What fabric did you use for bellows?
What fabric did you use for bellows?
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
Here's the specs, in case there's interest:
Back is attached with magnets, and can be removed and rotated 90°.
Bellows are interchangeable.
Maximum bellows extension: ~400mm
Minimum bellows extension: ~45mm (no movements)
Front/Rear tilt: 30° +/-
Front/Rear shift: 22mm +/-
Front/Rear swing: Limited only by bellows
Front rise: 72mm
Front fall: 22mm
Weight (w/o lens and lens board): 1.1 kg
Thorlabs BK5 for the liner/light-tight layer (sprayed with flat black paint to reduce gloss and improve light-tightness). Polyester drafting film (frosted mylar) for the ribs. Outer layer either 1.1 oz calendared ripstop nylon, or 1.1 oz. ripstop siliconized polyester, coated one side with polyurethane (1.4 oz after coating). All layers bonded with 3M Fastbond contact cement. Bellows glued to frames with Pliobond (will have to use a different adhesive for the siliconized polyester, as Pliobond doesn't stick to the silicone side).
Good stuff. Thanks!
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
Looks very nice for a first effort.
Just curious about the magnets. Were the holes for them printed or drilled and did you glue them in.
Thanks
Magnets are 1/16" thick x 3/8" dia. neodymium, four pairs total. Holes were printed in the standard frame (polycarbonate), and cleaned up with CNC mill. Matching magnets in camera back were set into pockets milled in the light trap (light trap is milled from 1/8" MDF, epoxied to carbon fiber back). All magnets glued in with super glue.
Doesn't such a magnet affect the shutter?
Very cool! I own a Gowland PocketView. Specs look similar, tho my Gowland only has a bellows extension of 300mm. My Gowland checks in at 1.15 kg with a 150mm lens on it.
One thing I noticed is that one needs a solid tripod with such a light camera. I used a lightweight carbon fiber tripod (<2 kg) and extra care was needed not to move the whole set-up accidently. I prefer to use one with the weight of an old Gitzo Reporter (5 to 7 pounds...2.3 to 3.2 kg). But the light weight of the camera makes a ballhead a good choice.
"Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China
Just a question about those magnets - I'd think that they'd need to be pretty powerful to inspire confidence while inserting/removing dark slides (which can, depending on age/condition of holders, present a bit resistance). With this in mind, have you verified that the act of removing a particularly stubborn dark slide would never cause a light leak?
Also...given that these magnets are powerful - can you pull the back off to change (Horiz/Vert) orientation without affecting/changing back adjustments? Seems that with such a light camera this might be an issue, further indicating the use of mechanical (not magnetic) means of securing the back.
Or perhaps you've incorporated some sort of lever lift mechanism to facilitate smooth detachment? Just curious!
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