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luphot
26-Feb-2013, 11:55
Hello,
here's my new lightweight camera
i decided to eliminate the flatbed witch is the heaviest part of a camera, the most difficult to built when you have no craft skill, and useless for such format (you will need two tripods or a large plateform if you want your camera to be stable)
The use of one tripod for each part allows all mouvements only limited by bellows (2meters max extention)
I made a 20x20" insert for wetplate but I can go up to 24x24".
The camera itself is 29x29x2.5" and weight 12.3kg with acrylic ground glass
The plate holder is 6.3kg
more pics here: http://medusaphotographie.blogspot.fr/

90242

ghostcount
26-Feb-2013, 12:16
That is brilliant! Full on movements - I really like this and inspiring.

Perhaps in times when movements are not as critical you can couple the tripods to insure better plane to lens alignment.

BarryS
26-Feb-2013, 12:37
This is great, I love the simplicity. For portraits or still life, this is a practical solution. What material(s) did you use for the bellows?

C. D. Keth
26-Feb-2013, 12:47
What's your method for getting the lens centered to the film and getting the standards parallel? I could see that being a slow process with your design.

coisasdavida
26-Feb-2013, 14:00
One question: is the darkslide made of formica?

luphot
26-Feb-2013, 14:22
Hi,
the bellows is made of 240g cardboard+one layer of BK5 (thorlabs)
The darkslide is made with formica
I planed to use a string outstretched between the middle of each part of the camera.
If the angle between string and camera's frames are 90° so the frames are parallele. II-------II
You can also use a iphone appli called ihandy carpenter to mesure the inclination angle on the front and report it on the rear.
Anyway, collodion is a slow process and you can loose 1 min to set up the camera.

Michael Cienfuegos
26-Feb-2013, 18:43
That is one really cool camera! I checked out your blog. Quite a project making that bellows! It looks good! :)

Bush
26-Feb-2013, 20:49
One question for the camera. How can you finely focus ?

pierre506
26-Feb-2013, 21:10
Simplicity~

However it seemes that we need an assistant, at least.

cosmicexplosion
26-Feb-2013, 23:27
Brilliant design

I might steal it!

I could imagine butchering a mono rail standard for the rack and pinion might work for fine focus.

Or wheels on tripod.

Any other ideas?

luphot
27-Feb-2013, 02:35
I bought a Manfrotto 454 rail for fine focusing, but I'm surprised how how you can be precise only by moving tripod

jb7
27-Feb-2013, 03:26
Great portraits on your site too-

Does that 12kg include the weight of the tripods?

evan clarke
27-Feb-2013, 07:36
What's your method for getting the lens centered to the film and getting the standards parallel? I could see that being a slow process with your design.


Simple, levels front and back and side to side..Won't miss.

bracan
27-Feb-2013, 08:54
Congratulations Luphot!!!!
Simple and beautiful!

imagecom
28-Feb-2013, 04:41
Same here, your photos are amazing, and so is the idea to simplify the big camera! I contacted you earlier, but received no reply. do you still have the lens for sale you were selling in October 2012? Also, what is the lens on that 60x60 camera? I am also building one 20x24.

best regards

Milos

luphot
28-Feb-2013, 05:31
Milos, I'm selling a vintage collodion period camera 19x19in
If you're talking about he big voightlander you could see on it: it has been sold previously
The lens you can see on the 24x24" is a Saphir boyer 24" f:4.8 with no aperture. I don't know what it was used for.
I also have a big méganast f:4.5 800mm (31") I listed it some months ago but I actually keep it and give it a try with ne new camera

imagecom
28-Feb-2013, 23:54
Thank you, Fabrice, for your reply. The lens I was referring to was the
Dallmeyer 18x16 you had for sale in October. I need something that will cover 20x24 at full figure
and portrait distances, I don't need it to cover at infinity. Thank you again!

Milos. (my private mail is 1dsmark2 at gmail.com)

cosmicexplosion
2-Mar-2013, 01:39
Milos, I'm selling a vintage collodion period camera 19x19in
If you're talking about he big voightlander you could see on it: it has been sold previously
The lens you can see on the 24x24" is a Saphir boyer 24" f:4.8 with no aperture. I don't know what it was used for.
I also have a big méganast f:4.5 800mm (31") I listed it some months ago but I actually keep it and give it a try with ne new camera

Do you have pics and prices for 19" camera ?

lordkev
12-Mar-2013, 20:01
Great looking camera! Do you have any more photos of the construction that what's shown in the blog post? I just purchased some 10x12 bellows (not quite adventurous enough to make them yet), and think that a design like this might be best as a first camera build for the sake of simplicity.

In particular, I'd love to hear any details or see photos of how the bellows are attached, and how the holders are constructed.

luphot
10-Jul-2013, 12:08
At last, the first steps of the camera: 20x20in wetplates

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78tfSJhoTQA

Works fine: I just think about a few improvements (curve shape the darkslide ans V shape the slot, making a telescopic arm between the top of the two parts to get the whole more rigid and hang the belows)

C. D. Keth
16-Jul-2013, 10:19
Those plates look good! The bellows look like they definitely need support and your telescoping arm idea sounds nice and light. It looks like about the most lightweight 24x24 I can imagine, even with two tripods to carry. I'm looking forward to seeing more output from this camera.

SergeiR
16-Jul-2013, 10:49
At last, the first steps of the camera: 20x20in wetplates


Works fine: I just think about a few improvements (curve shape the darkslide ans V shape the slot, making a telescopic arm between the top of the two parts to get the whole more rigid and hang the belows)

nicely done.

PS: i really hate you for that song though.. it now stuck in my head.. :) Its like damn Bird by Trashman..

ROL
16-Jul-2013, 16:17
Nice. You have very patient models, posing in that brace while you pour your plates. ;)

photoevangelist
16-Jul-2013, 22:25
Amazing! Thanks for sharing the video!

Bush
17-Jul-2013, 07:20
Whats a cost effective camera! Hope to see photos from it.

Louis Pacilla
17-Jul-2013, 19:40
Whats a cost effective camera! Hope to see photos from it.


At last, the first steps of the camera: 20x20in wetplates

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78tfSJhoTQA

Works fine: I just think about a few improvements (curve shape the darkslide ans V shape the slot, making a telescopic arm between the top of the two parts to get the whole more rigid and hang the belows)


Watch this video. It's fantastic.

Luphot shots a plate using the new camera and of course you will see the awesome image he made using it.:)

pound
12-Dec-2013, 05:55
very nice idea. any tips or more pictures on how you build the plate holder?
Do you build the plate holder first and then the body or the other way round?

radii
13-Dec-2013, 05:01
Damn ! That is nice ...

Congratulations.