Using and Modifying the Travelwide 4x5 camera

[wojszyca]

I managed to install my f6.8 Angulon yesterday and today I did the calibration. All went quite smooth and it was my first ever experience with LF lens so all was new to me. I am not sure if the lens is perfectly centered, as the opening is a bit bigger than the diameter of the lens element, but then I think that it doesn't matter if it is centered 100% precisely? I mean that as long as the image circle covers the film area it shouldn't matter if the image is slightly shifted off-center? I hope so. Here is an image from the calibration: https://instagram.com/p/88Bvq4uaTk/

[Tin Can]

I managed to install my f6.8 Angulon yesterday and today I did the calibration. All went quite smooth and it was my first ever experience with LF lens so all was new to me. I am not sure if the lens is perfectly centered, as the opening is a bit bigger than the diameter of the lens element, but then I think that it doesn't matter if it is centered 100% precisely? I mean that as long as the image circle covers the film area it shouldn't matter if the image is slightly shifted off-center? I hope so. Here is an image from the calibration: https://instagram.com/p/88Bvq4uaTk/

Did you try installing the retaining flange/ring backwards?

That worked for my Rapax.

Let's move this usage discussion to this thread. http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ide-4x5-camera

[wojszyca]

Thanks Randy for movin the post to the correct thread

Did you try installing the retaining flange/ring backwards?

I didn't! I think I will first test it as is and try that shall I have any issues. Do you think that having the lens very slightly off-center can be a problem?

[Tin Can]

Thanks Randy for movin the post to the correct thread



I didn't! I think I will first test it as is and try that shall I have any issues. Do you think that having the lens very slightly off-center can be a problem?

Only you can answer your question by testing.

[Ben Syverson]

I didn't! I think I will first test it as is and try that shall I have any issues. Do you think that having the lens very slightly off-center can be a problem?

I don't think it's a problem—it's very difficult to notice slight shifts. In fact, the film can shift back and forth a millimeter or two in some holders. By the way, retaining rings can often be installed either direction, but will fill more of the Copal opening in one orientation. We made the opening slightly on the large side, simply because the actual lens/shutter size varies quite a bit.

Hope this helps!

[wojszyca]

After work I am picking up the film holders. I hope I did the calibration right, I have the Angulon f/6,8 so the lens that the camera was designed for. After calibration my infinity point is very close to the fully retracted helical but it is not at THE very beginning (I hope my limited English is understandable).
Anyway, I am going to find out very soon!

[wojszyca]

There is a new group on Flickr for Travelwide 4x5 shots. I just joined

https://www.flickr.com/groups/travelwide4x5/

[Philip Jackson]

I picked up my Travelwide from the post office in Canberra, Australia yesterday. Installed a 6.8 Angulon last night, but have yet to calibrate to infinity. Hopefully it'll be sunny on the weekend.

On first impressions, the helical seems great. The metric distance numbers don't really jump out at you, but are easy enough to see. I may not bother with a cable release using it hand held - it seems like it may be easier just to directly trigger the shutter by lightly nudging the release with a finger.

The metal prongs on the back may take a little getting used to, and taking out a focussing screen and replacing it with a film holder may have the potential for movement unless you are pretty careful and/or use a very stable tripod. But that's probably not how I'll use it most of the time.

I'm down to my last couple of packs of the peel-apart Fuji instant FP-3000B and my Polaroid 3.34 X 4.25 holder that slides under a 4x5 Graflok back won't fit. As Ben said earlier, it's a real pity Fuji discontinued this wonderful instant material.

Instax seems less endangered, and I think it'd be very nice if somebody develops and markets a Fuji Instax Wide back for the Travelwide. Somebody seems to be modifying the hand cranked Instax back Lomo developed for their Belair to make it fit the Polaroid 600SE or Mamiya Universal Press, but it'd be better to have something made from scratch specifically for a Travelwide, ideally with a 3 volt battery and motor. However I have no idea how easy it would be to do in order to get the Instax material into the film plane, and then presumably eject it vertically straight up out of the holder? Perhaps you might have to remove the back first, but that wouldn't be too bad a workaround. Bob Crowley from the New 55 project previously reported an attempt to modify the back from an Instax 210 camera for his Graflex, but apparently he made a hack of it, so perhaps it might not be as easy as it seems.

Philip Jackson

[wojszyca]

I took my first shot yesterday.
Many first times here - my first ever large format shot, first time ever handling sheet film, first time ever developing it and scanning it. First time ever using the Travelwide and the sport finder.
Considering all that, I am happy I got any results. Framing is random, as I had no idea what area of the actual frame does the sport finder cover, so I just centered it on the subject and used the bubble level to level the camera.

The photo is not sharp. At full size, it is obviously soft. Either I did the calibration wrong, or it is camera shake (2 min exposure). Long exposure wasn't probably the best idea for the first test, but it was raining all day and only stopped after dark. And I was too eager to try to wait..

Here is the rough scan of my first attempt:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wojszyca/22183041349/

[Drew Bedo]

NIce first image!Welcome to the LF world.

My intro was a beaten old press camera and my first image was a fence post—hand-held no less. I was so glad to get anything at all. We share your excitement.