Getting ready to build a 4x10 folder. How would you recommend lens attachment?

[Noahort47]

Hey yall I'm getting ready to get going one design of a DIY project of building a 4x10 folder similar to a old 1900s 6x9 folder. My biggest hold up is how I want to have the lense attach either by sliding lens into slots once open so I can close camera with lense inside, or have the lens board with lense on and foldable which would make the camera a bit beefier. My ideal lense would be a 240mm Fujinon A, 210 nikor W, or a 210 G-claron. What would yall suggest?

[Dan Fromm]

The second alternative would probably be easier to make and make work. Look at a Pacemaker Graphic.

But it would not be like a pocketable folder. If that's what you must have, think very hard about how to make it work with a unit focusing lens. Many pocketable folders use lenses with front cell focusing lenses, and the lenses you mentioned are all unit focusing.

[Michael Roberts]

4x10 is a great format. Changeable lens boards, I understand, but I'm not sure what you mean by sliding a lens into a slot once open. Can you reference a camera that has this design?

In general, cameras that allow you to keep a lens mounted when the camera is closed, especially a lens like the 210 Nikor or Schneider, will be more bulky as you suggest. So it's a trade-off between the convenience of having the lens already attached when the camera is open (faster set-up) but more bulky vs. having to place the lensboard on the camera after you open it but a slimmer camera body. I don't think there is any way around this trade-off.

The other thing to consider is that most of the 1900 era folders with lenses attached had short rails inside the camera body. This would be a more challenging build unless you scavenge/repurpose parts from an older camera.

I keep an older, stripped-down Pacemaker Crown Graphic 4x5 just for the ease and convenience of having a camera I can quickly open and have ready to shoot, as Dan suggests, but I've never tried to build something similar.

Interesting design challenge.

[rfesk]

If I were to build a 4x10 camera from "scratch" I believe it would be a design similar to a Phillips/Camonix/Intrepid. It would require the least effort in my opinion. You could make it a non-folding camera and keep the lens attached.

Fast thread pitch focusing screws are available from McMaster-Carr.

[Noahort47]

You're totally right Dan ! I was trying to research a front cell focusing lens that would cover 4x10 but I wasn't able to find any, do you have any suggestions? While it doesn't necessarily have to look like a folder I ideally want it to be portable and not need a tripod all the time which the foldable design seemed the best case to still have bellows and not just a wooden box

[Noahort47]

Yea that's what I meant with the lens board lol. They other way was get a antique lens and have it screw on to the front board when open but would take longer to do. With the rails and hinges, my fiancee father works at a CNC shop and they let him use it for side projects every now and then. Once I got most of the design and parts fitted I would just give him measurements and have him cnc the parts.

[Michael Roberts]

Have you considered the Wollensak 159mm f9.5 lens? It’s tiny and lightweight, if it’s not too wide for you.

BTW, I’ve got an early 1900s 5x7 folder with no bellows that I bought for parts and never used. You can have it for shipping if you want it for your project. Base hinge and latch, rack and pinion focus, folding brackets, front standard, etc., might all be useful. It’s originally a “hand and stand” camera, similar to what you are describing although it was meant to be used at waist level rather than eye level.

[Dan Fromm]

You're totally right Dan ! I was trying to research a front cell focusing lens that would cover 4x10 but I wasn't able to find any, do you have any suggestions?

As far as I know there are none. Front cell focusing lenses on small format folders are usually triplets or tessar types. If I were you and were determined to go the way you've laid out I'd beg, borrow or buy a 5x7 camera and obtain a few ~ 200 mm tessar types and triplets and then experiment to see how well they work when their front cells are screwed out.

If, however, I wanted to shoot 4x10 hand held and was sure that a smaller format with the same aspect ratio that will fit on, say, 5x7 won't do and had the skills and equipment to make a camera from scratch, I'd make a 4x10 clone of a Crown Graphic or similar press camera.

[rfesk]

As far as I know there are none. Front cell focusing lenses on small format folders are usually triplets or tessar types. If I were you and were determined to go the way you've laid out I'd beg, borrow or buy a 5x7 camera and obtain a few ~ 200 mm tessar types and triplets and then experiment to see how well they work when their front cells are screwed out.

If, however, I wanted to shoot 4x10 hand held and was sure that a smaller format with the same aspect ratio that will fit on, say, 5x7 won't do and had the skills and equipment to make a camera from scratch, I'd make a 4x10 clone of a Crown Graphic or similar press camera.

If you want to try Dan's suggestion, I can sell you a B&J press camera (relatively cheap) that I was in the process of converting to 5x7 - which I paused work on. I can explain the process you will need to follow to make it 4x10. It uses lensboards but would most likely you could leave a 240/9 Fujinon or G-Claron mounted on it while folded up.

[Noahort47]

Honestly I would love to have the hand and stand camera shipping probably wouldnt be the worst sense i only live in new mexico! I haven't considered wollensak yet but I'll definitely do some research on it tonight! Also michael your post back in 2019 helped me first learn what I would need to do in order to build a 4x10 camera!