POLAROID 4x5 Conversion !! A new project !!

Sully, I don't have a clue on 3d printing. Is it like folding up an origami pattern on card stock and maybe coating it with resin to harden up?

Oh—OK now that I've followed the link and read some I guess I get it. Seems like the way to go, but the gear seems expensive for DIY. Does Hobby Lobby sell a consumer level model?

Talked to people involved with 3D printing recently and they see the immense possibilities of small scale printing which could become an entirely new workforce/manufacturing base for some products. What you can make with these printers is astonishing.

But back to the conversions, I also don't see why keeping the body intact is sacrosanct. The only collectibility is for those looking to do conversions themselves, otherwise they're just shelf queens.

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Originally Posted by sully75

Good question Drew. My only thought is that it seems like you'd either have to be really rich to own one, since they were prohibitively expensive. So...maybe no one needed to sell their old ones. And perhaps he supplied them to the pros he features on his site for free? One forum member has one here, very nice guy.

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A friend of mine gave me a Polaroid 900 the other day. It was abandoned by the landlady renting his house. She is very well off and it was indeed a travel/leisure camera back in the day. I have seen plenty of SX-70 cameras in shops but this was the first 900 I'd ever seen other than my converted one. I might ship it off to get converted too, or maybe sell it sometime. Also has the silly flash and humongous case!

... I'm again
The reason to keep the body intact is intended for sevaral aspects:
1- take all the original parts may not decrease the future value of your camera
2- cut the original back and melt it with a 4x5 back is very frustrating and difficult to do ...
3- remove two inges and replace all the back piece is fast and you can do it be yourself without any particular service man ...

[Drew Bedo] asked me how to use after back implantation:
It's very simple .. after replaced the back you'll have the exact space of a international 4x5 back so you can use all the film holder that you want..... i'm making compatibility test and till now i've verified the possibiltiy to use: "Fidelity 4x5 film holder"; Polaroid 550 ( or FUJI PA-45 ); polaroid 405 ... and i'm waiting for test whit 120 roll film holder and a ground glass.

I want also clarify why i've starting this project:
Attachment 71469

As you can see i've tried by myself to convert a 110a back ... but it's still unfinished .... and i wanted to do something simpler and more functional.

I suspect that the conversion that ML-pisel is looking at might have been done before and there are many options but this one http://davidharms.wordpress.com/new-...nversion-back/ looks to be a very interesting option and as soon as my 110A turns up I will be getting in touch

Note that $7,000 one is for a 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar that you have to provide. So tack on another $1500-$2000 for that lens...

aluncrockford: Thanks for the link. I read some of the blog and watched the video. Seems that at the end, he had adapted a pack film back to accept a single load for a tintype Dagureiotype or maybe a glass plate. I don't see how one could load a 4x5 film holder ("double dark-slide") or Grafmatic magazine.

What most of us (me anyway) are looking for is a way to conveniently shoot 4x5 films with a hand-held rangefinder camera at a reasonable cost.

Having owned a couple of mods, I have to say that so far I really like the Byron conversions the most. Definitely not the least expensive but Daniel makes a very clean conversion geared towards street shooters using Grafmatics. Regular film holders need to be modded to fit securely but I'm happy I can use the Grafmatic and Polaroid 550 with it.

As for the 'other' conversion, I have to say that something other than what appears to be a Graflok back would have been more in line with the pricing.

Could 3-D printing technology be used to make parts for the injection molded Titan cameras? What about a plastic Grafmatic? How about a lens board. Mounting flanges or retaining rings; could they be made this way? What about Lens cones for Fotoman bodoes or Holga bodies that are light-tight?

Anybody have an idea that is worth doing this way?