WA 6x9 folder in my pocket

salihonba · May 23, 2009

Hello! I made a 6x9 folder in wide angle would like to share with you, any comment welcome!
http://picasaweb.google.com.tw/salihonba/WA6x9FolderInMyPocketProject#

Daniel

cdholden · May 23, 2009

I like old 6x9 folders, but the 105mm that comes on most just isn't wide enough for my tastes. Over the years I've owned Bessa I/II, Ikontas/Erconas, Venturas, Billy Records, and a Medalist (hated spooling for 620). I've never heard of the Tenax, but will be doing some reading after this post. I'd love to see some shots from this. 65mm would certainly be right up my alley. It looks like that folder has adjustable rails for focusing. I've never seen one of these cameras, but would be interested in knowing more or even aquiring one.
Nice work!
Chris

ic-racer · May 23, 2009

Very nice. I like using a 65mm lens with 6x9 also.

salihonba · May 24, 2009

In my research, Tenax and Cocarette camera are good candidate for converting into WA 6x9 folders, Cocarette has even better body structure, in my own opinion.

mgb74 · May 24, 2009

Nicely done. I assume focus is fixed at infinity (or hyperfocal distance).

I would like to see a close up of your magnet mounting for the viewfinder. In particular, how you maintain alignment.

richard littlewood · May 24, 2009

Salihonba Nice one! Have a look at mine Equipment/homemade 6x9 wideangle cameras www.richard-littlewood.com

salihonba · May 24, 2009

Hi Richard, your camera is lovely! and I even don't dare to think of 47mm, too wide to me. and I admire your darkroom, hope someday I can have one for myself.
and I post some more pics in my album, to explain my way to focus, to mount the viewfinder, and to adjust for focus.....

salihonba · May 24, 2009

Hi mgb74, viewfinder alignment can be solved by stick two small stick by the side where magnet will be located, but I plan to cut a dedicated piece of plate for it, not yet do it.

Steve Smith · May 25, 2009

Some interesting stuff here from Richard and Daniel.

I'm currently building a 6x12 format camera with a 65mm Super Angulon. It's not a folder though, unfortunately.

I was thinking about temporarily fitting this lens to an old 6x9 folder to work out the lens to film distance but as I don't have one which I want to take apart, I will probably go straight to 6x12.

Steve.

salihonba · May 25, 2009

Yeah, 6x12, my dream for next one, but also I will make it into a folder, since I really like the feel when folds out and bellows extended, I will pick a 1A size folder, 1A camera that uses 616film has 110mm width of the film frame.
But for the folder, pancake lens is the only option, I chose Schneider 6.8/90mm.

elekm · May 25, 2009

Excellent work. Very compact. And because the finder isn't permanently attached, it doesn't ruin the body.

Steve Smith · May 25, 2009

salihonba said:
Yeah, 6x12, my dream for next one, but also I will make it into a folder

Whilst I like the idea of modifying existing items, I made a 6x10 format camera from a Polaroid 110A, I also like to make things from scratch.

This rough web page show my efforts so far. The mechanism shown here will fit into an oak box which I have not made yet.

http://www.freewebs.com/stevesmithphoto/pano612.html

At work I have the use of a CNC drill/router originally used for manufacture of printed circuit boards. It can cut the nylon material shown here up to 9mm thick and also works nicely on wood - perfect finger joints!

Steve.

richard littlewood · May 25, 2009

Very nice steve. I would really like decent workshop stuff now and again.

AlanC · May 27, 2009

Steve,
Fascinating. How did you make the viewfinder?

Alan Clark

darinwc · May 28, 2009

Wow, great stuff! Ditto on wanting a compact MF wide-angle camera.
Tell me more about making the lens helical, if you please!

Steve Smith · May 28, 2009

AlanC said:
Fascinating. How did you make the viewfinder?

Lots of trial and error - mainly error!

I have a box of lens elements from various failed lens repairing escapades over the years and I did a bit of Google research.

I found the simple Gallilean viewfinder which is basically a telescope but I found I couldn't get a wider than 'normal' view with just a positive and negative lens.

After playing around with two lenses, I tried three. A large positive at the front, a negative just behind it and a smaller positive lens at the eyepiece.

I found the spacing of the front and middle elements was not very critical but the middle to eyepiece element spacing had to be correct to get a perfectly focussed image. I fixed it to suit my vision corrected with glasses so I assume it will also suit an eye with perfect vision.

A more sophisticated version would have this variable to suit different people's sight but I will keep mine fixed.

In between the front and middle elements is a black polyester disc with a rectangle cut out of it. It is actually slightly pin cushioned in shape to compensate for the distortion of the lens. When you look through it, it gives a really good image with a clear rectangular mask - much better than that picture taken by holding it in front of a digi-compact on macro.

I will probably re-make the housing for the viewfinder as the one shown is lots of bits of CNC cut PVC stuck together. I am going to try to find some plastic pipe with an internal diameter to match the front element. I will then fit a hot shoe from an old flash (or make one) onto the base and put an accessory shoe on the top of the camera.

I have not made much progress recently but I am getting ready to cut the oak for the body.

Steve.

Steve Smith · May 28, 2009

darinwc said:
Tell me more about making the lens helical, if you please!

The lens helical is half of an old Minolta MC 50mm f2 lens. Due to the size of the rear element assembly of the Schneider lens, I had to open up the internal opening in the actual helical part to 42mm and cut it down a bit.

In doing this I lost the slide which prevents the lens from turning which is why the grey mounting plate has a pin in it. The top plate which the lens mounts on will have a bracket which locates over the pin - a bit like a large Nikon pre-AI metering tab. this wil stop the lens rotating as the barrel is turned and allow the lens to move in and out instead.

Trying the lens out on my speed graphic, it only seems to need 6-7mm of movement to go from infinity focus to about five feet. The helix from the Minolta lens seems about right based on its distance markings. If it's not right, I will stick a new scale on it but being such a wide angle, I think there is a bit of room for error. As long as I get infinity right, I think the rest will fall into place.

Steve.

AlanC · May 28, 2009

Thanks for the detailed reply Steve. Much food for thought here...

Alan Clark

Steve Smith · May 28, 2009

richard littlewood said:
Have a look at mine Equipment/homemade 6x9 wideangle cameras www.richard-littlewood.com

Excellent write up but do you have any pictures of your conversions?

Steve

darinwc · May 28, 2009

^there are pics the links are just hidden in the text

Steve Smith · May 28, 2009

darinwc said:
^there are pics the links are just hidden in the text

So there are. I thought I saw them last time I looked but today I convinced myself that I had not!

Richard's use of the helix from the Olympus lens as shown in the 65mm 6x9 image is similar to mine.

Steve.

darinwc · May 28, 2009

Hmm I have a couple broken canon fd lenses sitting around.. what considerations are there in choosing a donor candidate for a helical?

richard littlewood · May 30, 2009

Steve
Sorry no pics of during construction. I think the only bit that may have been of interest is in fiddling around trying to turn a standard 35mm lens into a usable focusing device for a completely different lens. I found it an attractive idea, although it required a fair bit of re-working, especially in forming a slot and maling a new slider for that slot that gave no play when focusing, and was tough enough to hold up with all the shutter cocking etc. I also found keeping the film and lens planes the same quite a challenge.

Steve Smith · May 30, 2009

richard littlewood said:
Steve
Sorry no pics of during construction. I think the only bit that may have been of interest is in fiddling around trying to turn a standard 35mm lens into a usable focusing device for a completely different lens. I found it an attractive idea, although it required a fair bit of re-working, especially in forming a slot and maling a new slider for that slot that gave no play when focusing, and was tough enough to hold up with all the shutter cocking etc. I also found keeping the film and lens planes the same quite a challenge.

Thanks for the information. To make the rear of the Schneider 65mm lens fit into mine I have had to reduce the length of the inner helix and bore it out to 42mm. There's only just enough metal left to hold the helix together.

Also, I lost the slots which prevent it from turning hence my pin arrangement.

Yours looks neater than mine. Which lens did you use?

When I was looking for a suitable donor lens, the only one which looked like it would work.

Actually, my bigger Bronica ETRS lenses would have worked very well but I'm not sacrificing one of those!

Steve.

Steve Smith · May 30, 2009

darinwc said:
Hmm I have a couple broken canon fd lenses sitting around.. what considerations are there in choosing a donor candidate for a helical?

Unfortunately, you can't usually tell for sure until you take it apart.

It really needs to be a prime lens otherwise the zoom mechanism complicates things.

The diameter of the bore in the inner helix needs to be wide enough to take the rear elements of the lens you are using too.

Lenses such as my Schneider Super Angulon 65mm have quite large rear element assemblies. Almost as big as the front.

http://www.naturescapes.net/122004/ken8.jpg

You also need to be able to mount a small circular lens board to the front of the helix. In that respect, my Minolta lens seems to have been designged for that very purpose!

Or you can spend £240 for the proper Schneider focusing mount.

http://www.mpex.com/prodimg/USDSCH1004.jpg

Steve.

WA 6x9 folder in my pocket

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