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- Mar 7, 2005
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For those that might be interested. I owned a Mamiya Press a couple of years ago and since then I have been bouncing back and forth thinking about converting one to 4x5. Mind you what I am really doing is setting up a cheap versitile 4x5/MF camera similar to a handy without laying out major $.I guess the down side is the only lenses that cover or almost cover 4x5 in the press line are 127mm and 75mm (almost) which is actually okay by me. I suppose you could remount a 75mm nikor SW lens in a press mount but I have never tried it.
I know I could have just bought a Crown graphic, (had one) but my reasoning after my last long photo trip is this. On my last trip I hauled around a F1, lenses and a MF camera and a lot of misc Eq etc. All heavy and bulky, so I thought this might be a good way to go and save some weight and gain versitility. On that trip i was definately longing for lighter Eq or maybe some major weight i could leave in the car. Next might be a Toho if this does not work out.
I considered the normal route. #1 a Rail camera, #2 a Fotoman or crown 4x5 or a field camera for a hand holder, #3 a Mamiya 6 or 7, but with this setup I really have all that covered. A bigger package than a 6 and 7 and not as sharp but.... and less $ for sure.
At any rate I have owned a F1 for a while and I had an old mamiya press body sitting around the house, so this is my first trial attempt. Milled the back side of the M P and opened it up (not painted yet) and am in the process of fastening it to a Sinar board (spot welded for now). I had 2 ways to go. Either modify the existing press body or fab a new box/flange setup and mount the bayonet to it. I still might try that later if this stage works out. It would look a lot cleaner, but if I milled it from a solid chunk it would be a huge piece of alum to start. Obvious reasons to start with the stock body are all the screwholes are in the right place and the top still has the hole in the right place for the rangefinder.
I plan to build an extended actuator rod and frame that will allow me to mount the M P rangefinder on top so it will go over the Sinar top frame (photos). The entire rig that clips into the frame will simply be a Mamiya press mount and rangefinder on top. IE I could just unclip that and remount a 47mm XL in a custom mount and stop down focus. Or unclip the front and handle and mount it on the normal Sinar F1 rail.
The basic setup is this..........
Custom front plate.......... Stock Sinar single frame (this sildes off the std riser and the one in the photo is the front frame) Sinar graflok back Either a GG back or 545 holder clipped into the graflok back. Some sort of handle that slides into the shift receiver.
Actually what this will allow me to do with one system is with any of the press lenses, IE (50mm 65mm 75mm 90mm 100mm 127mm 150mm 250mm) and a MF Graflok back shoot 6x6 6x7 6x9, range focus or GG focus and with the 75mm and 127mm lenses shoot 6x12 (std graflok backs like a horseman) or 4x5 although I think the 75mm lens only really covers 6x10. With the 127mm lens at close focus WO it vignettes barely on 4x5 but I think that is due to the rear part of the helical focus mount which can be milled. Infinity focus it looks good. I have not tested the 75mm yet.
Still have to cook up a handle and a tripod mount. I intend to make both the same part that slides into the bottom shift receiver. If you have a Sinar you know what I am talking about.
Okay the big question. How much does it weigh. As in the photos with the plastic 545 back ??? Less than My P67 with a 90mm lens so far. I dont have a complete M press camera anymore, but from what I remember less than that too.
Picture if the link works
www.jiki.pbase.com/u26/tammons/upload/43362352.DSC00748_resize.JPG
Rest of the photos so far.
http://www.pbase.com/tammons/misc
I know I could have just bought a Crown graphic, (had one) but my reasoning after my last long photo trip is this. On my last trip I hauled around a F1, lenses and a MF camera and a lot of misc Eq etc. All heavy and bulky, so I thought this might be a good way to go and save some weight and gain versitility. On that trip i was definately longing for lighter Eq or maybe some major weight i could leave in the car. Next might be a Toho if this does not work out.
I considered the normal route. #1 a Rail camera, #2 a Fotoman or crown 4x5 or a field camera for a hand holder, #3 a Mamiya 6 or 7, but with this setup I really have all that covered. A bigger package than a 6 and 7 and not as sharp but.... and less $ for sure.
At any rate I have owned a F1 for a while and I had an old mamiya press body sitting around the house, so this is my first trial attempt. Milled the back side of the M P and opened it up (not painted yet) and am in the process of fastening it to a Sinar board (spot welded for now). I had 2 ways to go. Either modify the existing press body or fab a new box/flange setup and mount the bayonet to it. I still might try that later if this stage works out. It would look a lot cleaner, but if I milled it from a solid chunk it would be a huge piece of alum to start. Obvious reasons to start with the stock body are all the screwholes are in the right place and the top still has the hole in the right place for the rangefinder.
I plan to build an extended actuator rod and frame that will allow me to mount the M P rangefinder on top so it will go over the Sinar top frame (photos). The entire rig that clips into the frame will simply be a Mamiya press mount and rangefinder on top. IE I could just unclip that and remount a 47mm XL in a custom mount and stop down focus. Or unclip the front and handle and mount it on the normal Sinar F1 rail.
The basic setup is this..........
Custom front plate.......... Stock Sinar single frame (this sildes off the std riser and the one in the photo is the front frame) Sinar graflok back Either a GG back or 545 holder clipped into the graflok back. Some sort of handle that slides into the shift receiver.
Actually what this will allow me to do with one system is with any of the press lenses, IE (50mm 65mm 75mm 90mm 100mm 127mm 150mm 250mm) and a MF Graflok back shoot 6x6 6x7 6x9, range focus or GG focus and with the 75mm and 127mm lenses shoot 6x12 (std graflok backs like a horseman) or 4x5 although I think the 75mm lens only really covers 6x10. With the 127mm lens at close focus WO it vignettes barely on 4x5 but I think that is due to the rear part of the helical focus mount which can be milled. Infinity focus it looks good. I have not tested the 75mm yet.
Still have to cook up a handle and a tripod mount. I intend to make both the same part that slides into the bottom shift receiver. If you have a Sinar you know what I am talking about.
Okay the big question. How much does it weigh. As in the photos with the plastic 545 back ??? Less than My P67 with a 90mm lens so far. I dont have a complete M press camera anymore, but from what I remember less than that too.
Picture if the link works
www.jiki.pbase.com/u26/tammons/upload/43362352.DSC00748_resize.JPG
Rest of the photos so far.
http://www.pbase.com/tammons/misc
