ULF Walk-in Camera?

[Tin Can]

My Chicago Logan Sq store front was 100% blacked out for Darkroom and studio.

I installed a 6" hole in what i thought would be a good location facing south at the Bloomingdale Bike Trail aka 606. The bike path plans includes a staircase to the upper level right where I was. My lens would have had a great stage.

They never built the stairs. My view obscura became way busier after the 606 opened...with cars...crime increased drastically. I sold 2 years ago and went downstate.

I bought this lens specifically for the hole. Scroll down to the 790 mm Mammoth lens. http://re-inventedphotoequip.com/Formats.html

I never used it for a big negative or print, but did use white foam core to watch the cars.

I like your plans gentlemen!

[mvanderaa]

Too bad they never built the stairs, and I’m sad to hear of the crime. That lens is interesting! An image circle of 1,830mm at a subject distance of 10 feet! Wow. Did you ever do any more with the lens?

[Tin Can]

I was soundly thrashed when I posted my first 8X10 with it here. Missed focus evidently. I have problems with soft focus lenses. I have tried a few...They resemble my vision.

I have used it in the Chicago studio with 11X14 at all f stops.

I plan to use in forest here but will never post anything soft focus again.

[Dan Fromm]

I'm sure (but not certain) Ian's lens is huge. I'm also in the suburbs of Chicago which means a lens pointing towards our narrow and bland courtyard doesn't work for portraits during the winter months. (I would love to have a room with a view of some movement / cars — that would persuade me to do the obscura. If you've seen my latest post, you'll see I'm headed a different direction with a lens. BTW, I showed an Ian Ruhter video to my students — they were fascinated. It's cool stuff. Thanks, Aaronnate!

I think I've read that he uses an 1800 Apo-Nikkor, could be mistaken.

[mvanderaa]

800 Apo-Ronar f/9 arrived. Working through with a handy-man how to build into the wall with rise / fall, and think we have a pretty simple but solid solution figured out. Will keep you updated on my progress. Thanks.

[AF-ULF]

I have done something similar. I used an artist easel to hold the paper or film. It could be moved back and forth to focus, so you don't need bellows or any other mechanism to move the lens. Put a sheet of white paper on the easel, move it to focus. Then switch out the focus paper with the photo paper and take the photo.

[aaronnate]

That is a huge lens! Glod for you. What is the image circle?

[MAubrey]

That is a huge lens! Glod for you. What is the image circle?

APO-Ronars have 45° of coverage at infinity at f/22. So, the 800mm would have about a 660mm image circle.

[Dan Fromm]

APO-Ronars have 45° of coverage at infinity at f/22. So, the 800mm would have about a 660mm image circle.

Not to pick nits, but Apo-Ronars' coverage declines with focal length. R'stock claims that the 800/9 Apo Ronar covers 42° @f/32, also that its focal length is 788 mm. So it covers a 605 mm circle. Not a teeny tiny difference, but for the OP's purposes probably still a distinction without a difference.

[mvanderaa]

As I understand it, process lenses (including the Apo Ronar) are quoted in Rodenstock literature at 1:1 and at infinity. There is a lot of misleading information on the various forums about actual coverage, however, I did find an old Rodenstock brochure that listed it's coverage as 28x36" at 1:1 (at f/22 for most lenses, but stated at f/32 for focal lengths longer than 760). Much less coverage at infinity.
AF-ULF: Glad to hear you had success with your project! I'm sure my exposures will be quite long, but I'm thinking this is doable.