Wanderlust Travelwide - still alive?

[Nelari]

I only found out, today, quite by chance, about the Wanderlust Travelwide camera, and was intrigued. It seems like a great idea, but it also seems like dead one. I mean, it is as if the company had ceased to exist. Is this correct? What happened?

[grat]

I know most of the part designs for the Travelwide are available on Thingiverse, if you have access to 3D printing.

You might want to check out the Chroma Snapshot as well. Chroma seems a little more active.

[Corran]

Yes it's dead due to the complaining about the camera's production process and (reasonable) delays back when it was Kickstarted, causing burnout and distaste of the community by the creators.

Sadly mine was sent off to a friendly person to mod and he has disappeared. It was a good camera. Would love to find another one.

[Tin Can]

Mine still works fine

[sperdynamite]

A suitable replacement is being made my Chroma, called the Snapshot. It looks to be a more complex but superior design.

I think the creators were less put off by the community as by the process of selling a popular 'anything' and having to deal with the resulting madness. They had problems with production, massive delays, then just shipping them worldwide! What a headache.

[Tin Can]

There was a design flaw they should have found in testing

I picked mine up from their factory, took one look and took it apart

I saw the design flaw straightaway

I put it right back together and have been very gentle with it since, it is a useful camera I am glad to have

I also modified mine before using, with a different easy fix

I have joined far worse KS and got nothing usable

Got one last KS coming, then I am done with KS

Unless I get a plan....:cool:

[Nelari]

There was a design flaw they should have found in testing

I picked mine up from their factory, took one look and took it apart

I saw the design flaw straightaway

I put it right back together and have been very gentle with it since, it is a useful camera I am glad to have

I also modified mine before using, with a different easy fix

You saw a design flaw and fixed it (easily), but you are telling us neither what the flaw was nor how you fixed it. Sorry; I don't get your point.

[Nelari]

A suitable replacement is being made my Chroma, called the Snapshot. It looks to be a more complex but superior design.

There seem to be more:

https://mercurycamera.com/

https://www.maleficwares.com/

https://film.kolve.org/darkroomdiy/will-travel-friendly-cameras/

Mercury Camera is odd in that I can't see any information on the company. Malefic is from Italy, Europe. Will Travel, a DIY alternative, is from Norway, Europe.

[Drew Bedo]

The method of mounting the "lens board" (for want of a better word) to the camera body is weak. I managed to break mine when jamming it in tightly when packing other gear. Fixed it fine with epoxy. There is a 30 page thread here on one of the forums that span a couple of years on dealing with that issue.

At the time of the Kickstarter project, you could not beat the concept at the price; first $99, ten $150, I think. The 90mm f/ 6.8 Angulon registers well on the helical mount. I like it. There is a 30 page thread here on one of the forums that span a couple of years on dealing with that issue.


These cameras do come up on e-Bay once in a while. I may put mine up on there one of these days.

[Tin Can]

Please note, I never said I fixed the flaw, I recognized it as a big problem

Nobody has made a 'FIX' as there is no room inside the box

and if you search this Forum you will find a lot of details and info on the camera many of us obtained, not bought, through KS, as our reward...

MY MODIFICATION was a simple hole to allow a cable release to be used handheld, an obvious omission, not structural

I also made a GG panel with DIY ground glass to make focus easier, then I calibrated the focus for fixed distances, and no longer need any GG

I primarily use it with flashbulbs at estimated 5' in dark drinking establishments aka, Pubs

Here is one shot, pun intended, of old friends, made with Travelwide and one flashbulb, yielding a glimpse of my past

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49998104197_b47d65458c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2jbamtg)1-1-Green What (https://flic.kr/p/2jbamtg) by TIN CAN COLLEGE (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr






You saw a design flaw and fixed it (easily), but you are telling us neither what the flaw was nor how you fixed it. Sorry; I don't get your point.

[Drew Bedo]

And my "fix" was to permanently glue in the front plate with epoxy. Makes it usable, but that is not really a fix. Maybe if the retaining piece could be made from brass . . .

Everyone recognized that the plastic GG was unusable for anything but initial focus calibration at best. That was both a frustration and disappointment for the creators. I had a GG made from a salvaged GG screen and an old film holder.

The creators did hot realize that shooters would try to mount Grafmstic film magazines or roll film backs. They wopn't work on a standard TravelWide. Some shooters made DIY shop-mods to allow this, by removing material and using shock cord to hold it all together.

Years ago there was a very similar camera made from metal . . ."Globus" I think. Expensive and low volume. I have only ever seen one picture.

[tdicorcia]

[Responding to Nelari's Post with links to various sources of LF hand-held cameras/designs]

Following these kickstarter type initiatives gives one an appreciation of what is involved in making a real, sustainable company and the price that must be set to keep the whole system going. I'm pleased that there are new models of design and manufacturing emerging. Of course there are growing pains. I'm not denying that it can be very painful for an individual to make an investment and not get what was promised. But, let's face it, there is never going to be a huge demand for sheet film hand-held cameras, so I am glad that there are individuals out there designing things and sharing their work.

I have some Mercury Camera components. Very nice people. They are certainly not doing it full-time. As near as I can tell, it is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and perhaps some students. Morten Kolve (another one of the links you kindly provided above) is very generous with his designs and a generous contributor to the DIY camera Facebook group.

[Tin Can]

I use a Graflex Optar 90mm f6.8 on my TW

Here are many images made by OTHER people publicly shared on Flickr made with this wonderful lens

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/Graflex%20Optar%2090mm%20f6.8/

[Drew Bedo]

My father-in-law was involved with marketing and sales from the end of WW-II through the mid 1980s. One day I was blathering on about some bright idea of mine. Folks here who have read some of my posts know whatI mean by that.

After a bit of this he looked at me and said, " There are as lot og good ideas out there. The problem is always money. Not having enough to start out with, and not getting enough to keep going." Then he went back to reading the news paper.

I think that appled to TravelWide and to a lot of great sounding Kickstarter efforts.

[Corran]

https://mercurycamera.com/
Mercury Camera is odd in that I can't see any information on the company. Malefic is from Italy, Europe. Will Travel, a DIY alternative, is from Norway, Europe.

I have and use several Mercury cameras.

Email Zach, the creator, he will be happy to discuss. Understand the Mercury is more of a custom system, with parts built for your needs, rather than a camera that is designed for one class of lens alone like the Travelwide.

My most used Mercury cameras are a 4x5 custom made for my 47mm XL that I can also swap a 38mm XL for 6x12 shots onto, a 6x9 camera with that same 38mm XL, and a 5x7 designed for my 72mm XL (seeing a theme? ;)). I haven't used the 5x7 as much as it ended up being a bit large for the use I envisioned.

[Nelari]

I have some Mercury Camera components. Very nice people. They are certainly not doing it full-time. As near as I can tell, it is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and perhaps some students. Morten Kolve (another one of the links you kindly provided above) is very generous with his designs and a generous contributor to the DIY camera Facebook group.

After some searching, I submit it is Pittsburgh, not Carnegie Mellon: https://www.filmandmedia.pitt.edu/people/zach-horton

[rfesk]

I have purchased several items from Mercury Camera and am satisfied. However, it has been a real pain FOR ME to figure out how and where to order things from them.

That said, the Travelwide is a great camera for what it is. I have two and may sell one if someone is interested.

[Frank_E]

I have used my Travelwide on and off for a while. It is till all intact. I treat it carefully because it does feel a bit fragile. Attached is a flickr album with 6 images if anyone is interested. These are scans of darkroom prints. I have the schneider angulon 90mm lens. https://www.flickr.com/photos/feberdt/albums/72157663134749735/with/23521772933/

[Drew Bedo]

TW seems to be a great camera for shooting LF where no tripods are allowed.

[rfesk]

TW seems to be a great camera for shooting LF where no tripods are allowed.

It's also handy when traveling on foot with others and/or you don't have time to set up a tripod.

[Chauncey Walden]

Lugging a tripod around with a TW kind of defeats the whole idea. A very light monopod, if you must, will be just fine.

[Corran]

A small and very lightweight tripod makes perfect sense, especially as you can use a viewfinder and focus markings to quickly line up a shot and go, regardless of the need for slow shutter speeds. Even with 400-speed film it would be a stretch to handhold or monopod a lot of photographs not in full sun if you are shooting at f/22. While I use my Mercury 4x5 equipped with a 47mm XL handheld from time to time, most of the images I shoot are still on a tripod. The last time I used it, I was shooting multiple-second exposures at sunrise with Portra 400.

[Tin Can]

I usually add a heavy QR plate FOR hand held shots. More mass less twitch and then I can set it down upright and it doesn’t fall over.

A flash attachment also does that. With flashbulbs I always shoot 1/30

I aim with the OE Sport finder.

[tdicorcia]

After some searching, I submit it is Pittsburgh, not Carnegie Mellon: https://www.filmandmedia.pitt.edu/people/zach-horton

Indeed. My apologies. I shouldn't rely on my memory alone.

[AuditorOne]

Just used mine today with some Fuji Velvia 100. Also used it a couple of weeks ago for some pictures of my granddaughter at one of her high school graduation activities.

Great little camera and I am very glad I have one.

[Drew Bedo]

I have used a light duty monopod with my TW. Use it separated as a walking stick, then twist on the TW as needed for stability.

The monopod doesn't stick pot when used as a walking stick and the camera on a swingle support is low profile.