Plaubel Makiflex Standard.

Geoff Makiflex Arca Swiss Finder 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Geoff Makiflex Arca Swiss 3 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Geoff Makiflex Arca Swiss 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Geoff Makiflex Arca Swiss 5 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Geoff Makiflex Arca Swiss 4 by Nokton48, on Flickr


Hi Dan,


Nice talking with you today. Please find attached pictures of the Arca Swiss 6x9 reflex chimney finder I modified for my Makiflex. I made a frame out of masonite that allowed me to affix it with copper wire through its existing holes at the base. The holes were designed to lit the finder be snapped into the original Arca base so it could be easily removed from an Arca 6x9 view camera to allow direct access to the ground glass.


I afixed Velcro to the bottom of the frame so I can easily remove it from the frame I made so that different finders can be mounted.


All best, Geoff

 

Hi Dan,

I purchased a Durst recessed lend board with the idea of mounting my 150/2.8 Xenotar in barrel. I also pulled out another Makiflex with slow speeds, what do you call that, the Automatic Makiflex? It had a shutter that sticks but I removed the back and naphtha-ed and lubed the rollers and gears behind the shutter knob and it works great now. I also found some accessories I had tucked away, a compendium lens shade, Polaroid back and right angle viewer, nice but it flips the image upside down.

I spoke to the repair guy in my building and he said he would look at your camera:

http://www.cameradoctornyc.com/

All best, Geoff

 

Geoff with his Big Bertha. He tells me he has fifteen-hundred Speed Graphics!

Geoff Big Bertha by Nokton48, on Flickr

 

Here's a YouTube featuring Geoff. You can see Makiflexes on his shelves!

 

How about this one, Guys? From the "Golden Age of Photography"

Arca Swiss 4x5 by Nokton48, on Flickr

 

One more YouTube showing Geoff and his Makiflexes. One of my cameras is headed to Penumbra in NYC so that Frank Rubio can take a look at it. Needs some adjustments.
Geoff has given one of his Makiflexes to Frank (one not working) for him to learn on.




Geoff Big Bertha 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

BTW, the "Big Bertha" is a 1000mm F8 Lens on a 5x7 Graflex. I used to collect Graflexes myself.

 

Moebius Watch Oil by Nokton48, on Flickr

Pin Watch Oiler by Nokton48, on Flickr

I bought some watch oil and some pinpoint oilers so I can lube my Makiflex Standard. I'll shoot some pictures when I take off the back. Geoff says it isn't hard to do. 50% watch oil and 50% lighter fluid.

 

Some of my Makiflex stuff down in the studio. I like the metal Metro shelving with wheels to hold a lot of heavy stuff securely.

DSC05742 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Frank Rubio "The Camera Doctor" NYC has one of my auto Maikflexes now. Geoff Berliner of Penumbra Foundation convinced me to send it to Frank. Geoff has six Makiflexes, and says he also gave one of his to Frank to "study and learn on".

Frank worked for over twenty years as a repair tech at Lens & Repro in NYC. If Frank can learn these cameras inside out that will be a great benefit to our Makiflex community.

 

Sneebot (Matt from Massachusetts) is back and is asking me about recessed boards for his Auto Makiflex. He likes Voigtlander Heliars (so do I but they are sooooooo expensive usually). Anyway he has a 150mm Heliar in a shutter, that he needs to put on his Makiflex. I suggested he look at the Durst recessed enlarger boards. The IXOTUB is in the left, and the other on the right (not as recessed) which holds my teeny tiny Rodenstock 150mm F9 Apo Ronar. An incredibly sweet lens! With this Durst setup the Apo Ronar focuses a bit past infinity with the bellows racked in, which is perfect for my uses. Tiny brass hobby model making screws hold the whole thing neatly together.

Durst recessed boards and 150 Apo Ronar by Nokton48, on Flickr

Matt has access to a CNC computerized milling machine and builds wonderful stuff for his Makiflexes. He's going to build a recessed cup for his Heliar 150mm on the CNC, that will be cool. Geoff Berliner picked up some IXOTUBs for all of his massive collection of stuff.

Here is an old test of the 150mm F9 Rodenstock Apo Ronar. This was during my "struggling" period with the Plaubel roll film holders. First of all, fifty or sixty year old holders are incredibly dusty inside! Also frame spacing problems abounded, which I have since completely sorted, by using film spools of the wider original diameters (duct tape or the original wooden 120 film spools). I do like the curved corners of the Plaubel backs. Neg flipped for scanning.




Agfa APX 100 in Mic-X, 150mm F9 Apo Ronar. Columbus Camera Group "White Church" exterior detail. Auto Makiflex.


D300_06872Rot_1280Px by Nokton48, on Flickr

 

I just got off the phone with Frank Rubio and he has my Makiflex ready to ship. The issues I was having were all related to cleaning and lubrication. So he is confident that I will enjoy the camera. Most excellent I will look forward to checking this one out! Quick turn around!

 

Hi Dan,

Nice hearing from you. Glad Frank was able to repair your camera. I did see it when it came in.
Thanks for the tip on the Foma film. I have tons of film, I shoot 4x5 film in my Makis.
I like the shot of the fish with the Xenotar. That's a special lens.
Attached are some photos of my Maki adaptations, and universal iris.
Yes, waiting for spring so I can get out there and shoot!

All best, Geoff

Geoff Berliner Makis 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Geoff Berliner Makis 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Geoff Berliner Makis 3 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Geoff Berliner Makis 4 by Nokton48, on Flickr

 

Back to my Plaubel Makiflex project. Since accessories and lens boards are rare and difficult to come by, I decided to mount an adjustable iris lens clamp to one of my boards. This will allow me to mount lenses directly to the camera without board or flange. I used as large an adjustable iris that would fit on the board so I can mount large diameter speed lenses. In the first pic is mounted a 7” f4 C.C. Harrison New York City, Daguerreotype Petzval Portrait lens. This camera makes 9x9 cm images on 4x5 sheet film. 7” / 180mm seems to be the right focal length for this format so I’m pulling out fast lenses in that focal length, though I’m pulling out some shorter ones as well. I pulled out a ca. 1890 Steinheil Portrait Antiplanet 7” f3. This was a redesign of the classic Petzval Portrait lens that was formulated to be flatter field. It’s quite an interesting lens worth reading about if your a lens geek like me. I also pulled out a Astro-Berlin Tachar 150mm f1.8 lens. It’s quite fast but doesn’t reach infinity on this camera due to the reflex mirror but works at portrait distances. Still lots of experimenting to do. -Geoff

 

Geoff and I have been conversing about Maki lensboards and replacing Maki bellows. He has one with pinholes and wants to replace the bellows. He's quite anxious to start shooting with this camera. He mainly shoots 9x9cm handheld portraits onto 4x5 film with his Makis. It still amazes me that he has 1500-2000 LF lenses to play with. I thought I had a lot.


Hi Geoff,
As I recall I used a small jewelers screwdriver and a small thin flat bladed spatula like you use for mixing oil paint, and slowly and carefully pried off the front bellows using those. It wasn’t too clean a job and there was residual material left over, I presume Ken cleaned that all up before regluing the new bellows. Naptha might work, Acetone would be my next choice. Perhaps Frank might have some ideas. Normally I use Pliobond for gluing bellows back down. I wonder if there is anything better to use?



Hi Dan,
I had another non working Maki so removed the bellows from that. I made a new cardboard frame for the front standard and glued the bellows to that using Pliobond. It's drying overnight with a weight on it. I have the old bellows which I'll hold onto if I ever need to send the to Customs Bellows.
All best, Geoff

 

Thanks Ed. That is a good idea. I've been buying broken RB67 lenses to get the Seiko shutters for my Fuji GX680 to Maki lens hacks.

 

An update......


Hi Dan,
I was able to successfully transplant the bellows from one Maki to another.
It was work but worth it. I needed to cut a new cardboard front standard bellows frame but basically it was straightforward.
All best, Geoff



Good to know it is possible to do this!

 

Hi Goran,

I tend to buy RB lenses with nasty glass, the prices are dirt cheap. After stripping them apart the broken bits go into the trash. A few might be worth saving? Actually I am not using the shutter itself (it's a Seiko #1 inside the RB's), with these broken lenses I am after the lens barrel, and the iris mechanism. The Makis are focal plane cameras so no shutter is needed. Usually I remove the shutter blades leaving just the iris which I can calibrate to the GX680 glass with close enough f/stops.

I also sometimes buy Seiko shutters with Fuji LF glass (a few Fuji lenses came with the correct Seiko #1 shutter), if the glass is nasty, and the shutter is clean and functional. Also then I usually toss the front and back cells, I have no need for them. Sometimes they are scratched or badly separated. This gives me a working Seiko #1 shutter with f/stops marked on the shutter. So I do it both ways on the Makiflexes.