DIY Sinar Norma Handy 4x5 Photos

[Daniel Unkefer]

The 58mm XL Graphic Grandagon? Sinar offered that lens in their Norma catalog, I own one on a custom welded Norma flat board heavily modded by my Clockmaker friend. It DOSEN'T cover 4x5 almost 9x12cm wonderful lens. Focus it hyperfocally and the circle increases a tiny, 4x5 is pushing the envelope. I happen to like the dark corners.

The 20mm Russar Finder is something worth having. It is sweet to look through

BTW shooting some XRAY film wide open in a Graphmatic Holder wide open at F8. Back in the day Schneider advertised that the Super Angulon works well even wide open.

[Daniel Unkefer]

4x5 SInar Norma Handy by Nokton48, on Flickr

My 4x5 SInar Norma Handy with 65mm F8 Super Angulon, Schneider Center Filter 65/8, and K2 Yellow Series 8 filter. The colored filter presses tightly against the center filter, it's the combination I want to use. Six 4x5 Graphmatic film backs, these will be loaded with HP5+ and 400TMAX 4x5 film. Vivitar 283 strobe with Photoflex XTC mini softbox. Should be interesting for closer in shooting. We will see. A hyperfocal focus chart is printed on the back of each Graphmatic for quick focus setting

[Daniel Unkefer]

Norma Handy gets 4 inch Deep Yellow Wratten behind by Nokton48, on Flickr

Here my front end of the Sinar Norma Handy homemade camera, now it gets a 4" Kodak Wratten Deep Yellow Gelatin Filter, which I gaffer taped to the rear of the original Norma 65mm F8 factory conical mount board with correct helical. I prefer the colored filter inside the body (behind the lens) rather than another glass filter, in front of the Schneider 65mm F8 Center Filter. Going through two pieces of glass in front is asking for problems with reflections. Mucho better this way.

[Daniel Unkefer]

OK I've just developed some 4x5 Graphmatic photos, that included superwide shots of my new set with the portrait lighting I've been working on. I like it, HP5+ pushed 1 or two stops. Also same with TMax400, EI 1600 can be achieved with good detail. And the MiniMe Softbox was my standard Wedding setup for grab and gos. I will be printing these soon. I use an 8x10 Unicolor Print Drum, spinning on a Unicolor Uniroller. I just bought a couple more drums so now I have four that all work good. And I can run 9x12/4x5 in my JOBO Multitank 4 or Multitank5. So I'm getting to the point where I can run a fair amount of film and develop it quickly with quality.

I am busy cleaning my darkroom and film loading area. I use a Dyson V7 vacuum to clean the film holders. I just bought a second used V7, and a couple of spare new fresh original Dyson batteries. Good vacuum but the lithiums can kinda be a PITA. Hence the spares. I have six Graphmatic 4x5 Backs I intend to load with fresh Ilford HP5+, and Kodak TMax 400. Rating the film at 1600 EI, and developing it as EI 3200 per Ilford specs. Getting some luscious looking negs from D23 1:1. Got another 8x10 Unidrum coming, and I went to Harbour Freight, and picked up five pack of black bungees. Cut up one of those and they make great "rubber thing" inside the 8x10 Unidrum. Keeps the sheets from "walking over" onto each other, which can be really aggraving. The "rubber thing" is seldom with the Unidrums when you buy them used, so you have to make your own. Which is actually super easy to do yourself. I wouldn't use the Unidrum without the "rubber thing" with 4x5.

[Daniel Unkefer]

I'm about ready to start really using this thing. I have six Graphmatics, just ordered another hundred sheets of HP5+. Also plenty of 4x5 Graphic type Holders. EI 1600 is not a stretch at all, being 4x5 the amazing detail is there. The 65mm F8 does NOT completely cover the 4x5 edges, you can see the edges of the circle. Similar in "look" to the F3.4 Leica Super Angulon on an M Leica, just scaled up (Swiss) 9x12 style. EI 1600 opens up the use of the camera, at lower EI's it really severely limits the use of the camera, hence my hesitancy getting started with it. At 1600 I can handhold it in most ambient situations. Using the MiniMe Inflated Softbox with the 283 gives me 100 joules of flash which with 1600 should be plenty enough? The box improves the light used close-up.

This makes a good knockabout lightweight Press Camera. People approach and want to talk about it. Especially Photographers

[Peter De Smidt]

I used to be "anti-film-pushing", thinking it only increased contrast and not shadow detail, but I saw some great-looking photos on this forum where people pushed film. I gave it a try with Foma 200, and a push to EI800 with corresponding increased development. It really does give great results. With normal development, I expect the "lot's of exposure" suggestion is more about tonal separation in the mid tones than the super-importance of separation in the darkest tones for most pictures. With pushing film, you still get the increased mid tone contrast because of development, and the increase in grain size isn't a big deal because, well, large format. TMY, for me, acts faster than advertised in Xtol-like developers. With it's short toe, you might lose a bit more deep shadow detail, but there will likely be terrific mid-tone contrast, and the grain will likely be significantly smaller than Foma 200, plus TMY will have great quality control.

[Daniel Unkefer]

Thanks Peter

You are giving me some good ideas. It hasn't occured to me until now to consider pushing two stops, Fomapan 200. Yet I have an unopened box of 9x12cm (that covers the lens circle perfectly) which I bought from FotoImpex in Germany a few years ago. I have a pile of 9x12 boxes from them, five or six flavors to try out. But 800 Speed 9x12cm Foma200 would definitely "look" different from pushed two stops TMX400 and HP5+. I've been shooting a hundred foot roll of HP5+ fresh, exposing at 1600 and developing to 3200, per the box instructions. Looks damn good and so much better in large format I have a lot of Sinar Norma 9x12 Graphic Holders, and some Kewl vintage Arca Swiss 9x12cm sheet film holders. Even some 9x12cm Linhof Glass Plate Holders, which I haven't used yet.

I need to put new batteries in my Dyson V7's, to clean everything out, and get these six holders loaded. I bought sized plastic bags on Amazon to hold the loaded Graphmatics. So starting to get there. Six 4x5 Graphmatic holders fit in the Swedish Medical Bag very incognito

[Daniel Unkefer]

I've been dusting and loading holders, and I'm about ready to start going out. I've loaded outdated TMAX400, outdated HP5+, fresh TMAX400, and fresh HP5+. And some outdated 9x12cm FOMA 200 (will push two stops). Everything loaded into 4x5 Graflex Graphmatics, perfect for Sinar Norma Handy camera. They should have offered this camera back in the day, but they didn't. But they did offer -some- of the pieces. Twenty years ago I snagged the Norma 65mm F8 Helical on rare original Norma cone board, Forty Bucks at MPEX. Helical is scaled in feet, not meters. I have pasted a hyperfocus chart for the 65 f8 SA, on the back of each Graphmatic. This would make a good Paparazzi camera, using it would raise attention everywhere. Fun ahead. Went to World of Used Photography, they have MOVED into a new warehouse sized facility, like 2X bigger than their old place. Bought another outdated box 50 sheets 4x5 TMAX400, I just paid $200 for a new box close dated from B&H. Good to have both. Cost me Thirty Bucks for this additional box. Yay!

[Daniel Unkefer]

SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

Sinar Norma Handy ready to go. On the back is the rare Sinar Norma Monocular Rubber Bellows, with the Norma Monocular Viewer. With a short locking cable release, I can view through the lens if I need to. I can also insert Sinar Norma 4x5 Meter Cassette, with Sinarsix, deadly accurate TTL metering eliminates a lot of exposure variables, some of which can compound. So uber versatile. The strap is a 1.5" Domke Black Gripper, the strap lugs are Pentax 6x7, I drilled and taped the Norma Auxiliary Frame. Devil Cal on RFF kindly supplied the stainless steel bolts holding the strap lugs. I bought the Graflex XL Grip (Norma used this) from Glenn Evans, I'm not using the Grip for now. I can nicely handhold this all day long

[Tin Can]

All day exposures are tough handheld!

Just ribbing you

Peace