Suggestions & ideas for a 8x10" film & plate camera

[Fulvio]

Hello there

I shoot medium & large format mainly. However I'm also into the so called "alternative" photography and I'm making an extensive research on vintage photographic processes. Most recently I'm experimenting with dry plates and calotypes (the first paper negatives). Having been successful in delivering dry plate negatives and paper negatives, I'm considering to try wet plate soon.

My only large format camera is a 4x5" Graflex. I'm very happy with it, but somehow 4x5" is surprisingly getting too small for me!! I'd like to have an 8x10 camera. Perhaps an 11x14, but I'd be worried about its portability.

I'm from Italy and I've been looking for an 8x10 large format camera. There aren't too many around and often the price looked too expensive, compared to the almost inexpensive Graflex.

I'd really like to have a wooden camera, ideally combined with a real, vintage, brass lens.

So, why not building one? I think I have enough tools to work wood. Basically a router table, precision saws, etc. I could make such camera suitable for both film and plate photography, with custom made holders. I don't need movements, a simply "focus & shoot" camera with rails and bellows is ok. I'd like to make it foldable too.

I never made a camera before (excluding a very simple pinhole). But I already have some ideas and after this post I'm going to search through APUG for older posts on the topic. For those who have already built a similar camera, do you have any specific suggestions for me?

While I'm having many ideas about possible camera structure, I actually have no idea on how to manufacture the bellows. And how to make them fit a 8x10" image circle. Perhaps this is a FAQ and I will search for available instructions.

Anyway if there's somebody else who's making a similar camera right now or is about to start a project, we can share ideas and solutions.

cheers!

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

If you just want a simple focus-and-shoot model for doing wet-plate, you don't even need a bellows- just make two wooden boxes that fit one inside the other. You slide the rear box in and out to focus. If you find a good brass lens that has a focusing screw on it, you can do the fine-focus with the lens barrel. There are a number of good sources out there on the web and in print to show you designs for making a two-box camera.

 

[Fulvio]

there's a friend of mine who designed a very well made pinhole camera based on the two-boxes concept

although practical, it's not very... elegant

plus with such design I doubt I would be able to make it foldable

The idea of making bellows doesn't scare me, but I have no idea which material to use and how to design them...

bye

 

[argus]

Fulvio,

maybe you could start with acquiring a bellows first and a filmholder.

I'm almost finished building a folding 8x10" around a long Cambo bellows that I got very cheap (new bellows!).

What kind of lenses do you plan to use? I don't see any practical advantages in building a "sliding box" camera to use with a 480mm lens

You can contact me by email because I no longer like to publish too many construction details here.

Greetings,
G

 

[Ole]

To start at the other end of the camera, I have a wet/dry plate holder back for up to 18x24cm plates. You can tell it's been used for wet plates from the chemical stains, which the d*g*toy has somehow accentuated...

 

[Fulvio]

Fulvio,

maybe you could start with acquiring a bellows first and a filmholder.

I'm almost finished building a folding 8x10" around a long Cambo bellows that I got very cheap (new bellows!).

Cheating a little won't hurt, but I have no idea where to find camera bellows... I looked on ebay right now and doesn't seem to be any.

As for the filmholder, I already made a custom one for plates to use with the graflex and works great. You insert the plate almost like it were film. I don't think it will be a problem to make a new one, whatever size it will be. I could make one with room for both film (or paper negative) or plates. Although it will alter a little the focusing plane position, I'm not concerned about extreme focusing precision. I will be using good old soft lenses and smaller apertures.

What kind of lenses do you plan to use? I don't see any practical advantages in building a "sliding box" camera to use with a 480mm lens

exactly, that's not what I had in mind
I think sliding boxes design is a nice idea for a relatively small pinhole, so you have also a "zoom lens"...

 

[Fulvio]

To start at the other end of the camera, I have a wet/dry plate holder back for up to 18x24cm plates. You can tell it's been used for wet plates from the chemical stains, which the d*g*toy has somehow accentuated...

Wet plate is evil

 

[Jerevan]

Camera Bellows in the UK makes... uhm... camera bellows. Otherwise, if you want to do it yourself, here's some other links:

http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/bellows.html
http://www.foto-net.de/net/dyo/gross_ww.html (bag bellows, easier to make)
http://my.net-link.net/~jsmigiel/bellows.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20050306024420/http://www.srv.net/~vail/camera.htm

And Barry Young has a DIY bellows book, look in this thread: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[Fulvio]

thanks Jerevan

I found this source http://pheugo.com/cameras/folders/folders.html

there's also a free book inside

it's a comprehensive guide of bellow making

this is another example:

http://www.rolandandcaroline.co.uk/homemade4x5/bellows1.html

wouldn't be bad to buy ready made bellows... but I have a feeling I would pay the same amount for a used vintage 8x10" camera on ebay...

 

[barryjyoung]

And Barry Young has a DIY bellows book, look in this thread: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)[/quote]

 

[barryjyoung]

Thank you