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Thread: Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

  1. #1

    Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

    I've been looking for a design project for a while and decided on putting together a 4x5 camera. I had plans for a folding monorail, but chose a simpler design to start:







    All parts are made from laser-cut flat pattern Acetal/Delrin or ABS and either snap together or are screwed in. Bellows was ordered through an ebay seller and the ground glass is poached from a Toyo back.

    The camera offers geared focusing, front tilt and rise, and comes in at 2"x6.5"x9.5" and ~2lbs (need to weigh it after adding the ground glass and bellows). It lacks a bit of rigidity and could use some redesign on the focusing rail and rear standard.

    This is by no means a final design, but I definitely learned a lot through the process. I would go with waterjet cutting over laser cutting for the next run, as the draft angle on some of the cut parts messed up the alignment. I think the back needs to be machined to offer accurate alignment... I would likely swap some plastic parts for machined aluminum or machined plastic.

    Let me know what you guys think and any suggestions you may have

    Additional pictures can be found here.

  2. #2
    William Whitaker's Avatar
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    Re: Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

    Very ingenious!

  3. #3

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    Re: Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

    Cool

  4. #4
    funkadelic
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    Re: Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

    It's posts like this that make me wish I had worked as a machinist instead of one of the many other pointless jobs I did when I was younger. I doubt I would be doing it today, but this shows it's still a nice skill to have.
    I hope you make a v2.0 to make corrections/improvements, if nothing else, for your own satisfaction.
    Congratulations.

    Chris

  5. #5
    IanG's Avatar
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    Re: Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

    Very interesting, first a camera, next a coating machine please We'll make the emulsion

    Ian

  6. #6

    Join Date
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    Re: Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

    I like the convenient carry handle lol... it looks like the start of something very cool and even marketable if you refine it further.

    Personally I like the folding focusing hoods from a Graphic or Toyo, they protect the ground glass on a camera like this. Or use Plexi for the ground glass.

    It would be sweet if you could move the gearing to the outside and eliminate the center rail so you could leave a lens mounted, like a 8x10 Kodak 2D design. Maybe look at more older wooden camera designs that can translate to flat plastic assembly?

    Wehmans are out of production ;-)

  7. #7
    8x20 8x10 John Jarosz's Avatar
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    Re: Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

    Kudos for thinking outside the box..

    Nicely done.

    V2 will be superb

  8. #8
    dave_whatever's Avatar
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    Re: Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

    F*** me thats an impressive DIY job!

  9. #9

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    Re: Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

    I'm impressed.
    Go buy some film, and release the magic.

  10. #10
    Light Guru's Avatar
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    Re: Built my own ~2lb folding 4x5!

    VARY nice. I'm currently building a Bulldog 4x5 kit myself.

    If you were to offer this in a kit form to build I would definitely be interested in buying one.

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