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View Full Version : FKD 13X18cm 5X7 compatability



Edward (Halifax,NS)
27-Feb-2004, 06:24
In my never ending quest for cheap portability I have started looking at FKD tailboard cameras. Getting 13X18 film in North America seems to be extremely difficult and using 5X7 film in a 13X18 holder may work or the film may fall out depending on the individual holder(I got this info from previous posts). Neither of these are particularly good options. A third is to use a 5X7 holder in the camera. Would this work? If adaptations would be minimal it would be worth it to me. It is hard to beat a $130 folding camera.

Jason Greenberg Motamedi
27-Feb-2004, 07:06
These Russian tailboard cameras are not compatible with standard 13x18 holders, but rather are used with glass plates, and glass plate holders. You would have to make some sort of film sheath in order to use film. You could also pick up a 5x7 back on eBay and (somehow) attach it to the back of the camera.

Marty Lowman
3-Mar-2004, 08:15
I went down this road about a year ago. I tried fitting 5x7 sheaths into the FKD film holders. This worked OK in that the sheaths fit and held the film flat and snug, but the film holders themselves were full of leaks and did not fit tightly into the back. I ended up buying a used 5x7 back and attached it to the FKD back. This works fine but the camera will not fold with the back attached. If I were to do it again, I'd just skip the film sheath stage and plan on buying a 5x7 back from the start.

Marty Lowman

Edward (Halifax,NS)
3-Mar-2004, 08:51
What about getting a 8X10 => 4X5 reducing back and trimming it and permanently mounting it where the holder would go?

Marty Lowman
3-Mar-2004, 11:27
Ed - Have you got the FKD yet? It does not accept standard film holders - the ground glass flips up and a cassette fits into slots underneath the ground glass. I found that the casettes did not fit tight enough to prevent light leaks. While it should be possible to cut a back down to fit into this space, it's too much fine work for me.

Edward (Halifax,NS)
3-Mar-2004, 11:45
Marty, I don't have it yet. If I had to cut down a back I would more likely get an 18X24 and cut down a 8X10 => 5X7 or 4X5 back. That would give more wood to work with. My wife is the carpenter in our family and she loves to tell me what to do. :) In a perfect world I would just have to slap a 5X7 holder in, but then again, the cameras would cost more than $200.

John Bagnall (Scotland)
5-Apr-2004, 10:32
My FKD came with 3 plate holders which I have adapted simply with thin 5"x7" glass plates from cheap picture frames. I had to try a few before I found ones which would fit. I mostly use 5x7 paper negatives but 5x7 film will fit and is held fairly - but not very - flat by pushing it under the wooden plate holder frame at one end and under the two clips at the other which are inteded to hold the plate in. It isn't pretty but it seems to work. The 210mm Industar lens seems quite good. I have also fitted a 165mm Goerz Dogmar in a Compur shutter to a home-made lensboard so I can make short exposures. Is anyone else making pictures with these strange Russian cameras?

Mark_3632
5-Apr-2004, 14:31
On another forum a member got an FKD 8x10. He swapped out the back with a deardorf 8x10 back and is happy. He said it was very little trouble. Might be worth a shot. I suppose a 2D back might work as well. What are the dimensions of the back? When I get home I can measure my 2d to say if it will fit in?

André_4187
26-Apr-2004, 20:29
Heh,

FKD users of the world unite! I just purchased a 8x10 FKD via Ebay, can't wait to try it out. It looks like a steal, especially if you can find a good lens with a shutter to use faster films. Any recommendations for good, cheap 8x10 normal-view lenses?

Take care, André

André_4187
26-Apr-2004, 21:45
Hi,

Another question: I am probably going to try swapping the 18x24 back with a Deardorff 8"x10" back like the above poster mentioned, as 8x10 film is WAAAY easier to find in Canada. Is there any problem using 8x10 film holders in substitution of the 18x24cm ones?

Edward (Halifax,NS)
27-Apr-2004, 11:23
Andre, it is slightly wider than normal but the 240mm G Claron can be had very cheaply in a barrel (~$100-150) and it screws into a Copal 1 Press shutter which can be had for well under $100. I got one for $40 with a 75mm Tominon in it. Unforunately it is the one with the small iris so if I mounted a 240mm lens in it, it would be f/14.4 wide open which would be difficult to focus with. With the shutter with the larger iris you would get the full f/9. Just to be sure you get the right one, the 127mm Tominon lens comes in the correct shutter (so do most, but not all 75mm). It might be slightly more expensive.

Gianni Raineri
3-May-2004, 08:23
I too was looking for, but had trouble dealing with the film, cassettes, conversion to 8x10 film, then processing, etc... A shortcut (to get nice photos) occured to me after reading this discussion thread. I composed my kids into the FKD 18x24cm w/210 lens, then captured the ground glass image with my Fuji S1 Pro's Nikkor Macro Lens. Would this qualify as an alternative process?

Gianni

Eugen S.
22-Jan-2005, 14:55
Hello

Does anyone know what is the process and chemicals used to take pictures on glass ?

Some one told me there is something you can pint glass with and take a picture on it .... that is why i bought the camera ... now i am looking on how to acomplish this.

Andrea
25-Aug-2006, 06:36
BosseB has done this a lot with great results. I use my FKD 13x18 with unexposed glass plates of various sizes bought from the Bay.
My FKD had no ground glass or anything to mount the ground glass in so I bought some satin snow glass and mounted it in a shallow picture frame which I wedge in place.
The flim/plate holders I have were not for FDK but work with use of elastic bands and gaffer tape and an insert for the plate cut from Matte!!!! Total cost £0 - all junk given to me. Here; 5x4 glass plate - in R09 contact printed on Ilford Grade 2 in Ilford Warmtone .
http://static.flickr.com/69/222200149_6778f34d95.jpg