Wanderlust 4x5 P&S

[Ben Syverson]

Ben, your iPhone needs tilts!

Haha, the funny thing is I was subconsciously trying to level the iPhone so the buildings would be straight for that shot. Obviously I was a little off, but it goes to show how deeply that stuff gets ingrained!

[Roger Thoms]

Ben, you need something like this, http://www.iphone-tripodholder.com/ it would make image composition much easier with your iPhone. I have a iPad and try as I may I can't get my verticals right hand holding the stupid thing.

Looks like the camera is coming along nicely, good to see the prototype.

Roger

[Ben Syverson]

Thanks Roger! I have a couple cases with tripod threads, but I wasn't sweating the composition too much for that shot. It was really more of a snapshot to show the 4x5.

[Kuzano]

Thanks Kuzano! The back is pretty simple:


The ledge on the left will have two screws that will secure two flexible metal prongs. Removing those spring metal prongs is as simple as unscrewing two screws, after which you can rubber band anything to the back.

Looking at it again, I'm pretty confident that the QL holder would fit without any modification:

The C2 definitely needs to be banded, but it's actually quite natural-feeling once it's attached. It would certainly be lighter and less bulky to pack the 45 and a C2 vs the 45 and a Mamiya 7. And 90mm is a nice 50-ish lens on 6x7.

I was out shooting with the camera today, and had a blast. You could really shoot all day with this thing in your hand, which is not something I could say about many 4x5s. If you're bold, you can even shoot one-handed quite comfortably:

BTW, all these photos are from my blog "Ben Syverson holding things"

Less than I had envisioned, which is better than I expected. Simply an open box the size of the length and width dimension of most film holder. This is exactly what I would have hoped for.. Strap on your favorite holder and go shooting. I see you have the positioning groove for the ridge on the film side of the holder...good.

Thanks for the pics... very helpful and convinces me I can shoot up my ready/quick loads and more as I find it.

Lars

[Ben Syverson]

Yeah, I actually downloaded the ANSI standard for film holders, and used that as my guide. So any holder that sticks to the spec should work. So far, so good!

There's the old saying "Less is more," which is associated with Mies. But I actually prefer the Dieter Rams version, which translates as "Less, but better." Rather than just making a stripped-down version of a product, Rams was able to improve the product at the same time as simplifying it.

[Vascilli]

How tough would it be for the average guy to modify? This looks like the perfect base for all sorts of project cameras.

[Ben Syverson]

Hopefully it should be pretty easy to customize! The front facilitates rubber banding, the boreholes could be mount points for a variety of mods, and there are three cold shoes too! I'm excited about people using the camera as a base.

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

Ben do you have a time estimate on when we can get our hands on one of these cameras?

[mrkauffman]

^^^ forreal! lol i have a lot of questions regarding lenses, but im sure theyve been answered somewhere in this thread (is there a specific 65 or 90 the body will be made for?)

[rdenney]

Yes, it's worth noting those differences. It would appear from what Ole linked (despite my lack of German) that the 65/8 Super Angulon has a flange focal distance of 70mm, the 90/6.8 Angulon is 90, and the 90/8 Super Angulon is 100. All with a tolerance of +/- 0.5mm. I'll measure the 90mm Optar W.A. as soon as I'm there with it at the same time an infinity target is available (read: at home during daylight--Friday).

Okay, not the same Friday I originally promised. But I just mounted my Graflex Optar W. A. f/6.8 3-1/2" (90mm) on my Speed Graphic, focused it using the ground glass, and measured the flange focal distance. I measured 89.2-89.3mm. I cannot say what the tolerance is, or where this particular lens fits within that tolerance. But setting the minimum flange distance at 89 will work for my lens, though it may be a bit tight if you want some forgiveness. I used the depth-rod on a vernier caliper, but three measurements fell within that range.

Rick "setting this lens aside for this camera" Denney