Pix of your home-built cams here please

[Jim Fitzgerald]

My DIY 612/4x5 shift camera. It's a horseman 6x9cm-to-4x5" adapter, I made a front adapter and lensboard for it. Right now it has a 65mm Nikkor on it, but it can go much much wider. Allows ~3.5cm of shift in either direction. It's extremely light and has very precise, geared track focusing. The standards collapse very close together; I think this baby could take a 47mm lens, no worries.

The main innovation is that I can convert it back to an enlarging back in a few minutes. So, packed with my Horseman VH, I have 3 cameras in one- 6x9, 4x5, and 4x5 ultrawide shift.

Shown here with a fuji instant film back.

Here is a test shot taken with my adapted wide shift camera, on the wonderful fuji-roid 4x5 film, fp100b45. This was taken about 10 ft up on my 21 ft ham-radio tripod, that is another story.

Keith , that is a very nice job. Did you have that at the Owens Valley workshop? I would have loved to take a closer look.


Jim

 

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Well, even though I posted this in a previous thread I felt it appropriate that it be put here also. It took a year and a half with hand tools in the apartment but I finally finished the 8x20 and the walnut tripod combo. The camera has a 32" extension and weights 14lbs and the tripod extends to 60" high and comes in at 10lbs. with the Majestic head. Not bad for the first try. I did learn a lot and will make some design changes on the 11x14.

Jim

 

[Colin Graham]

Here's a few pics of my first attempt at camera building. It actually came out ahead of my expectations It is made out of cherry and aluminum with a hacksaw, drill and router and a little powder coating done in my pottery kiln.
It has maximum extension of 33 inches. Back shift, base tilt, rise and swing and front base tilt, rise and axis tilt. Finished in danish oil. The dreaded "hacksaw" springs will be replaced if I get around to it. They seem to work fine for now. I paid for the bellows, I'm not there yet, but I will give bellow making a try on the next one. It fits easily in my f64 backpack. I am quite pleased all in all.
regards
Erik

Erik, that's incredible! Great work!

Jim, nice to see more pictures of yours. Love that walnut. I'm starting to get the camera-making fever again!:-D

 

[Erik L]

Thanks Colin! This thread is what inspired me to give it a try. After seeing all the inventive people and their ideas, it was just a matter of "just do it" It is rather fun I think to use something home made, a little pride maybe and more connection to the act of shooting, at least in my case.
regards,
Erik

 

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Eric, very nice job for the first camera! It is great to use a camera that you build yourself. I guess I should post the 11x14 I just finished here to make it official.

Jim

 

[Colin Graham]

Man, I think Erik's camera is the best homemade I've seen period, first camera or not.

But Jim, I'm really curious about those wooden standards. Is the rear standard articulated? Are they very strong? Interesting approach.

 

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Man, I think Erik's camera is the best homemade I've seen period, first camera or not.

But Jim, I'm really curious about those wooden standards. Is the rear standard articulated? Are they very strong? Interesting approach.

Colin, yes to both questions. I was trying to reduce the weight and I wanted to see if my design would be strong enough. It is stable. Could it be more so? More than likely but I think if my building tolerances were tighter it would be. Remember I'm using mostly hand tools.

JIm

 

[Colin Graham]

No shame in handtools. My first cameras I used a hand drill and tiny files to make all the metal parts. I still use hand planes and chisels for most of the fit and finish of the woodworking. I hate power tools generally, routers I loathe especially, nothing ruins the peace of a quiet afternoon faster. What woodworkers in the Queen Anne period could do with hand tools simply beggars the imagination.

 

[Steve Smith]

I hate power tools generally, routers I loathe especially.

Me too. I only use a power tool if I absolutely have to. In my other life as a rock 'n' roll guitar hero I like to have full use of all of my fingers. I think the potential for error is much lower with hand tools.

I used to watch New Yankee Workshop on TV and I was amazed that even putting in small nails was done with a huge compressed air nail gun.



Steve.

 

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I like the feel you get with a finely honed chisel. They way it slices the wood and the control is nice. The hand finishing process is really rewarding when the polish appears. I love my dovetail saw!!

Jim

 

[Colin Graham]

I used to watch New Yankee Workshop on TV and I was amazed that even putting in small nails was done with a huge compressed air nail gun.

Steve.

I know! I have a morbid fascination with those woodworking shows. There's another one on PBS in the US called The Router Workshop. Everything gets the treatment. The dust and din reminds me of what it might be like to work in a grain silo being filled.

The power goes out here so often it's nice to be able to keep working. It reminds me of being out in the field with a camera. There's a calm deliberation to the craft of it that makes it equally rewarding in its own way.

 

[Curt]

When I was doing woodworking I used to go to the woodworking shows held in Atlanta and alternating Anaheim, Norm Abram was always there at the Delta booth, he's a year older than me and a great guy, very friendly. After a couple of times he remembered my name.

I took a router workshop from Bob Rosendahl, a Canadian, in Seattle a bunch of years ago. he can work so fast it's unbelievable. Like professionals in other fields the proficiency is very high.

 

[Colin Graham]

No disrespect intended, it's just not for me. I'm sure glad I don't have to try to make a living building cameras. That would take all the fun out of it for sure. I'm a carpenter by trade and use powertools all day and it's finally wrecked the desire to work on my house and fix things up around here. But working in a quiet shop with a sharp handplane is still like meditation.... Meanhwhile, my wife's barn still sits unfinished!

 

[Andrew Moxom]

Here is my work in progress. It's eventually going to be a medium format view camera that can use either Mamiya RB or Graflex type 2x3 film backs. This is the front standard, and what will eventually become the rear standard. The box I made for the rear standard should have enough for maybe 2 or 3 cameras... I'm hoping anyway. I did the same with the front and have enough for a number of front standards. It's made from 1/4" thick 1/4 sawn bolivian rosewood that I realize is not a sustainable resource, but I have a very limited supply, and I will only be making 1 to 3 cameras. I also have some Gabon Ebony I am tinkering with as well as regular walnut. The rear standard has 1/4 inch box joints, and the front has 1/8 finger joints. I apologize for the poor quality of the digital capture, it's what I can usually expect from digital

I hope to post updates as things progress.

 

[Uhner]

I hope to post updates as things progress.

Please do. This is an interesting project.

It certainly looks good so far.

 

[Cyclonite]

My Camera's

Here they are folks!! 5x4 and an 8x10

Thanks for all the ideas this thread has given me. I know they are rough and ready but I am really into getting out there and making photographs. This is the best way for me to try larger formats without braking the student bank..I am hooked. My next camera will be either a 8x10 Century Universal Lookalike or a 7x17 Tailboard camera probably both.

My first 8x10 made with G-Claron 210mm F32 1 sec ERA 100 ISO film HC110 Dil B the scanner could not handle highlights.

Keep up the good work all

Brian

 

[John Jarosz]

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

 

[Jim Fitzgerald]

John, I love the fact that you took a great camera set up and made an 8x20 out of it. Congratulations on figuring this out. The work looks very well done. I like what you did with the back of the camera. Isn't it fun to build the back? I know mine took quite a while. How long did it take you to build this beauty? I see that the back standard slides on the track instead of running on the gears. Did you build the bellows or have them made for you? Excellent work! Now get some 8x20 film and have fun!

Jim

 

[Jim Fitzgerald]

John, very nice job! Great idea on making the camera secure at extension.Looks rock solid. It looks to me like the back will focus by friction instead of gears? Did you make your own bellows? It is great to see a couple of great cameras re-born as 8x20's.

Sorry for the double post but the first one did not show up for some reason. Anyhow, a camera as nice as this deserves a double post.

Jim

 

[Steve Smith]

Here is my work in progress. It's eventually going to be a medium format view camera that can use either Mamiya RB or Graflex type 2x3 film backs.

This is interesting as I have some RB 67 backs. I would like to try this.

Do you have any plans you could share or is it a 'work it out as you build it' type of project?

Looking at this thread again has made me realise that the last time I did anything on my current 5x4 camera build was November last year. It's goung to be November again soon!


Steve.

 

[John Jarosz]

Hi Jim,

No, front & back focus is all done thru the gear tracks. All adjustments and controls are identical in operation to a Kodak 2D. The bellows was bought from ebay. I've been collecting parts for about 2 years. Once I got the film holders (S&S - used) this summer I started the construction. Took about a month in my spare time.

John

 

[Andrew Moxom]

Steve, it is a figure it out as I go type project unfortunately. I will send out plans afterwards, but at the rate this is going.... Won't be for a wh

This is interesting as I have some RB ile as I have made no prgress other than what you see in the photos. I do have a ground glass now and will figure on the design of the back as first order of duty as it is the most challenging aspect for me.

67 backs. I would like to try this.

Do you have any plans you could share or is it a 'work it out as you build it' type of project?

Looking at this thread again has made me realise that the last time I did anything on my current 5x4 camera build was November last year. It's goung to be November again soon!


Steve.

 

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Hi Jim,

No, front & back focus is all done thru the gear tracks. All adjustments and controls are identical in operation to a Kodak 2D. The bellows was bought from ebay. I've been collecting parts for about 2 years. Once I got the film holders (S&S - used) this summer I started the construction. Took about a month in my spare time.

John

John, I guess what threw me off was seeing the gears on the back not meshing with anything. Did you put others on the back shaft? Regardless nice going. I'll bet it was hard to be patient. Nice to have it finished.

Jim

 

[John Jarosz]

Since I had two sets of everything (controls), I simply used the 2nd set of shafts with the gears to extend the shaft out. I wasted the gear, but doing that expedited the job. There is another set of gears inboard that line up with the gear track in the extension.

John

 

[Jim Fitzgerald]

John, like I said very nice job. Now the fun of 8x20 begins. You start to look for images to fit the format. It is a lot of fun and you will slow down, trust me.

Jim