suggestion for homemade 8x10 polaroid

[Jae]

Hello, I have experience shooting portraits with my 4x5 but that's it.. I want to build a wooden box camera specifically for shooting 8x10 polaroids. It will remain fixed into position in my studio for head and shoulder portraits. and will only be able to focus at one length. I realize how narrow depth of field is for 4x5 at f16 so maybe I should invest in an old kodak 8x10 to be able to focus critically for these types of portraits. Maybe, but I wanted to keep this thing under $250 with everything and I don't mind telling people how far to stand from the lens. any suggestions for lenses (type and focal length) Barrel is fine because I'll be using strobes. What am I getting myself into here? thanks

[Frank Petronio]

A lot of blurry Polaroids!

[George Stewart]

My first LF camera was an 8x10 box camera. I installed a 300mm Fujinon-Xerox barrel lens that I purchased for about $10. The lens vignetted heavily, and I used drilled out cat food cans, placed on the front of the lens, for aperture stops. I used a frame covered with wax paper, as a focusing screen, to frame my subjects. Although long gone, it was fun to build and made usable pictures.

My recommendation would be to use a real lens with aperture control that will cover 8x10, and a real ground glass back.

[brook]

Or just throw caution to the wind and get an f4 16" petzval and shoot wide open. If your going to build it 3/4 " plywood is fine material, as is a 9 or 10 " lens board.

[C.A]

I'm currently building a folding wooden field camera and everyone keeps asking me why bother, but for me it's the fun in building it. If your wanting to build a very basic camera, you could possibly consider a Daguerreotype camera design which is basically a push and pull box within a box. I wouldn't build a fixed focus camera, it would be to limited.

[mark anderson]

i would build in some kind of focus, even if very crude. sooner or later you are going to want/need it.

what is it about the focus mechinacs is it that i keeping you from trying to build it in.

[Terence McDonagh]

There's a great book on making your own cameras (and film, lens, etc). Check out a book called "Primitive Photography" by Alan Greene(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240804619/102-9797811-7155358?v=glance&n=283155 ). It has designs for some very simple, but focusing, homemade cameras.

[Juergen Sattler]

I would patiently search eBay for a good deal on an old 8x10 (a Korona or whatever) that has a decent bellows. I bought one of these years ago for less than $200 and used it extensively for landscape photography before I finally bit the bullet and got a modern Wehman. My point is that you might regret not having the possibility to focus and to use different lenses - even though you think you don't need it. The chances that your home made camera will not live up to your expectations are pretty high. Old barrel lenses are cheap - they will not add much to the total cost of your outfit. Good Luck and welcome to the world of 8x10.

[David A. Goldfarb]

You could do this, but I'd recommend getting a camera that is convenient to work with (there are lots of inexpensive cameras that are fine for portraits, as mentioned above), because the expense in shooting 8x10" Polaroid is not the camera. You can find a used Polaroid setup with a holder (and loading tray if it's the later type of holder) and an electric processor for around $150-250. Film is about $175 for a box of 15 sheets from B&H. At $12 a shot, why make it more difficult than it already is?