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Plaubel Makiflex Standard.

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Thanks Alex!

2016-01-01 14.22.12 by Nokton48, on Flickr

2016-01-09 16.41.34 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Final mounting of the 180mm F2.8 MC Sonnar on the Plaubel Peco Jr. recessed lensboard. I bought a new scroll saw for my camera workshop (XMAS present) which works a treat, and then some hand filing and fitting did the job, Then on to final mounting and painting. The final paint is now drying. Notice how I had to cut a slot to acomodate the "fork" that rotates around as you open and close the lens. I elected to keep the fork, it moves in and out also, as you focus the helical. Removing it would most likely NOT be a good idea. So the lens works as intended and has not been hacked except by my "McGuyver" mounting process ;-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
 
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Makiflex 150 Xenar F11 Octobox 50 Ortho Commercial 9x12cm by Nokton48, on Flickr

Plaubel Auto Makiflex with SK Grimes Graphic Back 150 f4.5 Auto Maki Xenar Yellow Filter Ilford Commercial Ortho 9x12cm Arca Swiss 9x12cm Graphic Back. Broncolor Octobox 150 1500J C200 Monolight One Pop F11. D23 Straight Replenished in 9x12cm Combiplan Tank. DipN'Dunk works great! Love it. New Background Low Key by Artist David Maheu. 4x6 Foamcore Fill off camera right. A successful first test of the Combiplan, I utilized red LED safelight Inspection 25 minutes Straight Replenished D23. Omega DII Laser Aligned 180mm Rodagon Omegalite Dektol 1:2. Copied with Sony Nex 7 on Minolta SRT Copy Stand, Zeiss Touit 2.8/50M at F8
 
Patio Blinds Pecoflex Swing Movement Test by Nokton48, on Flickr

Plaubel Makiflex with Pecoflex Adapter 240mm f4.5 chrome barrel Xenar Ilford 9x12cm Ortho+ Legacy Mic-X replenished 18 min tray 8x10 Arista #2 Multigrade dev. 30 degree camera front swing to the right, the refocus as needed aligned the film to the patio blinds, which I thought were in interesting light. 2 1/2 minute exposure at f22. Learning to use the highly adjustable Pecoflex Attachment with homemade bag bellows. It is fun to figure out how all this old stuff really works on the job. Taken while I was feeling very incarcerated during the covid lockdown
 
Makiflex Bolts by Nokton48, on Flickr

A Friend (he worked for many decades at local Ford Plant) made me these machined bolts. When cut down, they screw into the Plaubel Makiflex Body, and fit SINAR cable releases. Both Olde and Newer ones work AOK Good. Worth doing!

Homemade Makiflex Tapped Bolt Cut Down Prontor Fires it by Nokton48, on Flickr

The Metric Bolt (tapped out completely through by a Machinist), then screwed PRONTOR Cable Release. It fires in all my Makiflexes NO PROBLEM! with the Prontor. This is a big deal, as the SINAR is expensive, and the Prontor, is not. On a couple of my Makiflexes I have secured the homemade Bolt/Adapter semi - permanently, with RED LOCTITE. BOTH WORK OK!!
 
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I'll have to do a search and I'll let you know.
 
SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

Here is Automatic Makiflex #3 with Plaubel 150mm F4.5 Auto Iris Xenar. "Super Bubbapack" new high voltage Power Pack for Vivitar 365, a fairly powerful flash. Plaubel marketed this camera as useable for reportage, the flash sync is 1/15, so not really for flash outside. Interior ambient light should not record, the 365 is automatic out to 75 feet depending. Embellished the Super Bubbapack, adding a Domke Super Gripper Strap, cut the bottom piece off with Japanese fine cutting saw, added some Gaffer Tape to neaten it up. Finally, a rubber pad on bottom of pack, so everything sits down nicely on a flat surface, it's important to be able to set this down without it tipping over! 9x9cm B&W images will be taken on 9x12cm and 4x5" film. Great rig for high fidelity low light flash reportage photography.
 
Further Hacking of Zebra 180mm F2.8 Sonnar Makiflex Std by Nokton48, on Flickr

I further disassembled my 180mm F2.8 CZJ Zebra Sonnar, I removed more of the back mount. I then JB Welded it into a Recessed Plaubel Peco Junior Lens Board. I can now back just a bit further, it was like a macro lens close focus only when I got it. I also removed the metal hood as much as I could, so the rear of the lens doesn't strike the mirror in the Makiflex Standard. It has beautiful Sonnar bokeh, and now I can back up a teeny bit more. Still a Macro Only Lens. Well worth having IMO. BTW it only fits the Makiflex Standard, which has a bigger interior throat than the Auto Makiflex, and no interior automation cables. Need to hit the rear cell hood with some Flat Black Krylon. I used a Mini Hacksaw from Harbor Freight to shorten the rear hood.
 
Plaubel Makiflex MX 525 6.5x9cm Cut Film Bail Back and Holders by Nokton48, on Flickr

Last week I saw this Plaubel Makiflex MX 1/525 6.5x9cm Cut Film Bail Back on German Ebay, so I snagged it up. I had to converse with the seller in German, he knew no English at all. Today it arrived, I took it apart, removed the olde rotten foam light trapping, and cut new foam material, all good as new now, ready to use. I have a nearly identical Peco Junior Bail Back also marked PJ 1/325, which came in a bundle with these cool film holders. On the upper left, are two DOUBLE SIDED holders, loaded with Foma 200 ready to shoot. On the right, are two SINGLE SIDED holders, loaded with Ilford FP4+ also ready to shoot. The holders are interchangeable between the two backs, tightly clamped in place with metal "claws" in precise orientation.

It's been a while since I have found anything new to add to my Makiflex Collections, this piece I think is rather rare. And a good deal at 85 Euros!


Plaubel Single Lens Reflex Cameras EPOI by Nokton48, on Flickr

Here's the camera with the same back on it!
 
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Two new Plaubel Makiflex Items by Nokton48, on Flickr

Two new to me items for my Plaubel Makiflexes. First is a PN1/341 medium length cone lensboard, permanently glued in is a Industar-4 21cm F4.5 Tessar type lens. It focuses perfectly to infinity on a Maki, I really wanted this board, I don't have one! The lens has mild fungus between the elments, I have baked the lens out in the sun for several days. Hopefully I will learn how to remove the elements, to clean out the dried fungus. BTW it's not too bad, a small bloom mainly at one edge. Looking forward to cleaning it out, but it's lovely to look through as it is. I'm interested in it also as a Maki historical piece.

The other item that arrived is an Auto Makiflex Shutter, marked F5.6. So what does it fit? In my European Makiflex literture I see the 180mm and 210mm F5.6 Symmar lenses offered in auto shutter by the factory. Very rare and I've only seen them offered in Europe. I have a chrome barrel 180mm f5.6 Symmar, it's a perfect fit and I think that's it exactly. The mechanism needs cleaning and CLA, the blades are greasy. I'll take it to my repair Guy and see what happens. This shutter fits good on a Flat Auto Makiflex Lens Board and also looks great through the viewfinder.
 
Thanks Expresso Wizard!

Yep it's fun to collect (like hunting for buried treasure) and lots more fun to use.
My favorite camera for sure, Geoff Berliner feels the same way. I do have some newly developed roll film to print and put up here soon. The short-mounted 180mm F2.8 CZJ Zebra Sonnar is so beautiful to look through and shoot. BTW that was the whole reason I got into the Pentacon Six mount lenses.

PN341 210MM MAKI CLEAN NEW INDUSTAR 210 4.5 by Nokton48, on Flickr

I decided to keep the rare Plaubel PN/341 Makiflex Lens Board, but I was unhappy with the 210mm F4.5 Industar-4 lens, it had some fungus, and I couldn't get it open to clean. So with some persuasion from Dremel Cutter, I was able to break it free from it's glued-in mount. I cleaned the board with ammonia, then set it directly in the sun, and baked it for four or so days. Now the fungus odor is gone, it's good to go for me. I threw the Industar in the trash, the fungus inside really bothered me. So now I went looking for a replacement, I found this more modern MC Industar 210mm F4.5 new in box with flange, so I bought it. It's now well on it's way from the Ukraine. I used to have quite an assortment of Russian P6 lenses, back when I was interested in Kievs,Pentacon 6/Exakta 66's, Hartbleis, etc. I redid the light traps on the new board, it's ready to accept the new Industar.
 
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Hi Goran,

Yep the lens covers 6.5x9cm no probs! Covers 9x9cm too on 4x5 and 9x12cm Planfilm.


I love my hacked short mount 180mm F2.8 CZJ Zebra Sonnar. For closeups it is absolutely gorgeous to look through. I'm so Pleased......... BTW I only use this lens at F2.8 for maximum Sonnar bokeh.

Yes I have eight rolls of 120 just processed, several new setups with the 180 Sonnar. I'll print and copy them soon, the negatives are amazing to me.
 
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Geoff Berliner told me I am NUTS to use the 6.5x9cm backs. 9x9cm is what makes this camera a handholdable special dream to use. High Speed lenses were a requirement back in the Atomic Age. LOL Geoff told me he saw a 9x9cm Rolleiflex, at the Rollei Museum in Germany. Myself I'd rather use the Makis.


How many Makiflexes do you see in Geoff's basement treasure trove?
He told me he has over 1500 large format lenses. WOW.
And 1500 Speed Graphics! I asked him if that was enough? LOL



Actually I love my 6.5x9cm backs too, they are the real deal. But Makina Backs are finicky to use, the design is archaic and very unusual. But they can be made to work well and consistently too. If it's an important shot for me, I will shoot it with multiple different emulsions, to give myself a choice in the darkroom printing. And in case one of the backs starts acting up. Really I should get all of mine CLA'ed on the long term. All olde Plaubel stuff is similar to Leica quality in terms of finish and the way they handle, but in the larger format IMO.
 
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SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr


This 210mm F4.5 N-51 lens arrived yesterday $75 from Serbia. New in box never used, with working flange, I used shim washers inside the Plaubel Tubus. to adjust for perfect infinity focus wide open. The lens is a sleeper (some say a DUD), but I do like it a lot. A Tessar optical design, a lot like my Schneider Xenars in the "look through", a bit less contrasty though to my eye. Quite sharp and pleasant bokeh. I look forward to shooting with this one. Shown on my Plaubel Auto Makiflex #1, I also redid some of the light trapping front and back on this camera, it's all ready to go again.
 
Standard Makiflex No.3 Bundle New to Me by Nokton48, on Flickr

I saw this bundle on German Ebay and made an offer, it was accepted. The Stovepipe is quite unusual, I've never seen this one before. The 13.5cm early Zeiss Tessar on Peco Junior recessed board will get some use too. The Standard Makiflex is quite useful to me, big lenses fit into the cameras inner throat. So now I have three Standard Makiflexes, and three of the Auto Aperture Makiflexes. This one will get some use I'm sure of it. This one has 28.880 actuations according to the counter on the side, so lots of life left in it. LOL
 
Olde Rare Plaubel Makiflex Cable Release Works OK by Nokton48, on Flickr


If you are lucky to find one, this is the Olde Rare Plaubel Makiflex Cable Release. Came with my second Makiflex Standard Body, modified with front swings precisely machined. A lot of thought went into that modification. Has a ball detent in the center point. Very nice shooter. The release cable is bent somewhat, it fires OK, but dosen't retract, so it still works. I reinforced it with military grade electrical tape I have around. The last one I saw online auction went for over 300 Bucks and there was a lot of bidding.
 
Makiflex 4x5 SHANGHAI 100 by Nokton48, on Flickr


Playing with the 4x5 Skier Box. Sony Nex C3 50mm Zeiss Touit Plaubel Makiflex Shanghai 100 4x5 Makiflex SK Grimes One Off Graphic Holder Back. Replenished HC110B Replenished Unicolor 8x10 Print Drum. Full Sun Exposure Test.
 
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