The fastest 4x5 camera ever!!!

[Robbie Shymanski]

I wasn't sure which topic to put this in. Could have gone into "Cameras" or "Lenses" or into the "show your camera" threads. I think it deserves its own.

I just built this. Took me about an hour of tinkering. So there is one case for its speed. (I really should be working on other things, but I am easily distracted.) The lens is a Barco Delta HD-6C ML. It is an 8 lb. monster I liberated off one of those old three lens video projectors. And, yes, I still have the other two. These have been sitting in my garage when I rediscovered them over the holiday. Looking at them I wondered if it could just cover 4x5. So, today I finally dug out a Crown Graphic Graflock back I knew I had lying around. A couple pieces of birch ply and some screws... voila! The lens already has helical focusing and almost no depth of field. Set up as is, it has a focus between 3 and 30 feet. I imagine using a 1/2" ply would give me an infinite focus, but that is for another day. I am guessing the f-stop around 1.2 and 1.4. I plan to use it for paper negs at some point. I wish I had more time and less to do.64465

64463

64462

64467

[Kirk Gittings]

Cool!

[David R Munson]

That is fantastic. Shoot something with it! :D

[Eric Rose]

The hell with paper negs, shoot some film! That looks totally cool. Love the felt pen on the GG.

[Justin Cormack]

I used to visit the Barco factory fairly often, they also used to make radios. They didnt make the lenses though, not sure where they came from....

[erie patsellis]

Robbie, just a suggestion, but if you remove the front aspherical diopter the back focus increases and some of the soft focus look goes away, makes the illumination across the neg more even as well.

The manufacturer is U.S. Projection Lenses, now a division of 3M.

Oh, and it should be ~F.9 to F1, depending on the specific model HD-6 lens. I use HD-8 and HD-10 lenses for various projects, nice multicoated super fast lenses that come dirt cheap.

[Robbie Shymanski]

Thanx Eric. Actually I think I can fix the focal length by extending the paths on the helical track. One of the things I like about the lens is that it is incredibly sharp, so I don't wanna take the lens apart. But thanx on the f-stop rating. I was being conservative estimating its value. Once I run some film/paper through I was going to get a more accurate number.

[brett_jurgens]

I have pulled similar lenses out of crt projection tvs. I always thought I could do something with them. This has me curious now.

[Nathan Potter]

Fun experimentation Robbie - the kind I like to do. Crude but functional. I hope you don't attempt any sophisticated home improvement projects if this is an example of your woodworking skills. ;)

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Nathan Appel]

woot!

[Robbie Shymanski]

Crude but functional. I hope you don't attempt any sophisticated home improvement projects if this is an example of your woodworking skills. ;)

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Hmmm... I'm not finding an emotocon here that says 'bite me'.

[jnantz]

that looks like fun :)

[jayabbas]

Point that baby at your neighbors house and wait for the reaction!

[munz6869]

That is awesome - I have an old Barco lens from a large venue LCD projector at work that weighs about 10kg - I knew I'd kept that for a reason. I am inspired...

Marc!

[Corran]

Cool!! Advertise the images a bit and you might be able to sell the other two lenses for a gob of money!

[dave_whatever]

Point that baby at your neighbors house and wait for the reaction!

or rock up outside a New York skyscraper and time how long it takes the sirens and blue lights to start.

[Robbie Shymanski]

There. Finally loaded some paper into a holder and threw it into this beast. The negative and print are #2 Slavich Unibrom 160, because was around. The neg was pre-flashed and I rate it four stops bellow ISO 6. I exposed it for a minute in a dim corner of my shop. Standard paper development in Dektol 1:2. The scan of the print gives no justice.

[David R Munson]

Oh man that looks cool. So jealous!

[jayabbas]

You got the drag racers spirit -" run what ya brung". I like it because you just whipped it up fast without the usual techno -perfection drama that pervades a lot of photography. Great image !

[Jay DeFehr]

Robbie,

Is that an XS 650? I had one I used similarly.

[Corran]

Awesome!

[Steve M Hostetter]

where's the working shutter?

[Robbie Shymanski]

where's the working shutter?

I do not require one.

[Robbie Shymanski]

Robbie,

Is that an XS 650? I had one I used similarly.

'77 XS400, actually. The first year of production and the only edition with front and back discs, mag wheels, squared tank, and 6-speed box. Basically it was the 4-stroke version of the RD400 Daytona.

[SamReeves]

Uber coolness. I'd love to see some more photos. :)

[Filmnut]

I agree, neat looking camera, post some more images soon!
Keith

[john wood]

Very cool. I found a lens from an Air Force flight simulator that looks to be almost the same design/weight/length. For 10$, it made for fun shooting. Nice work.

[Kuzano]

Yeah.... that's a real shortcoming of the emoticons on this web site, or forum software. I find myself constantly trying to find the one for "It sucks to be you".

[eddy pula]

hey dude, I got one of my very own!!! SONY brand! also fresnel lens and polarizors from a rear projection tv, ditched the giant tlr like mirror in a wallyworld dumpster! College students moved out and left this baby on the curb, dopes! Can't put as many exclamation points on this!!! Real quick, just thanks and I hope its ok that I facebooked this like crazy... Retroactive thanks is cool right?

[modusoperandi]

Any photographs has been done by this lens? Where i can watch them?