Use $20 on a good set of small screw drivers. Then watch ebay and craigslist for "give-away" cameras that don't work. Then try your hand at camera repair. I just picked up a Rolliflex for free. The shutter doesn't work, but if I had the time I probably could get it to work.
Lots of takers on the 9x12 cm plate cameras. I'd like to suggest a Moskva-5 as a viable alternate -- a good one will easily cost less than $100 shipped from one of the reputable sellers in Ukraine. It uses easily available and potentially very cheap 120 film (J&C Pro 100 is $1.39 a roll just now, and there are 4 brands with 6 or 7 emulsions at J&C Photo for under $3/roll) to produce a 6x9 cm negative, the lens is as good as anything from the folder era, it has a nice rangefinder, and it will fit in a coat pocket. It also supports dual format, if you spring for the format mask.
The foamcore pinhole camera is a nice alternative, though if you have access to construction waste it'll probably cheaper to build with actual wood (and Titebond or similar yellow carpenter's glue, aka aliphatic resin, is as good as any glue made for gluing wood -- if the join is stronger than the wood, you gain nothing by using a stronger glue -- and more forgiving than Gorilla Glue as well as cheaper). I've got a design figured out, but not yet built, for a dark slide incorporated interchangeable film holder that can be easily fabricated from foam core, matt board, coroplast, sheet polystyrene, sheet ABS, or even hardboard aka Masonite (the latter available for just over $2 for a 2' x 4' quarter sheet at Home Depot), easily scalable up to 8x10 and easily constructed for a couple bucks a whack, though possibly not precise enough for lens photography (might be, though, if built carefully from dimensionally stable material).
If a contact print at arm's length is too small to see, you need a bigger camera. :D
I just want to say to Mr Luddite "You Rock!" I've built a couple five dollar wonders but nothing that nice.
Hope you don't mind if I steal your plans.
Kevin-
If you don't mind living without a shutter, there are plenty of excellent lenses out there for less than $38. In my personal collection I have process lenses of 210mm, 305mm, and 375mm, all of which are modern, in excellent condition, give razor-sharp images, cover 8x10 with bunches movement, and none of which cost more than $25. If you can live without a shutter, and you're willing to take a lens that's hard to put into a shutter, then you can get an awful lot of lens for $38.
I'm happy to hear that you don't need to find a $38 lens, but if you ever do then you know there are answers out there.
Be well.
Dave
Being a high school photo teacher, I've become quite expert at shoestring photo operations. Regarding this particular question, just last week I bought a scruffy old 4x5 Burke and James Press Camera at a local store (Monument Camera, Tucson, AZ) for $20. The bellows is shot, but if I don't have a replacement, I can tape it up. No lens, but I bought a clean 135 Optar in a working shutter for $35 at a recent camera show along with 4 usable holders for $10. Figure $15 for a used tripod and $25 for a Gossen Pilot meter, and the whole outfit comes in at $105. Should be in use in about two more weeks.
Then again, I once traded a nice matted 8x10 contact print for a good Yashica 124G tlr for the school, putting me into that one for maybe $10 plus two hours labor. There are other avenues for the desparate...
I've picked up an old 5x7 Rapid Rectilinear and a Voigtlander 135 Skopar that were each $35 or so, in shutters, via eBay. No, the speeds aren't great, but they do work. And the glass on both is reasonably clean - not at all the bargain disaster you might expect. Deals are around if you keep your eyes open.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks