My Fastest Rebuild Ever! An 8x20 Korona Rebuild and Mod in 1 Night!

Hi all,

Just wanted to share this fun project with you all. This afternoon I took delivery of an 8x20 Korona from a member here. The camera has a fresh set of bellows on it which is awesome. The camera was missing the extension rail but a suitable replacement was provided. It was actually the front rail from an 8x10 but matches well. Essentially, I stripped down what needed to and made sure that everything was sitting right. I modified and mated the replacement extension rail to be a next to perfect fit to the camera. I also added a matching hinge so that the camera now has folding front and rear rails instead of a detachable one that would inevitably get lost and with the newly modified rail it has a max extension of 33 inches which isn't too bad. My 450mm and 600mm will do well with it.. The camera came without a back because the original back was mildly warped and needed to be fixed or replaced. I opted to replace it. I would have replaced it either way in order to make use of modern 8x10 film holders as opposed to the older non-ANSI Korona holders. I had an orphan 12x20 to 8x20 reducing back which I intended to use to make an 8x20 expansion back for my V11 Deardorff but which didn't work out because of practicality. I cut down the orphan back to make the new back for the 8x20 and it fits like a glove and the wood even matches fairly well. I still need to complete the light trap on the inside of the back but thats about it. It appears that my 6x6 Deardorff boards fit the camera which was a pleasant surprise and eliminates one of the things I would have had to modify on the camera. All I need to do is reduce the depth of the recess just slightly to make it a snug fit for the boards.

Attached are some images of the nearly completed camera. Now I'm going to bed... :)

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Nice job! The hinge for the rear rail is a good idea.

Jon

Thanks Jon! Loving this camera!

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Originally Posted by Jon Shiu

Nice job! The hinge for the rear rail is a good idea.

Jon

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Wouldn't it get in the way when not needed?

I'd find it a PITA when trying to focus whilst using a lens that only requires the front rail. (I don't have a lens that requires it on my 7x17, so leave the extension in a cupboard).

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Wouldn't it get in the way when not needed?

I'd find it a PITA when trying to focus whilst using a lens that only requires the front rail. (I don't have a lens that requires it on my 7x17, so leave the extension in a cupboard).

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Not at all for me. I'm a long lens kind of guy. For me there is no such thing as a lens that doesn't require the rear rail. Thats why it was a no brainer for me. Even with shorter lenses I don't think the rail would really bother me at all but then again shorter lenses aren't a concern of mine :)

I wonder if it's possible to hinge it under the camera? Should just go around the tripod head hopefully. I thought about trying that on my old Korona but didn't bother.

Pretty sweet camera. Wish I could afford to fool with ULF panoramic stuff, both in terms of money and time.

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Originally Posted by Corran

I wonder if it's possible to hinge it under the camera? Should just go around the tripod head hopefully. I thought about trying that on my old Korona but didn't bother.

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Nah, wouldn't work. It'd upset the folded dimensions of the camera.

I've thought about a connector for under the front rail (leave on until required, then unclip) but this would get in the way of the stabilising rails.

When I get around to getting a 600mm lens, I'll put some real thought into it.

Most of the people here who can afford ULF are probably retired professionals with nice kitchen cabinets. I can tell you aren't, and that you're hardcore enough to say to Hell with the cabinetry. You'll eat rice and beans to buy film, right?

Kudos

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I wonder if it's possible to hinge it under the camera? Should just go around the tripod head hopefully. I thought about trying that on my old Korona but didn't bother.

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I suppose you could find a way but it wouldn't really make sense to fold the camera that way unless you could be some way of it reversing to fold properly. Realistically, an 8x20 isn't a huge camera and even with both rails down the extension isn't that dramatic that you'd be concerned with the rail "getting in the way". My experience with ULF started with a 20x24 I restored from the back of an antique shop so compared to that the rest of my cameras are a cake walk. I suppose if I used wide lenses it might be a different story and I may not have installed the rear rail on a permanent hinge. In the case of fairly wide lenses the camera is probably more then adequate without the rear rail entirely.

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Most of the people here who can afford ULF are probably retired professionals with nice kitchen cabinets. I can tell you aren't, and that you're hardcore enough to say to Hell with the cabinetry. You'll eat rice and beans to buy film, right?

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Frank, are you making fun of my cabinets!? Haha, I'm definitely no retired professional and my cabinets are bare except for a box of 7 month old cereal. The house we're in now (we rent) was partially remodeled and they did a half ass job on the kitchen but I didn't think it was that bad haha! :)

I'm just saying I respect your priorities!