LIttman Camera, still being sold ?

[jnantz]

Hi i figure since it is about the king of caps, i'd ask in all caps
i was wondering if the littman 4x5 single is still being sold ? I went to some website
that was advertising them and has a little bio about the maker
and it looked too good to be true $175, maybe it's a rental?!?!
I went to the website that used to be the website and i have never seen my computer light up like a christmas tree and tell me
not to go. But it said the site was a raft of spyware and who knows what else. It's a good thing
i was wearing nitrile gloves when i typed in the address!

Anyways. Is it still being made, i think i read

j( SORRY ALL THE CAPS VANISHED ITS JUST NORMAL STUFF NO FUN )

[Jim Noel]

I doubt seriously if it is still being made. I remember them from many years, maybe 40-50, ago.

[Oren Grad]

IIRC he was especially active maybe 15-25 years ago.

His old website, www.littman45single.com, is now apparently occupied by malware squatters. You can still look at it in the Wayback Machine, but it goes dead sometime after 2011 or so. I think he has had a page on Facebook since then, but I can't verify that as I'm not registered there and Facebook requires a login for me to look at it. He has occasionally turned up on eBay offering individual cameras, though I haven't seen any from him in a while.

[jnantz]

I doubt seriously if it is still being made. I remember them from many years, maybe 40-50, ago.

hi Jim. im not talking specifically about the olde polaroid swinger cameras I'm talking about the 1999-200x graflock back conversions mr G LIttman did .. ... he was an interesting character ;)


IIRC he was especially active maybe 15-25 years ago.

His old website, www.littman45single.com, is now apparently occupied by malware squatters. You can still look at it in the Wayback Machine, but it goes dead sometime after 2011 or so. I think he has had a page on Facebook since then, but I can't verify that as I'm not registered there and Facebook requires a login for me to look at it. He has occasionally turned up on eBay offering individual cameras, though I haven't seen any from him in a while.

thanks oren
I found his old website and the malware stuff yesterday just before I made my post ( I didn't go on the WB machine though ) .. seems kind of strange .. cause it was like only yesterday he was here and photo.net doing his thing - drumming up business, yelling at people, threatening law suits because he said he owned the patents to the camera and its rangefinder or something, and selling his diamond and jewel encrusted cameras on eBay for 100G each to people like BBradd PPitt . hard to believe that was 10 years ago? I saw his Facebook post ( like you, I don't have an account so I could just gawk ) and the link to the rental site with his bio. I wasn't sure it was real or not because it wasn't in ALL CAPS ...

[Drew Bedo]

I have seen "pre-Owned" Littman cameras come up on e-Bay from time to time. Conversions by other makers are available there too.

There is a nine-year long train of threads on this forum devoted to the back-and-forth drama surrounding the conversion of Polaroid 110 series cameras to 4x5. It dates back to the first decade of this century; the 2K years. I doubt that Littman is active in photography at all anymore.

But that was a long time ago as has been pointed out. I came to realize that if it was a really good idea to covert these old Polaroids to 4x5, it would have been done on a commercial scale. Additionally, if there was a genuine niche in LF photography for a hand-held rangefinder coupled 4x5, then a major outfit would have designed one from the ground up.

No one revived the press camera genre or scaled that concept down to a handy grab-shot concept.. No one put together a scaled-up 4x5 based on the Bessa-II or any of the other fold-out medium format pocket cameras of the 1930-1950 era. There are reasons for that.

Before and after the Polaroid conversion movement, there were other , less elaborate approaches to hand-held LF. The Hobo design is one, the TravelWide and WillTravel were the latest. Don't see many of these hand-held LF rigs around. I'm sure that there folks who swear by theirs. I respect them and their way of doing photography. . . .its just a real small corner.

I think Polaroid conversions are essentially a dead idea.

Ok, now I'll leave town for a few days.

[jnantz]

I have seen "pre-Owned" Littman cameras come up on e-Bay from time to time. Conversions by other makers are available there too.

There is a nine-year long train of threads on this forum devoted to the back-and-forth drama surrounding the conversion of Polaroid 110 series cameras to 4x5. It dates back to the first decade of this century; the 2K years. I doubt that Littman is active in photography at all anymore.

But that was a long time ago as has been pointed out. I came to realize that if it was a really good idea to covert these old Polaroids to 4x5, it would have been done on a commercial scale. Additionally, if there was a genuine niche in LF photography for a hand-held rangefinder coupled 4x5, then a major outfit would have designed one from the ground up.

No one revived the press camera genre or scaled that concept down to a handy grab-shot concept.. No one put together a scaled-up 4x5 based on the Bessa-II or any of the other fold-out medium format pocket cameras of the 1930-1950 era. There are reasons for that.

Before and after the Polaroid conversion movement, there were other , less elaborate approaches to hand-held LF. The Hobo design is one, the TravelWide and WillTravel were the latest. Don't see many of these hand-held LF rigs around. I'm sure that there folks who swear by theirs. I respect them and their way of doing photography. . . .its just a real small corner.

I think Polaroid conversions are essentially a dead idea.

Ok, now I'll leave town for a few days.

HI drew

Yea. I remember the back and forths the law suit threats the other makers, I was just thinking of GL and wondering aloud if he was still making those cameras. the people who I know of who had them absolutely loved the camera and the results they got from it.
I think the crux of the matter is back then film wasn't 4$ a sheet, you could get a 100sheet box of rebranded Ilford or European film for like 20bucks sadly now large format is almost unaffordable .. ( I know I can't afford it. LOL )

to be honest I've always wanted a hobo 8x10 / 4x5 camera and was unhappy when B+S stopped selling them. I guess I could make my own but I am lazy.

[Oren Grad]

I think Polaroid conversions are essentially a dead idea.

This guy at least...

https://www.instantoptions.com/shop/4x5/

...is still doing them. Others are offering 3D-printed adapter kits for those who are comfortable doing their own camera surgery.


I saw his Facebook post ( like you, I don't have an account so I could just gawk ) and the link to the rental site with his bio. I wasn't sure it was real or not because it wasn't in ALL CAPS ...

:)

[Corran]

Since we are talking about Polaroid conversions, I'll mention that Steven with "Alpenhaus" died last year, so he's obviously not providing those anymore.

I don't use it a lot but it's fun to have my Alpenhaus conversion with 135mm f/3.5 lens when I do want to shoot handheld. I wonder how many of these conversions come up for sale used?

[jnantz]

Corran

I hope you bring that camera on your road trip ! If it was 4"x X" roll film I think that would be the perfect camera :). I can't wait for JLane Plate company to start coating their emulsion on roll film!

[Ari]

Since we are talking about Polaroid conversions, I'll mention that Steven with "Alpenhaus" died last year, so he's obviously not providing those anymore.

I'm sorry to hear that. Steve was always a nice, talkative fellow with me, I know he rubbed some people the wrong way.
But his conversions were always interesting. He made three for me before I gave up on the whole "handheld 4x5" thing.

[Mark Sampson]

It was an interesting idea.. but the pool of available Polaroid cameras, never large, is ever-shrinking.
And the actual market was equally small... those who liked an intriguing idea, and those who want to shoot hand-held 4x5.
Most of those folks, whoever they are (are they here?), have likely gone back to Graphics, Busch Pressmans, and Technikas.

[fuegocito]

Since we are talking about Polaroid conversions, I'll mention that Steven with "Alpenhaus" died last year, so he's obviously not providing those anymore.

I don't use it a lot but it's fun to have my Alpenhaus conversion with 135mm f/3.5 lens when I do want to shoot handheld. I wonder how many of these conversions come up for sale used?

Oh no, really terrible to hear of that. I have an Alpenhaus conversion (Polaroid 900), who later Dean in Australia(whom also passed away) help to make it even more functional with 150 style front focusing knob. It's a great set up for it's intended purpose. I walked around and shot with it in Cuba and certainly beats most other established forms of handheld 45's. My walk-around set up was camera plus three Grafmatic's, giving me a total of 18 shots, all super light and compact in a messenger style shoulder bag.

[Corran]

Nice setup. I wish I had that mod, the focus wheel on the 900 definitely sucks. I also wanted to get my camera upgraded at some point with fresh bellows and a paint job (long story about that not happening to begin with...).

I'll have to think about the 900 on my trip...

[cuypers1807]

When I first saw a Littman, I thought the idea of it was great, but too expensive. I instead bought a Dean Jones Razzle 900 in 2012. Mine has a 150mm Sironar N. The extra focusing knob is wonderful.
It is a quirky camera but I love the results. Mine can shoot regular film holders or Grafmatics.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52103340346_21013c3862_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7086/7161622125_8177988348_c.jpg

[fuegocito]

When I first saw a Littman, I thought the idea of it was great, but too expensive. I instead bought a Dean Jones Razzle 900 in 2012. Mine has a 150mm Sironar N. The extra focusing knob is wonderful.
It is a quirky camera but I love the results. Mine can shoot regular film holders or Grafmatics.


That is sweet! I have one of Dean's 150 conversion as well, it uses the regular film holder only and not the Grafmatic(for a slicker design back according to Dean), while the 150 had that nice focusing knob but it doesn't focus as close as the 900. That was the ultimate decision to pick up an Alpenhaus as well and have Dean convert the focusing mech to allow the knob instead of that smallish focusing wheel.

Out of all the Polaroid I have used, Chamonix Saber is the lightest (adopting from the P250) but given it's no longer housed in its original protective case, I feel it's a bit naked and fragile. The 900 conversion is a bit heavier but it's like a tank and much better overall balance I think.