POLAROID 4x5 Conversion !! A new project !!

[Jody_S]

Just a heads up, your ebay auctions are not showing up on other sites (ebay.com, etc). You need to specify shipping to each country (USA, Australia, etc) if you want your product to show up in searches.

[aluncrockford]

Having just received one of Marcos backs I am afraid to say it is not quite ready for the open market, on the credit size it fits perfectly but that is where the plus points stop. There are a number of fundamental flaws, to start you need to refocus using a ground glass screen ( not provided) and the range finder to recalibrate the focus which is straightforward apart from the small point that the new point of infinity is halfway down the rail and it needs tape to hold it, there is no way of securing the front without it. The holder will take a graphmatic but not a DDS making it a very niche product indeed and finally because of the design itself and the need to drop the left hand corner of the back to allow you to use the view finder it is not light tight. The conclusion is that this is very much a work in progress and you might want to wait for all the problems to be resolved before looking at this product as a viable option for a polaroid conversion

[Steve Smith]

Obviously the lens needs to be moved back to compensate for the film being further back but why would the rangefinder need to be recalibrated?


Steve.

[aluncrockford]

Apologies ,the range finder works perfectly the problem is with the lens which is not secure in its new position and it can move without a deice to keep it in place, hence the gaffa tape.

[ml_pisel]

Apologies ,the range finder works perfectly the problem is with the lens which is not secure in its new position and it can move without a deice to keep it in place, hence the gaffa tape.

As I already answer by mail, POLACONV is a young product and comments and critis are welcome.
But to be honest you have also say what I said when you have bought my product: "you'll have 1 year of free upgrade for any new items that I'll design for Polaconv backs".
And i've confirmed that to use Polaconv back with 4x5 chassis i'm desinging new metal plate to ensure the filmholder to the back.
I the auction is even written that with 15,00 i'll do the conversion without any configuration problems.
Ground glass is not provided because polaconv back is designed to make a "point and shoot" 110 camera .... there's milions of 4x5 camera better than Polaroid 110 ... so for me it was unusefull to make a ground glass....
For focus matter if you look at POLACONV home page you'll find that i've designed two accessories for cameras that i sell already converted and they are the "focus plate" and the macro chain to shoot in near subject without blocking the lens in the coupled position. These are accessoried that works only with 110A and 110B cameras .. so i can't sell them to anyone cause 4x5 POLACONV is compatible with all 40type cameras ... some customers asked me before purchasing and i've shipped them with the Polaconv back, very simple.
SoI think that before emmit sentences it's better to ask and to talk, talk and talk.
regards

[Kuzano]

Fugly!... simply Fugly!!!

Over the years, I have determined that the design premise of Polaroid (with the possible exception of the 600SE made for them by Mamiya) has been to start with UGLY and see how much worse the designers can make each model.

As Frank Lloyd Wright proved so well..."Form Follows Function", but in the case of the Polaroid Pathfinder bodies, I believe you have to cut away a ton of ugly, to get to the "function", before you have a beautiful form. Nobody is really doing that on these conversions. Personal observation of course.

I have a half dozen Pathfinders 110,110a,110b,120 and 900 camera bodies and Rodenstock/Polaroid lens/shutters. I've threatened to send them to someone for conversion, or tackle them myself (convert). My problem has been that I may end up with a very portable 4x5, but VERY UGLY, camera, as I perceive most of the final cameras once converted. That comment does not even take in still packing around nearly a pound of UGLY.

In addition, using my premise for a 4X5, using a very conventional 4x5 roll film back will give me a good 120 roll film back up to 6X12 Pano. Portability is my goal, and am not concerned with any perspective movements. I have my lightened, stripped GG focus Super Graphic Graflex for movements.

Finally, I came to the conclusion that the way to get what I want, is to butcher away the UGLY, and use only the part of the camera that is functional. The picture included here shows the original model, and the cut down final result. The portion cut away does not weaken the folding mechanism, or degrade the parallelism of the standards front to back in any way. If anything good can be said about the Pathfinder design, it is overbuilt. The cut away material produces a basic but hacked frame, door and folding standards/bellow assembly:



I have contacted you by PM and asked if you will sell just the back casting, enabling me to mod it to my cut down Polaroid 110. No response.

Thanks if you will let me know the answer to my query.

If this works, I will then attempt to save the rangefinder, yet cut away the UGLY on an advanced model. I plan to use the 200 Quickload and ReadyLoads I have in the freezer, and use a DDS holder converted to a slide in GG viewer.

Not attempting to hijack your thread, I am not interested in producing or selling these cameras. Strictly for my own use.

[aluncrockford]

err Marco the focus option is not something that has been mentioned before, your site is not accessible, which has also been highlighted by more than one other person . So if you would like to send me the focusing option please do. you need a focusing screen to make the focus adjustments . As already mentioned the idea is a good one though it might have been better to go through all aspects of the design before marketing it .

[ml_pisel]

Fugly!... simply Fugly!!!

Over the years, I have determined that the design premise of Polaroid (with the possible exception of the 600SE made for them by Mamiya) has been to start with UGLY and see how much worse the designers can make each model.

As Frank Lloyd Wright proved so well..."Form Follows Function", but in the case of the Polaroid Pathfinder bodies, I believe you have to cut away a ton of ugly, to get to the "function", before you have a beautiful form. Nobody is really doing that on these conversions. Personal observation of course.

I have a half dozen Pathfinders 110,110a,110b,120 and 900 camera bodies and Rodenstock/Polaroid lens/shutters. I've threatened to send them to someone for conversion, or tackle them myself (convert). My problem has been that I may end up with a very portable 4x5, but VERY UGLY, camera, as I perceive most of the final cameras once converted. That comment does not even take in still packing around nearly a pound of UGLY.

In addition, using my premise for a 4X5, using a very conventional 4x5 roll film back will give me a good 120 roll film back up to 6X12 Pano. Portability is my goal, and am not concerned with any perspective movements. I have my lightened, stripped GG focus Super Graphic Graflex for movements.

Finally, I came to the conclusion that the way to get what I want, is to butcher away the UGLY, and use only the part of the camera that is functional. The picture included here shows the original model, and the cut down final result. The portion cut away does not weaken the folding mechanism, or degrade the parallelism of the standards front to back in any way. If anything good can be said about the Pathfinder design, it is overbuilt. The cut away material produces a basic but hacked frame, door and folding standards/bellow assembly:



I have contacted you by PM and asked if you will sell just the back casting, enabling me to mod it to my cut down Polaroid 110. No response.

Thanks if you will let me know the answer to my query.

If this works, I will then attempt to save the rangefinder, yet cut away the UGLY on an advanced model. I plan to use the 200 Quickload and ReadyLoads I have in the freezer, and use a DDS holder converted to a slide in GG viewer.

Not attempting to hijack your thread, I am not interested in producing or selling these cameras. Strictly for my own use.

Dear sir,
I've already answered by pm on 23rd august 15:39.
But i think that my polaconv back is not suita le for your hacked camera cause is designed to fit exactly the 40 type camera body and to be mounted it uses the original hinges.. That semems to cutted away in your hacked body

[Steve Smith]

I came to the conclusion that the way to get what I want, is to butcher away the UGLY, and use only the part of the camera that is functional.

That reminds me of my father's advice to me as a child when I wanted to make a wooden model boat: "Start with a block of wood then cut away all the bits which don't look like boat".


Steve.

[ml_pisel]

For trouble with my homepage i've found a rapid solution....
The problem is that imcreator website hosting is free for some options but have a charge for other service....
So if you have trouble with your browser you can tape this address:

http://http://www.i-m.co/mlpisel/polaconv/

That is the source of my website but in a few days i'll solve the problem with the regular address