HOBO Camera

[gliderbee]

I'm looking for information on HOBO cameras ... What does HOBO stand for ? Is it an acronym ?

As I understand, the lenses are set at hyperfocal distance, but hyperfocal distance changes with chosen aperture, right ? At what distance is the lens set then ?

E.g. a 90/f8 lens: according to my tables, for 5x7, hyperfocal distance would be:

f8: 684.0cm (269.3")
f11: 486.3cm (191.5")
f16: 346.5cm (136.4")
...

Thanks for any help,
Stefan.

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

Stephen,

346.5 cm is about 11ft. This is very close to the 11.4ft I get using the Online Depth of Field Calculator.

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

[gliderbee]

Hello Edward,

You are right; I used inches because I'm not sure what normally is used in this kind of calculations; I have the data from an app on my android phone.

Regards,
Stefan.

[Cor]

I'm looking for information on HOBO cameras ... What does HOBO stand for ? Is it an acronym ?

I do not know were HOBO stands for, I always think back to a book I read when I was younger, it was about tramps who traveled around the USA by clinging on the bottom of trains, sitting between the wheels on the axle or something, the conductors would try get rid of these people by lowering a heavy wrench on a rope, it would bounce around and kick/kill these travelers..anyway how OT you can get, but I seem to recall that these people were called Hobos..

Best,

Cor

[Brian Ellis]

My recollection is that the Hobo camera was made and/or marketed by Bostick and Sullivan. Bostick and Sullivan is still around, why don't you contact them with your questions. I don't think they still make/market the camera but I don't know for sure. I always assumed that "Hobo" was just a name given to suggest that the camera could easily be carried around and used almost anywhere but obviously they could tell you where the name comes from.

http://www.bostick-sullivan.com/

[gliderbee]

Thanks for all the answers, but what really interests me is the focal distance these cameras are set, since this differs according to the aperture chosen, and (as I understand) cannot be changed once set.

Since some people here make these cameras themselves, somebody has to know.

Regards,
Stefan.

[Matus Kalisky]

I would only add that one should be careful with the computed DOF or hyper-focal distance. The catch is that these of course depend on the selected Circle of Confusion which with the online calculators (e.g. THIS one) usually linearly grows with the format (0.03 mm for 35mm, 0.06 mm for 6x7 and so on) and is meant to produce sharp 8x10" print. One may need to go with smaller numbers depending on the print size planned.
If one were to compute the DOF or hyper-focal distance as a function of enlargement factor (print size relative to negative size) the only variables left would be focal length and f/stop - the format of the film would not play a role anymore.

[banjo]

will as to all the little Kodak Camera that we all had as your first camera as Kids
they to were all set at a hyper-focal point as best that I can remamber that was about 15' a f8 But as we now know hyper-focal will change with minty things
THATs at the point of focus
THE aperture
as the HOBO is for big vistas the would make thank that the point of focus would
be some where close to Infinty & that could be anything from say 100' as on most lens 100' to Infinty aint but a mm or to
as why to use hyper focal is to gome back from Infinty to make more of your forground to be near focus and with a smaller aperture you get a greater Depth of Field! so using a smaller aperture & a Depth of Field Calculator and setting the outer
range for far DOF at Infinty giving you a better hyper focal distance or more forground to be sharper as Ansel was a mimber of f64 we know that he liked small
aperture giving hem a greater DOF with using hyper focal distance
SO using dofmaster a 90mm at f64 Subject distance of 100' we get Depth of field
Near limit 18 ft Far limit Infinity
but at f8 we get Depth of field Near limit 63.7 ft Far limit 232.7 ft
so I would thank that the HOBO would be set for focus some where near 100'

[Brad Rippe]

The term "Hobo" is derived from "Homeward Bound". Not sure if this was the inspiration for the cameras name, but they are very portable cameras and easy to use, considering they came in 4 by 5 and 8 by 10 sizes. I'm sure you could hop a train with one, and get some incredible photographs....

[banjo]

HoBo was a homeless vagabond, especially one who is penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not work at all, 'hobos' are workers who wander.