US Manufactering of a Precision View Camera

[Frank Petronio]

I'm happy with my Arca/Graflex pile of parts, I have no ambition to make cameras. Just curious.

What I would like to see are some new camera designs for digital, they seem to have stagnanted for a moment. But no, I don't want to tackle that either!

[Jonathan Brewer]

"And I read about all this one-off custom manufacturing, and am wondering outloud if you could design anything you want and just have the machine grind it out -- plop!".......................I just got through doing that Frank...........go 2 the S.K. Grimes to get a load of the 'Silhouette 612', it's shown on the front page, I had an idea, sketches, and got together w/Adam, who turned the rough sketch into a refined camera.

In researching panorama cameras, only the Alpa supplied the Schneider Apo Tele-Xenar, I wasn't about to pay for an Alpa w/a xxxxx pricetag, and I wanted a panorama camera where I didn't have to turn the camera on it's side, so I wanted a rotating back.

I got stopped and questioned in the Port of LA while I was shooting trains, I'd actually finished shooting, and was dis-assembling my Toyo AII when I was approached, I'd made up my mind then that I wanted a 4x5 which I didn't have to fold/unfold, where I could just pull it out and put on my tripod, shoot, take off, and put it away. Also a 4x5 I could handhold as a last resort.

I was not carrying another 4x5 around, and a panorama camera, so why not design a camera that does both, so I asked Adam to tackle it, and he accomplished that for WAY LESS than what ALPA wants for a Schneider Apo Tele-Xenar and the lens cone, the camera is smooth not rough, there are no major problems, and I love using it, it's light than it looks, I think Adam mentioned he used most T-61 in its construction, I haven't weighed it, but it feels much less than my RB Pro-SD w/a 180mm lens, and is effortless to handhold w/its 'lip'/base in the palm of your 'off-hand', I've been held back on the handholding aspect as I search for the right viewfinder.

I'm glad I did this project because I got exactly what I wanted, it's got a Toyo rotating back, so I can use my reflex finder, Toyo film backs, and Horseman 612 mags, and both the Sihouette and Toyo AII can share these, all for nowhere near what they're asking for other systems in just one format.

I don't see why several shooters who like the idea of a certain design can't get together to have run of that design, I saw several panorama cameras on sale on e-bay from the chinese, but I could never get a straight answer as to the materials and build quality of these systems, so I turned to Adam, I already had the Horseman backs for my Toyo AII, the Linhof grip, I got the lens I wanted, getting the Schneider 250mm Apo Tele-Xenar from Badger, so Adam fabricated everything else, but using existing stuff where possible kept the price down.

I was in Long Beach shooting w/this camera, and a guy who used 2 use 4x5, came up, looked at this camera and his eyes glazed over, he looked like he just had to know what the camera was, and after racking his brain mercilessly, I told him it was a one ff, and I find myself taking this thing out a lot, and I have a neverending satifisfaction that it is my personal camera, I suggest that this is possible for a reasonable amount of money as long as folks like Adam are around and are still willing to do it.

[paulr]

"If you have an autocad with CNC background (preferably a small shop), building a straight forward field camera would be easy I feel. "

that was the feeling of a friend/teacher of mine. he collaborated with the machinist at my college to make his dream 5x7. about a year into the project his feelings started to change!

no experience doing this kind of thing myself. but i understand it. some people just like to design and build stuff. and in some cases it comes from a vague dissatisfaction with the things that are available ... call it pickiness.

most of the manufacturers of outdoor clothing and climbing gear came out of the same kind of dissatisfaction. they started in the garages of enthusiasts who just felt they could do better than what was being offered elsewhere.

[tim atherton]

Hey Jonathan - I like the improved Technikardan as well

http://www.skgrimes.com/thisweek/1-13-06/index.htm

[Aaron van de Sande]

A friend of mine runs a small machine shop that sells performance parts for cars and for aircraft. He has the castings done in China and does the final machining in house.

[Kirk Gittings]

"I agree with Steve. EBAY is killing or killed new camera mfgs/sellers."

My main competition for my own book sales are the used books of mine for sale through Amazon. On the other hand I don't hesitate to buy used book that I need when I get the chance. You can't have it both ways. Ebay and Amazon are here to stay.

[Jonathan Brewer]

'Hey Jonathan - I like the improved Technikardan as well'...........................Yes Tim, I saw that, and it's awesome, having gone through this process of collarboration on this camera, I'd do it again, it was extreme fun, and the most satifaction came from finding a way to make it a LOT cheaper than an Alpa, you can do this for about the same money as you're going to pay for a panoramic camera that has stuff on it you don't want.

[Frank Petronio]

We were discussing that over on Galbraith before his meltdown. The architectural guys were lusting over the Alpa XY body, which is something like $6,000 for a flat plate with two screw drives. Nice for wide digital lenses and the 39 mb Leaf and Phase One backs.

I suggested that a local machine shop could probably build a custom one for half that.

Jonathan - why such a long lens on a hand camera? Can they also build you a nice Brewer-Wide to compliment it?

[Jonathan Brewer]

'Jonathan - why such a long lens on a hand camera? Can they also build you a nice Brewer-Wide to compliment it?'........................I could lie to you and give you a lot of rationalizing, but I won't, getting what I was getting from about the same focal length on the Toyo, I just felt confident I could handhold this rig in a pinch, it'll do most of it's work on the tripod, shooting 4x5, with the 612 back on it, I grab the Linhof grip w/my left hand, the base fits in the palm of my right hand, and the fingers come naturally to rest on the barrel, I rest my right elbow against my stomach,...............I've got some pretty sharp test shots back doing this. The viewfinder isn't accurate, I'm deciding how I'm going to upgrade.

I'm really happy w/the camera, Adam made modifications/changes along the way w/out me telling him, I kept mentioning to him 'simpler' and 'smaller', and I found I could depend on his professional pride/'wanting it right' attitude to smooth over 'teething problems' w/a 'one off', I didn't know if I'd get that from the Chinese cameras I saw on e-bay.

Doing this, setting this up to include the ability to switch wide angle w/a shorter cone wouldn't be a problem.

[Frank Petronio]

It certainly is much more attractive as a camera than those ugly Graflex XL hybrids they made for a awhile (the ProPaq). I'm sure they worked fine and the lenses were first class, but I never cared for the plastic Graflex XL system - what were they smoking in Rochester in the 60s?