World First 3D Printable Large Format Camera is now available

[ivancak]

We are proudly announcing that "Entry 58" - our 3D printable large format camera is available for shipping. Support our campaign at Indiegogo (http://igg.me/at/ivancak-cameras) or check camera project website (http://ivancak-cameras.com). Thanks to all who have contributed to our last post more than year ago. We have seriously discussed all comments and/or polemics. Hopefully we have implemented all remarks. Thanks again.

Ivancak Cameras Team

[RSalles]

Congrats, I'll look forward at your website,

Cheers,

Renato

[Tin Can]

Very interesting and a logical step forward in camera production.

Good luck!

[David Aimone]

Would it be possible to make a 5x7?

[ivancak]

Thanks. In principle the design of the camera is done in the way that allows lot of modularity, including enlarging to 5x7. Very likely the 3D print technology needs to be changed from FDM to DLP. And this is not a big issue :-)

[AtlantaTerry]

At a recent TED conference there was a presentation on a new 3D printing technology which is said to produce items without layers (thereby stronger) and at a speed that is up to 100 times faster.

See more about the Carbon 3D process here: https://www.ted.com/talks/joe_desimone_what_if_3d_printing_was_25x_faster?language=en

In his presentation, the inventor believes the printing speed can be sped up to be 1000 times that of current standard 3D printers.

[ivancak]

Yes exactly! We are looking forward for this promissing technology and it is very likely, that we will invest into this CLIP 3D printer.

[Drew Bedo]

From what I managed to read on their website, its $49 to download their file . . .what does it cost to get the camera? Can they ship a complete camera? And what about a helical mount?

I'd like to see a light-weight plastic Grafmatic.

[Michael R]

According to the website it seems they can ship you a completed camera for $174 (without options or customization). The Schneider helical mount has to be purchased separately.

[Oren Grad]

The Schneider helical mount has to be purchased separately.

Yes. Unfortunately, after the lens, the helical will be by far the most expensive part of this camera - the Schneider helicals typically cost $350+ when new, and are not very common used. Arguably the most important achievement in production of the Wanderlust Travelwide was working through the challenging process of manufacturing an inexpensive helical.

[ivancak]

Yes I agree. Unfortunately helical mount is one of the most expensive part of the project. We have intensively negotiated directly with Schneider in Germany and we have been promised that they will supply us with certain amount of them. We are trying to keep helical mount price as low as possible. We want only to cover operational expenses we will have with them. Alternative way is to download/buy fix focused camera bodies, where no helical mount is needed. This is especially for early birds or early adopters.

[EdSawyer]

You can also repurpose the helical out of a cheap 35mm SLR lens. Olympus OM lenses (say the 50/1.8) can be had cheaply, and their helicals are usually somewhat suitable for DIY stuff.

-Ed

[Drew Bedo]

You can also repurpose the helical out of a cheap 35mm SLR lens. Olympus OM lenses (say the 50/1.8) can be had cheaply, and their helicals are usually somewhat suitable for DIY stuff.


If I wnted to mount the Schneider 90mm f/6.8 Angulon to the suggested Olympus Zuico 50mm f1.8 focus barrel . . .how would that be done? I am assuming that d this would be for the 58mm body printed camera? Would there be enough useful focus travel?I am hopeful, but don't quite see how this would work without extensive (expensive) machining and then some rigging to achieve infinity focus.

As I said: I am hopeful . . .I'd really like to see how this is done.

[Dan Fromm]

Its worse than you think, Drew.

I can see how to stuff a 90/6.8 Angulon in shutter into the front of a barrel that held a lens for a 35 mm SLR. Not a huge problem, many are the ways and possible adapters.

Without playing with lens and shutter, though (not my yob, man, someone else can do it), I can't rule out vignetting problems. I've front-mounted a number of barrel lenses on #1 shutters. Mechanical vignetting can be a real problem, especially with short lenses.

[Drew Bedo]

I've looked around on e-Bay a little and the low profile eyepiece focing helicals for telescopes might work . . .but they are nearly as costly as the Schneider purpose designed focusing mounts.

It looks as though the WanderLust helical for their TravelWide is the best option for the middle future. Whenever the founders and pre-order production run is complete and follow-on orders are filled, the WL/TW helical may be the lowest cost helical for projects.

[Oren Grad]

You can find generic focus helicals, with front holes sized for Copal shutters, from Chinese vendors on eBay for ~$100. That would be a likelier bet than trying to repurpose the focus helical from a 35mm SLR lens. However, you'd have to figure out how to mount the thing on the camera. And whether you want to calibrate the helical in order to use the camera as a scale-focus point-and-shoot or you'd rather use it as a view camera, you'll need to fabricate some sort of ground glass insert because the camera as offered does not have a back, and thus provides no way to view or focus the projected image.

[Drew Bedo]

Lacking a wiz-bang printer myself . . .how does one get the camera made from the digital file? I've been told that this can be done as a one-off by big companies, but who/where and at what cost?

I am hopeful and really want this project to be a success. I missed out on the WanderLust project (my timid fault) and now am way down the list of third run possibles for a TravelWide. So I'd like this to be something as-good and ready to own now. I have a 90mm/ 6.8 Angulon already.

Looks like this project is $49 for the file, plus whatever it costs to get it made, plus $100 for a Chinese helicle and still no GG back. The other purchase option is $179 fo the ready-made camera shipped from CR, Plus the $100 helical.

A suggestion: Offer this camera in several focal lengths designed to be used with a hekicle.
Offer it in aluminum (I think that can be used in 3D printing now).
Designe a variant that will accept the GG and hood assembly from a Graflok back.

[letchhausen]

So I see that there's a "customized author's print" for a camera that will take a 150mm lens for $429 printed. Then I need a viewfinder since there's no GG and a helical for focusing. Starts to add up for us longer lens shooters. Would like to see an example of what that body looks like. And yes, a ground glass and a Graflok back would up the interest factor to compete with TW, Gaoersi etc. Cool to see other options though.....

[ivancak]

Dear LFPH community,

many thanks for your interest. We are really surprised by almost 9000 views in less than 48 hours. Seems that we have to provide additional information to you. So first of all our project has two objectives:

1) we want encourage people to shoot large format and have a passion from what the real photography is about. We want this to be an valuable alternative to digital picture shooting. Remarks to the camera: All camera bodies includes sheet film holder locking mechanism, which is compatible with every currently available 4x5 sheet film holder. It also works with Polaroid 545 instant film holder for New55 instant 4×5 film. Fix-focused bodies are focused to infinity.

2) we want to break through a completely new way of product delivery using widely used and cheapest FDM 3D printing technology. We have spent many hours in last 18 months to make the camera easy printable in any of desktop FDM printer. The camera has 3 parts only - body and two back springs. It is printable in virtually any 3D printer having building volume of 20x20x20 cm at least. Check the 3D printers like Makerbot for example. We personally use Prusa I3 Plus 3D printer. And one big remark. FDM 3D printing is CHEAP!!! From one roll containing 1 kg of 3 mm ABS filament worth $22 we usually print 4 -5 camera bodies. The printing time is about 15 - 17 hours, so it should cost about $50 using cheapest on-line 3D print services.

and now ...

CAMERA TESTING CAMPAIGN

based on reactions on our Indiegogo campaign and announcement here on Largeformatphotograpy.info forum we have decided to run camera testing campaign. We hope this will encourage early birds to test the camera. So here is the deal: To first 5 LFPH community members who will reply to this post and apply for testing we will provide for free complete 3D print package with fix-focused bodies for either 58 mm or 90 mm Schneider lens. No helical mount is needed. So the rules to apply to this campaign are as follows:

1) apply to the campaign by replying to this post and select the focal length of the camera body (either 58 or 90 mm)
2) we will provide you with complete package for 3D print including .stl file with camera model, detailed 3D printing instructions, assembly instructions and on-line support. You are allowed to use this electronic package for testing purposes only. No forwarding, re-selling etc. is allowed.
3) 3D print your camera using your local 3D printing services provider
4) assembly and test the camera
5) post here in LFPH forum your experiences, test pictures, comments
6) if you are satisfied with the product you can contribute on our Indiegogo campaign. This is optional, of course :-)

Looking forward for testers

Ivancak Cameras Team

[bobwysiwyg]

Just curious, why does your post count remain at "1" after so many posts?

[Oren Grad]

Just curious, why does your post count remain at "1" after so many posts?

Some areas are excluded from the post count.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Just curious, why does your post count remain at "1" after so many posts?

Chances are that it's a bug. Most of us look at the server log files for stats. Done right a log file can yield a great deal of information.

Now, not to be too critical I remain skeptical of this project. For such simplicity 3D printing as practiced today is a misapplied technology. With machinable acrylic, or even wood, kits could be offered more efficiently and with great finesse. I do not suggest aluminum because my preference for disposable waste.

[Drew Bedo]

I am a babe-in-the woods regarding what is and is not re-cycle able, but I would think that aluminum chips, fileings and cut-off bits would be as recyclable as aluminum cans or the broken ladder I brought in once.

I would welcome a fixed focus kit canera with lots of good looking wooden parts. When these threads started, I looked on e-bay for wooden pin-hole cameras to adapt, but found very little. There used to be some beautiful box or finger jounted examples, but I couldn't turn up any.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I am a babe-in-the woods regarding what is and is not re-cycle able, but iI would think that aluminum chips, filings and cut-off bits would be as recyclable as aluminum cans or the broken ladder I brought in once.

I should have been more clear. I am familiar with recycling aluminum bits left over from machining and it is not even a break-even proposition.

[Drew Bedo]

Thanks for that clarification: I did misunderstand.

The idea of making the camera in aluminum comes from reading something about commercial 3D shops using sintered metals in 3D additive manufacturing. In that case there would little waste (I think).

[Ben Syverson]

This project is awesome! I found myself shopping around for 58mm SAs and had to slap my wrist!

[sjak]

Have anyone print this?or bought a already 3d printed camera?(See the website for more info) If so does it work well? I just wonder why it has not been any info in this thread
the past 1 1/2 year.....

[jgarcia86]

wondering the same thing. would love to see one.