I often find myself wanting to take photos of things I can't get too close to, such as abandoned buildings across a river, cranes far behind a fenceline, etc. I'm looking to make something like a 300mm equivalent of a Hasselblad SWC, or an Ermanox for you antique camera folks, though probably not with a Hasselblad quality lens. I prefer 6x6 because it seems to be the best bang for the buck at the moment. My goal is a good intersection of portability versus image quality. I want it to be light enough that I can keep it in my work bag without regretting it every day. Of course I don't want to break the bank either. If neither of those were a consideration I'd just lug my 500CM with a 150mm and a 2x. Hyperfocal is fine for my intended use, though I'd love the ability to focus, but not the additional weight. I'd be fine with an f/8 lens.
My first thoughts are:
[A] Using the body of an old 120, 6x6 folder with a bad bellows, or fungus'd out lens. Rip the lens, bellows and door/struts off, and mount a thin-wall PVC pipe with . . . the cheapest 300mm large format lens I can find? I think I might even have a 12" Commercial Ektar in my deep storage, though it might need a shutter CLA. It's also not very small or light.
Using a Graflock 22/23 back, and doing something similar. Though 6x9 is not my ideal format, they seem to be cheaper, and more readily available.
Just trying to bounce ideas off people before I start sketching things, or acquiring any new gear (I have far too much already, so a lot of this might be in my boxes somewhere anyway). I'd love a better quality lens, but all the MF lenses I can think of weigh as much as, or more than, the rest of the intended camera.
My first thoughts are:
[A] Using the body of an old 120, 6x6 folder with a bad bellows, or fungus'd out lens. Rip the lens, bellows and door/struts off, and mount a thin-wall PVC pipe with . . . the cheapest 300mm large format lens I can find? I think I might even have a 12" Commercial Ektar in my deep storage, though it might need a shutter CLA. It's also not very small or light.
Using a Graflock 22/23 back, and doing something similar. Though 6x9 is not my ideal format, they seem to be cheaper, and more readily available.
Just trying to bounce ideas off people before I start sketching things, or acquiring any new gear (I have far too much already, so a lot of this might be in my boxes somewhere anyway). I'd love a better quality lens, but all the MF lenses I can think of weigh as much as, or more than, the rest of the intended camera.