question for those who built their own cameras

[Daniel_Buck]

I've been wanting to make my own camera for a while now, (machined out of aluminum) I've done a fair amount of work in Solidworks and Autodesk InventerPro, and I work in 3d visual effects every day at work (graphics though, not designing technical things). Not for marketing or selling, partly just to get around some of the limitations of my current cameras, but mostly just for the fun of it :-) Because I'm sure I could find a big studio camera that would suit my needs, I'd rather have fun making it myself.

My main question is what did yall use for the bellows and the film back? Did yall design a camera that fits an already made bellows and film back? Or did yall make your own? If you made your own (more talking about the film back here) did you run into any problems?

I'm thinking about just designing the camera to use an already made set of bellows and film back, and just grabbing a film back off of an existing metal camera, and bellows off of a studio camera or something (with no tapering), just because I can't invision making bellows as being much fun, hah! As well as making sure that the front standard holds the same size boards that I want to use. More than likely I'll make the front standard much larger than it needs to be (so that I can mount strange lenses that wouldn't otherwise fit on a standard camera) and then making an adapter to use the more common (smaller) sizes, Sinar or Technica size.

Any other hurtles that yall found unexpectedly? I'm probably going to make it a monorail design, since that is simpler. But eventually I'd like to make an all aluminum folding field camera. So I wouldn't mind hearing from folks who have built both types :-)

[EdWorkman]

Made my own tapered bellows- the ugliest part is on the bottom
Made an 8x10 back, but it awaits less stiff springs.
Made the front lensboard holder to fit a front standard- rises and tilts, standard provides swing.
The front standard is actually the back of a small B&J view, running on the [slimmed] B&J bed.
I didn't carve metal - used a very old table saw to machine wood- did lots of things twice.
Got to get back to the project- I've proved it works, and proved that specific modifications are needed- some are accomplished and some await.
Someday i may do the bellows over to make a prettier one, or not and go on to the bellows for the 7x17 project- Progress on that includes a box for a Packard to hold 6x6 boards, and adapters 6x6 to 4x4.
Just takes time and patience to do it over until it works. I await, among other things, light valves to complete the 7x17 holder project- if I can make that work [no precision machining], the rest is well not easy but possible.

[jp]

Chamonix sells 4x5 bellows pretty inexpensive; you could inquire what they'd charge for 8x10.

[Daniel_Buck]

Chamonix sells 4x5 bellows pretty inexpensive; you could inquire what they'd charge for 8x10.

They taper I want a very large front standard. I know some 8x10 studio cameras have non-tapering bellows, I would probably just find a good set of bellows that are used, instead of having some made or buying new ones. Bellows something like these:

[Jack Dahlgren]

I've been thinking of making a camera too when I have some free time... but it would certainly pay to leverage things which are already done (like camera backs or rangefinders) if you wanted to get started with it and didn't want to make springs, groundglass and the like.

I was thinking to make an ultrawide - so the body could be small - almost one piece with not much need for movements.

[ic-racer]

Might want to check out a bellows price quote from these folks. I got a quote from them that was less than the 'usual' other bellows sources. (But wound up making my own, so I can't judge their work).

http://www.gortite.com/forms/cb100.php

[Daniel_Buck]

ooh, look at that, I'll have to contact them about some bellows, see what their pricing is :-) Thanks!

[GPS]

ooh, look at that, I'll have to contact them about some bellows, see what their pricing is :-) Thanks!

Their pricing is not bad but beware, they use the most expensive S&H charges they can get. Also the material they use is too heavy, not easily pliable and not so good for cameras - it's more of the technical belows rather than photographic stuff.
Custom Bellows in England have much better stuff for us, photographers.

[cjbroadbent]

The back is the hardest part make and the easiest to salvage. Mine is an Arca: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

[Ernest Purdum]

Unless you can get some existing bellows at a particularly good price, having them made to your exact size needs would be better. Besides Camera Bellows in England that I have used, there are several bellows suppliers in the USA.