Ultra-light, DIY ULF Camera

[Michael Roberts]

It appears your front rise/fall is maxed out at zero height. Is this a good choice? Serious question.

You're right, it was close to max in that photo, but not quite. In practice, I could elevate the front end of the rail, adjust front and rear tilt to keep both lens and film parallel, and accomplish as much front rise as needed or as much as the lens coverage would permit.

[Michael Roberts]

Wow, looks much better than my 14x17 box camera for sure. But balsam? Isn't that really in danger of snapping? I've only used balsam with those airplanes you buy as a kid. But it was pretty easy to damage..

The balsa I use is 1/2" thick and 2" wide. I designed the camera so the stress was on the 2" dimension, or at least no direct stress on the 1/2" dimension. Two inch thick balsa is tough to break. Balsa wood is used to make surfboards (with an outer skin of epoxy or other hard material).

In later usage, I have been covering the balsa with 1/32 or 1/16" hardwood (basswood, mahogany, cherry or walnut). This doesn't add much weight and prevents dings in the softer balsa. It also holds screws much better.

[StoneNYC]

So neat!!! Thanks for sharing.

[Tin Can]

Yes tilts. Thanks for your Now Obvious Solution!

You're right, it was close to max in that photo, but not quite. In practice, I could elevate the front end of the rail, adjust front and rear tilt to keep both lens and film parallel, and accomplish as much front rise as needed or as much as the lens coverage would permit.

[blindpig]

Thanks for re-posting your pictures,what a great idea(Balsa wood).You've done a fantastic job with the build.Looking forward to seeing pictures from the new camera.
Don

[Fr. Mark]

Yes, thanks for posting this. I could imagine a fiberglass epoxy coating might be good too as long as one didn't go crazy with how much you put on. I've thought about using it over corrugated cardboard or plastic, too. I also like the rail idea. I tried something kind of similar following the Hoover idea on the main page links that used U channels but they aren't rigid enough for 8x10 the way I wanted to build it. Thanks also for packing pictures.