Rb67 Medium Format Instax Mini Film Backs

Donald Qualls · Jan 17, 2023

Cholentpot said:
Maybe because I used a plastic holder rather than wooden?

The film space is the same in the oldest "film only" wood holders and the most recently manufactured plastic ones. I think people who make this work in a double dark slide are taping the Instax print to the septum and then lightly forcing the dark slide into place over it. How they do the taping in the dark and get the print straight, I couldn't say... It might work better in a holder for glass plates, without the film sheath -- but then you'll have a focus offset.

Cholentpot · Jan 17, 2023

Donald Qualls said:
The film space is the same in the oldest "film only" wood holders and the most recently manufactured plastic ones. I think people who make this work in a double dark slide are taping the Instax print to the septum and then lightly forcing the dark slide into place over it. How they do the taping in the dark and get the print straight, I couldn't say... It might work better in a holder for glass plates, without the film sheath -- but then you'll have a focus offset.

I'm always afraid of bursting the pod.

Donald Qualls · Jan 17, 2023

Cholentpot said:
I'm always afraid of bursting the pod.

A reasonable concern. I've got a 2x3 Grafmatic on the way, and some Instax Mini (developed prints as well as unexposed film), so I'll look at the fits and clearances when the Grafmatic arrives. I don't have any 2x3 film holders, though now that I'll be buying 2x3 film, I might get a few...

choiliefan · Jan 17, 2023

The Instax Mini film slides into the holder same as sheet film.
You cut away just enough of the taped door to clear the pod and still have enough lip left so the dark slide will lock it in place.

I adapted five wooden holders which is ideal for one pack of Instax and have used them in Graflex XL, Century and Speed with success. Haven't gotten around to adapting a slotted Graflex holder for the JR SLR yet.

I tried loading Instax into Rolleiflex sheetfilm holders but there's no room for the pod. Same failed experiment trying it in the Grafmatic.

Cholentpot · Jan 17, 2023

choiliefan said:
The Instax Mini film slides into the holder same as sheet film.
You cut away just enough of the taped door to clear the pod and still have enough lip left so the dark slide will lock it in place.

I adapted five wooden holders which is ideal for one pack of Instax and have used them in Graflex XL, Century and Speed with success. Haven't gotten around to adapting a slotted Graflex holder for the JR SLR yet.

I tried loading Instax into Rolleiflex sheetfilm holders but there's no room for the pod. Same failed experiment trying it in the Grafmatic.

Can you post a photo of the modification you made?

choiliefan · Jan 17, 2023

I

Cholentpot said:
Can you post a photo of the modification you made?

I can probably get something together this weekend.
Meanwhile, there's this thread:

Instax Mini Film fits 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 Film Holders!

Yes, good observation; you can put the pod end in to the 6x9 holder first and then the flap will close without modification. The image will be a off center, but no modification of the film holder is needed. Then one could decide if it is worthwhile to cut the flap and load them the other way to...

www.photrio.com

Fast forward to post 50 and 52.

Cholentpot · Jan 17, 2023

choiliefan said:
I

I can probably get something together this weekend.
Meanwhile, there's this thread:

Instax Mini Film fits 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 Film Holders!

Yes, good observation; you can put the pod end in to the 6x9 holder first and then the flap will close without modification. The image will be a off center, but no modification of the film holder is needed. Then one could decide if it is worthwhile to cut the flap and load them the other way to...

www.photrio.com

Fast forward to post 50 and 52.

My comment is the last comment on that thread. Three years...

Still trying three years later.

choiliefan · Jan 17, 2023

It is worth the wait.

xya · Jan 17, 2023

There are now Fuji Instant Square backs available. I have one, it's a marvel...https://www.instantphoto.eu/other/coyote_instax_square.htm

As the RB67 has a turning back mecanism, there is even enough room for a dark slide if you lift the turning back. Ready made backs are quite expensive, but if you butcher a square camera, you can build your own.

narwal10444 · Dec 9, 2023

Donald Qualls said:
A reasonable concern. I've got a 2x3 Grafmatic on the way, and some Instax Mini (developed prints as well as unexposed film), so I'll look at the fits and clearances when the Grafmatic arrives. I don't have any 2x3 film holders, though now that I'll be buying 2x3 film, I might get a few...

Any updates on this?

Donald Qualls · Dec 11, 2023

narwal10444 said:
Any updates on this?

No, completely forgot. The older I get, the less my spare time seems to allow.

narwal10444 · Dec 12, 2023

Donald Qualls said:
No, completely forgot. The older I get, the less my spare time seems to allow.

Darn; you were my only hope ; unfortunately youre the only other person online who had the idea to test it. I have a 2x3 speed graphic with a graflex back and finding a film holder for it is seemingly becoming impossible; I have literally searched every single sheet film holder listing on ebay for one and was hoping that instax would work with the grafmatic because those are at least available in some places. If you ever find the time to give it another test I would super appreciate an update

Donald Qualls · Dec 12, 2023

I'll try to remember to try it with developed prints this week.

choiliefan · Dec 12, 2023

narwal10444 said:
Darn; you were my only hope ; unfortunately youre the only other person online who had the idea to test it. I have a 2x3 speed graphic with a graflex back and finding a film holder for it is seemingly becoming impossible; I have literally searched every single sheet film holder listing on ebay for one and was hoping that instax would work with the grafmatic because those are at least available in some places. If you ever find the time to give it another test I would super appreciate an update

The slotted Graflex film holders are much harder to find than the rollfilm backs.
You could buy a Graphic spring back and switch them out. They are identical in size and drilled the same for the screws. The Graphic backs are usually
much cheaper than the Graflok style.

Donald Qualls · Dec 26, 2023

Okay, I'm reminded (again) and I still have today off work. The 2x3 Grafmatics are sitting by my home computer (though I'm at Starbucks right now) and the Instax Mini prints are on the same corner of my desk.

FWIW, I have a strong hunch the prints will be too thick to feed in the Grafmatic, though if you know a sheet metal worker it might be possible to make septums with more clearance and fit fewer of them into the Grafmatic (maybe 4 instead of 6?). They'd need the same length and width, obviously, but more clearance under the edge rail.

Whether this would actually then cycle in the Grafmatic is an open question, but it might be possible to 3D print dummy parts to test function at significantly less effort than bending new septums from sheet metal...

synhare · Dec 29, 2023

There is a gentleman in Germany that adapts Instax square cameras to fit onto the RZ and RB line. https://zins.tax/ They work fairly well. Takes a few months to get to your order though.
Quality wise the execution feels nice. The internal mechanism is not very durable, I've had two of these fail on me with the 3D printed gears going bad. He does provide files so that you can print your own repairs.

choiliefan · Dec 29, 2023

I guess there's no way to make a straight 6X9 Graflok adapter?
Sure would simplify things. I shoot Instax-Mini in my Speed, Century and Graflex XL loaded into standard holders which works great but is kind of a pain.

Donald Qualls · Jan 2, 2024

choiliefan said:
I guess there's no way to make a straight 6X9 Graflok adapter?

You mean to fit an Instax film holder/roller/drive mechanism on a Graflok mount?

No, no way. You can't get the Instax film plane to the Graflok mount's film plane without pulling the rotating P mount off the body and instead building the Instax to fit the pins the P mount connects to (making the Instax back non-rotating -- this is what the Instax Square adapters do). It *might* be possible to insert a focal plane shift plate (a thick optically flat glass plate will move the focal plane back by about 1/3 of its thickness, depending on refractive index), but such plates are expensive and the plate would have to protrude into the body's rear opening, hence again disabling the ability to rotate the back. A focal extender on the lens wouldn't work because the focal plane of the Instax wouldn't match that of the viewfinder.

For a camera like a Century Graphic, you could do pretty much what the LomoGraflok does, and set back the lens from the infinity stop by enough to account for the Instax back's extra film setback; that would let the RF work as calibrated, or allow inserting the setback adapter under the ground glass for focusing/framing before swapping out the ground glass panel for the Instax back -- but you'd still wind up with an Instax Mini or at most Instax Square print, and either being stuck with one lens (for a given RF calibration) or using the camera like a view camera (but without most of the movements).

Donald Qualls · Jan 29, 2024

Okay, I had a chance to test a developed Instax Mini print in a 2x3 Grafmatic. The print will slip into the septum; it's a couple millimeters narrower than the proper film, but stays under the edges. Unfortunately, it's also about 3 mm too long, so would prevent the septum from cycling in the Grafmatic even if there weren't an issue with the thickness of the chemical pod in an undeveloped print.

Those who want to use Instax prints in a 2x3 press or similar camera would be best off making the usual modification to the bottom tab on a standard sheet film holder and contenting themselves with loading two prints per holder; Grafmatic isn't going to work.

Rb67 Medium Format Instax Mini Film Backs

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