Big Shot

[johnielvis]

I got a bigshot recently---no flash cubes and the shutter was dodgy---the plastic wear creates like an "anti lube" inside so it was sticking...I took it apart---man you have to be careful--there's 2 springs in there...also..getting the front plastic fresnel/bezel is hard to do to (without breaking it)---anyway--I saw no real easy way to hook up a synch THEN..inspiration--the front of the camera looked about size of the copal press shutters I got on the polaroid hipster cams---SURE it is...to screw it in, I lined the inside of the front of the lens with tape so I can thread in the shutter without damaging the plastic for historical reasons--OH..I had to tape the shutter open on the inside, so I'll have to take it apart to revert it back to stock--but it IS reversible---put in some rollers from the hipstercam to get rid of the press spreaders that come stock with bigshot---the result--a bigshot that has synch and a selection of shutter speeds---the aperture of the big shot remains stock..you rotate the whole shutter/lens assy to selectd the lighten/darken aperture--I put a morris mini-slave flash behind the fresnel--it is almost EXACTLY the size of the flash cube bulbs...so it's a total modern way to get bigshot pics with the bigshot lens and aperture--totally authentic bigshot pics!!!!! see pics here

[Mark Woods]

What a bunch of tinkers we are. I'm impressed! Post some results.

[johnielvis]

here's one...don't wanna put up portraits...except here's a portrait of my holiday freezer--I've been shooting a lot so all the film left some empy space...so I filled it...note the stainless tray to keep thins neat in case of freezing/leaks (not likely, but worrywart)....totally hardcore here...yeah ho

[BetterSense]

Wow I'm confused. What is that thing?

[johnielvis]

Polaroid bigshot the front mounted shutter is from a polaroid ds-34 as are the development rollers that came from the ds-34 and put in the bigshot to replace the stock developer spreaders

I just had a thought---it may have been EASIER if I just take out the plastic lens and mount it on the shutter---put in in the graphic---BUT the focusing on the bigshot RULES--very easy even when dark--very well thought out viewfinder/rangefinder system on that camera

[Ramiro Elena]

I friend of mine did something similar. He used a Tominon lens on an Polaroid shutter but he cut the body right after the flash to do portraits.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bordons/4231223952/

[BetterSense]

I have never seen a camera like that. I guess it was before my time.

[rjbuzzclick]

I found a Kalart electronic strobe unit that instead of a hotshoe mount, has a Magicube connection on a folding portion of it. It was designed to replace flashcubes on some 110 film cameras. A little bit of kludging to get it to sit behind the diffuser on the Big Shot and it works well. Not quite as elegant or useful as your solution, but it works.

Oh, and I agree about the spreader bars. I got a set of rollers out of a Square Shooter and swapped mine too. The spreader bars are awful.

[Phil]

The Impossible Project has adapted the Big Shot to use their integral film. They have not changed the flash - the kit they sell comes with some Magicubes.

I remember selling these in the early 70's when I worked in a camera shop. An interesting and unique camera.

[buddybike]

I like to do as you did. Could you say more detailed how to screw the shutter to the front of Big Shot. Thank you!