The Mercury, a universal camera

[Tin Can]

@Zhorton I PM u tom.

I am xited bout "Graflok 23 Instax Wide back".

I know a guy who tried hand process Instax. No go! I have the samples here. LOL

[plywood]

Zach, thanks for your reply to my concerns. Not sure whether I will back or not but the helical looks interesting and might be worth the 2x3 backer option. I have a good friend, he is a just retired machinist and last year, when I showed him the Travelwide project and noted the problems they were having with the molded helical his comment was that he would have machined the helical out of plastic. He was quite confident he could get a good fit. Now perhaps being in the business for 40 years he sees every problem as machining problem but could that be a viable option? Even when 'finished' the Travelwide helical was too tight. I had to disassemble mine and work down the 4 lateral ridges spaced at 90 degrees around the helical with fine sandpaper before the helical was useable. That's fine for me, I'm an inveterate tinkerer. But some folks who backed a camera would have no idea what to do to fix a too tight helical. I'm fairly sure that inquires to Wanderlust Cameras would get the same response as did many questions asked in the Travelwide thread. IOW......

[zhorton]

the so called LF back is using non standard slotted film holders and there's talk of cutting 5x4 film to fit

Hi Ian, sorry for any confusion about this. The LF back is the Graflok standard, which is about as universal as LF gets, and thus can take any Graflok accessory. It definitely takes standard 4x5 film. It can also take standard sheet film holders, though they need to be pressed against the back with either a small adapter we're developing, a rubber band, your hand, etc. I've shot 4x5 sheet film without anything pressing, as it is a snug fit, and it worked out fine. I decided to go with Graflok instead of just a spring for sheet film holders because I thought that would be more useful for more purposes overall. It is easy to get sheet film holders to work on a Graflok back, but not the other way around.

One thing that may be confusing is that this camera can also shoot medium format Graflok 23. I think we mentioned being able to cut down 4x5 film to that format for exotic stocks. But these backs follow the international standard, and film does not need to be cut down.

[zhorton]

I am xited bout "Graflok 23 Instax Wide back".

Hi Randy, I know that Instax is not everyone's cup of tea (and many of us are still in deep mourning over the discontinuation of Fuji's peel apart instant films), but I've gotta say that it is really fun to shoot! So I hear you, brother. That particular back (which can be viewed briefly in the Kickstarter film and which was used to shoot the Instax Wide photos that appear there), adapted from Lomography's Belair Instant Back, is pretty difficult to construct (it wasn't easy getting that large of a frame to fit a medium format back; our Graflok 45 version allowed for more breathing room from an engineering standpoint), and thus I decided to leave it off of our already crowded Kickstarter. But we'll make them available soon, and I'll make sure you get one!

[jnantz]

Dear Zach,

I'm not really interested in going further down the track of handheld cameras, but did want to say I fully support your initiative. I find all the naysayers odd, and rude. If they are not interested, why even comment? I think this camera will appeal especially to medium format shooters, and young hipsters and hackers into experimental photography; and expect it to be a gateway drug into the world of large format. I applaud any initiative that seeks to expand the number of people using and enjoying film. I think that is good for all of us, so

Bravo!


Best, Tim

+2

good luck with your project !!

[zhorton]

Zach, thanks for your reply to my concerns. Not sure whether I will back or not but the helical looks interesting and might be worth the 2x3 backer option. I have a good friend, he is a just retired machinist and last year, when I showed him the Travelwide project and noted the problems they were having with the molded helical his comment was that he would have machined the helical out of plastic. He was quite confident he could get a good fit. Now perhaps being in the business for 40 years he sees every problem as machining problem but could that be a viable option? Even when 'finished' the Travelwide helical was too tight. I had to disassemble mine and work down the 4 lateral ridges spaced at 90 degrees around the helical with fine sandpaper before the helical was useable. That's fine for me, I'm an inveterate tinkerer. But some folks who backed a camera would have no idea what to do to fix a too tight helical. I'm fairly sure that inquires to Wanderlust Cameras would get the same response as did many questions asked in the Travelwide thread. IOW......

Yep, our brilliant engineer Andrew worked out our helical issues, and we ruled out injection molding for that part (or rather, multiple parts) from the beginning. Tolerances are just too tight to expect something injection molded to work perfectly, unless you have endless time and money to keep making mold after mold until it is perfect. You are right: helicals can indeed be machined, and that's the usual practice for metal. Would it work for plastic? Yes, I think so. The problem is mostly cost: CNC machining ain't cheap! We were going to go that way if necessary, but it turned out that Andrew's design is extremely robust, precise, and functional. If I may brag on his behalf for a second, it's a brilliant piece of work (took about a year to get perfect). And we can offer it at an affordable price because it can be 3D printed, at least when following his strict formulas, using high quality printers (we use Zortrax) and high quality materials, with careful quality control. There's still a lot of assembly required on Andrew's part, but ultimately we've kept the cost down at my target.

Thanks again for your feedback! I hope you decide to take the plunge... as a fellow inveterate tinkerer, it was tinkering that lead me to want a fully modular camera in the first place.

[zhorton]

Dear Zach,

I'm not really interested in going further down the track of handheld cameras, but did want to say I fully support your initiative. I find all the naysayers odd, and rude. If they are not interested, why even comment? I think this camera will appeal especially to medium format shooters, and young hipsters and hackers into experimental photography; and expect it to be a gateway drug into the world of large format. I applaud any initiative that seeks to expand the number of people using and enjoying film. I think that is good for all of us, so

Bravo!

Best, Tim

Thanks Tim (and Rich and Kevin)! I often wonder the same myself, but that just seems to be how the web works. I just try to take all criticism as constructive on some level and stay positive. In all fairness, this is a complex project, and thus quite difficult to convey succinctly, so some confusion and misinterpretation is quite normal. And even suspicion, probably. I try not to take it personally, and will try to clear it all up as best I can!

Your characterization of the camera's appeal perfectly expresses my own hopes and expectations about its user base. And I absolutely hope that it serves as a gateway drug to larger and larger formats, more and more film shot! I understand that many folks prefer a specialized machine for their particular use case, but for me, a fully customizable camera brings back a joy in photography that is similar to the beginning, as well as the pleasure one finds in returning to film after digital. Besides veteran photographers looking for something extremely versatile and lightweight, I hope to reach younger photographers, to help open their eyes to the many pleasures of photography beyond point and shoot.

[EdSawyer]

Well, it's an interesting endeavor, it reminds me more of a Cambo Wide (original version) than anything else. I would be surprised if it got much traction, but more people shooting large or medium format film is always a good thing, so good luck on the efforts!

[seezee]

Zach, you need to either update the link on the Kickstarter page to go to mercurycamera.com (not www.mercurycamera.com) or update your DNS A records so both URLs point to the site.

[Tin Can]

Hi Randy, I know that Instax is not everyone's cup of tea (and many of us are still in deep mourning over the discontinuation of Fuji's peel apart instant films), but I've gotta say that it is really fun to shoot! So I hear you, brother. That particular back (which can be viewed briefly in the Kickstarter film and which was used to shoot the Instax Wide photos that appear there), adapted from Lomography's Belair Instant Back, is pretty difficult to construct (it wasn't easy getting that large of a frame to fit a medium format back; our Graflok 45 version allowed for more breathing room from an engineering standpoint), and thus I decided to leave it off of our already crowded Kickstarter. But we'll make them available soon, and I'll make sure you get one!

PM sent on KS page.