodak D2's. One was an incomplete basket case. The other was in need of serious restoration.

I made a crate to haul it around in as well. It can hold (3) filmholders, extension rail, camera, extra lens(es) and a darkcloth and meter.

I made a strut to be part of the original tripod adapter. The strut keeps the base and the extension rail and front rail in a plane. No sagging. Important to me as a I have a 600mm Apo Ronar waiting to be adapted to a shutter.

Here's also a side view showing the complete assemble. You can see my cylindrical bellows support. It rolls as you focus in/out.

The back is really all I made. It's from Cuban Mahogany finished with tung oil.

The GG protector attachment point were built into the back.

The underside shots show the construction. All the D2 movements are preserved.

This outing was a trial run. I didn't even have 8x20 film, so I butted together (2) 8x10 sheets in the holders.

John

John, beautiful work here. Way to go with the "use what you got" approach. My compliments1
Erik

Cyclonite · Oct 26, 2008

8x20/7x17 Agfa Commercial View conversion

Hi There

Here are some pics of my new project an Agfa Commercial View 8x10 that I am making into a 8x20 although I want to start with a 7x17 back. I have raised the Front standard to allow swing, the back came up to the same height and still gives access to the backs controls which is very handy indeed, I also want to add front tilt. I hope to make the bellows as per my 8x10 and will attempt my first a back and film holders, thats the reason I want to start with the 7x17! then when i am more confident add the 8x20 back and holders

If anyone one has advice on 7x17 Film-back and Dark-slide construction I would be most grateful

Thanks
Brian

Measure Twice, Cut Once!!! I have to make three before the sucker is right!!

Jim Fitzgerald · Oct 31, 2008

Cyclonite said:
Hi There

Here are some pics of my new project an Agfa Commercial View 8x10 that I am making into a 8x20 although I want to start with a 7x17 back. I have raised the Front standard to allow swing, the back came up to the same height and still gives access to the backs controls which is very handy indeed, I also want to add front tilt. I hope to make the bellows as per my 8x10 and will attempt my first a back and film holders, thats the reason I want to start with the 7x17! then when i am more confident add the 8x20 back and holders

If anyone one has advice on 7x17 Film-back and Dark-slide construction I would be most grateful

Thanks
Brian

Measure Twice, Cut Once!!! I have to make three before the sucker is right!!

Brian, nice work so far. It is a labor of love. You should PM my friend Dan Dozer about the back and holder questions. Dan has a nice book that he did on the building of his 8x20. We built ours at the same time and he documented the construction. The book he did is very helpful. He sent me the page on building the back and I got mine in perfect registration. For me it was measure 50 times and cut once! Dan built his holders but told me recently that due to consistent small light leaks he broke down and bought some holders.

Jim

Brian Bullen · Oct 31, 2008

I recently finished this 18"x24" camera. It's not pretty and my ability as a carpenter is, let's just say, pitiful. Built mostly with a mitre box and hand drill. I did use a circular saw for the rise/fall and focus slots. So far everything seems to work as planned but I won't know for certain until I convert the plate holder and stick some film in there. I built everything except the back and bellows and the back is horizontal only. I haven't weighed it yet but I think it's ~25 lbs.

Jim Fitzgerald · Nov 1, 2008

Brian, and I thought I was a glutton for punishment! I built my 8x20 and 11x14 with hand tools in my apartment but this is amazing! Dude, you rock!!!! Nice to see what can be done with some thought and patience. Nice going!

Jim

Brian Bullen · Nov 1, 2008

Thanks Jim! I really am a glutton for punishment, after shooting 11x14 for a while I realized I needed a bigger negative. After looking at the ground (plexi)glass on this beast I felt like it was getting closer.:rolleyes:
Does anyone have a 30x36 back and bellows lying around?:rolleyes:

Cyclonite · Nov 1, 2008

Hi Jim

Thanks for your advice I have sent a PM to Dan about the back and holders

Brian

Jim Fitzgerald · Nov 2, 2008

Brian, and I thought I was nuts! A 30 x 36! I know you are serious! You take the cake! Brian, I hope Dan can get you the info you need. Might also try Barry Young. He is a camera builder in the Pacific Northwest.
Don't remember if I posted the shot of me and my Walnut 11x14 and tripod yet so here goes.

Jim

Curt · Nov 3, 2008

My oh my, Jim, that's a beautiful camera!

Jim Fitzgerald · Nov 3, 2008

Curt, thanks. I'm really proud of this one. It only took 10 months to build.

Jim

mhcfires · Nov 4, 2008

Jim Fitzgerald said:
Curt, thanks. I'm really proud of this one. It only took 10 months to build.

Jim

Jim,

Have you posted any pictures taken with it?

Jim Fitzgerald · Nov 4, 2008

My scanner will not take an 11x14 print but I do have a crop of a shot taken with the camera in the Ojai area. It was done with my Hybrid Voigtlander 18" Euroscop @ F-45. (I basically have the rear element of this lens and a +1 diopter for the front element). It was printed on some old Azo contact paper. I just got back from the Redwoods and have some images that are drying and I'll try to scan them when I can. My digital camera is dead so I can't photograph the prints and post them.
The print does not show well on the web but looks good when you see it.
Working with 11x14 is way slower than 8x10. The size and bulk slows you down even more.... but I love it!!

Jim

mhcfires · Nov 4, 2008

Jim Fitzgerald said:
My scanner will not take an 11x14 print but I do have a crop of a shot taken with the camera in the Ojai area. It was done with my Hybrid Voigtlander 18" Euroscop @ F-45. (I basically have the rear element of this lens and a +1 diopter for the front element). It was printed on some old Azo contact paper. I just got back from the Redwoods and have some images that are drying and I'll try to scan them when I can. My digital camera is dead so I can't photograph the prints and post them.
The print does not show well on the web but looks good when you see it.
Working with 11x14 is way slower than 8x10. The size and bulk slows you down even more.... but I love it!!

Jim

Looks good. The mountains around Ojai are full of wonderful places to photograph. My late wife's sister and her husband used to live in Ojai, they had a Christmas tree farm on the east end of town just past Soule Park. Unfortunately I wasn't into photography the way I am today, but I do have a few good shots of the area. I really used to enjoy the scenic drive on Highway 33 going north out of Ojai. It brings back a lot of wonderful memories.

Jim Fitzgerald · Nov 4, 2008

Yes, the area is a good place to work. This shot was taken just past the Wheeler Gorge campground off of highway 33.

Jim

mbphoto7 · Dec 8, 2008

Does anyone know where I can buy the little brass ground glass retainer clips?

RobertP · Dec 8, 2008

Jim, Is that a leather bellows on that baby? And did you make it yourself? Pretty camera. Robert

Jim Fitzgerald · Dec 10, 2008

RobertP said:
Jim, Is that a leather bellows on that baby? And did you make it yourself? Pretty camera. Robert

Robert, thanks. It is not a leather bellows. Some sort of synthetic I guess. It is very light weight and extends about 36"+ and I think the seller said it was from Camera Bellows or Western, I'm not sure. I got it off of e-bay for 100.00 from a guy in Texas. The great thing about this bellows is that it fit perfectly to my frames when I got it. I had already built the back box and bellows frame and it was like it was made for my camera. Luck was finally on my side. I love the 11x14 format. Harder to set up than my 8x20 but when you look at the ground glass (TV screen!) you are hooked!

Jim

razzledog · Dec 29, 2008

6x17 from a pair of J66 Polaroids?

A few years back, I got the panorama bug and recycled a pair of four dollar J66 Polaroids....I cut two cameras to produce two long halves, then bolted them together. With a simple internal wind mechanism and a 6x17 mask it worked rather well and despite being an unwieldy beast, it produced some amazing shots. The 'no fuss no focus' method using the hyperfocal distance principal was cheap and effective
I know it was no LF, but it came close....I know it was no Linhof either, but the results were much the same..and it only cost eight bucks plus a lens and finder.

ragc · Mar 16, 2009

OK, my current (ongoing) project: a quick 8x10 monorail design (I find I never fold my cameras after setting up, I just pick the tripod up and carry the camera on it) No back movements, only front rise/fall, swing and tilt. Focusing is by coarse thread rod, and it is a rear standard focus. I will be folding a bellows this week and hope to be using it next week. It will use 150mm to 305mm lenses (150mm is going on a recessed board). The back is used both vertically and horizontally. No re-used parts: all is home built.

I have yet to add the two stab bars to lock down the front standard securely after focus, to this design:

Andrew Moxom · Mar 25, 2009

Home made 4x5 pinhole camera!

Here's a new camera I knocked up over the last couple of days during the evenings. It's about 99% complete and just needs final sanding, flat black paint on the insde, and some knobs to hold the film holders in, and some tung oil for a finish.

It's a 4x5 pinhole camera made fom Bolivian Rosewood and some left over Gabon Ebony pieces from another project. The joints are 1/4" box joints made on the router table. The pinhole 'pancake' on the front and the tripod bushing are made by 'skink' on E'Bay. It came with a .3mm laser cut pinhole which is perfect for the 45mm focal length.

I apologize for the chintzy phone camera pics!!

ragc · Mar 25, 2009

So I'm not very good at folding bellows...but they work!

seananton · Apr 1, 2009

My two cameras

My first camera is a half plate (US size) sliding box with an anonymous
19th.century petzval portrait lens. Mahogany with rise and fall front.

My second is a 12x10 cherry wood with tilting back and rise and fall front,
this camera is based on an 1870s Anthony camera, the lens a Dallmeyer 3A
patent portrait. Home made bellows in black cotton.

Both the above cameras are designed for wet collodion process.

Seán

Andrew Moxom · Apr 4, 2009

Okay more pictures of the latest 4x5 pinhole I made. The one in the previous post met an unfortunate demise when I Was drilling the last hole to put in the cable release adaptor. The drill grabbed the camera out of the clamp, threw it against the wall and broke it into 5 pieces!!! Luckily I kept all my fingers, eyesight etc. This one is made from Bolivian Rosewood with 1/8" finger joints. It is based around a 'skink' .3mm pinhole pancake that can also house other pinhole sizes and also zone plates. I designed an internal shutter mechanism to give it clean lines on the outside. Skink also provided the tripod bushing adaptor. All told, the 'skink' parts were around $50and the wood was also around $20. Then some small parts from 'hobbytown' for RC linkages for the shutter for around $15. Then just my time. The Skink parts were readily available from Feebay. I have since added in some black paper over the stainless pancake to cut down on reflections. So far so good. A neg test this morning showed no light leaks. Yay!

Colin Graham · Apr 25, 2009

Wow, that's a beauty! What a great solution for the shutter.

Christopher Walrath · Apr 25, 2009

35mm Matchbox Pinhole Cameras

I wrote an article on this camera in the April issue but here is a photograph of it.

Pix of your home-built cams here please

Erik L

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