Show off your ULF camera

[Phil Hudson]

Several years ago I posted some images of the 11x14 rig that I had just finished working on, inspired by some fantastic builds here on the forum.

In the time since then it have used it occasionally and I really loved the format but I have lost my studio space and it doesn't make sense to keep it. As I won't have it for much longer I thought I'd take some better images of it in case they're useful for anyone else considering adapting existing camera parts to suit their needs as I did.

It uses an Arca-Swiss Monolith carrier and rail system, with 11x14 inch back by Mike Walker and bellows by Custom Bellows. The front frame is a Sinar type to allow the use of a Sinar Shutter. Glass is a SatinSnow type. The bespoke engineered parts were made by a local company specialising in automotive parts.

Some details:

• Arca-Swiss front and rear M-Line Monolith function carriers
• Arca-Swiss F-Line 50cm extension bracket with 20cm + 30cm F-Line rail II sections
• 11x14 inch film back and housing (a small number of these were originally supplied by Mike Walker to Teamwork in London in the 1990s to adapt Sinar P2 10x8 to 11x14). Back is reversible portrait/landscape and has bail arms.
• Bellows were originally supplied by Camera Bellows as they were then called (Birmingham, UK) and extended by them for the purpose of this build
• Front frame is from a Sinar P2 with a custom machined aluminium spacer to zero it relative to the 11x14 back.
• Weight is around 9kg all in.
• Max bellows extension is around 700mm (I was guided by the Arca rails I was working with and the likely range of applications needed at the time)

It was a relatively straightforward assembly and as a bonus it is pretty much reversible back into the original components.

Phil

[Phil Hudson]

More images

[Phil Hudson]

Final few.....

[Mark Sampson]

Well now, that's doing it right. A real no-excuses build. It's a shame that you won't be able to keep it.

[MAubrey]

Brand new build from Walnut. I bought bellows this time. I made the basic frames from 2020 t-slot. No rear movements. Front rise/fall are separate from tilt. And I standardized it to Sinar lens boards & a Linhof 96x99mm adapter. I'm still working on the back. My initial round of leaf springs aren't thick enough, so I'm waiting for new ones to arrive from McMaster Carr (feeler gauge). But I'm extremely pleased by how well its worked out.

The focusing system is Arca Swiss style plates and clamps all around, which works surprisingly well!

I also posted these to the home made camera thread.