stone - read my post above for dimension ruling.Originally Posted by StoneNYC
stone - read my post above for dimension ruling.
Ahh "side rear frame" I think of the side facing the lens to be the front not the rear, so I didn't read it the way you meant it, now I see what you mean. Thanks.
Steve (AKA Alpenhaus),
Do you have another batch of centered 405 backs coming on the way, and can you tell me if these work particularly well with Technika Cameras? I would also like to know if I sourced some parts whether you could have one or two made?
I am using this system in both traditional and non-traditional ways, so shooting with the rangefinder and viewfinder is important in many situations, especially making portraits on Polaroid. New Type 55 in 4x5 is going to be a stellar, but I'm also interested in FP3000 in 3/4 for lower light situations. I would prefer to use the center, sweet spot of the lens rather than the edges if possible.
The Tech V's rangefinder is bright and very accurate (when cams are made for a specific lens and body). The late 60s / early 70s viewfinder adjusts for focus breathing (!). I want to incorporate these into my practice with it.
Cant answer for Aplenhouse, but, a centered back will not fit your linhof. It will not clear the side of the camera.
Koh,
It seemed like with some machining and modification, it might fit centered, but you sound like you have some experience with 405's on the Technika System? A custom mask for the Technika's viewfinder may be more in line for my uses, and I'll just have to put up with a little softer image than if it were in the center.
My big concern is not with getting accurate ground glass focusing so much as syncing with the rangefinder and viewfinder. When I want really accurate and perfect focusing and composition, Polaroids (excluding Type 55), aren't the best choice for my time and effort. In planned shoots with people where feedback and rapport do matter, my experience with Polaroid film has been very positive, and something I want to integrate into my Technika setup.
Reading this thread made me take out my Polaroid 405 back from storage. I rarely use Polaroid film, and I kept this as a "just in case I want to use it" kind of thing.
As you can see from the photos, the opening is centered in the 4x5 frame. The curious thing is, there seems to be a 7mm spacer between the main body and the surface that mates with the camera back. It will not fit under the groundglass of any of my cameras, but will fit perfectly using the Graflok locks. The spacer would move the film plane back, but I think the four screws seen in the first photo could be removed, and the spacer itself could be removed.
Does anyone have any idea what this particular back might be made for? There's a sticker inside that says "Modified in Japan".
Thanks,
Kumar
1. If you can show me or anyone else, and demonstrate a visible, even under scrutiny a drop in preformance of a 4X5 covering lens, between the second to last 2cm in the frame, i will say that this is cause for concern, and you should get a different lens.
2. The range finder, and more then that, the view finder on LF cameras is only a general suggestion, and is far from accurate by any means. All rangefinders are like that. Ever try to get exact framing with a mamiya 7? I am sorry, i just dont get what the problem here is. You will never get "exact" or "accurate" anything with a linhof unless you use the GG.
3. A 405 back might clear the technika. An MP3/4 back will not. Unless you machine the camera, saw the rangefinder unit off and make extensive modifications to the other side of the back, making the camera useless for anything other then that back, it will not work, but you should buy one of those "centered" holders and try it. Its the best way to find out it does not work.
4. If you are willing to invest so much effort in this, why not just use a regular pack film camera (or any manual conversion if you want to shoot with manual control), and use the 4X5 when you want to shoot film?
Now i am sure i do not understand the problem.
This is not a 405 back. Its a CB03/universal pack holder with some 4X5 bracket. Probably used in some industrial camera/microscope set up.
How will you ever get an image in focus when the film plane is so far removed from the focal plane?
Possibly. What made me curious is that the back fits the Sinar perfectly. I didn't know industrial cameras came with Graflok backs!
Sheeeeeeesh. You're a picky one. I do use the ground glass for shifts and tilts, but am not married to that use alone. It's nice that the engineers who designed the Technika system realized that it's rangefinder would need to be accurate enough for press and studio work. It's exceptionally on-target, beyond anything else I ever have used, including well maintained Leicas. With a cam (steuerkurve) machined exclusively to the lens and body, I've taken many pictures with a sharp point of focus at less than a foot, wide open, with a 135mm f6.3 lens. Polaroids give the added advantage of being able to see if focusing was correct right on location.
Even the Kalart on the old Graflex I used a decade ago was quite accurate. The Technika was designed to be versatile, (comparatively) fast machines to be used for a wide field of applications, including high speed press work, as was the Graflex. It's incredible to see 178mm F2.5 Ektar shots done on the Graflex, with really remarkable accuracy, focused with the relatively crude Kalart.
It's a pet peeve of mine that the application of this feature is so disregarded. It was designed for and utilized by working professionals (as opposed to artist-scum like us). WeeGee and his creed were as talented and dedicated to bringing new forms of photography to the world as much as Edward Weston and company.
Why carry two camera systems if the Linhof is faster, sharper, and more accurate in this use? Plus the conversions don't have accurate rangefinder focusing down to under a foot. (Like I said, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive with rangefinders, dffrn't strokes for dffrn't folks, etc). The point of Polaroid to me is good rapport and feeling with friends and acquaintances in staged settings, rather than forcing them to be frustrated waiting for "art". Both types of of Fuji-instant film have recoverable negatives which can be scanned afterwards on an Imacon.
It seems that the solution has been found: have a mask made for the Technika's universal viewfinder that is roughly in alignment with the Polaroid 405's position, and find a cellophane outline for the Ground Glass for extra accuracy. Should work great.
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