What equipment is hard for you to find?
Hey LF users!
I am curious what you have had a hard time finding. I own a small manufacturing company. This is by way of research. If enough people want the same thing, there is a possibility we could make it and help alleviate the problem of hard to find items. What do you need? Knobs? Bellows? Lens boards? tripod braces? Take a moment and let us know what we should add to our catalog. We will be producing ground glass again soon. I am hopeful that we will have a line of cameras available in 2023.
Moderators please note that I am not offering to sell anything, just gathering information about what forum members are having a tough time obtaining.
Thank you everyone
Barry Young
Young Camera Company
Patterson Missouri, USA
Re: What equipment is hard for you to find?
Bellows and flanges
both are custom
Re: What equipment is hard for you to find?
5x7 film holders are scarce
Lens boards for Kodak Masterviews are even scarcer which is why I sold mine.
Slip-on filter adaptors in larger sizes (VIII-X) are scarce as hen's teeth.
Re: What equipment is hard for you to find?
Three words: Graflex shutter curtains (ok more than three words, specifically for SLR type Graflexes).
Re: What equipment is hard for you to find?
Slip-on filter adaptors & lens flanges come immediately to mind.
Re: What equipment is hard for you to find?
You will get lots of business offering one-off custom parts like SKGrimes.
To get to the next level, I’d like to see the ability to 3D scan a broken part, fix it in software and print or CNC a new part for the customer.
My experience is most manufacturing is unavailable to me due to minimum orders in the thousands.
Also, if you could figure how to polish and recoat lenses at a reasonable price that would be great.
Re: What equipment is hard for you to find?
Minolta, Yashica, Minox, Mamiya, Steky, Kiev, Ricoh, 110, etc. empty, reloadable subminiature film cassettes.
Re: What equipment is hard for you to find?
Something similar to the AWB Wind Stabilizer, I assume since the website is defunct that Brubaker is out of business.
It would be nice to have a well made Bellows here in the U.S.
Re: What equipment is hard for you to find?
Big shutters.
I have been looking for a Compound V for three years - or an Ilex #5 ... no luck. I have to buy a 2000 USD lens to get it (and throw away a valuable lens). One is on sale right now on the auction site for 850 EUR. Probably when they will get sold for 3000 USD someone will start manufacturing them somewhere in the Far East :-)
Incidentally, the far more humble (humbler?) Copal 3 is becoming less .. humble too.
Re: What equipment is hard for you to find?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Serge S
Slip-on filter adaptors & lens flanges come immediately to mind.
Yes, definitely, slip on adapters