Help w/8x10 Assembly

[bvy]

Hello. I posted this on APUG a few months ago but didn't get a very good response, so I'll try again here. Shown is a picture of how I assembled my 8x10 camera, yet something doesn't seem quite right. I've indicated the seam where the two pieces of the monorail screw together. I can adjust the rear standard along the rail (to focus it), but it stops at the seam. I think the whole thing should be more centered on the rail, and I wonder why the seam isn't in the middle of the rail. It seems like the tripod clamp should go over the seam, in which case the rear standard would go on the longer rail. But I couldn't get the rear standard on the longer rail piece -- it wasn't a good fit and I couldn't use the adjust knob to move it along the rail -- it was either too tight or it slipped along the rail.

It came up that one piece of the rail might be an extension, but I couldn't get that to work either -- the two pieces were clearly meant to go together.

Any ideas? Thanks.

137412

[John Kasaian]

Which make camera is it?

[Drew Wiley]

That is sure a strange design quirk! I've never seen a monorail with that particular problem.

[bvy]

Which make camera is it?

Wonderview, which I'm sure doesn't help! I've had trouble finding information on this camera.

[koh303]

Just dont use the smaller section of rail unless you must.
I think this was one of those lenticular imaging cameras for the emerging 3D industry of the early 80's....

[ic-racer]

Looks fine to me. Why would you want the rear standard any farther from the end of the rail; it will poke you in the chest.

[bvy]

As it is now, I can't even focus to infinity (it's a 12" lens) -- the front standard stops at the tripod clamp, the rear standard stops at the seam in the rail. The seam appears to be designed to stop the rear standard from moving over it. Yes, I could move the clamp further up, but that leaves an awful lot of rail up front which makes me think something's not right.

Also, yes, this is (was) a 3D camera. I tried removing the short piece of the rail, but as I said, I couldn't get the rear standard on the long rail. Could the two parts of the rail really be different "gauge" tracks (if that's the right terminology) so that the front only fits on the long part and the rear on the short part? That seems to be the case, anyway.

[ic-racer]

As it is now, I can't even focus to infinity (it's a 12" lens) -- the front standard stops at the tripod clamp, the rear standard stops at the seam in the rail. The seam appears to be designed to stop the rear standard from moving over it. Yes, I could move the clamp further up, but that leaves an awful lot of rail up front which makes me think something's not right.

Also, yes, this is (was) a 3D camera. I tried removing the short piece of the rail, but as I said, I couldn't get the rear standard on the long rail. Could the two parts of the rail really be different "gauge" tracks (if that's the right terminology) so that the front only fits on the long part and the rear on the short part? That seems to be the case, anyway.
You can use combined front and rear rise if the rail shows in the picture.

[John Kasaian]

If it were me, I'd get a long rail to accommodate the front standard.
Have the rear standard milled out to fit the new rail.
It'll cost you, but you'll have a more usable camera.

[bvy]

Thanks everyone. I guess the bottom line is, based on the picture, nothing looks glaringly wrong. I can move the tripod/rail clamp back some so that I can focus to infinity.

Curious, do most 8x10 users focus using the front or rear standard? I've been focusing rear only, as I thought it made sense to keep the lens position fixed -- but the change in camera-to-subject position is probably negligible when focusing. And, as you can see, the rear standard range of movement is much more limited than the front.

[djdister]

Don't use the extension section unless you absolutely need it.
Move the location of the tripod block so that it is more or less centered in the middle of the main rail.