my 4x5 project

[Tim k]

This has been a work in progress for several years. Its been finished a couple of times. Used and abandoned, rebuilt and abandoned again. Hopefully I'm done now.

I've worked my way trough several store bought cameras. A monorail that I hated to drag around. A crown that I liked, but portrait was a pain. Then I found what I thought was the perfect rig, a tech 4. A little heavy, but I found shooting wide was a pain.

So here is where I am now in my journey. Not perfect, but its working for me. Its got a crown back, which has that great metal folding hood. The back is fixed to a rotating section very much like most of the wooden folders. The bellows are a bit odd, a cross between a bag bellows and some flexible heat ducting. Actually they work a lot better than they look, best of all they only took about an hour to build.

Now if I could only figure out how to take a decent picture.

83852

[Steve Smith]

Looks good to me. I'm currently building my third folding 5x4 camera despite not having finished No. 1 or No.2!

I keep finding ways to improve what I have planned and start again.

Do you have some more pictures (or even plans and building methods) you could share?


Steve.

[Tim k]

Steve,
No plans, I just wing it, and hope for the best. If there is anything in particular your interested in I'd be happy to share.
Tim

[David Schaller]

Looks great Tim! Congratulations.
Dave

[Cletus]

Pretty nice! Really nice finishing on the woodwork! Wish I could do that....

[ImSoNegative]

that is a fine looking camera, I would love to build an 11x14

[Steve Smith]

No plans, I just wing it, and hope for the best.

That's my method too. However, as I cut most parts on a CNC router, they do get drawn and I have shared these with a number of people.

My method is usually to make one piece then design the next piece to fit onto it and so on. I don't design the whole thing before starting work on it.


If there is anything in particular your interested in I'd be happy to share.

I would be interested in seeing your focusing rack/mechanism if you have any pictures of that, but it was more of a general interest request really.

For anyone interested in making a camera, this website is a good place to start looking, especially the 'Workshop' section: http://www.raymentkirbycameras.co.uk/


Steve.

[Tim k]

that is a fine looking camera, I would love to build an 11x14

I am of the opinion that the 11x14 is a nice size. It was actually easier to build than the 4x5. Here's my attempt.83952

[Tim k]

I would be interested in seeing your focusing rack/mechanism if you have any pictures of that, but it was more of a general interest request really.

Steve.

Steve, here are a couple of quick cell phone pics. Nothing special really, its all McMaster Carr.
83954839558395683957

[Tim k]

David and Cletus, thanks, I appreciate the kind words.

[Ricardo de Oliveira]

David and Cletus, thanks, I appreciate the kind words.
Hi Tim,
what was your metal of choice and how much do you guess your camera weights?

Ricardo

[Ricardo de Oliveira]

David and Cletus, thanks, I appreciate the kind words.
Hi Tim,
what was your metal of choice and how much do you guess your camera weights?

Ricardo

[pound]

I am of the opinion that the 11x14 is a nice size. It was actually easier to build than the 4x5. Here's my attempt.83952
cool camera! why is 11x14 easier to build than 4x5? i may skip the 4x5 and build the 11x14 instead :)

[pound]

Steve, here are a couple of quick cell phone pics. Nothing special really, its all McMaster Carr.
83954839558395683957

very nicely done. i like that knurl nut. Is that from McMaster Carr too?

[Tim k]

Hi Tim,
what was your metal of choice and how much do you guess your camera weights?

Ricardo

Ricardo, its mostly aluminum, but there is some brass and stainless here and there. It was butt ugly when the aluminum was silver. On a whim I thought I'd try some anodizing. Turns out its not too complicated, and it really cleans up the overall appearance.

I just put it on the scale, and its a bit under 5 lbs. So its a little over a pound less than my tech 4. I never was too concerned about weight, there are a few things I could have done to cut it down, but it never seemed like an issue.

[Tim k]

why is 11x14 easier to build than 4x5? i may skip the 4x5 and build the 11x14 instead :)

I'm a contractor, so I just related to the size better. Perhaps it was a little more like building a complicated cabinet project. Other than the size, the bellows were a snap. They fold up into practically nothing, due to the taper. On the 4x5 it was just more crowded, everything had to be just right. On the big rig, things could be off a little here and there and not be a big issue.

Yes, the focus knob is McMaster Carr.

[Lachlan 717]

Steve, here are a couple of quick cell phone pics. Nothing special really, its all McMaster Carr.
83954839558395683957

Tim,

Is that gear only driving one rail, or is it on a rod that also has a drive gear on the other rail? Thanks!

[Tim k]

The whole thing is symmetrical, knobs and gears on both sides. There is an axel shaft running threw the baseboard connecting the sides

[Lachlan 717]

The whole thing is symmetrical, knobs and gears on both sides. There is an axel shaft running threw the baseboard connecting the sides

Thanks, Tim.

Last questions (hopefully): Where did you source the axel? Or is it a standard rod that you connected the pinion/gear to? If the latter, did you glue the pinion to the rod, or perhaps heat shrink it?

This piece of equipment is the sticking point for me building a camera. I want to do the same thing, but have not been able to work out how to do this axel/rod. I'm at the point of getting a piece of threaded rod and locking the pinion in place with a couple of locknuts.

Again, thanks for your information with this!

[Tim k]

Lachlan,
I think the axle came from McMaster also. (They have a really good selection of rods and tubes.) If I recall, its 1/8". The problem was the knobs were for 1/4" shafts. But McMaster had a brass tube that slid over the 1/8" axle creating a bushing for the knobs. Both the knobs and gears were attached to the axle with set screws. The set screws on the knobs were no big deal, but the gear set screws, were some little bitty buggars. When I did the 11x14 I had a little bit more wood to work with, so I used a 3/16 axle rod, and gears and knobs worked out better.

If you look real close at the 3rd picture in post 17 you can see the gear setscrew.

[Jac@stafford.net]

As a friend of mine says, "Nice furniture!" But really, there are some very well done cameras here.

My last - a super wide 4x5.

86660

47mm Super Angulon in Brooks Veriwide focusing helix.

[Tim k]

Very nice. I thought my 90 was wide, but I bet you can see your feet.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Very nice. I thought my 90 was wide, but I bet you can see your feet.

Feet! That's funny.

I cannot recommend the 47mm. I have had several, some good, others not. This is a good one. Bad luck?

For wide check out a Grandagon 35mm. It is crazy wide. (Not really for 4x5, but for 6x12cm)

[Steve Smith]

Very nice. I thought my 90 was wide, but I bet you can see your feet.

Point that 47mm in any direction and your image will include the Eiffel tower, The great pyramids, the statue of liberty and the back of the camera.


Steve.

[Ari]

Tim,
Very nice job.
I'd like to know more about your bellows: what did you use and how did you make it?
Is it one ply or two? Do you have any diagrams for making them?
I need a temporary bellows for 8x10.
Thanks!

[Steve Smith]

Here is my bellows making method: http://stevesmithphoto.webs.com/bellows.html


Steve.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Here is my bellows making method: http://stevesmithphoto.webs.com/bellows.html

Wow! That's the best procedure I have come across in my lifetime.

[Tim k]

Tim,
Very nice job.
I'd like to know more about your bellows: what did you use and how did you make it?
Is it one ply or two? Do you have any diagrams for making them?
I need a temporary bellows for 8x10.
Thanks!

Ari
Here are a couple of quick shots showing the box that I built to use as a form to assemble the bellows. The brown paper represents the inner layer of material. Then it was wrapped with the wire. Then the outer cover is glued on. Seriously it took longer to build the form, than it did to glue up the belows.
The other shot shows them at about 90mm.
Now I'm not saying this is the best way to build a bellows. Steves method is much nicer.

[Kuzano]

WOW!!!!

Really... but not all in one frame... Right? Like the chipmunk said to the Eagle... You wouldn't S__t me now, would you?

[Ari]

Thank you, Tim, and thanks also to Steve.
Great ways to get a working bellows up and running in little time.

[Steve Smith]

Steves method is much nicer.

I'm not sure. If I do it again, I plan to make a conical box as in your example (probably from MDF) but still cut the stiffeners on the laser and keep them retained in the sheet (or four sheets). I would have pins fitted to the box with corresponding registration holes in the stiffener sheets to ensure perfect positioning.

I am lucky in that I have the use of the laser cutter and a CNC router/drill at work. Have a look at the 6x12 camera link below to see what the CNC router can do.


Steve.