another option is to make a time machine and set it to go back about 160 years, they were all the rage then :-)
another option is to make a time machine and set it to go back about 160 years, they were all the rage then :-)
Wow, thank you for all your help With the advice and links.
I'll work on the time machine first I think, Ted
I managed to pickup a Charles Beseler 26" E.F series iii lens. I'm hoping it's a good buy as I've gone at it blind as I couldn't find anything on google other than info on a 14" and 18" lens. How will I find out what focal length, aperture and the size of camera to use with it. I can't seem to find any lists or information to work it out.
I'm hoping to build a camera for mainly shoulder length portraits.
Edit. Had a little time to watch the youtube link. What can I say other than 1st class skills. A very talented man he Is.
Last edited by Sm:)er; 31-Oct-2017 at 06:09.
Hi all!
Did anyone try to build this thing? I see no one is sharing the results.
Here's another DIY project for the reference - https://hackaday.io/project/1762-large-format-camera
He took a few shortcuts, especially on the bellows. He squared off the ends on two sides so he could build it around a square jig. It should all be laid out flat so you can have angled ends on all sides:
c4s by Mark Owen Sawyer, on Flickr
"I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."
Please explain exactly what you mean.
I thought many tailboard cameras had this type of bellows.
Do you mean non-tapered is wrong?
My S11 has three bellows just like this guys. I think?
Or do you mean all stiffeners must be angle ended? And why?
Here's a screenshot from his video. Notice half his stiffeners are cut off at square ends, not angled to meet the others. Not that big a deal, but it makes it more likely to get those funky folds that have to be straightened out by hand...
Screenshot (264) by Mark Owen Sawyer, on Flickr
Mine are supported all the way into the corners...
c7s by Mark Owen Sawyer, on Flickr
Mind you, he has a much nicer shop and a wider variety of tools. I'm strictly a backyard and carport woodworker, but then, the 19th century camera builders would have oohed and ahhed over today's cheap power tools...
"I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."
I did notice that.
I suppose what I liked best about the bellows video section, he made the process look possible in a slow and easy way. Too many other videos, descriptions or texts are very confusing.
When I find a spare 100 hours, I will make sure I make tapered stiffeners.
I also liked his large flap overlap. Seemed like a good idea. It also seemed he did not glue his bellows to the frames, which is how my OE S11 bellows were when I stripped them. Nails only, no glue. The Rochester Bellows factory made my 3 to match OE style V11. I have no idea if the stiffenersare one way or tuther. They work.
The wood cutting and gluing sections of this video were too long. I just like the bellows section. Peace
When I get around to making my own bellows, I'll want the front to be quite a bit smaller than the rear. Still, seeing this video gives me another look at how it can be done. My big question still is: what do I use to make them? I've read lots of suggestions, but in the end I'll want something that is not just flexible yet stiff enough, and light tight, but also something that will last. I'd hate to make them and have them crack or lose their shape in a couple of years.
Anyone have specific suggestions that have actually worked?
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