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Thread: Building my first camera...

  1. #11
    Landscape Addict
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    Re: Building my first camera...

    Cool design.. Very complex compared to mine. When I was planning on CNC plastics, I planned 10mm rise and 10mm fall but alas, doing that with wood (and my limited skills) would be difficult.

    The plastics you should look into are ABS and Acetal (Delrin)
    Chamonix 045N-2 - 65/5.6 - 90/8 - 210/5.6 - Fomapan 100 & T-Max 100 in Rodinal
    Alexartphotography

  2. #12

    Join Date
    Oct 2009
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    Re: Building my first camera...

    cool ... bookmarked this thread

    I once tried to build one myself to. I gave up when I couldn't figured out how to build a durable back. My back was a crude slip-on/clip-on thing. I could buy a graflok/spring back but that's kinda defeat the DIY spirit.

    I found this in the rangefinderforum, the owner did a really nice job. Hope it gives you some ideas.

    good luck with yours.

  3. #13

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    Santa Maria, CA
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    Re: Building my first camera...

    The design looks very neat, waiting to see where this goes!

  4. #14

    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    10

    Re: Building my first camera...

    I've been tempted to build a LF before, and that thread over att rangefinderforum made me think about it again. And then I found the Show us your home made camera... over here, and then I realized I just have to do it - Such sweet builds, the temptation level just went through the roof!

    I got a tip from my CNC friend who told me about a company in Holland which 3D prints stuff in really strong plastic. I'm gonna try it out. Have to save up a bit first, since making all 8 parts cost about 500 euros...

    I can't see the Classifields in this forum yet (Account younger than 30 days), so it might be a good idea to wait before ordering a lens from ebay? Or is $450 good for a 75mm Fujinon?

    Helical and ground glass has been ordered though!

  5. #15
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    Re: Building my first camera...

    450 for the 75 fujinon is good (providing its F/4.5 or F/5.6)

    I paid about that for my Rodenstock 75mm F/4.5...

    I will tell you this though.. Making a LF P+S has awakened me to one fact. 75mm isn't really wide enough. Hyperfocality issues mean that to get EVERYTHING in focus from 38" through to the horizon I need to shoot at F/32... I would of preferred to stay F/22... I think I would really prefer to be doing this with a 58 or 65mm lens... Alas, the 75 is what I have to work with, so its what I'm using... All up this camera is going to cost me a total of about $50 to make out of wood.. I have the film back and lens board I need, I had all the tools so its so cheap that to buy a lens specifically for it would be a little daft....
    Chamonix 045N-2 - 65/5.6 - 90/8 - 210/5.6 - Fomapan 100 & T-Max 100 in Rodinal
    Alexartphotography

  6. #16

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    Re: Building my first camera...

    Hello from France !

    The article quoted below is in French but you can have a look at this work done by Gilles Barbier (France).
    A hand-held fixed-focus camera for the 5x7" - 13x18 cm format, where Gilles is happy to get "round images", i.e. more than 100% of the avalaible image circle of his faithful 90 mm Schneider-Kreuznach Angulon !

    http ://www.galerie-photo.com/barbier-hybis-90.html

    Gilles had asked me for the proper hyperfocal value. Well, Gilles has chosen to place the film about 3 mm beyond the position of the focal point, as specified in Schneider's technical data sheet. Look for "flange focal distance" or "back focal length";

    If I had to fabricate a similar fixed-focus hand-held camera, I would simply allow the lens to slide by one centimeter or so around a "theoretical position" specified by the manufacturer's flange-focal distance.
    Then I would check on a ground glass if the image is OK and screw something to set a fixed focus position. Fixed position but eventually adjustable later if the results are not sastisfactory.

    When you design a hand-held LF camera with fixed focus, you definitely do not want to get a headache computing and simulating ! The small calculation is there to tell you that the proper position is to be set within a few millimetres, not a few centimetres !
    So ground glass + take your time to look at the image + some ways to adjust the fixed focus later, and here we go !!

  7. #17

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    Re: Building my first camera...

    Quote Originally Posted by alexn View Post
    I will tell you this though.. Making a LF P+S has awakened me to one fact. 75mm isn't really wide enough. Hyperfocality issues mean that to get EVERYTHING in focus from 38" through to the horizon I need to shoot at F/32... I would of preferred to stay F/22... I think I would really prefer to be doing this with a 58 or 65mm lens... Alas, the 75 is what I have to work with, so its what I'm using...
    As this is my entry to LF, I'm just gonna have to buy the lenses that I "need". The problem I see is that if I get a 75, I'm not going to buy a 58 or 65 later? But I figured I could always start here, and see what I can make of it. I've been drooling over the 72mm super angulon xl, but it's too expensive.

    The reason I want to go LF is because when I've been shooting wide, it feels that the photos would benefit from having the possibility of rise and fall. And since I don't have a Flexbody in my Hasselblad setup, I have to take another route. With 58/65 the rise and fall would be minimal (But perhaps it's enough?), and with the 75 I get 2 cm in each direction. Which I hope will be enough, but I'm not sure since I've never used a LF(!).

    So this is possibly a project were I will spend money and end up with a lump of plastic that isn't working. But I figured it would be worth the ride (And I will have everything to build a new camera if this one fails..).

    If it works though, I will build more cameras. I already have loads of ideas!

    Quote Originally Posted by alexn View Post
    All up this camera is going to cost me a total of about $50 to make out of wood.. I have the film back and lens board I need, I had all the tools so its so cheap that to buy a lens specifically for it would be a little daft....
    $50 for a LF P&S sounds great!

    One day I hope to have it all as well, so I can just whip something up and just go out and shoot... Ah, dreams...

  8. #18

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    Re: Building my first camera...



    I've built a "camera" of cardboard and tape!
    It's just a test, hence the "camera" - But now I understand more about flange back and fun stuff like that.

    How's the wooden camera coming along?

  9. #19
    Steve Smith's Avatar
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    Re: Building my first camera...

    Quote Originally Posted by zthee View Post
    The biggest problem for me is that I can't start with just "easy" stuff. I always make it harder than it has to be.
    I'm the same. When I built my first guitar, the usual advice was to start simple and build a nylon strung Spanish guitar. But I didn't want one of those. I wanted a Selmer Maccaferri..... so I built one.

    I have just started on my second 5x4 camera. Some pictures attached:

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    Steve.

  10. #20
    Landscape Addict
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    Re: Building my first camera...

    Steve - Beautiful front and rear standards. I considered making a monorail sort of setup to allow me to focus my home made camera.

    Zthee - Prototype is made. I don't have a spare graflock back to finish it and whilst I am confident in the new camera, I have fitted a lens and spaced the ground glass to the right distance to check it and at F/32 we've got total sharpness from about 90cm through to infinity.... Having said that I'm just not ready to hack my Linhof up to scavenge the back off it.. I might make up something myself.. I've been looking around to buy a back for it but the prices are ridiculous... I've seen one go for $380...
    Chamonix 045N-2 - 65/5.6 - 90/8 - 210/5.6 - Fomapan 100 & T-Max 100 in Rodinal
    Alexartphotography

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