Update on delivery status of LomoGraflok instant back

abruzzi · Nov 28, 2021

instead of the expected delivery of Friday, fedex took the long way round delivering it and the Lomo Graflok arrived a few hours ago. I had time to setup and take a couple quick test shots. My test pack was an expired pack of B&W. I did two test shots and everything works as expected. I was using my Technikardan, and it fits, but is a bit loose. It didn't leak light though. You could eject the film with the back in place, but the film comes out at an angle and the top graflok release would probably get in the way. It would have been even cooler if they made one for 6x9 cameras. The instax wide is essentially 6x10 (64mmx99mm), so the film area is a touch larger than a 6x9 gate.

Fulltang · Nov 28, 2021

The back fits a bit loose on my Chamonix as well, but I haven't noticed and light leaks either.

Donald Qualls · Nov 29, 2021

Fulltang said:
The back fits a bit loose on my Chamonix as well, but I haven't noticed and light leaks either.

I find mine moves some, too -- I had blamed the 3D printed Graflok conversion back, since I get the same with my Grafmatics if I take off the focusing screen to make it easier to insert and remove them. I have a couple ideas for improving this on mine; the locking plates are thinner than the original Graflok parts, so I may be able to either bend the tabs a bit to tighten it up, or transplant the plates from a Graflok back I have on a pinhole camera (originally an electron microscope camera body) that doesn't accommodate a focusing panel.

jbrubaker · Nov 29, 2021

For rangefinder focusing - are you adjusting the front standard to account for the spacing offset? ---jb.

Donald Qualls · Nov 29, 2021

jbrubaker said:
For rangefinder focusing - are you adjusting the front standard to account for the spacing offset? ---jb.

Exactly. I used the focusing template/shim to set the standard back from the infinity stops. If I were shooting only this longer term, I'd readjust the stops, but more likely when I get my 3D printer back in service I'll print a drop-in rail guided spacer. If I didn't have a 3D printer, I'd bend one up from brass sheet.

Larry Cloetta · Dec 1, 2021

I received mine yesterday, unfortunately I sold my Technika about 4 months ago in a cost cutting move, so no matter how much I would have liked to use it, it’s available to someone else now, at say, $120 shipped, which I guess is $30 off, or more if they charged for shipping. Have not even opened the box. Will put it on ebay today if there is no interest here. Just shoot me a PM.

Donald Qualls · Dec 1, 2021

Larry Cloetta said:
Will put it on ebay today if there is no interest here. Just shoot me a PM.

Might get better response if you post that in the "For Sale" section. You have access as a Subscriber.

Larry Cloetta · Dec 1, 2021

Thanks, will try that instead. Only posted it here because I was already here, and thought this would be where those interested would be hanging out. But, you are likely correct.

blee1996 · Dec 5, 2021

A few first photos from the Lomograflok back using B&W Instax Wide film. The camera was Polaroid 110A with 4x5 conversion.

LomoGraflok Instax on Polaroid 110A by Zheng, on Flickr

blee1996 · Dec 5, 2021

And if you are interested in the camera and back together:

Polaroid 110A Instax Wide conversion: back by Zheng, on Flickr

Donald Qualls · Dec 6, 2021

Got out yesterday and made a few more prints with mine on my Speed Graphic. For convenience, I reset the infinity stops for the LomoGraflok's film plane (I have marks on the rails for the regular location with the same lens, so I can easily return them). Not sure how it happened, exactly, but I also gave myself a fairly deep cut on a fingertip -- not sure if it was from the dark slide, the Graflok conversion back (which is a little loose -- need to investigate whether I can adjust it), or something else, but I had to wipe up blood spots on the plastic and hold pressure on my finger for a while, which does not make it easier to deal with a loose Graflok mounted film back with a snug dark slide -- and I couldn't just wait to stop bleeding, as it was late in the day and I didn't want to lose the light.

I may go back to average metering; I used my spotmeter yesterday and got more prints that were too light or too dark than good ones, despite scenes with only 2-3 stops total brightness range...

abruzzi · Dec 6, 2021

My few test shots, done with a simple incident meter came out pretty good. I didn't get a chance this past weekend to spend some more time with it, but hopefully next weekend I'll have a chance.

grat · Dec 7, 2021

Mine has shipped, and was ordered in August.

abruzzi · Dec 8, 2021

sounds like they're getting close to caught up. They're website says "In Stock", so now is time to order a second one (one for Instax color and one for Instax B&W...)

Cholentpot · Dec 8, 2021

Mine has been shipped. Ordered in mod October.

Cholentpot · Dec 13, 2021

My back came in and I've been running tests.

The focusing shim/spacer is not a template for setting up the lens to compensate for the rangefinder. I managed to find the proper distance after moving the lens back incrementally after seeing that it was not getting in focus using the shim. And after I nailed the focus, I absent mindedly collapsed the lens back into the body thereby wasting all the work that I did to get it in focus.

Here's my results. Bottom left is final one that I nailed the focus on.

Donald Qualls · Dec 13, 2021

I was able to use the focusing shim/frame to offset the front standard on my Annie. Most primitive way possible, just held the shim against the front standard to block it back from the infinity stops (one side at a time, lens and shutter won't let it stand straight).

Given I already marks on the rails for the stop position with the lens I had mounted, I then moved the infinity stops back to the new front standard position. Easily switched back later. If I had Pacemaker style stops the ones that fold down), I'd need to obtain another set if I planned to switch back and forth between standard accessories (film holders, Grafmatic, Adapt-A-Roll 620) and the LomoGraflok.

Cholentpot · Dec 13, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
I was able to use the focusing shim/frame to offset the front standard on my Annie. Most primitive way possible, just held the shim against the front standard to block it back from the infinity stops (one side at a time, lens and shutter won't let it stand straight).

Given I already marks on the rails for the stop position with the lens I had mounted, I then moved the infinity stops back to the new front standard position. Easily switched back later. If I had Pacemaker style stops the ones that fold down), I'd need to obtain another set if I planned to switch back and forth between standard accessories (film holders, Grafmatic, Adapt-A-Roll 620) and the LomoGraflok.

I tired this with my Crown and it didn't work.

I happen to have a second set of stops that fold down, when I do nail the focus again I'll place the second set in front of the infinity stops. Right now I'm fashioning a crude focusing fresnel screen that I'm inserting into the lomo back to confirm focus and calibration.

Donald Qualls · Dec 13, 2021

Seems as if you got one with either an out of spec focusing shim or out of spec film plane depth inside the LomoGraflok. Just for thoroughness, are you sure you're using the same lens the camera was set up for (infinity stops and RF, both)?

richyd · Dec 13, 2021

blee1996 said:
And if you are interested in the camera and back together:

Polaroid 110A Instax Wide conversion: back by Zheng, on Flickr

That looks a lot thicker than I imagined. How to you manage to look thought the viewfinder? I was thinking of getting one for my 110B conversion but not sure now.

The 4x5 adapter looks good is that something you designed yourself? I got one designed by someone else 3D printed but the graflok mechanism is crude and fiddly.

Richard

Cholentpot · Dec 13, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
Seems as if you got one with either an out of spec focusing shim or out of spec film plane depth inside the LomoGraflok. Just for thoroughness, are you sure you're using the same lens the camera was set up for (infinity stops and RF, both)?

I've got it calibrated now. After a few more sheets (been through a pack an a half) I installed the chucks at 23.5mm from the infinity chucks. These cameras are old, things get wobbly over 70+ years. I'm going to assume that's what's going on.

Final sheet after I installed the chuck. f/between 8 and 11, 1/400

It's tack sharp and looks far better with eyeballs Mk1.

Donald Qualls · Dec 13, 2021

Cholentpot said:
I installed the chucks at 23.5mm from the infinity chucks.

And yet that's several (4?) millimeters from the nominal setback of the LomoGraflok. Something isn't right. Good prints is the desired outcome, though. Are your RF focused images (with front standard on the infinity stops) sharp in conventional film holders under the Graflok focusing panel?

Cholentpot · Dec 13, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
And yet that's several (4?) millimeters from the nominal setback of the LomoGraflok. Something isn't right. Good prints is the desired outcome, though. Are your RF focused images (with front standard on the infinity stops) sharp in conventional film holders under the Graflok focusing panel?

They were last I checked. I may be due for another test though. Currently the RF and GG are aligned.

I am running a Xenar 4.5/135 on the camera if that makes a difference. I've had Charles aka shutterfinger get everything up to snuff. Camera needed some work but it seems to be trucking along now.

'Something isn't right' seems to be the story of this camera for me. I've sort of given up and as long as I'm getting sharp and clear photos I'll overlook everything else.

Donald Qualls · Dec 13, 2021

Cholentpot said:
Currently the RF and GG are aligned.

If the RF and GG match up, then film holders that are in spec should be fine. Does the GG till match the RF with the front standard set back and LomoGraflok focusing shim in place?

Cholentpot · Dec 13, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
If the RF and GG match up, then film holders that are in spec should be fine. Does the GG till match the RF with the front standard set back and LomoGraflok focusing shim in place?

This I've not tried. I wouldn't think it would work though.

Update on delivery status of LomoGraflok instant back

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