Pix of your home-built cams, mods and creations here please (part 2)

MattKing

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dirkfletcher

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Finally finished a camera I started literally YEARS ago.The body is Konica Autoreflex A that is fitted with a helical mounted Zenzanon 40mm f/4 from the Bronica ETRs 645. This is the same lens that I used in the 'ZenzaBLAD', I sold off the Hasselblad SWC body that I had and kept the lens for this project. I'll post some test shots shortly.

 

Donald Qualls

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Still 24x36 frame?
 

Donald Qualls

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dirkfletcher said:
24x63,
Click to expand...

Might need a lens with more coverage if you make a wider one. BTW, how to you handle the film advance with nearly double frame size?
 

dirkfletcher

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Was thinking maybe a 47mm SuperAngulon IF I did another. I feel like this one might be ample fun to shoot with though. It needs two advances per shot.
 

Donald Qualls

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dirkfletcher said:
It needs two advances per shot.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. And the advance mechanism is either manually released or doesn't have a catch after 8 sprocket holes...

Thinking about things I could do with old M42 cameras with bad shutters. Don't know if they have room internally to expand the frame gate, though; I'd have to look when I'm home.
 

dirkfletcher

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I’ll share some pics of the inside, I know there are some Nikons that also have a large presssure plate across the entire film back. Once you remove the shutter mechanism you can advance freely w/o any kind of safety or multiple exposure prevention.

Give me like a week or so and I’ll post the internal shots with a couple test shots.
 
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blee1996

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This looks really clean and well designed, and shows your usual high quality craftsmanship! And I look forward to the photos taken by this camera.
 

blee1996

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ICA Reflex Tudor Rescued by Zheng, on Flickr

Camera: ICA Reflex 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 (Model 756/1, aka Tudor)
Lens: Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 150mm f/4.5

I like the 3x4 format better because the 4x5 SLRs are really too big and heavy to carry around for casual shots. The 3x4 SLRs are much more manageable. And there are 3D models that can convert the back to accept 4x5 film holders, albeit in a slightly cropped 4x4 format. Now we are talking about gigantic Instagram photos!

This camera came to me in tattered condition, while missing mirror, focus screen and hood. But the good news is that the lens and focal plane shutter are in good working condition. So a rescue is in order!

I thoroughly cleaned the entire camera inside and out. Then I sourced mirror and focus screen from eBay. I do need to shim the focusing screen a bit in order to collimate the focus screen with the film back. Lastly, I hacked together an adapter to use the focusing hood from a 4x5 field camera.

Now it seems to be in proper working condition. Film test will be next. It uses the now almost obsolete 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 sheet film. Ilford, Foma and Svema still make film in this format, as well as Aviphot 200 aero film cut down by boutique stores.
 

blee1996

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A projection lens on the Graflex RB Super D 3x4, barely fit the smallish lens board. It is Projection Astragon 200mm f/3.5, made in Germany. I'm not sure if it is a triplet or not. It covers 4x5 easily, since it was used for 4x5 opaque projectors.

The lens is very light with plastic barrel, so I just hot glued it on the board. Seems pretty strong.

Graflex RB 3x4 with projection lens by Zheng, on Flickr
 

dirkfletcher

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I started out thinking I was going to make 'Stormtrooper' 4x5 point and shoot with a blend of stark whites and blacks throughout mimicking the modern RED KOMODO 'Stormtrooper Edition' and years earlier, the chunky looking all white and black Mamiya 645 PRO TL. Once I started stripped away its 60 year old paint, it was obvious I was looking at finish much better than any kind of modern repaint I could dream up.

 
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nosmok

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Very nice! What camera is the body from?
 

arnoud bakker

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the start of a 8x10" lightweight.
build from a huge funnel, some plastic L frame
and for the moment a 150 in a helicoil, but it will be replaced for a 180mm asap.
 

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OAPOli

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I revised my EL/M mod. The little pawl holding the winding gear kept breaking so I put the winding knob on a one-way bearing. I also added a proper shutter release button scavenged from a 35mm camera. It locks by a 1/4 turn.



 

grahamp

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My latest little mod is a cold shoe mount for my little Galvin 2x3 monorail. The shoe is used to hold a bubble level to get the rail level. It will probably work for other things, but the level is the main thing. The rail is a tube with a rack attached for focus and preventing the rotation of the standards and tripod mount. This is a small 3D printed clip that friction fits the rail, and provides a platform for the cold shoe. The M 2.5mm screws go into heat-set sockets in the clip.

 
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